Finley ball : how two outsiders turned the Oakland A's into a dynasty and changed the game forever / Nancy Finley.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Finley, Nancy, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Oakland Athletics (Baseball team).

Finley, Charles Oscar, 1918-1996.

Finley, Charles Oscar.

Finley, Carl A., 1924-2002.

Finley, Carl A.

Baseball team owners--United States--Biography.

Baseball team owners.

United States.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xvi, 253 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Washington, DC : Regnery History, [2016]

Summary:

"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"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Part I The Kansas City Athletics 1960-1968

Chapter 1 The Midnight Meeting 3

Chapter 2 A Team is Brought Down 11

Chapter 3 Not Invited to the Dance 17

Chapter 4 Kansas City, Here We Are 25

Chapter 5 Life at the Muehlebach 29

Chapter 6 What Color is Second Base? 33

Chapter 7 Drama With the City Council 39

Chapter 8 Overland Park 43

Chapter 9 Breaking Barriers and Beatle Mania 47

Chapter 10 Seeds of Success 57

Chapter 11 The Road to Freedom 63

Chapter 12 Take that Gun to the Train Station 67

Chapter 13 Don't Cry For Me. Kansas City 75

Part II The Oakland A's 1968-1982

Chapter 14 Game On 85

Chapter 15 New City, New Ballpark, New Life 91

Chapter 16 Coming of Age in Oakland 97

Chapter 17 The Crouch Before the Leap 101

Chapter 18 The Suspense Builds 107

Chapter 19 Another Divorce 111

Chapter 20 Redemption 115

Chapter 21 Return of the Unseen Hand 127

Chapter 22 The A's Return 133

Chapter 23 Mike Andrews's Last Hurrah 139

Chapter 24 Switchboard Politics 151

Chapter 25 Kiss My Ass 155

Chapter 26 Catfish, The Million-Dollar Man 163

Chapter 27 Going for a Fourth 167

Chapter 28 From the Highs to the Lows 173

Chapter 29 The Creeping Hand and Starting Over 181

Chapter 30 More Departures 187

Chapter 31 Trials and Tribulations 191

Chapter 32 Don't Let Them! 197

Chapter 33 The Last Straw 201

Chapter 34 Billy Club 205

Chapter 35 Billy Ball 211

Chapter 36 Charlie Fires and Carl Rehires 215

Chapter 37 The Last Finley in Baseball 219

Chapter 38 The Last Finley Team 225

Chapter 39 The Last Phone Call 229

Chapter 40 Legacy 233.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 241-242) and index.

ISBN:

9781621574774

1621574776

OCLC:

945556840