Oakland Athletics - The Disco Years (1970-1979)

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1970

Decade

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1976

Titles:

Top Oakland Athletics Players of the Seventies

1971 West Division - Lost to Orioles

Pitchers:

1972 World Champs - Beat Reds

Vida Blue (30.69) - 74

1973 World Champs - Beat Mets

Catfish Hunter (18.17) - 66

1974 World Champs - Beat Dodgers

Rollie Fingers (12.86) - 54

1975 West Division - Lost to Red Sox

Ken Holtzman (11.12) - 45

Chuck Dobson (1.34) - 22

BallPark: Oakland Alameda Stadium

Blue Moon Odom (1.41) - 18

Rick Langford (8.83) - 14

Team Name: Athletics

Paul Lindblad (4.6) - 14

Mike Torrez (5.6) - 12

Owner:

Diego Segui (3.97) - 10

Charlie Finley

Catchers:

Managers:

Gene Tenace (23.66) - 38

John McNamara (1970)

Dave Duncan (5.94) - 18

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)

Don Baylor (2.92) - 10

Jim Marshall (1979)

Second Basemen:

General Managers:

Dick Green (5.31) - 13

Charlie Finley

ShortStop:

Hall of Famers:

Bert Campaneris (32.16) - 72

Rollie Fingers

Catfish Hunter

Third Base:

Reggie Jackson

Sal Bando (39) - 42

Rookie of the Year:

Outfield:

None

Reggie Jackson (34.51) - 75

Bill North (20) - 52

MVP:

Joe Rudi (23.27) - 48

Vida Blue (1971)

Mitchell Page (7.7) - 27

Reggie Jackson (1973)

Rick Monday (6.12) - 18

Claudell Washington (6.66) - 12

Cy Young:

Tony Armas (1.1) - 10

Vida Blue (1971)

Catfish Hunter (1874)

Notable Events:

No Hitters:

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

Vida Blue (1970)

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

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

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

of the early Seventies.

Notable Events:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Commissioner Bowie Kuhn does not ratify the deals and Fingers and

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

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

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

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

out of their ears:

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

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

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

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

Division Title in 1976.

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

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

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

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

season.A not very bright Bowie Kuhn, who was unable to think thru the

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

from the losses precipitated by Kuhn's ill-advised decision.

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

In today's game, it is routine for teams to trade stars who are pending

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

free agents in order to recoup at least part of their prospective losses.

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

Kuhn denied Finley the right of doing this, with dire consequences.

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

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

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

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

1970 - Charlie Finley uses yellow bases in a game

just like Connie Mack before him, paying his players market value wasn't

an option in his mind. Finley also didn't suffer fools very well. As a bright

1971 - Finley gives his players bonuses for growing moustaches

forward thinking individual, he immediately rubbed the other owners the

wrong way. They were, by and large, people with average intellects who

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

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

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

his dealings with Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. The owners wanted a loyal

straight Division title and second straight World Series title.

slow witted individual as the Commissioner. Someone who would cowtow

to them and not make waves. For an exceedingly smart guy like Finley,

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

the pedantic Kuhn was the red cape in front of the raging bull.

Hunter is granted free agency by an arbitrator after Charlie Finley

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

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

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

franchise is blessed with brilliant owners who build great champions

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

and cursed with owners who, by a combination of constrained

Harrelson in 1967 who was publicly upset after Finely fired manager

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

Alvin Dark. Finley released Harrelson who ended up signing a

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

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

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

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