My Favorite Team – The ‘72 Athletics
7th April 2008
For those interested in what other writers find interesting, Rumors and Rants has a collection of The Blogsphere’s Favorite Baseball Teams. I was asked to participate, and mine is the 1972 World Champion Oakland A’s. Here’s an excerpt:
That World Series Champion team with Reggie, Vida, “Blue Moon”, Bando, and Hunter were the coolest of the cool. My former favs, the Giants, had the drab gray uniforms, while the A’s wore “Kelly Green, Fort Knox Gold and Wedding Gown White.” They were rebellious, raucous, and great. Never mind that Jim Hunter had never been fishing for catfish. Never mind that I thought “Blue Moon” was really Odom’s name. Johnny Lee? That would have been boring. Besides, if there was a Vida Blue, why should that name be any different than “Blue Moon.”
There were others… Of course, Dick Williams had to be the greatest manager at the time. Yes, we can argue that now, but if you lived anywhere on the West Coast (short of LA), Williams was the man.
There was Bert Campaneris, and Gene Tenace and Sal Bando, and that crazy Rollie Fingers. Geez, looking back, they still look great.
And who put them all together? The guy that seared my brain into thinking the biz of baseball was just as cool as the game on the field… Finley, you crazy, insane, genius. Man, I loved that team Charlie. That’s my fav.
Select the link provided to read more.
OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
- Inside Stadium Financing: Part II – The Biz of Baseball
- Happy 35th Birthday, Designated Hitter! – The Biz of Baseball
- Back in Black: Extra Innings and MLB.TV Blackouts – The Biz of Baseball
- Cubs Minor Leaguer Hernandez Suspended 50 Games for PEDs - The Biz of Baseball
- Browns DB Wright Arrested - The Biz of Football
- Judge Gives Partial Victories to Both Rodriguez and WVU – The Biz of Football
- Arkansas Drops Texas from 2009 Scedule; Adds Texas A&M - The Biz of Football
- As Credit Crunch Hits, Purchase of Lightning Drags Out- The Biz of Hockey
- Blackhawks to Broadcast all 82 Games Next Season – The Biz of Hockey
- Madison Square Garden to Get $500 Million Renovation – The Biz of Basketball
- Drake’s Keno Davis Voted AP College Basketball Coach of the Year – The Biz of Basketball
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer.
Brown’s full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.