Long before Billy Beane’s numbers-based “Moneyball” system of choosing baseball players, and way before people expected the SF Giants to make the World Series every other year, the wild antics of an early-70s Oakland A’s team captivated the Bay Area. The A’s moved from Kansas City to Oakland in 1968, and proceeded to introduce new uniforms, grow mustaches and fight in the locker room, on the field and with the occasional journalist. They also won the World Series three times in a row — in 1972, ’73 and ’74. Veteran sports reporter Jason Turbow recounts the winning – and losing – streaks of the A’s first decade in Oakland in his new book “Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic: Reggie, Rollie, Catfish, and Charlie Finley’s Swingin’ A’s.”
The Early Years of the 'Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic' Oakland A's
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Oakland Athletics celebrate in Cincinnati after beating the Reds in the 7th game of the 1972 World Series. Pouring champagne over their heads from the left are: Mike Epstein, catcher Dave Duncan, left fielder Joe Rudi, and third baseman and captain Sal Bando. (Photo: Ron Resterer)
Guests:
Jason Turbow, Author, “Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic: Reggie, Rollie, Catfish, and Charlie Finley’s Swingin’ A’s"
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