Oakland Athletics - The Beginning Years (1968-1979)

A's
Home
Click
on Logo

1970

1968

1972

Decade

Click

on Logo

101

108

Titles:

Top Oakland Athletics Players of the Sixties / Seventies

1971 West Division - Lost to Orioles

Pitchers:

1972 World Champs - Beat Reds

Catfish Hunter (20.85) - 82

1973 World Champs - Beat Mets

Vida Blue (29.17) - 74

1974 World Champs - Beat Dodgers

Rollie Fingers (12.07) - 58

1975 West Division - Lost to Red Sox

Ken Holtzman (11.12) - 45

Chuck Dobson (2.35) - 39

BallPark: Oakland Alameda Stadium

Blue Moon Odom (4.36) - 38

Rick Langford (8.83) - 14

Team Name: Athletics

Paul Lindblad (5.36) - 14

Mike Torrez (5.6) - 12

Owner:

Diego Segui (5.23) - 11

Charlie Finley

Denny McLain (0.75) - 0

Managers:

Catchers:

Bob Kennedy (1968)

Gene Tenace (23.56) - 38

John McNamara (1969-1970)

Dave Duncan (5.06) - 21

Dick Williams (1971-1973)

Alvin Dark (1974-1975)

First Basemen:

Chuck Tanner (1976)

Mike Epstein (6.7) - 19

Jack McKeon (1977-1978)

Dave Revering (2.96) - 12

Bobby Winkles (1977-1978)

Danny Cater (2.51) - 11

Jim Marshall (1979)

Don Baylor (2.92) - 10

Dick Allen (0.24) - 0

General Managers:

Nate Colbert (0.18) - 0

Charlie Finley

Second Basemen:

Hall of Famers:

Dick Green (11.16) - 22

Billy Williams

Rollie Fingers

ShortStop:

Catfish Hunter

Bert Campaneris (42.46) - 93

Reggie Jackson

Third Base:

Rookie of the Year:

Sal Bando (50.59) - 60

None

Phil Garner (4.51) - 9

MVP:

Outfield:

Vida Blue (1971)

Reggie Jackson (48.92) - 105

Reggie Jackson (1973)

Bill North (20) - 52

Joe Rudi (22.43) - 48

Cy Young:

Rick Monday (13.46) - 40

Vida Blue (1971)

Mitchell Page (7.7) - 27

Catfish Hunter (1974)

Claudell Washington (6.66) - 12

Tony Armas (1.1) - 10

No Hitters:

Felipe Alou (2.23) - 5

Catfish Hunter (1968)

Billy Williams (1.92) - 5

Vida Blue (1970)

Herb Washington (0.54) - 2

Four Pitchers Blue, Abbott, Lindblad, Fingers (1975)

Tommy Davis (1.22) - 2

Notable Events:

1968 - In their first year in Oakland, the A's finish over .500, something

they were never able to do in Kansas City. The last time they were

over .500 was 1952 while in Philadelphia

Notable Events:

1970 - Say what you will about Charlie Finley, but you can't deny the guy was

1976 - With Free Agency pending for a number of his stars, Finley

brilliant. He made his fortune in the Insurance business, bought a baseball club,

starts dealing them away. Reggie Jackson goes to Baltimore for Don

and proceeded to build a baseball dynasty on his own while bringing in and then

Baylor. Finley trades Rollie Fingers and Joe Rudi to the Red Sox.

discarding a bunch of savvy baseball men in the process. Coming into the

Commissioner Bowie Kuhn does not ratify the deals and Fingers and

Seventies, the A's roster had young and extremely talented players coming

Rudi are returned from Boston. Finley, in a pique, sits out Fingers and

out of their ears:

Rudi for a week. They eventually return to the lineup but the A's finish

□ C - Gene Tenace, 23 . 20th round pick 1965 draft

two and a half games behind the Royals. If Rudi and Fingers had not

□ C - Dave Duncan, 24, signed as amateur FA 1963

sat out, there's a good chance the A's would have won a 6th straight

□ 2B - Dick Green, 29, signed as amateur FA 1960

Division Title in 1976.

□ SS - Bert Campaneris, 28, signed as IFA 1961

□ 3B - Sal Bando, 26, 6th round pick 1965 draft

1977 - The A's lose their core of players to Free Agency after the 1976

□ OF - Joe Rudi, 23, signed as amateur FA 1964

season. Bowie Kuhn, not a great mind who was unable to think thru the

□ OF - Rick Monday, 24, First overall pick in 1965 draft

consequences of his actions, denied Finley the right of getting some value

□ OF - Reggie Jackson, 24, 2nd overall pick in 1966 draft

for his players before they bolted for free agency. The result was that

□ LHP - Vida Blue, 20, 2nd round pick in 1967 draft

the A's were now doomed for a decade before they could recover

□ RHP - Catfish Hunter, 24, signed as amateur FA 1964

from the losses precipitated by Kuhn's wrong-headed decision.

□ RHP - Chuck Dobson, 26, signed as amateur FA 1964

In today's marketplace, teams routinely trade stars whose free agency is

□ RHP - Blue Moon Odom, 25, signed as amateur FA 1964

pending in order to recoup something for their loss. Kuhn did not allow

□ RHP - Rollie Fingers, 23, signed as amateur FA 1964

Finley to do this - with dire consequences for the franchise.

□ RHP - Paul Lindblad, 28, signed as amateur FA 1963

1977 - Brilliant as he was, Finley was obviously not without flaws. For

1970 - Charlie Finley uses yellow bases in a game

instance, he could have paid his players market value. But just like

Connie Mack before him, paying his players market value wasn't an option in

1971 - Finley gives his players bonuses for growing moustaches

his mind. Finley also didn't suffer fools very well. As a bright forward thinking

individual, he immediately rubbed the other owners the wrong way. They

1973 - Manager Dick Wiliams quits after the season in a salary dispute

were, by and large, people with average (some lower) intellects who

with Charlie Finley despite the fact that he just led the A's to their third

happened to have a lot of money. They frustrated him. Even worse were

straight Division title and second straight World Series title.

his dealings with Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. The other owners liked having

a loyal slow witted individual as the Commissioner. Someone who

1974 - After winning their third straight World title in 1974, Catfish

would cowtow to them and not make waves. For a guy like Finley, Kuhn

Hunter is granted free agency by an arbitrator after Charlie Finley

was the red cape in front of the raging bull.

reneged on giving Hunter land promised him if he won the Cy Young

This wasn't the first time that Finley lost a star player to free agency

1977 - Different era, different city, same old, same old. The A's

before the free agency era. He also had a dispute with Hawk

franchise is blessed with brilliant owners who build great champions

Harrelson in 1967, who was publicly upset after Finely fired manager

and cursed with owners who, by a combination of constrained

Alvin Dark. Finley then released Harrelson who ended up signing a

finances and/or rather large personality flaws, are compelled to tear

lucrative free agent contract.with the pennant contending Red Sox.

down what they've built - pendulum-ing the team from the top to the depths

1975 - The A's win their 5th straight Division title, but lose the AL title

1979 - Ricky Henderson debuts with the A's in 1979 (the only bright spot

to Boston - not having Catfish Hunter contributed to the title loss.

in a 108 loss season). Ricky goes on to be a four decade star player.

This season signals the beginning of the decline of the A's dynasty

of the early Seventies.