By Rick Grantham
The Athletics is an American League team situated in Oakland, California. Usually, they are referred to as A's basing on the first letter of the word Athletics. It got its name from the amateur baseball team, the Athletic Club of Philadelphia in 1860s. They eventually joined the National League in 1876.
The Athletics of Philadelphia did not last long in the National League. The league kicked them out after a year. The team, with new members, joined the American Association a few years later. The American Association is a rival league of the NL.
That was the Athletics then. The Oakland Athletics we know today take its roots in 1901. They became one of the pioneer teams of the newly established American League. At that time, they carry the name Philadelphia Athletics. Connie Mack agreed to manage the team eventually became a partner. He managed to convince some people to invest in the team including Ben Shibe who is part owner of the Phillies.
Most of the team players were from the National Leagues. These caused some legal issues between the older National League and the newly established American League. However, it was not too long for the two major leagues to come to an agreement.
In the early 1900s, the A's have demonstrated strength and power. They have six American League titles including four consecutive pennants from 1910 to 1914. They also won three World Series, 1913, 1911, and 1910.
Their early glories were because of its very talented players. They have three of the best pitchers during that time. They are Rube Wendell, Charles Bender, and Eddie Plank. However, the strong team weakened after losing the World Series in 1914. Some of their best players transferred to another league because of better offers. The team owners also sold and traded some of the remaining better players.
The changes turned the team for the worst. They finish last in the most of the following years. There were also rumors about the ways Connie Mack handled the team. Some even doubted that the players deliberately lose the World Series in 1914. The rumors remained speculations because Mack provided sensible reasons like the establishment of the new Federal League.
The A's came back strong in 1927 to 1933. The team was able to win three consecutive AL pennants from 1929 to 1931. In 1929 and 1930, they were able to bring home the World Series. Even though he sold and traded some of his best players at that time, the A's managed to finish second in 1932 and 1933.
Collie Mack contributed so much to what the Oakland Athletics is today. He never gave up the team even if it had the some of the lowest standing in 1935 to 1946. For fifty years, he managed and owned the team.
The team moved to Kansas City after it was sold to Arnold Johnson. After a few years, Finley gained control over the team. Although he promised that the A's would stay in Kansas, he filed for request to move it to other cities. His requests were denied a few times. Finally, AL granted his request to transfer the team in Oakland.
Rick Grantham is an expert on sports equipment, specially on Oakland Athletics Merchandise for more information on Major League Merchandise, visit BooYah Village.
Source:www.isnare.com |
