wORTH OF 50 YEARS MEMORIES

February 1964

Kansas City A’s owner Charles O. Finley signs a 20-year lease with Oakland to play in a yet-tobe-built Oakland Coliseum. American League owners vote 9-1 to reject the move — Finley was the only “yes” vote. (opposite page, top left)

Oct. 18, 1967

After failing to move his team to Atlanta, Milwaukee, New Orleans, San Diego, Seattle, Louisville and a “cow pasture” in Peculiar, Missouri, Finley is granted permission by A.L. owners to move his team to Oakland for the 1968 season.

1968

Finley hires Yankee great Joe DiMaggio, a Bay Area product, as a coach and executive vice president. Before the inaugural season starts, DiMaggio notices views from the upper deck are obscured, so he persuades the team to move the infield back — giving the Coliseum the largest foul territory in MLB. (opposite page, top middle)

April 17, 1968

The first home game in Oakland A’s history draws 50,164 fans, and California governor Ronald Reagan throws out the ceremonial first pitch. The Orioles win 4-1 as Boog Powell hits the first home run at the Coliseum. Tony La Russa gets a pinch single for the A’s in the ninth inning. (opposite page, bottom)

April 18, 1968

In the team’s second home game in Oakland, the Coliseum is a veritable ghost town as 5,304 fans watch the A’s win 4-3 in 13 innings.

May 8, 1968

At 22, Catfish Hunter becomes the youngest pitcher in the modern era to pitch a perfect game. Hunter throws the ninth perfect game in baseball history and drives in three runs in a 4-0 win over the Twins before a crowd of 6,298 at the Coliseum. Finley rewards Hunter with a $5,000 bonus. (opposite page, top right)

1969

Reggie Jackson demands a salary increase from $10,000 to $25,000 then finally settles for $20,000. Jackson spends much of the season on pace to break Roger Maris’ single-season home run record of 61. Jackson has 37 by the All-Star break, but amid the pressure of chasing the record, he breaks out in hives and finishes with 47 homers.

1970

Finley lures announcer Harry Caray to Oakland and tries to get Caray to change his signature call from “Holy Cow” to “Holy Mule.” Caray leaves after the season.

April 13, 1970

For their home opener against the Brewers, Finley has the grounds crew use gold-colored bases instead of white ones. MLB rules the next day that, from then on, only white bases will be allowed.

Sept. 21, 1970

Rookie phenom Vida Blue pitches a no-hitter against Twins.

1971

Blue becomes the talk of baseball, starting the All-Star Game and landing on the cover of Time magazine. He is AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner after going 24-8, leading the A.L. in ERA (1.82) and striking out 301. The A’s win 101 games for their first AL West title, then get swept in three games by the Orioles.

June 27, 1971

6,000 women are admitted free to a doubleheader against the Royals on baseball’s first “Hot Pants Day.” Not including the scantily clad women, A’s draw 33,477 fans — more than the combined attendance in their final nine home games. (opposite page, middle)

March 16, 1972

Unhappy with Finley’s contract offer, Blue begins a holdout that lasts through the first two months of the season. He threatens to go to work for a company that sells toilet seat covers.

Oct. 8, 1972

During Game 2 of the A.L. playoffs, Campy Campaneris hurls his bat at Tigers pitcher Lerrin LaGrow after getting hit by a pitch. Campy is suspended for the rest of the series and the first seven games of 1973. He does, however, get to participate in Oakland’s first World Series a week after his bat toss.

(opposite page, top)

Oct. 12, 1972

A’s beat Tigers 2-1 in Game 5 of the playoffs, clinching a World Series berth. Reggie Jackson tears a hamstring stealing home in the second inning and will spend the World Series on crutches.

Oct. 22, 1972

Left fielder Joe Rudi catches Pete Rose’s fly ball in the ninth inning as Oakland beats the Reds 3-2 to capture its first World Series title. Gene Tenace, who hit five home runs during the regular season, is named World Series MVP after tying Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig with four series home runs.

(opposite page, bottom)

Oct. 14, 1973

Second baseman Mike Andrews is “fired” by Finley after committing two 12th-inning errors in Game 2 of the World Series against the Mets. Finley says Andrews is injured and puts him on the disabled list, to the dismay of Andrews’ teammates, who threaten to sit out Game 3 in New York if Andrews isn’t reinstated. Finley relents at the last minute, and the series resumes with an A’s win. A 42-year-old Willie Mays grounds into a force play in bottom of the 10th inning. It would be his last at-bat in the major leagues. “Growing old is a helpless hurt,” Mays would later say.

Oct. 17, 1974

Rollie Fingers saves a 3-2 Game 5 win against Dodgers at the Coliseum, giving Oakland three consecutive World Series titles. The A’s remain the only team in baseball history other than the Yankees to accomplish the feat. Until the Warriors beat the Cavaliers to win the NBA title in June, the A’s were the last major sports team in the Bay Area to win a title at home.

(this page)

April 2, 1976

Reggie Jackson is traded to the Orioles along with pitcher Ken Holtzman for outfielder Don Baylor and pitchers Mike Torrez and Paul Mitchell.

June 15, 1976

Finley sells All-Stars Rollie Fingers and Joe Rudi to Boston for $1 million each and ships Vida Blue to the Yankees for $1.5 million. Fingers and Rudi suit up for the Red Sox, who happen to be in Oakland, but never play a game. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn nullifies the sales “in the best interests of baseball.”

April 7, 1978

Finley “awards” radio broadcasting rights to a 10-watt college station, Cal’s KALX. Play-byplay announcer Larry Baer would see better days across the bay.

April 17, 1979

Exactly 11 years after their first game at the Coliseum, the A’s officially draw just 653 fans in a 6-5 win over the Mariners. Most accounts say no more than 250 fans were in the park. Oakland draws just 306,763 fans for the entire season. The A’s would go on to lose 108 games.

Feb. 21, 1980

The A’s hire manager Billy Martin, a Berkeleyborn kid who gained fame as a player and manager with the Yankees. (this page, top)

Aug. 23, 1980

Walter J. Haas purchases the A’s from Charlie Finley for $12.7 million.

1981

Welcome to “Billy Ball.” Martin leads the upstart A’s to a division title and a berth in the ALCS during the strike-interrupted season.

Oct. 15, 1988

Kirk Gibson’s unlikely home run off closer Dennis Eckersley in the World Series opener sparks the Dodgers, who stun the A’s in five games. (this page, bottom)

Oct. 17, 1989, 5:04 p.m.

A deadly 6.9 earthquake devastates the Bay Area minutes before Game 3 of the Bay Bridge World Series between the A’s and Giants. The series would resume 10 days later, and the A’s finished off a four-game sweep of the Giants. (opposite page, Jose Canseco and his wife, Esther, leave after the earthquake)

Sept. 20, 1995

Walter Haas dies. The Haas family had sold the team to a group headed by Steve Schott and Ken Hofmann for a reported $85 million earlier in the year.

April 1, 1996

A’s home opener is in Las Vegas as they become first MLB team to open in a minor league park in nearly 40 years. Cashman Field is home for a homestand while the Coliseum gets the final touches on a Mt. Davis-sized facelift to accommodate the Raiders.

July 31, 1997

In one of the franchise’s worst deals ever, A’s trade slugger Mark McGwire to Cardinals. A year later, McGwire breaks baseball’s single-season HR record with 70. (opposite page, top)

Oct. 1, 2000

Tim Hudson wins 20th game on final day of season to lift A’s into playoffs for first time in eight years with an AL West championship. It marks the beginning of four straight postseason trips for the A’s. (opposite page, bottom)

Oct. 13, 2001

Derek Jeter’s flip relay toss nabs no-sliding Jeremy Giambi of A’s at the plate to save Game 3 of ALDS for Yankees, who go on to win the series. (this page, bottom left)

Sept. 4, 2002

A’s “Moneyball’ moment is Scott Hatteberg’s ninthinning walk-off home run to give Oakland its AL-record 20th straight win. A’s magical season ends with loss to Twins in Game 5 of ALDS. (opposite page, middle)

March 30, 2005

John Fisher and Lew Wolff purchase A’s from Schott/Hofmann group for $180 million.

2006

A’s reach ALCS for first time since 1992 but are swept by Tigers.

May 9, 2010

Dallas Braden reaches perfection on Mother’s Day as he pitches 19th perfect game in Major League Baseball history. (this page, bottom right)

Oct. 3, 2012

A’s beat Rangers to cap furious rally that sees Oakland end five straight nonwinning seasons while winning AL West on last day of season.

Sept. 30, 2014

In Wild Card game, A’s lose 9-8 to the Royals in 12 innings.

Dec. 6, 2017

In the latest of a long list of ballpark setbacks over the past eight years, A’s absorb blow of announcement that Laney College, the team’s preferred site for a new home, is probably off the board. (this page, top)