Posts tagged ‘Frank Thomas’

Hello A’s fans this is Charles here again for another edition of my offseason blog. As spring training continues, we once again ponder the outlook of the season. At this current juncture we have no idea who will appear on the 25 man roster, so i will postpone my predictions of the team. Instead lets turn our attention to the 40 year anniversary of the Oakland A’s.

As we move from the arrival of the A’s in Oakland to the current decades, there are a few moments that have been magical.

In 1968, Charlie Finley moved the Kansas City Athletics to Oakland, California where they would begin a great tradition of winning. In that inaugural season Catfish Hunter pitched a perfect game against the Twins, the first in Oakland A’s history.

The 1970’s spawned the birth of the “Swingin’ A’s” dynasty. From 1972 to 1974 the Oakland A’s won three consecutive World Series. The A’s defeated the Cincinnati Reds in 1972, the New York Mets in 1973, and the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1974. In ‘72 the A’s won in 7 games in large part because of stellar pitching from Catfish Hunter and Rollie Fingers. Joe Rudi provided the most memorable moment with a spectacular 9th inning leaping catch at the wall to preserve the A’s win in game 2. Gene Tenance was named MVP of the World Series for his great performance at the plate. In 1973 the A’s repeated as champions by defeating the New York Mets. While the A’s were outscored in the series, they prevailed in 7 games with the help of World Series MVP Reggie Jackson. In 1974 the A’s completed the “three-peat” thanks in part to World Series MVP Rollie Fingers and his 3 saves and a win. For A’s fans the Swingin’ A’s brought both exhilarating baseball and an attitude to the East Bay. It is widely considered one of the few dynasties in baseball history. The Swingin’ A’s were a group of unique characters who put aside their dislike of each other to win three consecutive World Series. With the advent of free agency the Swinging A’s dissembled and faced turbulent times under the foolish ownership of Charlie Finley. The Swingin’ A’s were more than just a successful baseball dynasty…they were essentially a movement that embodied all of the great qualities of Oakland. In a city that is often overlooked, the A’s brought the city of Oakland a unique blend of individuality and tenacity.

The 80’s brought about the new look A’s that eventually brought our proud franchise back into the limelight. In 1988 the Oakland A’s faced off against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. The A’s were considered favorites due to a lineup that included the likes of the Bash Brothers and Rickey Henderson, and a pitching staff of Dave Stewart and Dennis Eckersley just to name a few. The Dodgers pulled off a huge upset by beating the A’s 4 games to 1. The series provided one of the most memorable plays in baseball history with Kirk Gibson’s walk off home run off of Dennis Eckersley. The home run still stings A’s fans who were fans of the team during the 1980’s. The home run is also considered the turning point in the series, as the Dodgers went on to win the series following the walk off home run in game 1.

Luckily for the A’s they were able to earn a second consecutive World Series birth against the San Francisco Giants. For Bay Area sports fans it was seen as a Dream Series before mother nature intervened. While the A’s went on to sweep the Giants for the team’s fourth World Series, it was the Loma Prieta Earthquake that took the spotlight. The earthquake is considered one of the most destructive earthquakes in American history. The earthquake took place prior to game 3, which was later postponed due to the earthquake. While the A’s dominated the series, it was a somber World Series championship and what is to date the A’s last World Series crown.

The 1990’s will always remind me of great television like the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Boy Meets World and Hey Arnold but the 90’s was also a special time for A’s fans. In 1990 the A’s returned to what may be their final World Series appearance in the great city of Oakland. For the third straight year the A’s entered the World Series as favorites, this time against the Cincinnati Reds. In what is considered one of the biggest upsets in postseason history the “Nasty Boys” led the Reds to a 4 game sweep of the A’s. The series was the third and final of three straight World Series appearances. While most will agree that the A’s were far and away the most talented team during those three years, that talent only translated to one World Series championship. The next year in May of 1991 Rickey Henderson provided another fantastic moment for the A’s as he broke the All-Time Stolen Base Record. Henderson cemented himself as the greatest lead off hitter of all time as he broke Lou Brock’s stolen base record.

During the 2000 season the A’s regained the winning spirit that helped catapult them to multiple World Series victories. As the year came to a close the A’s found themselves right in the thick of a playoff race with the Seattle Mariners. On the final day of the season the A’s faced a win or go home game against the Texas Rangers with the American League West crown at stake. With a sold out Coliseum, Tim Hudson led the A’s to 3-0 victory which clinched the division title for the A’s and gave Time Hudson a 20 win season. The A’s won 10 of their last 12 games to make it to the playoffs where they ultimately lost 3 games to 2 to the New York Yankees. What made this moment significant was that it marked the beginning of a run of 4 straight playoff appearances.

In 2002 the A’s took the sports world on an unbelievable run that will most likely never be duplicated again. As the season began winding down, the A’s ripped off an unimaginable 20 consecutive victories. That winning streak in itself is amazing but what added to its’ significance was that the Angels remained close with the A’s during the streak, because of a 14 game winning streak of their own. The 20 game win streak also featured thrilling finishes, like Tejada’s come from behind walk off home run off Eddie Guardado, as well as his game winning single off of Guardado. However the most memorable game of the streak was game 20 where the A’s blew a 10 run to lead to Kansas City before Scott Hatteberg launched a walk off home run. While the A’s faltered in the playoffs, the A’s would have been watching the playoffs on TV had they not ripped off that 20 game win streak.

In the 2006 season there was much hype surrounding the Oakland A’s due in large part to their offseason acquisitions. The A’s welcomed Frank Thomas and Milton Bradley to the fold, and after slow starts by each, they proved to be the two most vital players in the A’s playoff push. The moment that sticks out about the 2006 season was the A’s sweeping the Minnesota Twins in Oakland. I was fortunate enough to be on hand that game, which ended a string of postseason heartache. The
A’s advanced to the ALCS for the first time in 14 years. No one gave the A’s a shot against the Twins but the A’s shocked the sports world by sweeping the Twins. Unfortunately the team has not been the same since Game 3 of the ALDS which adds to its’ significance.

This year the A’s are set to honor their proud 40 year legacy here in Oakland. At the moment, it unfortunately appears that the A’s will be leaving Oakland in the next few years. As we march toward Opening Day, it important to honor the 40 years the A’s have spent in Oakland, and in a perfect world the A’s would spend an additional 40 years here.

Be sure to send us an email at hosts@athleticscast.com, visit us on
MySpace or Facebook or call us anytime at 415-691-6185. Go A’s!