oakland athletics history
oakland athletics history
Many fans who buy Oakland Athletics tickets for their home games at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, California, do not realize that the franchise history for their team dates back some one hundred and five years. In 1901, the fledgling American League team was called the Philadelphia Athletics. They were owned by baseball legend Connie Mack who still holds records for wins, losses, and games managed. The 1950 season was his 50th and final year as manager. He was 88 years old.
Connie Mack is also the man responsible for three other distinctive characteristics associated with the team. It was he who first nicknamed the team the A’s. He also designed the old English letter “A” that adorns the uniforms and caps players wear. There is even a story about the elephant logo that adorns the left sleeve of all home and away uniforms. It seems that back in 1901, New York Giants manager John McGraw called the Athletics “a white elephant nobody wanted.” Mack immediately adopted the white elephant as a team mascot, though the current incarnation is forest green in color. In 1955 the team re-located to Kansas City, where they became the Kansas City Athletics and remained until 1967. It was then that new owner; Charles O. Finley asked permission of the American League to move his franchise to Oakland, California. Baseball was already pondering a major expansion westward so they agreed. Finley dubbed his new team the Oakland Athletics and, one year later, they were one of the original members of the newly established Western Division of the American League. Under Finley, they found great success in the early seventies when they won three consecutive World Series championships in the years between 1972 and 1974.
Current owner Lewis Wolfe has entrusted manager Ken Macha with the task of returning the Oakland team to their winning ways. To that end, Macha will rely on third baseman Eric Chavez to lead the offense. Chavez put up impressive numbers last season including 27 homers and 101 RBI’s. He is joined in the lineup by hard-hitting centerfielder Mark Kotsay and middle infielders, Mark Ellis and Bobby Crosby. Two new names have been added to round out the A’s roster. Former Dodger Milton Bradley will play left field and the team acquired veteran slugger Frank Thomas from the world champion Chicago White Sox to be their designated hitter.
Former Cy Young Award winner Barry Zito headlines the pitching rotation. The crafty left-hander racked up 171 strikeouts in 2005. He’s joined by returning A’s pitchers Rich Harden, Dan Haren, and Joe Blanton, all of whom had impressive strikeout numbers of their own. And, speaking of strikeouts, Estaban Loaiza, who joins the club from the Washington Nationals, brings his 2005 total of 173k’s along with him. Talented young closer Huston Street heads the A’s bullpen having had 23 saves in 67 appearances last year.
Fans should be aware that renovations to McAfee Coliseum have given it the smallest seating capacity in the Majors so get their Oakland A’s tickets now.
