AN Finds And Interviews A Philadelphia Athletics Fan

It's really nice to see the Philadelphia A's still being remembered. It still baffles me how Philly could allow the most successful sporting franchise in the city's history move away. Even now, over fifty years late they still have won (as Philadelphia) more national championships than all the other Philadelphia franchises put together! Surely there must have been people in the city with enough money to have kept the team, but none of them cared, incredible!

One player that was mentioned that I didn't see a link for was Ferris Fain (http://philadelphiaathletics.org/history/fain.html), maybe you thought he would be well enough known in Oakland that it wasn't necessary. He definitely should be well known amongst A's fans being, amongst other things, the last Athletic to win a batting title, as well as the fact he grew up in Oakland. As you noted though, an awful lot of us who bleed Green and Gold are long distance supporters, I've been a long distance A's fan for over thirty years myself.

Anyway, thanks for bringing the past back to life.

. . . down memory lane.  Interesting because when debates start about which generation of A's are one's favorite, it usually involves the teams from the 70's, 80's, or 2000's without going back before Oakland.  I've never had anyone bring me up short by saying, "Yeah, well you should have seen the 50's gang--did I ever tell you about the time Zernial ran into the wall and was booed"?  One teeeeeeny correction, I believe:  going just off memory, wasn't Eck part of the 80's gang, long after the Bando/Rudi/Catfood team had dissolved?  I think Eck came over in '86 or '87 or so, didn't he?  Thanks, bbg--VERY nice piece.

During the mid to late 50's, everyone in the AL hated the KC A's. Everytime they developed a decent player, the would sell/trade them to the damn Yankees. Yes, Virginia, this has always been the Y's M.O. As mentioned, Bobby Shantz and others such as Roger Maris, Bob Cerv, the list goes on. If the Y's wanted to punish a player, Billy Martin of Copacabana fame, was one such player he was traded to KC. This talent drain didn't stop until Charles O. Finley bought a controlling interest.

at Shibe Park, Ferris Fain was my favorite player, but for those of us living on the West Coast we just chose a favorite team. The Yankees were king then, so I naturally gravitated to the NL, was a Braves fan when they were still in Boston, then stayed with them when they moved to Milwaukee. There was little TV then, and radio was sporadic so we didn't really FOLLOW  a team, just kind of wanted a team to win, but no real passion.  When the Giants came to SF I became a Giants fan because I lived in SF and it was our first West Coast team.  
But then came a 4 year hiatus in the US Army, and when I came back I moved to San Leandro to start my business career.  The Raiders opened Frank Youell field some 15 minutes away and tickets were $3. so naturally I got season tickets there.  When the A's came in '68 it was an easy transition for me to become an A's fan, no more treks across the San Mateo Bridge to Candlestick, tickets were $3 and if you sat in the bleachers it was $1.  The sportswriters in SF denigrated the Raiders and A's so much that I "circled the wagons" and became a fervent fan of the East Bay teams.  Thus a love affair was begun, and it hasn't diminished despite the passing years, and a 7 year sojourn in China.

I actually watched a game at Camden Yards with the father of a friend of mine who it turns out had been a Philadelphia A's fan back in the Shibe Park era.  As a kid he'd had the chance to watch a game in the owner's box with Connie Mack a few years before Connie gave up control of the team.  Obviously as a kid at the time he didn't remember much more than, "Holy cow!  I'm watching a ballgame with Connie Mack!  This is so cool!"

The ballgame at Camden Yards was pretty hilarious actually.  My friend's father and I were the only ones at all interested in baseball (this was a team-building get-together for work), so we spent the whole game watching the action and reminiscing about baseball while everybody else got drunk and talked about work.  We ignored them.

Thanks for the work, BBG! I LOVE the historical stuff- too bad no one is around to talk about the really old days of Jimmie Foxx and Mickey Cochrane. I read Ty Cobb's biography, which mentions meeting a run-down looking Jimmie Foxx working in a liquor store some years after his playing days- guess Foxx didn't take Cobb's stock tips, and was left without the huge cushion for retirement.

I have a question for the person you interviewed and even for people who just think they're old like 67Marquez. Could you give us a lineup featuring your favorite A's players, including anyone who played since you've been a fan? I'd love to see people's favorites!

first time commenting on the site.  As my handle implies, i've been a long time A's fan.  I remember going to bed in '71 with the transistor radio under my pillow listening to Vida pitch during that magical year for him.  i cried like a baby when Reggie tore his leg up in the Tiger's playoff series the next year and still get goosebumps thinking about Rudi's catch against the Reds.  I had the chance to take BP against Vida at PacBell Park (whatever they are calling it now) and then meeting him.  I was the only guy there asking questions about his days with Finley which obviously didn't go down so well.  Vida said the stories were true-the cheapest man on earth bar none.

Thanks, this really brings back some great memories.

It was Shibe Park before.  Great Park.  I saw Ritchie Allen, Jim Bunning, Tony Taylor, Rick Wise and others.  It was in a bad neighborhood so getting tickets was easy.

My last year in Philly in 1972, they built Veterns Stadium and was I bummed.  Being a college Student, we would buy 4$ tickets at Connie Mack and then slip down into the really good seats.  But at Veterns, they cost twice as much and they wouldn't let you move down.

Great, great, stadium.  Remeinded me of Crosley Field in Cincinatti excpet you didn't have to runuphill at the wall.  Also, Forbes Field at Pittsburg was nice.

Some commented on which WS team they thought was the best, I thought it was funny that the old timer put Eck in with the Mustache Gang.  Like the Wayne Gross/Mitchell Page era never existed (did any of you remember the Wayne Cross Ford clock tower that used to be by 101 in San Rafael and keep getting reminded of Gross stealing home several times in the Billy Ball days?).

I think my first A's game was a Blue game vs. Baltimore.  Retrosheet finds one that might match, 4/26/71, A's win 1-0.
Blue W(5-1)       9     4   0   0   2   9
(game score 80 for statheads)

I always liked Gus Zernial. But to tell you a story he was big guy, and not the best left fielder. I was at a game when he dove for a line drive, broke his shoulder, and got booed.

Such a classic Philly sequence. The only thing it's missing is some allusion to a cheesesteak.

Someone from AN should contact A's producer David Feldman.  His parents were A's fans back in Philly and currently attend games in Oakland.  They usually sit around section 217-218.

recall who came along shortly after Zernial was the big hitter and before Maris came to the team from Cleveland (there certainly could be overlapping time frames with the team).  Cerv brought power to the team which had a high average hitting Power at firstbase who had limited power.  And Enos Slaughter who played out his last days in the OF for the A's.  I never felt that the Yankees players were being punished by being sent to the A's.

Ralph Terry broke the catchers face mask and broke the catchers nose with a fastball one time.  There are a number of players I recall when I start thinking about it.

The 1st game I ever attended at Yankee Stadium was a Yankees - Philadelphia A's game. I was a Yankee fan (born in the Bronx), however, I really wanted to see Elmer Valo play. His Topps card had him posed doing a 1 arm handstand on the outfield fence. I was also fascinated with the fact that he was an immigrant from eastern Europe. I am the child of immigrants.

Here's tidbit about Ferris Fain from NYTimes of March 23, 1988

Ferris Fain, the American League batting champion in 1951 and  
1952, is being held without bail in Placerville, Calif.,
after deputies raided his home last Thursday and arrested him
when they found more than 400 marijuana plants, according to
Lieut. Howard Wilson of the El Dorado County Sheriff's
office.

Fast forward to the KC A's. I was sill rooting for the Yankees and recall the KC A's acting essentially as a farm team. Both Bob Cerv and Ralph Terry made round trips returning to the Yankees when they were essentially recalled.

but, I am recently out of the hospital.  I've been an A's fan since the mid 40's.

I may have mentioned this before; but, if you don't know the Lou Brissie story you must find it.  It is a very compelling story; and, Mr Brissie is as fine a gentleman as you will ever meet.  Several years ago I had an opportunity to spend about an hour alone with him.  One of the memorable hours of my life!
In 1956 I enlisted in the AF; and, shortly after my parents moved (and, yes, they did leave the forwarding address).  During the move my mother  disposed of all my A's things, every thing!  I had a ton of things, every A's thing you could imagine, 10-12 years of it.  All gone!  I was speachless, dumbfounded.  I looked to my dad; he knew how much these things meant to me.  But, he didn't know what my mother had done; and , I think he felt guilty for not keeping my things safe.  Sometimes life happens!
I took my 3 sons 2 1/2 hours to Baltimore to see Vida Blue pitch against the Orioles (my oldest son's team).  Box seats behind the catcher; it rained; we ate hot dogs; we drank cokes; the game was cancelled; 2 1/2 drive home.  Sometimes life happens!  Never did see Vida pitch in person.  
I apologize for rambling--anesthesia effect!