This is considered quite an honor for both the team and management, even though Finley was not the most well liked person by both fans, players, other teams and even politicians.  This characterization of him however did not stop him from being one of the most successful managers in A’s history.  During his tenure he was able to lead the team to five straight division titles (1971-75) as well as three consecutive World Series (1972-74).

Finley started as manager with the Kansas City A’s when he left his lucrative disability insurance job, a job that would make him millions of dollars before he was 40 years old.  When he was not making money he was playing on a semi-pro team, he was always very active in sports and when he was diagnosed with tuberculosis it forced him to stop playing the game that he loved.

Because he could not play, Finley took all of his money and invested in several franchise teams in the 1950′s.  However, his most important investment would be the purchasing of the Kansas City Athletics for $1.9 million.  At that time the A’s were not the team that we see today, they had a horrible record and because of that Finley focused on bringing his quirkiness to the field.  He changed up the uniforms to a bright colored greens and yellows,  brought in a mule as the mascot and installed a mechanical rabbit below the field to give balls to the home plate umpire. … [visit site to read more]

Good Ole Charlie Finley Nominated To Hall Of Fame - Swingin' A's - Swingin' A's - An Oakland Athletics Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Billy Beane made the right choice in replacing Bob Geren with Bob Melvin.

I applauded Billy Beane and the rest of the Athletics organization for cutting ties with manager Bob Geren earlier this season, and took an instant liking to their replacement, Bob Melvin.

The two managers share only the same first name, but Geren and Melvin definitely have different approaches to the game. Geren, according to several A’s players, was not very vocal, and leading up to the days before his firing, many cited Geren’s lack of communication as a reason behind the team’s early season troubles.

Reliever Brian Fuentes outed his coach’s (Geren) questionable and unorthodox managerial skills, and ex-Athletics closer Huston Street did not have a very positive opinion about Geren either.

The only real beef I have with the A’s is that they allowed a guy like Geren run their team for four-plus seasons, dating back to the start of the 2007 season. The A’s fired Ken Macha back in 2006 after getting swept by the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS for a lack of communication, but let Geren hang around for a few years before getting the axe. … [visit site to read more]

Should The A’s Bring Back Bob Melvin? - Swingin' A's - Swingin' A's - An Oakland Athletics Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

The A’s were shut out for the 10th time on Thursday night, the first of a crucial four-game series with the AL West leading Rangers.  They followed that up with being shut out for the 11th time on Sunday, and the A’s fell to 39-53 and are now 12 games back of first place.

Under normal circumstance the opportunity to face the division leader with a chance to end up four or six games back at the All-Star break is more than enough to get excited.

But it’s not. Not even close.

These A’s provide a different set of circumstances, making the talk of “contending,” or buying as opposed to selling, during this series somewhat laughable, leaving me either feeling intellectually perplexed or fighting off salty discharge from my eyes, depending on what kind of mood I’m in.

The A’s—and their dwindling fan base—are made to believe they are still contenders by way of their relatively close proximity to first place, a complete and utter farce directly attributable to MLBs absurd division alignment that has left one division with four teams (the AL West), while all other divisions have either five or six teams.

This commitment to mediocrity by all four teams in the AL West obscures the monumental shortcomings of this year’s A’s team, and thus the front office’s shortcomings for years.

Indeed, winning 7 out of 9 games will get the A’s right back in the thick of things, but the A’s team—evident to anyone who has a pulse and is breathing—has shown nothing that offers a scintilla of evidence to presume such a streak is on the horizon.

Though A’s fans—including myself—would have preferred taking three out of four, or goodness gracious a sweep, of the Rangers so that we could enter the All-Star break feeling good about the team and the rest of the season, it perhaps only would have prolonged the inevitable (that the A’s are not good enough to stick around and contend, even in the AL West), prolonged the agony for fans, and been detrimental to next year’s team.

After the team’s struggles in April, Beane told Joe Stiglich of the Mercury News that there was no need to be concerned—unless it continued all year.

“These guys have a track record,” Beane said  “I don’t think you press any panic button in April.  If you were asking me this question in June, I might have a different answer.”

It’s July, Billy.  And your team has not gotten better.  It’s gotten worse.

… [visit site to read more]

2011 Oakland A’s Not Worth Watching After Texas Series; Blasting Billy Beane, Franchise is Past Due - Swingin' A's - Swingin' A's - An Oakland Athletics Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More