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| oakland athletics logo history: Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game Michael Lewis, 2004-03-17 Michael Lewis’s instant classic may be “the most influential book on sports ever written” (People), but “you need know absolutely nothing about baseball to appreciate the wit, snap, economy and incisiveness of [Lewis’s] thoughts about it” (Janet Maslin, New York Times). One of GQ's 50 Best Books of Literary Journalism of the 21st Century Just before the 2002 season opens, the Oakland Athletics must relinquish its three most prominent (and expensive) players and is written off by just about everyone—but then comes roaring back to challenge the American League record for consecutive wins. How did one of the poorest teams in baseball win so many games? In a quest to discover the answer, Michael Lewis delivers not only “the single most influential baseball book ever” (Rob Neyer, Slate) but also what “may be the best book ever written on business” (Weekly Standard). Lewis first looks to all the logical places—the front offices of major league teams, the coaches, the minds of brilliant players—but discovers the real jackpot is a cache of numbers?numbers!?collected over the years by a strange brotherhood of amateur baseball enthusiasts: software engineers, statisticians, Wall Street analysts, lawyers, and physics professors. What these numbers prove is that the traditional yardsticks of success for players and teams are fatally flawed. Even the box score misleads us by ignoring the crucial importance of the humble base-on-balls. This information had been around for years, and nobody inside Major League Baseball paid it any mind. And then came Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland Athletics. He paid attention to those numbers?with the second-lowest payroll in baseball at his disposal he had to?to conduct an astonishing experiment in finding and fielding a team that nobody else wanted. In a narrative full of fabulous characters and brilliant excursions into the unexpected, Michael Lewis shows us how and why the new baseball knowledge works. He also sets up a sly and hilarious morality tale: Big Money, like Goliath, is always supposed to win . . . how can we not cheer for David? |
| oakland athletics logo history: Finley Ball Nancy Finley, 2016-03-29 This is the story of a losing baseball team that became a 1970s dynasty, thanks to the unorthodox strategies and stunts of two very colorful men. When Charlie Finley bought the A's in 1960, he was an outsider to the game—a insurance businessman with a larger-than-life personality. He brought his cousin Carl on as his right-hand man, moved the team from Kansas City to Oakland, and pioneered a new way to put together a winning team. With legendary players like Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, and Vida Blue, the Finleys' Oakland A's won three straight World Series and riveted the nation. Now Carl Finley's daughter Nancy reveals the whole story behind her family's winning legacy—how her father and uncle developed their scouting strategy, why they employed odd gimmicks like orange baseballs and mustache bonuses, and how the success of the '70s Oakland A's changed the game of baseball. |
| oakland athletics logo history: Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic Jason Turbow, 2017-03-07 “An exciting and engrossing book. . . . will engage fans of Charlie O. Finley and the Oakland Athletics, along with anyone captivated by baseball history.” —Library Journal, starred review The Oakland A’s of the early 1970s: Never before had an entire organization so collectively traumatized baseball’s establishment with its outlandish behavior and business decisions. The high drama that played out on the field—five straight division titles and three straight championships—was exceeded only by the drama in the clubhouse and front office. Under the visionary leadership of owner Charles O. Finley, the team assembled such luminary figures as Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, Rollie Fingers, and Vida Blue, and with garish uniforms and revolutionary facial hair, knocked baseball into the modern age. Finley’s need for control—he was his own general manager and dictated everything from the ballpark organist’s playlist to the menu for the media lounge—made him ill-suited for the advent of free agency. Within two years, his dynasty was lost. A history of one of the game’s most unforgettable teams, Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic is a paean to the sport’s most turbulent, magical team, during one of major league baseball’s most turbulent, magical times. “Masterfully recounts a thrilling period in Oakland A’s history.” —Billy Beane, executive vice president of baseball operations, Oakland A’s “Not to be believed, and yet 100 percent true.” —Steve Fainaru, senior writer for ESPN and author of League of Denial “A must-read for any fan of the sport.” —Chris Ballard, Sports Illustrated senior writer and author of One Shot at Forever “Carefully researched and often hilarious.” —San Francisco Chronicle “A chance to relive a period of outlandish moments in America’s pastime.” —Publishers Weekly |
| oakland athletics logo history: Billy Ball Dale Tafoya, 2020-03-24 Named a Best Baseball Book of 2020 by Sports Collectors Digest In the early 1970s, the Oakland Athletics became only the second team in major-league baseball history to win three consecutive World Series championships. But as the decade came to a close, the A's were in free fall, having lost 108 games in 1979 while drawing just 307,000 fans. Free agency had decimated the A’s, and the team’s colorful owner, Charlie Finley, was looking for a buyer. First, though, he had to bring fans back to the Oakland Coliseum. Enter Billy Martin, the hometown boy from West Berkeley. In Billy Ball, sportswriter Dale Tafoya describes what, at the time, seemed like a match made in baseball heaven. The A’s needed a fiery leader to re-ignite interest in the team. Martin needed a job after his second stint as manager of the New York Yankees came to an abrupt end. Based largely on interviews with former players, team executives, and journalists, Billy Ball captures Martin’s homecoming to the Bay area in 1980, his immediate embrace by Oakland fans, and the A’s return to playoff baseball. Tafoya describes the reputation that had preceded Martin—one that he fully lived up to—as the brawling, hard-drinking baseball savant with a knack for turning bad teams around. In Oakland, his aggressive style of play came to be known as Billy Ball. A’s fans and the media loved it. But, in life and in baseball, all good things must come to an end. Tafoya chronicles Martin’s clash with the new A’s management and the siren song of the Yankees that lured the manager back to New York in 1983. Still, as the book makes clear, the magical turnaround of the A’s has never been forgotten in Oakland. Neither have Billy Martin and Billy Ball. During a time of economic uncertainty and waning baseball interest in Oakland, Billy Ball filled the stands, rejuvenated fans, and saved professional baseball in the city. |
| oakland athletics logo history: Baseball's Last Dynasty Bruce Markusen, 1998 During the first half of the 1970's no team dominated major league baseball like the Oakland A's. Led by future Hall of Famers Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter and Rollie Fingers, the A's captured five consecutive division titles, three American League pennants and three World Series trophies from 1971 to 1975. Baseball's Last Dynasty recounts the history of those colorful, controversial, and highly successful teams. As only the second franchise in major league history to win three consecutive Wold Series, the A's Ruled baseball in the era prior to the advent of free agency. With the help of an astute team of scouts, owner Charlie Finely assembled a nucleus of home-grown future stars wearing Oakland's garish green and gold uniforms: Bert Campaneris, Sal Bando, Joe Rudi, Gene Tenace and Vida Blue in addition to Reggie, Rollie and Catfish. In spite of such talents, the A's struggled to surpass the level of mediocrity until the hiring of baseball's version of Vince Lombardi -- Dick Williams. A fiery disciplinarian and disciple of Branch Rickey, Williams led Oakland to a first place finish in 1971, followed by consecutive world championships in 1972 and 1973. In chronicling the team known as the Mustache Gang and the Swinging A's, Baseball's Last Dynasty details the many fights and arguments in the Oakland clubhouse, the many controversies as well as the departures of Williams and Hunter. In the nearly quarter of a century that has passed since the A's won their trio of titles, no team has managed to duplicate the feat. Given the instability created by free agency and the difficulty of keeping a championship team's payroll under control, no team may be able to match theaccomplishments of Charlie Finley's A's. Exhaustively researched and including recent interviews with many of the key players, Baseball's Last Dynasty brings the story of this extraordinary team to life. |
| oakland athletics logo history: The A's David M. Jordan, 2014-02-10 This is a straightforward history of the Athletics franchise, from its Connie Mack years in Philadelphia with teams featuring Eddie Collins, Chief Bender, Jimmy Foxx, Mickey Cochrane and Lefty Grove, through its 13 years in Kansas City, under Arnold Johnson and Charles O. Finley, and on to its great years in Oakland--with the three World Series wins featuring Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson, Sal Bando and Vida Blue, and the conflicts with Finley--as well as the less successful seasons that followed, then the Series sweep in 1989, and ending up with the unusual operation of the club by Billy Beane. |
| oakland athletics logo history: My 66 Years in the Big Leagues Connie Mack, Rich Westcott, 2009-01-01 A Founding Father of modern baseball, Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy started out as a catcher and moved on to become the consummate manager and part owner of the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901 to 1950. Better known as Connie Mack, he cut a dashing figure clad in a business suit and straw skimmer. With an even-tempered manner, Mr. Mack was regarded as a unique combination of coach and father figure by his players—who included such all-time greats as Ty Cobb, Lefty Grove, and Chief Bender. This engaging autobiography, written with his characteristic warmth and enthusiasm, reads like a history of baseball during the first half of the twentieth century. Enhanced by seventy photos, Mack walks us through his amazing life—and the highlights of his legendary career. He holds the records for most wins and losses by a manager, he won nine American League pennants, brought the A's to eight World Series and won five of them. Plus, there has never been another man who has managed one sports team for fifty years. Achieving the ultimate recognition, the Grand Old Man of Baseball was elected to the National Hall of Fame in 1937, and was the first person chosen for the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008. |
| oakland athletics logo history: 100 Things A's Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die Susan Slusser, 2015-06-01 With traditions, records, and team lore, this lively, detailed book explores the personalities, events, and facts every Athletics fan should know. This guide to all things A's covers the team's amazing history including the Connie Mack and Charlie O. Finley dynasties, the Earthquake Series, and all of their World Series titles. Author Susan Slusser has collected every essential piece of A's knowledge and trivia, including Billy Beane and Moneyball, Catfish Hunter, Stomper, and the Bash Brothers, as well as must-do activities, and ranks them from 1 to 100, providing an entertaining and easy-to-follow checklist for fans of all ages. |
| oakland athletics logo history: Oakland Athletics Brian Howell, 2015-01-01 Inside MLB profiles each of the 30 franchises in Major League Baseball. Oakland Athletics is a beginner's history of the Athletics, covering the beginnings of the franchise, the greatest and lowest moments of the team, and the best players and managers. Fun facts, anecdotes, and sidebars round out the story of each club, allowing your readers to get Inside MLB! Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. SportsZone is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO. |
| oakland athletics logo history: Baseball Bits Dan Schlossberg, 2008-05-06 A book that covers all the bases! Everything fans want to know about the Great American Pastime... Written and compiled by baseball expert Dan Schlossberg, this book is chock-full of the best trivia, information, and fun facts about the game. Featuring interviews with players, managers, and other baseball professionals, as well as never-before-told stories, Baseball Bits is sure to hit a home run with just about anyone who's interested in the game. But that's not all, because beyond the stories and trivia, the die-hard fan also wants the most recent information that affects this season. Inside each book is a password that lets readers log onto a website for up-to-the-minute information only available there. The site is guaranteed to be updated at least once a month-more frequently during the season-to provide readers with everything they need to know about the current season, including: * The latest trades, and how they'll affect particular Teams * The best players' current stats * Who is about to break major records |
| oakland athletics logo history: The Ultimate Philadelphia Athletics Reference Book 1901–1954 Ted Taylor, 2010-02-10 Jack Coombs (1906-14) won three games in the 1910 World Series, an amazing accomplishment for any pitcher. (In three World Series he was lifetime 5-0.) That year he had gone 31-9 to pace the A’s and lead the league in victories. He was 28-12 the following season and 21-10 in 1912, clearly the best years of his fourteen-year-career. He spent four years with Brooklyn and finished up with Detroit. Lifetime in 355 games Jack was 159-110. After his playing days were over he became head baseball coach at Duke University and sent a number of players to the A’s during that time. Orge “Pat” Cooper (1946) a pitcher, not the comedian, who was one of those “Cup of Coffee” guys who saw action in one game, one inning and was never seen or heard from again in the majors. In the minors he pitched, played the outfield and first base and got into 622 games over ten years batting, of all things, .318. As a minor-league pitcher, he was 24-16. Arthur “Bunny” Corcoran (1915) was a member of the ’15 A’s. He was 0-4 in his one game at third base. Played just two minor-league campaigns (1920 at Norfolk and 1921 at Rocky Mount), played in 238 games and batted .230. Ensign “Dick” Cottrell (1913) spent small parts of five different years in the majors—and every one of them with a different team. With the A’s he was 1-0, with the rest of them, combined, he was 0-2. In four minor-league seasons, he won 34, lost 26. Why would someone give their kid a military rank as a first name? Stan Coveleski (1912) Hall of Famer, a native of Shamokin, PA, Stan started his fourteen-year career with the A’s in 1912 and, somehow, they let him get away after he went 2-1. In fact he spent four years in the minors and was twenty-seven before he was back in the majors to stay, mostly with Cleveland (1916-24). He also saw service with Washington and the Yankees. Lifetime in 450 games, Coveleski won 215, lost 142 with an ERA of 2.88. He was the brother of Harry Coveleski a very good southpaw major-league pitcher who appeared with the Phillies, Reds, and Tigers over nine years (1907-18). Ironically the two brothers never faced each other on the mound. The correct spelling of his last name was Coveleskie, but he never corrected anyone and, as a consequence, his Hall of Famer The Ultimate Philadelphia Athletics Reference Book 1901-1954 93 plaque has his last name spelled incorrectly. (The original spelling of his name was Kowalewski, he and his brother changed it legally). Stan Coveleskie shared the same name (and they spelled it right, too) not the same talents as the well-known Hall of Famer. Stan played in the minors for six seasons (1944-51), five of them in the Phillies farm system, one in the A’s organization. A catcher by trade, Coveleskie appeared in 346 games and batted .261. Homer Cox was signed as a catcher by the A’s in 1938 and spent the majority of his ten-year minor-league career in their organization. He played in 578 games and had a .301 lifetime batting average, but never really got out of the low minors. He batted .367 for Lexington in 1945 in eighty-four games, his best season. Martin “Toots” Coyne (1914) went zero for two in his one game for the A’s. No other pro record exists. Born and died in St. Louis. Jim Roy Crabb (1912) in seven games for the A’s he was 2-4, in two games with the White Sox to start the season, he was 0-1. Lifetime, one year, nine games. Spent seven seasons in the minors, winning seventy-six, losing seventy-one. Once lost twenty games playing for three different teams in 1914. George Craig (1907) no decisions in two appearances. He was a left hander. Was 6-5 in his one minor-league season. Roger “Doc” Cramer (1929-35) who belongs in the Hall of Fame and will never get there despite his twenty-year-career and lifetime batting average of .296. His best A’s year was 1935 when he batted .332 in 149 games. Cramer appeared in 2,239 games, had 2,705 hits and batted over .300 eight times |
| oakland athletics logo history: Picturing America's Pastime The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, 2021-06-17 Baseball Photography Classics “It’s a great addition to your coffee table, or as a gift to the baseball fan in your life.” ―baseballmusings.com #1 New Release in Photojournalism, Photo Essays, Statistics, History, Sports Photography, and Sports Picturing America’s Pastime celebrates baseball through a unique photography collection of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s unmatched archive of baseball photos. Preserving History, Honoring Excellence, Connecting Generations is the mission of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Now, with this unequaled collection of photos from baseball history, you can revel in the moments we share at the ballpark, the grand sweep of the stadium, the drama of the game, and classic images of baseball greats. Celebrate the history of baseball and baseball photography. Go beyond the standard highlights of baseball history in this collection of rarely seen photos that reveals the full landscape of our national pastime as no other collection can. Selected by the historians and curators at the Baseball Hall of Fame, the photographs reveal the rich relationship between photography and the game. Each image includes an historic quote and a detailed caption, often highlighting little-known information about the photographers and techniques used across the 150 plus years covered in the book. Experience the storied history of this great game through iconic images: • Panoramic photos of historic stadiums • A thoughtful Honus Wagner studying his bat • Early African American team portraits and photos of such greats as Hank Aaron, Jackie Robinson, and Orestes “Minnie” Miñoso • And much more! If you have enjoyed baseball photography books such as The Story of Baseball: In 100 Photographs, 100 Year in Pinstripes: The New York Yankees in Photographs, or Baseball: An Illustrated History, you will love The National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Picturing America’s Pastime. |
| oakland athletics logo history: Charlie Finley Roger D. Launius, G. Michael Green, 2010-07-11 Before the Bronx Zoo of George Steinbrenner and Billy Martin, there were the Oakland Athletics of the early 1970s, one of the most successful, most colorful-and most chaotic-baseball teams of all time. They were all of those things because of Charlie Finley. Not only the A's owner, he was also the general manager, personally assembling his team, deciding his players' salaries, and making player moves during the season-a level of involvement no other owner, not even Steinbrenner, engaged in. Drawing on interviews with dozens of Finley's players, family members, and colleagues, G. Michael Green and Roger D. Launius present Baseball's Super Showman (Time magazine's description of Finley on the cover of an August 1975 issue) in all his contradictions: generous yet vengeful, inventive yet destructive. The stories surrounding him are as colorful as the life he led, the chronicle of which fills an important gap in baseball's literature. |
| oakland athletics logo history: Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Blunders Rob Neyer, 2007-11-01 BLOOPER: BALL SQUIRTS THROUGH BILLY BUCKNER'S LEGS. BLUNDER: BILLY BUCKNER'S MANAGER LEFT HIM IN THE GAME. Baseball bloopers are fun; they're funny, even. A pitcher slips on the mound and his pitch sails over the backstop. An infielder camps under a pop-up...and the ball lands ten feet away. An outfielder tosses a souvenir to a fan...but that was just the second out, and runners are circling the bases (and laughing). Without these moments, the highlight reels wouldn't be nearly as entertaining. Baseball blunders, however, can be tragic, and they will leave diehard fans asking why...why...why? Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Blunders does its best to answer all those whys, exploring the worst decisions and stupidest moments of managers, general managers, owners, and even commissioners. As he did in his Big Book of Baseball Lineups, Rob Neyer provides readers with a fascinating examination of baseball's rich history, this time through the lens of the game's sometimes hilarious, often depressing, and always perplexing blunders. · Which ill-fated move cost the Chicago White Sox a great hitter and the 1919 World Series? · What was Babe Ruth thinking when he became the first (and still the only) player to end a World Series by getting caught trying to steal? · Did playing one-armed Pete Gray in 1945 cost the Browns a pennant? · How did winning a coin toss lead to the Dodgers losing the National League pennant on Bobby Thomson's Shot Heard 'round the World? · How damaging was the Frank Robinson-for-Milt Pappas deal, really? · Which of Red Sox manager Don Zimmer's mistakes in 1978 was the worst? · Which Yankees trade was even worse than swapping Jay Buhner for Ken Phelps? · What non-move cost Buck Showalter a job and gave Joe Torre the opportunity of a lifetime? · Game 7, 2003 ALCS: Pedro winds up to throw his 123rd pitch...what were you thinking? These are just a few of the legendary (and not-so-legendary) blunders that Neyer analyzes, always with an eye on what happened, why it happened, and how it changed the fickle course of history. And in separate chapters, Neyer also reviews some of the game's worst trades and draft picks and closely examines all the teams that fell just short of first place. Another in the series of Neyer's Big Books of baseball history, Baseball Blunders should win a place in every devoted fan's library. |
| oakland athletics logo history: Long Schott Stephen C. Schott, John Shea, 2022-06-21 A candid autobiography from the famously reclusive Oakland Athletics owner during the pivotal Moneyball era As owner of the Oakland A's during the 1990s and early 2000s, Steve Schott fostered a front office culture of experimentation, risk, and autonomy that ultimately changed the course of modern baseball. As a founder of Citation Builders, he has been responsible for the construction of over 50,000 individual residences in the state of California. Long Schott is a story about unlikely victories, from that feisty A's squad that rallied for a historic 20-game win streak to the booming California real estate market and beyond. Co-authored by renowned San Francisco Chronicle baseball writer John Shea, this is a fascinating business story encompassing humble beginnings, unprecedented success, and the many lessons learned along the way. |
| oakland athletics logo history: The Baseball Codes Jason Turbow, Michael Duca, 2011-03-22 An insider’s look at baseball’s unwritten rules, explained with examples from the game’s most fascinating characters and wildest historical moments. Everyone knows that baseball is a game of intricate regulations, but it turns out to be even more complicated than we realize. All aspects of baseball—hitting, pitching, and baserunning—are affected by the Code, a set of unwritten rules that governs the Major League game. Some of these rules are openly discussed (don’t steal a base with a big lead late in the game), while others are known only to a minority of players (don’t cross between the catcher and the pitcher on the way to the batter’s box). In The Baseball Codes, old-timers and all-time greats share their insights into the game’s most hallowed—and least known—traditions. For the learned and the casual baseball fan alike, the result is illuminating and thoroughly entertaining. At the heart of this book are incredible and often hilarious stories involving national heroes (like Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays) and notorious headhunters (like Bob Gibson and Don Drysdale) in a century-long series of confrontations over respect, honor, and the soul of the game. With The Baseball Codes, we see for the first time the game as it’s actually played, through the eyes of the players on the field. With rollicking stories from the past and new perspectives on baseball’s informal rulebook, The Baseball Codes is a must for every fan. |
| oakland athletics logo history: In Pursuit of Pennants Mark Armour, Daniel R. Levitt, 2018-04-01 The 1936 Yankees, the 1963 Dodgers, the 1975 Reds, the 2010 Giants—why do some baseball teams win while others don’t? General managers and fans alike have pondered this most important of baseball questions. The Moneyball strategy is not the first example of how new ideas and innovative management have transformed the way teams are assembled. In Pursuit of Pennants examines and analyzes a number of compelling, winning baseball teams over the past hundred-plus years, focusing on their decision making and how they assembled their championship teams. Whether through scouting, integration, instruction, expansion, free agency, or modernizing their management structure, each winning team and each era had its own version of Moneyball, where front office decisions often made the difference. Mark L. Armour and Daniel R. Levitt show how these teams succeeded and how they relied on talent both on the field and in the front office. While there is no recipe for guaranteed success in a competitive, ever-changing environment, these teams demonstrate how creatively thinking about one’s circumstances can often lead to a competitive advantage. |
| oakland athletics logo history: Aces Mychael Urban, 2006-04-14 San Francisco Chronicle Bestseller From the speedy rise of the Big Three to their stunning breakup, Urban's book says it all. - John Shea, National baseball Writer, San Francisco Chronicle During the 2004 season, each of Oakland's Big Three aces had something to prove. Tim Hudson was determined to demonstrate his recovery from a recurring injury. Barry Zito had to show the world that after a ho-hum 2003, his 2002 Cy Young Award was not a fluke. Mark Mulder missed the 203 playoffs entirely with a stress fracture, but the way he saw it, he simply needed to be himself-the natural-born pitcher. Given unprecedented access to the Big Three , Mychael Urban recreates their tumultuous season through their eyes. he explores the nuts and bolts of major league pitching, examining each player's unique approach to this craft while revealing how three very different personalities cope with the demands, rewards, and challenges of sports stardom. Now with a new afterword on the 2005 season Urban traces the fortunes of the Big Three after Hudson was sent to Atlanta and Mulder to St. Louis, trades which held the dramatic promise of them being reunited again-as opponents-in the playoffs. Written with great color, style, humor, and grace, Aces takes readers on a captivating ride. - Mike Silver, Sports Illustrated Mychael Urban's book is a fabulous read... This is hardly just a baseball book. It's about life, and he tremendous burden each pitcher carried while trying to lead the Oakland A's to the playoffs. I absolutely loved it. - Bob Nightengale, Senor Writer/Columnist, USA Today Sports Weekly From the southern fried heat of Tim Hudson to Mark Mulder's cool aloofness to Barry Zito's cerebral wanderings, Urban captures the engine of Oakland's Little Engine That Could of a team with grace and aplomb. - Scott Miller, National Baseball Columnist, CBS.SportsLine.com |
| oakland athletics logo history: Field of Schemes Neil deMause, Joanna Cagan, 2015-03 |
| oakland athletics logo history: Timeline of America Floyd Orr, 2006 Godzilla Stuffed into a Briefcase Columbus takes a vacation to The Bahamas, and discovers the area to be a fun place. He tells all his other adventurous friends about it, and they decide they all need vacations, too. Soon everybody in The Old Country is loading up enough beer to make the trip and sailing to The Bahamas. Hysterical events have surprised us, inventions have made us more comfortable, and recreational pursuits have all but dominated our lives. The story of America is told in a pair of Jekyll & Hyde Timelines. You will meet the good doctor inside. His mean, ugly brother will arrive in 2008. This is a lot more than a pop culture trivia book, although no simpler phrase describes it. Ten timelines tell the story of America's development from the arrival of Columbus to the homeruns of Barry Bonds and the movie release of The Da Vinci Code. The story is separated into ten topics: events, comforts, cars, toys, movies, television, music, nerds, sports, and gossip. Like any competent trivia book, there is a test at the end, but this tale is about the quest, not the grail. This is a capsule history of the things that have defined us, and Godzilla doesn't like being so tightly restrained. |
| oakland athletics logo history: Hairs Vs. Squares Ed Gruver, 2016-05-01 Hairs vs. Squares is an ode to an unforgettable season that began with the first major players’ strike in the history of North American sports and ended with a record-setting World Series played by two of the game’s greatest and most colorful dynasties. In a sign of the times it was Hippies vs. Hardhats, a clash of cultures with the hirsute, mod Mustache Gang colliding with the clean-cut, conservative Big Red Machine on the game’s grandest stage. When the Oakland A’s met the Cincinnati Reds in the 1972 Fall Classic, more than a championship was at stake. The more than two dozen interviews bring to life a time when controversy was commonplace, both inside and outside the national pastime. In baseball, Willie Mays was traded, Hank Aaron was chasing down Babe Ruth’s home run record, and Dick Allen was helping to save the Chicago White Sox franchise while winning the American League’s Most Valuable Player award. Outside the American pastime the war in Vietnam was raging, campus protests spread throughout the country, and Watergate and the Munich Olympics headlined the tumultuous year. The 1972 Major League Baseball season was marked by the rapid rise of rookies and young stars, the fall of established teams and veterans, courageous comebacks, and personal redemptions. Along with the many unforgettable and outrageous characters inside baseball, Hairs vs. Squares emphasizes the dramatic changes that took place on and off the field in the 1970s. Owners’ lockouts, on-field fights, maverick managers, controversial trades, artificial fields, the first full five-game League Championship Series, and the closest, most competitive World Series ever, combined to make the 1972 season as complex as the social and political unrest that marked the era. |
| oakland athletics logo history: Billy Martin Bill Pennington, 2015-04-07 The New York Times bestseller. “The sprawling, brawling, no-punches-pulled narrative Martin deserves . . . one of baseball’s epic characters.”—Tom Verducci, bestselling author of The Cubs Way Even now, years after his death, Billy Martin remains one of the most intriguing and charismatic figures in baseball history. And the most misunderstood. A manager who is widely considered to have been a baseball genius, Martin is remembered more for his rabble-rousing and public brawls on the field and off. He was combative and intimidating, yet endearing and beloved. In Billy Martin, Bill Pennington resolves these contradictions and pens the definitive story of Martin’s life. From his hardscrabble youth to his days on the Yankees in the 1950s and through sixteen years of managing, Martin made sure no one ever ignored him. Drawing on exhaustive interviews and his own time covering Martin as a young sportswriter, Pennington provides an intimate, revelatory, and endlessly colorful story of a truly larger-than-life sportsman. “Enormously entertaining . . . Explores the question of whether a baseball lifer can actually be a tragic figure in the classic sense—a man destroyed by the very qualities that made him great.”—The Wall Street Journal “Bill Pennington gives long-overdue flesh to the caricature . . . Pennington savors the dirt-kicking spectacles without losing sight of the man.”—The New York Times Book Review “The hair on my forearms was standing up by the end of the fifth paragraph of this book’s introduction. I knew Billy Martin. I covered Billy Martin. But I never knew him like this.”—Dan Shaughnessy, bestselling author of Reversing the Curse |
| oakland athletics logo history: To Every Thing a Season Bruce Kuklick, 2020-12-08 Shibe Park was demolished in 1976, and today its site is surrounded by the devastation of North Philadelphia. Kuklick, however, vividly evokes the feelings people had about the home of the Philadelphia Athletics and later the Phillies. |
| oakland athletics logo history: Becoming Mr. October Reggie Jackson, Kevin Baker, 2013-10-08 A soul-baring, brutally candid, and richly eventful memoir of the two years—1977 and 1978—when Reggie Jackson went from outcast to Yankee legend In the spring of 1977 Reggie Jackson should have been on top of the world. The best player of the Oakland A’s dynasty, which won three straight World Series, he was the first big-money free agent, wooed and flattered by George Steinbrenner into coming to the New York Yankees, which hadn’t won a World Series since 1962. But Reggie was about to learn, as he writes in this vivid and surprising memoir, that until his initial experience on the Yankees “I didn’t know what alone meant.” His manager, the mercurial, alcoholic, and pugilistic Billy Martin, never wanted him on the team and let Reggie—and the rest of the team—know it. Most of his new teammates, resentful of his contract, were aloof at best and hostile at worst. Brash and outspoken, but unused to the ferocity of New York’s tabloid culture, Reggie hadn’t realized how rumor and offhand remarks can turn into screaming negative headlines—especially for a black athlete with a multimillion-dollar contract. Sickened by Martin’s anti-Semitism, his rages, and his quite public disparagement of his new star, ostracized by his teammates, and despairing of how he was stereotyped in the press, Reggie had long talks with his father about quitting. Things hit bottom when Martin plotted to humiliate him during a nationally televised game against the Red Sox. It seemed as if a glorious career had been derailed. But then: Reggie vowed to persevere; his pride, work ethic, and talent would overcome Martin’s nearly sociopathic hatred. Gradually, he would win over the fans, then his teammates, as the Yankees surged to the pennant. And one magical autumn evening, he became “Mr. October” in a World Series performance for the ages. He thought his travails were over—until the next season when the insanity began again. Becoming Mr. October is a revelatory self-portrait of a baseball icon at the height of his public fame and private anguish. Filled with revealing anecdotes about the notorious “Bronx Zoo” Yankees of the late 1970s and bluntly honest portrayals of his teammates and competitors, this is eye-opening baseball history as can be told only by the man who lived it. |
| oakland athletics logo history: Mastering Emotions Erin Austin Dwyer, 2021-10-22 Mastering Emotions examines the interactions between slaveholders and enslaved people, and between White people and free Black people, to expose how emotions such as love, terror, happiness, and trust functioned as social and economic capital for slaveholders and enslaved people alike. |
| oakland athletics logo history: Baseball's Great Experiment Jules Tygiel, 1997 Offers a history of African American exclusion from baseball, and assesses the changing racial attitudes that led up to Jackie Robinson's acceptance by the Brooklyn Dodgers. |
| oakland athletics logo history: Private Ambition and Political Alliances Sara E. Chapman, 2004 Sara Chapman focuses on the Phélypeaux de Pontchartrain family to provide a broad study of institutions & political authority in the early modern French state from 1670 to 1715. |
| oakland athletics logo history: Base Ball Founders Peter Morris, William J. Ryczek, Jan Finkel, 2013-07-15 This book completes the series of histories of the clubs and players responsible for making baseball the national pastime that began with Base Ball Pioneers, 1850-1870 (McFarland 2011). Forty clubs and hundreds of pioneer players from the first hotbeds of New York City, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts are profiled by leading experts on baseball's early years. The subjects include legendary clubs such as the Knickerbockers of New York, the Eckfords and Atlantics of Brooklyn, the Athletics of Philadelphia, and Harvard's first baseball clubs, and fabled players like Jim Creighton, Dickey Pearce, and Daniel Adams, but space is also given to less well remembered clubs such as the Champion Club of Jersey City and the Cummaquids of Barnstable, Massachusetts. What united all of these founders of the game was that their love of baseball during its earliest years helped to make it the national pastime. |
| oakland athletics logo history: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Baseball History Pasquale De Marco, 2025-04-30 The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Baseball History is the definitive guide to the history of America's favorite pastime. From the early days of the game to the modern era, this book covers everything you need to know about baseball, including: * The greatest players, teams, and moments in baseball history * The evolution of the game, from its humble beginnings to the modern era * The impact of baseball on American culture * The future of baseball Whether you are a lifelong baseball fan or you are just getting to know the game, this book is sure to have something for you. With over 450 pages of content, The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Baseball History is the most comprehensive guide to the history of baseball available. In this book, you will learn about: * The origins of baseball * The first professional teams * The rise of the National League * The American League and the World Series * The Dead Ball Era * The Golden Age of Baseball * The Modern Era of Baseball * The Great Players * The Great Teams * The Great Moments * The Great Rivalries * The Great Stadiums * The Great Uniforms * The Great Fans And much more! The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Baseball History is the perfect book for any baseball fan. It is a must-have for any collection of baseball books. Order your copy today! If you like this book, write a review on google books! |
| oakland athletics logo history: The MLB Encyclopedia Brendan Flynn, 2021-12-15 Alongside both historic and recent photographs, readers will learn about each MLB team's history, greatest seasons, greatest players, and team records. In addition, the book offers an in-depth introduction about the sport's history, a section on star players, and information on the statistical leaders in various categories. Features include a glossary, additional resources, and an index. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Abdo Reference is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO. |
| oakland athletics logo history: The Visual Dictionary of Baseball James Buckley, Jr., 2001 Learn all the ins and outs of baseball and become a baseball information guru with this unique visual reference. |
| oakland athletics logo history: The Athletics of Philadelphia David M. Jordan, 1999-04-15 In 1900, American League president Ban Johnson convinced Connie Mack to manage the newly created Philadelphia Athletics, which had been strategically placed in the same market as the National League Phillies, making the City of Brotherly Love a two-team town. The Athletics thus began their 54-year history by attempting to split the city's fan base, perhaps the first indication of the team's tendency toward polarity and vicissitude. As Ed Fitzgerald put it, Like the little girl with the curl on her forehead, when the Athletics were good, they were very very good. But when they were bad, horrid was hardly the word. The A's won nine pennants and five World Series, yet finished last 16 times; they raided the Phillies roster in 1901, and later stripped themselves in baseball's first great fire sale; they boasted the illustrious $100,000 Infield, yet Mack had to sell star players one after another to pull the A's through the Depression. This book, written by a long-time fan of the defunct team, relates the Athletics to the city of Philadelphia and tells the stories of the organization's signature seasons, from the championship years to the days when the A's were synonymous with baseball's cellar. The book also details the exploits of such Hall of Famers as Chief Bender, Eddie Collins, Lefty Grove, Jimmie Foxx, and Al Simmons, and considers the unique achievements and personality of Connie Mack, baseball's Tall Tactician. |
| oakland athletics logo history: The Everything Kids' Baseball Book Greg Jacobs, 2010-02-18 From the ballpark to the backyard and beyond, this book captures all the action, fun, and excitement of America's favorite pastime. You'll learn everything you ever wanted to know about: The history of baseball Your favorite American and National League teams Stats and records Ballparks around the country Baseball legends and current players How to play like a pro Fantasy baseball teams With more than 30 puzzles and activities, you'll be inspired to get out to the nearest baseball diamond to practice your skills with your friends. |
| oakland athletics logo history: Now You Know Absolutely Everything Doug Lennox, 2013-12-06 This bundle presents Doug Lennox’s popular trivia book series in its entirety. These books will provide years and years of fun, with countless questions to be asked and tons of knowledge to be learned. The books cover general trivia but also such topics as sports (baseball, hockey, football, golf, soccer, among others), Christmas and the Bible, disasters and harsh weather, royal figures, crime and criminology, important people in Canada’s history, and so much more! Along the way we find out the answers to such questions as: Why do the British drive on the left and North Americans on the right? What football team was named after a Burt Reynolds character? Who started the first forensics laboratory? Which member of the British royal family competed at the Olympics? Lennox’s exhaustive series is fun for all ages. Includes Now You Know Now You Know More Now You Know Almost Everything Now You Know, Volume 4 Now You Know Big Book of Answers Now You Know Christmas Now You Know Big Book of Answers 2 Now You Know Golf Now You Know Hockey Now You Know Soccer Now You Know Football Now You Know Big Book of Sports Now You Know Baseball Now You Know Crime Scenes Now You Know Extreme Weather Now You Know Disasters Now You Know Pirates Now You Know Royalty Now You Know Canada’s Heroes Now You Know The Bible |
| oakland athletics logo history: Holy Toledo: Lessons from Bill King, Renaissance Man of the Mic Ken Korach, 2015-03 Bill King, longtime voice of the A's, Warriors and Raiders, was a beloved figure in California for decades, celebrated for his passion and precision in calling a game and for his colorful life away from sports, an utterly original figure who lives today in the hearts and memories of countless fans. Bill was also one of the most influential broadcasters of all time, an inspiration to legions of his fellow broadcasters who looked up to him.-Amazon.com |
| oakland athletics logo history: Power Ball Rob Neyer, 2018-10-09 Casey Award Winner for Best Baseball Book of the Year: “Deep knowledge and punchy prose . . . a treat for dedicated fans.” —Publishers Weekly On September 8, 2017, the Oakland A’s faced off against the Houston Astros in a game that would signal the passing of the Moneyball mantle. Though it was only one regular-season game, the match-up demonstrated how Major League Baseball had changed since the early days of Athletics general manager Billy Beane and the publication of Michael Lewis’ classic book. In Power Ball, former ESPN columnist and analytics pioneer Rob Neyer dramatically recreates this action-packed game to reveal those myriad changes. Over the past twenty years, power and analytics have taken over the game, driving carefully calibrated teams like the Astros to victory. Seemingly every pitcher now throws mid-90s heat and studiously compares their mechanics against the ideal. Every batter in the lineup can crack homers and knows their launch angles. Teams are relying on unorthodox strategies, including using power-losing—purposely tanking a few seasons to get the best players in the draft. As he chronicles each inning and the unfolding drama as these two teams continually trade the lead right down to the bottom of the ninth, Neyer considers the players and managers, the front office machinations, the role of sabermetrics, and the current thinking about what it takes to build a great team, to answer the most pressing questions fans have about the sport today. “The scope of this book ranges . . . engagingly, from the potential impact of climate change on the game and the influence of social media on players, to the evolving fashions of player uniforms and hair styles . . . [The] prose is sharp and colorful and based on a deep understanding of the game.” — The Wall Street Journal “Pure baseball brain candy.” —Dirk Hayhurst, author of The Bullpen Gospels “Captures the humor and humanity in the game, as well as what makes the revelry and rivalry of baseball so special.” —Library Journal |
| oakland athletics logo history: The Sports Hall of Fame Encyclopedia David Blevins, 2012 Provides a comprehensive listing, including biographical information and statistics, of each athlete inducted into one of the major sports halls of fame. |
| oakland athletics logo history: Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball Clubs Steven Riess, 2006-06-30 From exploits on the field, to machinations in the front office, to data on the cities where they play, the Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball Clubs presents the team history of each of the 30 MLB teams. Intelligent, in-depth essays provide social and economic histories of each club that go beyond the recounting of team glories or failures year by year. Team origins, annual campaigns, and players and managers all figure into the story, but so do owners, financiers, politicians, neighborhoods and fans. Teams are also looked at as business enterprises, with special attention given to labor issues like the reserve clause and free agency, as well as stadium construction and financing. Social and political issues are covered as well, including racism and integration, ethnic makeup of fans and players, gambling, liquor sales, and Sunday play. National events, like World War I, World War II, the Great Depression and the Cold War, and their impact on the national pastime, are also brought into the picture where they are relevant. Media coverage and broadcasting rights are discussed, as is the great influence the flood of media money has had on the sport. As America's sport, baseball reflects not just our ideas and beliefs about competition, it also reflects our national and regional identities. Readers will be able to find useful information about: important players, managers, owners; community relations/charity work; business and labor issues (television income, free agency); race relations; baseball/sports economics (including stadium construction, team relocations; and teams in local and national culture (Fenway Park, Wrigley Field as local icons, Yankees as a national team). Every essay is signed, and concludes with suggested readings and a bibliography. The work is illustrated, has a comprehensive bibliography, and is thoroughly indexed. |
| oakland athletics logo history: The View from the Stands Johanna Wagner, 2005-02 The View from the Stands is both the story of one fan's love of the game and an examination of the effect baseball has had on fans everywhere throughout its history. A collection of stories and insights compiled during the summer of 2002 in each of MLB's thirty parks, The View from the Stands provides us with the fans' perspective on every team and stadium in the league, and on the most important issues currently affecting the game. It gives a voice to the masses of people who fill our stadiums, and it explains how a child's game became the business it is today. This book examines the entire experience of live baseball, from the uncomfortable seats to the misplaced marketing ventures to the incredible feeling of seeing Bonds circle the bases. Baseball touches our lives in so many unexpected ways. By introducing us to the little boys who rush to the edge of the stands in Wrigley, the recovering alcoholic who found a new family at the Metrodome, and many others from all walks of life, The View from the Stands tells the story of our love of the game--what draws us in and what keeps us coming back for more. |
| oakland athletics logo history: The Average Joe's Super Sports Almanac Steve Riach, 2018-04-03 A Far-From-Average Sports Book for the Average Joe Go beyond the 24/7 online highlights and celebrate the hilarious humor and heartwarming heroics of the sports world in this all-star collection of trivia, quotes, and anecdotes. For example... Did You Know? The Chicago Bears were originally known as the Staleys before being moved from Decatur, Illinois. The Decatur Staleys, as the team was known, was the pride of the city that holds the motto, The Soybean Capital of the World. Houston Astros infielder Julio Gotay played every game with a cheese sandwich in his back pocket. Others had less cheesy items in their back pockets. Pitcher Sean Burnett had a poker chip in his, while pitcher Al Holland opted for a two-dollar bill. While accepting his NBA MVP award in 2014, basketball star Kevin Durant focused his remarks on his mother, Wanda Pratt. The odds were stacked against us, a single parent with two boys by the time you were 21 years old, Durant said. You made us believe, you kept us off the street, put clothes on our backs, food on the table. When you didn't eat, you made sure we ate. You went to sleep hungry; you sacrificed for us. You're the real MVP. Packed with incredible facts, quirky moments, and heart-warming stories, The Average Joe's Super Sports Almanac will delight fans of all ages and makes a great gift for the sports buff in your life - whether superfan or average Joe. |
City of Oakland | Homepage
Mar 19, 2025 · The official website of the City of Oakland. Find out about meetings, request City services through OAK 311, or contact the Mayor and City Council.
Services - City of Oakland
The official website of the City of Oakland. Find out about meetings, request City services through OAK 311, or contact the Mayor and City Council.
Departments - City of Oakland
The official website of the City of Oakland. Find out about meetings, request City services through OAK 311, or contact the Mayor and City Council.
Oakland's History of Resistance to Racism - City of Oakland
The official website of the City of Oakland. Find out about meetings, request City services through OAK 311, or contact the Mayor and City Council.
City of Oakland | Fiscal Year 2025-2027 Budget
May 14, 2025 · ANSWER: The City of Oakland operates on a two-year budget cycle, with the next budget will covering July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027. The current Interim Mayor is leading …
City of Oakland | Mayor Barbara Lee
May 20, 2025 · As Oakland’s Congresswoman, Mayor Lee secured billions of dollars to improve Oakland’s neighborhoods and quality of life -- including funding for local police officers, …
City of Oakland | Parks, Recreation & Youth Development
Feb 18, 2025 · With an emphasis on Oakland’s youth, Oakland Parks, Recreation & Youth Development and its partners will provide best in class, relevant and equitable programs and …
City of Oakland | Pay a Parking Ticket
Come to the Parking and Mobility Assistance Center (also known as the Parking Citation Assistance Center) located in the same plaza as Oakland City Hall. The address is: 270 Frank …
Report a Problem to OAK311 - City of Oakland
OAK311 is an easy-to-remember telephone number that connects you with highly trained City of Oakland Call Center representatives who are ready to help you…
City of Oakland | Report a Crime Online
Use Oakland's 311 System to report an Abandoned Vehicle on a Public Street Do not report a crime online if you need help right away. If you need help right now call 9-1-1
City of Oakland | Homepage
Mar 19, 2025 · The official website of the City of Oakland. Find out about meetings, request City services through OAK 311, or contact the Mayor and City Council.
Services - City of Oakland
The official website of the City of Oakland. Find out about meetings, request City services through OAK 311, or contact the Mayor and City Council.
Departments - City of Oakland
The official website of the City of Oakland. Find out about meetings, request City services through OAK 311, or contact the Mayor and City Council.
Oakland's History of Resistance to Racism - City of Oakland
The official website of the City of Oakland. Find out about meetings, request City services through OAK 311, or contact the Mayor and City Council.
City of Oakland | Fiscal Year 2025-2027 Budget
May 14, 2025 · ANSWER: The City of Oakland operates on a two-year budget cycle, with the next budget will covering July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027. The current Interim Mayor is leading …
City of Oakland | Mayor Barbara Lee
May 20, 2025 · As Oakland’s Congresswoman, Mayor Lee secured billions of dollars to improve Oakland’s neighborhoods and quality of life -- including funding for local police officers, …
City of Oakland | Parks, Recreation & Youth Development
Feb 18, 2025 · With an emphasis on Oakland’s youth, Oakland Parks, Recreation & Youth Development and its partners will provide best in class, relevant and equitable programs and …
City of Oakland | Pay a Parking Ticket
Come to the Parking and Mobility Assistance Center (also known as the Parking Citation Assistance Center) located in the same plaza as Oakland City Hall. The address is: 270 Frank …
Report a Problem to OAK311 - City of Oakland
OAK311 is an easy-to-remember telephone number that connects you with highly trained City of Oakland Call Center representatives who are ready to help you…
City of Oakland | Report a Crime Online
Use Oakland's 311 System to report an Abandoned Vehicle on a Public Street Do not report a crime online if you need help right away. If you need help right now call 9-1-1
