At the beginning of his radio spot with KNBR’s Marty Lurie on Saturday night, Art Howe said it was nice to hear Lurie’s voice. To say it was just as nice to hear Howe’s would be an understatement.
The 73-year-old former A’s manager was released from the hospital last month after battling the coronavirus.
Howe is on the other side of it now, having tested negative twice.
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The 14-year veteran manager who spent seven of those seasons with the A’s explained the side effects he was experiencing including lacking the sense of smell and taste, chills, and he could hardly walk due to exhaustion. To top all of it off, he also had a bout of pneumonia.
“In a word, it was Hell,” Howe explained.
Howe wanted to thank all of the fans and his friends for the enormous amount of support after hearing he was in ICU last month.
“It certainly made me feel so good and gave me some spirit when I was in the hospital,” Howe said of the specific Bay Area support he received. “I just want them to know I really, really appreciate it -- I don’t have the words to thank them.”
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Previously, Howe wanted to make sure there was an awareness of the coronavirus, especially the severity of it.
“It’s a crazy thing,” he told MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart last month.
Howe remains a beloved figure in Bay Area sports having led the A’s to three-straight playoff appearances during the “Moneyball era” from 2000-02. Unfortunately, the team would lose in the American League Division Series each time.
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That doesn’t matter now. Howe has recovered and was so thankful to hear from everyone he did.
“It was just so wonderful to know that you have so many good friends throughout the country and they stepped up for me to get my spirits going and fight this thing," Howe said.