Special Edition: A Turning Point for the Oakland A's by GeneralChiang
[Wella's note: GeneralChiang wrote a really insightful comment that deserves its own blog entry.]
A Turning Point for the "Other" Team
by GeneralChiang
The A's have reached an interesting point in their history in Oakland. As successful as the organization has been in the past four decades, the Oakland Athletics have always been thought of as the "other" team.
When they first moved to Oakland from Kansas City in 1968, they were the Bay Area's second baseball team (the Giants moved from New York to San Francisco ten years earlier). The A's were also the city of Oakland's second major sports team behind the Oakland Raiders and the founding of the American Football League in 1960. In fact, the primary motivation for owner Charlie O. Finley to move his team from Kansas City to Oakland was the existence of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum which was built to house the Raiders in 1966.
So when the A's had their fantastic run from 1971 to 1975 and won the AL West five straight years and three World Series championships from 1972 to 1974, they did not receive the full respect and adulation they deserved. This was partially due to Charlie Finley's notoriously cheap management style; he never spent a penny to promote the team.
But it was also due to the "other" team mentality that the area collectively felt about the A's. During this period, the John Madden-coached Raiders were a perennial contender. So the A's never won the affection of the Bay Area as one would expect. As the A's went into decline in the late 70's, they were last in the league in attendance.
Fast forward to 1988. The Raiders have moved to Los Angeles. The Giants were playing in the second worst ballpark in baseball. And the A's once again were a powerhouse. The Haas family, which bought the team from Charlie Finley in 1980, has rebuilt the A's into baseball's premiere franchise. Attendance was soaring at an all-time high. The A's were the darlings of the Bay Area, right? Wrong!
As the A's won three straight pennants from 1988 to 1990 and one World Series in 1989, the San Francisco 49ers won their third and fourth Super Bowls. Joe Montana was at the prime of his career and had unprecedented popularity in the area. With the popularity of the NFL easily exceeding that of Major League Baseball, the A's were, once again, the "other" team.
Now let's leap to the period between 2000 and 2003. The A's were a vibrant, young franchise again with a roster filled with GQ models. But as attractive and successful as these A's were, they had to compete with the return of the Oakland Raiders and the new jewel box ballpark in San Francisco where Barry Bonds juiced the Giants to record attendance. Once again, the A's were the bridesmaid wearing a green and gold dress.
It's now 2006. Both the 49ers and the Raiders are among the NFL's bottom feeders. The Giants are old and struggling and Barry Bonds is in the "Fat Elvis" period of his career. The competition for winning over the Bay Area has never been thinner. If the A's can win the World Series this year, they may finally receive the adulation and respect from the Bay Area that should accompany a major sports championship.
GeneralChiang has been following the Bay Area sporting scene since he was six years old.
Oakland A's history links:
Oakland Athletics History from MLB.com: History pages from the official site of the Oakland Athletics
Sports E-cyclopedia for the Oakland Athletics: Independent site with year-by-year highlight narrative
CBS Sportsline history page for the Oakland Athletics: Good at-a-glance page with listings of championships, presidents, managers, and win-loss records
ESPN's Oakland Athletics Franchise History: ESPN's list of the A's win-loss records with links to standings and rankings, year by year
Wikipedia: Pretty good grid with season record summary
A Turning Point for the "Other" Team
by GeneralChiang
The A's have reached an interesting point in their history in Oakland. As successful as the organization has been in the past four decades, the Oakland Athletics have always been thought of as the "other" team.
When they first moved to Oakland from Kansas City in 1968, they were the Bay Area's second baseball team (the Giants moved from New York to San Francisco ten years earlier). The A's were also the city of Oakland's second major sports team behind the Oakland Raiders and the founding of the American Football League in 1960. In fact, the primary motivation for owner Charlie O. Finley to move his team from Kansas City to Oakland was the existence of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum which was built to house the Raiders in 1966.
So when the A's had their fantastic run from 1971 to 1975 and won the AL West five straight years and three World Series championships from 1972 to 1974, they did not receive the full respect and adulation they deserved. This was partially due to Charlie Finley's notoriously cheap management style; he never spent a penny to promote the team.
But it was also due to the "other" team mentality that the area collectively felt about the A's. During this period, the John Madden-coached Raiders were a perennial contender. So the A's never won the affection of the Bay Area as one would expect. As the A's went into decline in the late 70's, they were last in the league in attendance.
Fast forward to 1988. The Raiders have moved to Los Angeles. The Giants were playing in the second worst ballpark in baseball. And the A's once again were a powerhouse. The Haas family, which bought the team from Charlie Finley in 1980, has rebuilt the A's into baseball's premiere franchise. Attendance was soaring at an all-time high. The A's were the darlings of the Bay Area, right? Wrong!
As the A's won three straight pennants from 1988 to 1990 and one World Series in 1989, the San Francisco 49ers won their third and fourth Super Bowls. Joe Montana was at the prime of his career and had unprecedented popularity in the area. With the popularity of the NFL easily exceeding that of Major League Baseball, the A's were, once again, the "other" team.
Now let's leap to the period between 2000 and 2003. The A's were a vibrant, young franchise again with a roster filled with GQ models. But as attractive and successful as these A's were, they had to compete with the return of the Oakland Raiders and the new jewel box ballpark in San Francisco where Barry Bonds juiced the Giants to record attendance. Once again, the A's were the bridesmaid wearing a green and gold dress.
It's now 2006. Both the 49ers and the Raiders are among the NFL's bottom feeders. The Giants are old and struggling and Barry Bonds is in the "Fat Elvis" period of his career. The competition for winning over the Bay Area has never been thinner. If the A's can win the World Series this year, they may finally receive the adulation and respect from the Bay Area that should accompany a major sports championship.
GeneralChiang has been following the Bay Area sporting scene since he was six years old.
Oakland A's history links:
Oakland Athletics History from MLB.com: History pages from the official site of the Oakland Athletics
Sports E-cyclopedia for the Oakland Athletics: Independent site with year-by-year highlight narrative
CBS Sportsline history page for the Oakland Athletics: Good at-a-glance page with listings of championships, presidents, managers, and win-loss records
ESPN's Oakland Athletics Franchise History: ESPN's list of the A's win-loss records with links to standings and rankings, year by year
Wikipedia: Pretty good grid with season record summary
posted by blank book at 1:56 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home