GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

Throughout the course of major league baseball, franchises have been sold and moved and some just moved to find a bigger fan base and make money for the owners. At one time the larger cities had two and in one case three teams operating within the city limits. Today some cities still have two teams splitting the leagues. Some teams have moved more than once, twice and entertained a third time!

First on my list is the :

Connie Mack

PHILADELPHIA ATHLETICS 1901-1954

In Philadelphia, there once were two teams, one being the Phillies and the other the Athletics, or A’s, as they are known today. Playing in Philadelphia for 53 years, they were pioneers in the newly formed American League when it was formed. Managed by Connie Mack pennants were won in 1902, 1905, 1910, 1911, 1913, 1914, 1929, 1930,and 1931. The teams of 1910, 1911, 1913, 1929,and 1930, won the World Series. The Athletics have rightfully been proclaimed "Philadelphia's Most Successful Sports Franchise".

The Athletics played at Columbia Park at 29th and Columbia in North Philadelphia before opening Shibe Park in April 1909 at 21st and Lehigh Avenue in a section of North Philadelphia called Swampoodle. Lack of sufficient funds, absence of a full minor league system, the age of Connie Mack and the growing popularity of the Phillies in 1950 all contributed to empty seats at Shibe Park (re-named Connie Mack Stadium officially in 1953) Eventually, sons Roy and Earl Mack would buy controlling shares of the club from remaining Shibe family members and their half brother, Connie Mack Jr. To do so, they assumed a large mortgage. The debt load, coupled with the unfortunate decision to sell the concessions ( a major income source ) led to the sale of the club in 1954 to Arnold Johnson who moved the team to Kansas City despite several local efforts to buy the club which were not accepted by the American League.

KANSAS CITY ATHLETICS 1955-1967

In the early part of the KC existence, there was a lot of grousing that the team was really a farm team for the New York Yankees. Such players as Joe DeMaestri, Bobby Shantz and Roger Maris seemed to find their way onto the Yankees as the New Yorkers needed the talent.  At one time they were the hottest attraction in the media and with the fans, but had a penchant for no pennant. It was one dreadful season after another. The got a new owner Charles Finley, changed their team name from Athletic’s to A’s and even changed their colors from red, white and blue to green, gold and white. Finley then decided to move them to Oakland and so the Kansas City A’s move from Kansas City Municiple Stadium and became the

OAKLAND A’s 1968-present

The move into Oakland Alameda County Stadium seemed to invigorate the team and suddenly in the early 70’s, the A’s had themselves a dynasty, winning pennants and the World Series in: 1972, 1973 and 1974, as well as 1988, 1989 and 1990. During the early 70’s, Finley introduced the mull as a team mascot, orange baseballs and the original fire sale to the New York Yankees of Jim ‘Catfish’ Hunter and Reggie Jackson. Some things never changed. Along the way, Finley started to lose popularity for his club, as the stadium is one of the worst and ugliest in the leagues, and he petitioned the American League to allow him to move to San Jose’.

That’s all I wrote, folks!