Oakland Athletics

Oakland Athletics
2012 Oakland Athletics season
Established	1901
Based in Oakland since 1968
Team logo Cap Insignia
Major league affiliations
American League (1901–present) West Division (1969–present)
Current uniform
Retired numbers	9, 24, 27, 34, 42, 43, (A's)
Colors
Green, California Gold, White
Name
Oakland Athletics (1981–present)
Oakland A's (1970–1980;1981-present (only as nickname) Oakland Athletics (1968–1969) Kansas City Athletics (1955–1967) Philadelphia Athletics (1901–1954) (Referred to as "A's")
Other nicknames
The A's, The White Elephants, The Elephants
Ballpark
O.co Coliseum (1968–present) a.k.a. Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (1966–1998, 2008–2011) a.k.a. McAfee Coliseum (2004–2008) a.k.a. Network Associates Coliseum (1998–2004) a.k.a. Overstock.com Coliseum (2011) Municipal Stadium (Kansas City) (1955–1967) Shibe Park (Philadelphia) (1909–1954) a.k.a. Connie Mack Stadium (1953–1954) Columbia Park (Philadelphia) (1901–1908)
Major league titles
World Series titles (9)	1989 • 1974 • 1973 • 1972 1930 • 1929 • 1913 • 1911 1910
AL Pennants (15)	1990 • 1989 • 1988 • 1974 1973 • 1972 • 1931 • 1930 1929 • 1914 • 1913 • 1911 1910 • 1905 • 1902
West Division titles (14) [1]	2006 • 2003 • 2002 • 2000  1992 • 1990 • 1989 • 1988  1981 • 1975 • 1974 • 1973  1972 • 1971
Wild card berths (1)	2001
[1] – In 1994, a players' strike wiped out the last eight weeks of the season and all post-season. Oakland was one game out of first place in the West Division (despite being 12 games under .500) behind Texas when play was stopped. No official titles were awarded in 1994.
Front office
Owner(s)	John Fisher [1], Lew Wolff
Manager	Bob Melvin
General Manager	Billy Beane

The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1968 to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum.

The "Athletics" name originates from the late 19th century "athletic clubs", specifically the Philadelphia Athletics baseball club. They are most prominently nicknamed "the A's", in reference to the Gothic script "A", a trademark of the team and the old Athletics of Philadelphia. This has gained very prominent use, and in some circles is used more frequently than the full "Athletics" name. They are also known as "the White Elephants" or simply "the Elephants", in reference to then New York Giants' manager John McGraw's calling the team a "white elephant".^[1] This was embraced by the team, who then made a white elephant the team's mascot, and often incorporated it into the logo or sleeve patches. During the team's 1970s heyday, management often referred to the team as The Swingin' A's, referencing both their prodigious power and to connect the team with the growing disco culture.

One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1901 as the Philadelphia Athletics. The team had some prominent success in Philadelphia, winning three of four World Series from 1910 to 1914 (the "First Dynasty") and two in a row in 1929 and 1930 (the "Second Dynasty"). The team's owner and manager for its first 50 years was Connie Mack, and its Hall-of-Fame players included Chief Bender, Frank "Home Run" Baker, Jimmie Foxx and Lefty Grove. After two decades of decline, however, the team left Philadelphia for Kansas City in 1955 and became the Kansas City Athletics. After 13 mostly uneventful seasons in the Midwest, the team moved to Oakland in 1968. There a "Third Dynasty" soon emerged, with three World Championships in a row from 1972 to 1974 led by players including Catfish Hunter and Reggie Jackson, and colorful owner Charlie O. Finley. Finally, a "Fourth Dynasty" won three consecutive pennants and the 1989 World Series behind Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco and Dennis Eckersley. In more recent years, the A's have often been playoff contenders but have not returned to the World Series since 1990. In 2002, the A's won 20 games in a row which broke an AL record, as shown in the film Moneyball.

Origins

Origin of the team name

The Athletics' name originated in the term "Athletic Club" for local gentlemen's clubs—dates to 1860 when an amateur team, the Athletic (Club) of Philadelphia, was formed. (A famous image from that era, published in Harper's Weekly in 1866, shows the Athletic players dressed in uniforms displaying the familiar blackletter "A" on the front). The team later turned professional through 1875, becoming a charter member of the National League in 1876, but were expelled from the N.L. after one season. A later version of the Athletics played in the American Association from 1882–1891.

The team name is typically pronounced /æθˈlɛtɨks/, but their longtime team owner/manager Connie Mack called them by the old-fashioned colloquial Irish pronunciation /æθəˈlɛtɨks/.^{[citation needed]} Newspaper writers also often referred to the team as the Mackmen during their Philadelphia days, in honor of their patriarch.

Uniform emblem

Through the seasons, the Athletics' uniforms have usually paid homage to their amateur forebears to some extent. Until 1954, when the uniforms had "Athletics" spelled out in script across the front, the team's name never appeared on either home or road uniforms. Furthermore, not once did "Philadelphia" appear on the uniform, nor did the letter "P" appear on the cap or the uniform. The typical Philadelphia uniform had only a script "A" on the left front, and likewise the cap usually had the same "A" on it. In the early days of the American League, the standings listed the club as "Athletic" rather than "Philadelphia", in keeping with the old tradition. Eventually, the city name came to be used for the team, as with the other major league clubs.

After buying the team in 1960, owner Charles O. Finley introduced new road uniforms with "Kansas City" printed on them, as well as an interlocking "KC" on the cap. Upon moving to Oakland, the "A" cap emblem was restored, although in 1970 an "apostrophe-s" was added to the cap and uniform emblem to reflect the fact that Finley was in the process of officially changing the team's name to the "A's."

Also while in Kansas City, Finley changed the team's colors from their traditional red, white and blue to what he termed "Kelly Green, Wedding Gown White and Fort Knox Gold." It was also here that he began experimenting with dramatic uniforms to match these bright colors, such as gold sleeveless tops with green undershirts and gold pants. The innovative uniforms only increased after the team's move to Oakland, which also came at the time of the introduction of polyester pullover uniforms. During their dynasty years in the 1970s, the A's had dozens of uniform combinations with jerseys and pants in all three team colors, and in fact did not wear the traditional gray on the road, instead wearing green or gold, which helped to contribute to their nickname of "The Swingin' A's." After the team's sale to the Haas family, the team changed its primary color to a more subdued forest green and began a move back to more traditional uniforms.

Currently, the team wears home uniforms with "Athletics" spelled out in script writing and road uniforms with "Oakland" spelled out in script writing, with the cap logo consisting of the traditional "A" with "apostrophe-s." The home cap is green with a gold bill and white lettering, while the road cap, debuting in 1994, is all green with gold lettering. Regardless of road or home games, the batting helmets used are green with gold brim.

Since 1994, the A's have worn green alternates jerseys with the word "Athletics" in gold. It is used on both road and home games. During the 2000's, the Athletics introduced black as one of their colors. They began wearing a black alternate jersey with "Athletics" written in green. After a brief discontinuance, the A's brought back the black jersey, this time with "Athletics" written in white with gold highlights. Commercially popular but rarely chosen as the alternate by players, in 2011 they were replaced by a new gold alternate jersey with "A's" in green on the left chest, which they also wear either at home or on the road.

The nickname "A's" has long been used interchangeably with "Athletics," dating to the team's early days when headline writers wanted a way to shorten the name. From 1972 through 1980, the team nickname was officially "Oakland A's," although, during that time, the Commissioner's Trophy, given out annually to the winner of baseball's World Series, still listed the team's name as the "Oakland Athletics" on the gold-plated pennant representing the Oakland franchise. According to Bill Libby's Book, Charlie O and the Angry A's, owner Charlie O. Finley banned the word "Athletics" from the club's name because he felt that name was too closely associated with former Philadelphia Athletics owner Connie Mack, and he wanted the name "Oakland A's" to become just as closely associated with himself. The name also vaguely suggested the name of the old minor league Oakland Oaks, which were alternatively called the "Acorns." New owner Walter Haas restored the official name to "Athletics" in 1981, but retained the nickname "A's" for marketing purposes. At first, the word "Athletics" was restored only to the club's logo, underneath the much larger stylized-"A" that had come to represent the team since the early days. By 1987, however, the word returned, in script lettering, to the front of the team's jerseys.

The A's are the only MLB team to wear white cleats, both at home and on the road, another tradition dating back to the Finley ownership.

Elephant mascot

After New York Giants' manager John McGraw told reporters that Philadelphia manufacturer Benjamin Shibe, who owned the controlling interest in the new team, had a "white elephant on his hands," Mack defiantly adopted the white elephant as the team mascot, and presented McGraw with a stuffed toy elephant at the start of the 1905 World Series. McGraw and Mack had known each other for years, and McGraw accepted it graciously. By 1909, the A's were wearing an elephant logo on their sweaters, and in 1918 it turned up on the regular uniform jersey for the first time. Over the years the elephant has appeared in several different colors. It is currently forest green. The A’s are still sometimes, though infrequently, referred to as the "Elephants" or "White Elephants."

The elephant was retired as team mascot in 1963 by then-owner Charles O. Finley in favor of a Missouri mule (it was also rumored to have been done by Finley in order to attract fans from the then heavily Democratic constituents of Missouri by replacing the traditional Republican mascot to one associated with Democrats). In 1988, the elephant was restored as the symbol of the Athletics and currently adorns the left sleeve of home and road uniforms. The Elephant Mascot returned briefly in the mid-'80s, under the name Harry Elephante. In 1997, the elephant returned, taking its current form: Stomper.

Franchise history

Main article: History of the Oakland Athletics

The history of the Athletics Major League Baseball franchise spans the period from 1901 to the present day, having begun in Philadelphia before moving to Kansas City in 1955 and then to its current home in Oakland, California in 1968.

Stadium

The O.co Coliseum -- originally known as the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, and later named as Network Associates, McAfee and Overstock.com Coliseum -- was built as a multi-purpose facility. Louisiana Superdome officials pursued negotiations with Athletics officials during the 1978–1979 baseball off-season about moving the Athletics to the Superdome in New Orleans. The Athletics were unable to break their lease at the Coliseum, and remained in Oakland.^[2]

After the Oakland Raiders football team moved to Los Angeles in 1982, many improvements were made to what was suddenly a baseball-only facility. The 1994 movie Angels in the Outfield was filmed in part at the Coliseum, filling in for Anaheim Stadium.

Then, in 1995, a deal was struck whereby the Raiders would move back to Oakland for the 1995 season. The agreement called for the expansion of the Coliseum to 63,026 seats. The bucolic view of the Oakland foothills that baseball spectators enjoyed was replaced with a jarring view of an outfield grandstand contemptuously referred to as "Mount Davis" after Raiders' owner Al Davis. Because construction was not finished by the start of the 1996 season, the Athletics were forced to play their first six-game homestand at 9,300-seat Cashman Field in Las Vegas.^[3]

Although official capacity was stated to be 43,662 for baseball, seats were sometimes sold in Mount Davis as well, pushing "real" capacity to the area of 60,000. The ready availability of tickets on game day made season tickets a tough sell, while crowds as high as 30,000 often seemed sparse in such a venue. On December 21, 2005, the Athletics announced that seats in the Coliseum's third deck would not be sold for the 2006 season, but would instead be covered with a tarp, and that tickets would no longer be sold in Mount Davis under any circumstances. That effectively reduced capacity to 34,077, making the Coliseum the smallest stadium in Major League Baseball. As of 2008, sections 316-318 are the only open sections for A's games, making the total capacity to 35,067.

The Athletics are one of only two MLB teams in the United States still sharing a stadium with an NFL team, the other being the Florida Marlins, who share Sun Life Stadium with the Miami Dolphins. By 2012, the A's will be the only American team sharing their facility, due to the Marlins' move into their new ballpark at the former site of the Orange Bowl. This does not include Toronto's Rogers Centre, which the Blue Jays share with the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts, and which is also used by the Buffalo Bills on occasion.

New stadium proposals

Main article: Cisco Field

Since the mid 2000s the A's have been in talks with Oakland and other Northern California cities about building a new baseball-only stadium. The planned stadium, Cisco Field, was originally intended to be built in Fremont, California (a location that has since been abandoned), and there were talks about it remaining in Oakland, and current talks about building it in San Jose.

Additionally there have been some proposals about moving the team to Sacramento and renovating that city's Minor League stadium.

Fremont

After the city of Oakland failed to make any progress toward a stadium, the A's began contemplating a move to the Warm Springs district of suburban Fremont. Fremont is about 25 miles south of Oakland; many nearby residents are already a part of the current Athletics fanbase.

On November 7, 2006, many media sources announced the Athletics would be leaving Oakland as early as 2010 for a new stadium in Fremont, confirmed the next day by the Fremont City Council. The team would have played in what was planned to be called Cisco Field, a 32,000-seat, baseball-only facility.^[4] The proposed ballpark would have been part of a larger "ballpark village" which would have included retail and residential development. On February 24, 2009, however, Lew Wolff released an open letter regarding the end of his efforts to relocate the A's to Fremont.^[5]

Sacramento

If negotiations within the Bay Area fail, Sacramento is considered a possible destination for the team.^[6] Sacramento is the home of the team's AAA affiliate, the River Cats. The River Cats' stadium, Raley Field, would need significant construction to increase seating capacity to accommodate a major league team, but would probably not need to be demolished.^[7]

San Jose

As of February 26, 2009 the city of San Jose was expected to open negotiations with the team. Although parcels of land south of Diridon Station are being acquired by the city as a stadium site, the San Francisco Giants' claim on Santa Clara County as part of their home territory would have to be dealt with before any agreement could be made.^[8]

By August 2010, San Jose was "aggressively wooing" A's owner Lew Wolff. Wolff referred to San Jose as the team's "best option", but Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said he would wait on a report on whether the team could move to the area because of the Giants conflict.^[9]

In September 2010, 75 Silicon Valley CEOs drafted and signed a letter to Bud Selig urging a timely approval of the move to San Jose.^[10]

In May 2011 San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed sent a letter to Bud Selig asking the commissioner for a timetable of when he might decide whether the A’s can pursue this new ballpark, but Selig did not respond.^[11]

Selig addressed the San Jose issue via an online town hall forum held in July, saying, “Well, the latest is, I have a small committee who has really assessed that whole situation, Oakland, San Francisco, and it is complex. You talk about complex situations; they have done a terrific job. I know there are some people who think it’s taken too long and I understand that. I’m willing to accept that. But you make decisions like this; I’ve always said, you’d better be careful. Better to get it done right than to get it done fast. But we’ll make a decision that’s based on logic and reason at the proper time.”^[12]

According to the San Jose Mercury, a decision by Selig's committee will be made before the start of the 2012 season.^[13]

Rivals

San Francisco Giants

See also: Bay Bridge Series

The Bay Bridge Series is the name of a series games played between—and the rivalry of—the A's and San Francisco Giants of the National League. The series takes its name from the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge which links the cities of Oakland and San Francisco. Although competitive, the regional rivalry between the A's and Giants is considered a friendly one with mostly mutual companionship between the fans, as opposed to White Sox–Cubs, or Yankees–Mets games where animosity runs high. Hats displaying both teams on the cap are sold from vendors at the games, and once in a while the teams both dress in uniforms from an historic era of their franchises.

The series is also occasionally referred to as the "BART Series" for the Bay Area Rapid Transit system that links Oakland to San Francisco. However, the name "BART Series" has never been popular beyond a small selection of history books and national broadcasters and has fallen out of favor. Bay Area locals almost exclusively refer to the rivalry as the "Bay Bridge Series".

Originally, the term described a series of exhibition games played between the two clubs after the conclusion of spring training, immediately prior to the start of the regular season. It was first used to refer to the 1989 World Series in which the Athletics won their most recent championship and the first time both teams had met since they moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, it also refers to games played between the teams during the regular season since the commencement of interleague play in 1997. Through 2011, the A's have won 45 games, and the Giants have won 41.^[14]

Historical Rivalries

Philadelphia Phillies

See also: City Series (Philadelphia)

The City Series was the name of a series of baseball games played between the Athletics and the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League that ran from 1903 through 1955. After the A's move to Kansas City in 1955, the City Series rivalry came to an end. The teams have since faced each other in Interleague play (since its introduction in 1997) but the rivalry has effectively died in the intervening years since the A's left Philadelphia.

The first City Series was held in 1883 between the Phillies and the American Association Philadelphia Athletics.^[15] When the Athletics first joined the American League, the two teams played each other in a spring and fall series. No City Series was held in 1901 and 1902 due to legal warring between the National League and American League.

Season records

This table is a partial list of the seasons completed by the Athletics. For full season records see List of Oakland Athletics seasons.

Season	Wins	Losses	Win %	Place	Playoffs
2000	91	70	.565	1st in AL West	Lost ALDS to New York Yankees, 2–3.
2001	102	60	.630	2nd in AL West	Lost ALDS to New York Yankees, 2–3.
2002	103	59	.636	1st in AL West	Lost ALDS to Minnesota Twins, 2–3.
2003	96	66	.593	1st in AL West	Lost ALDS to Boston Red Sox, 2–3.
2004	91	71	.562	2nd in AL West
2005	88	74	.543	2nd in AL West
2006	93	69	.574	1st in AL West	Won ALDS vs. Minnesota Twins, 3–0. Lost ALCS vs. Detroit Tigers, 0–4.
2007	76	86	.469	3rd in AL West
2008	75	86	.466	3rd in AL West
2009	75	87	.463	4th in AL West
2010	81	81	.500	2nd in AL West
2011	74	88	.457	3rd in AL West
All-Time Record	8344	8840	.486

Quick facts

Founded in Philadelphia in 1901 when the A.L. became a Major League. Moved to Kansas City in 1955 and to Oakland in 1968.

Current uniform^[16] colors: green, gold and white: 1963–present, Only MLB team that wears white cleats

Previous uniform colors: blue and white: 1901–04, 1909–49, 1951–53, 1961; blue, red and white: 1905–08, 1954–60, 1962; Blue, gold and white: 1950,

Logo design: A blackletter "A's". The team also uses an elephant logo.

Team motto: Green Collar Baseball

Playoff appearances (23): 1905, 1910, 1911, 1913, 1914, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1981, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006

Local television: CSN California

Local radio: KGMZ

Mascot: Stomper

Spring-training facility: Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Phoenix, AZ

The spring-training facility in Phoenix, Arizona, has been the home of the Oakland A's since 1982. Previous spring-training sites since they moved to Oakland in 1968 were Yuma, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada, both in the 1970s.^{[citation needed]}

Current roster

Oakland Athletics 2012 Spring Training rosterview · talk · edit
40-man roster				Spring Training non-roster invitees		Coaches/Other
Pitchers 49 Brett Anderson 40 Andrew Bailey 50 Grant Balfour 13 Jerry Blevins 51 Dallas Braden 56 Craig Breslow 53 Trevor Cahill 67 Andrew Carignan 60 Fautino De Los Santos 33 Joey Devine -- Pedro Figueroa 57 Brian Fuentes 65 Graham Godfrey 47 Gio Gonzalez 32 Brandon McCarthy 52 Guillermo Moscoso 59 Jordan Norberto 88 Josh Outman 66 Tyson Ross -- Evan Scribner 62 Neil Wagner		Catchers 20 Josh Donaldson 11 Landon Powell 26 Anthony Recker  8 Kurt Suzuki Infielders 31 Brandon Allen 10 Daric Barton  6 Adrian Cardenas -- Sean Doolittle -- Kila Ka'aihue  2 Cliff Pennington  7 Adam Rosales 29 Scott Sizemore 36 Eric Sogard 19 Jemile Weeks Outfielders 22 Chris Carter -- Cedric Hunter 58 Jai Miller 15 Ryan Sweeney 23 Michael Taylor		Pitchers -- Edgar Gonzalez Infielders -- Wes Timmons		Manager  6 Bob Melvin Coaches  3 Mike Gallego (third base) -- Chip Hale (bench) 41 Rick Rodriguez (bullpen) 46 Tye Waller (first base) -- Curt Young (pitching)    Vacant (hitting) 40 Active, 0 Inactive, 1 Non-roster invitees * Not on active roster 15-day disabled list Roster updated November 3, 2011 Transactions • Depth Chart → More rosters

Baseball Hall of Famers

Oakland Athletics Hall of Famers
Affiliation according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Philadelphia Athletics Home Run Baker Chief Bender Ty Cobb Mickey Cochrane Eddie Collins Jimmy Collins Stan Coveleski Elmer Flick Nellie Fox Jimmie Foxx Lefty Grove Waite Hoyt George Kell Nap Lajoie Connie Mack* Herb Pennock Eddie Plank* Al Simmons Tris Speaker Rube Waddell* Zack Wheat Kansas City Athletics Luke Appling1 Lou Boudreau1 Whitey Herzog2 Tommy Lasorda2 Satchel Paige Enos Slaughter Oakland Athletics Orlando Cepeda Dennis Eckersley Rollie Fingers Goose Gossage Rickey Henderson Catfish Hunter** Reggie Jackson Willie McCovey Joe Morgan Don Sutton Billy Williams Dick Williams2 Players listed in bold are depicted on their Hall of Fame plaques wearing a Athletics cap insignia. * – depicted on Hall of Fame plaque without a cap or cap insignia; Hall of Fame recognizes Athletics as "Primary Team" ** – Catfish Hunter could not decide between the Yankees and Athletics, and so opted to wear no insignia on his cap upon his induction. 1 – inducted as player; managed Athletics or was player-manager 2 – inducted as manager; played for Athletics or was player-manager

Ford C. Frick Award recipients

Oakland Athletics Ford C. Frick Award recipients
Affiliation according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Harry Caray Herb Carneal By Saam Lon Simmons Names in bold received the award based primarily on their work as broadcasters for the Athletics.

Retired numbers

See also: List of Major League Baseball retired numbers

The numbers honored are as follows:

Reggie Jackson Outfielder: 1967(KC) 1968–75,87(OAK) Retired 2004

Rickey Henderson Outfielder: 1979–84, 1989–93, 1994–95, 1998(OAK) Retired 2009[17]

Catfish Hunter Pitcher: 1965–67(KC) 1968–74(OAK) Retired 1990

Rollie Fingers Pitcher: 1968–76(OAK) Retired 1993

Dennis Eckersley Pitcher: 1987–95(OAK) Retired 2005

Walter A. Haas, Jr. Owner: 1981–95(OAK) Honored 1995

Jackie Robinson Retired by all of MLB Retired 1997

No A's player from the Philadelphia era has his number retired by the organization. Though Jackson and Hunter played small portions of their careers in Kansas City, no player that played the majority of his years in the Kansas City era has his number retired either. As of 2009, the A's have retired only the numbers of members of the Hall of Fame who played large portions of their careers in Oakland.

Awards

Main article: Oakland Athletics award winners and league leaders

• Catfish Hunter Award (2004–present)

Athletics in the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame

Main article: Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame

• 35, 14 Vida Blue, P,1969–1977
• 19 Bert "Campy" Campaneris, SS, 1968–1976
• 12 Orlando Cepeda, 1B, 1972
•  4 Sam Chapman, CF, 1938–1941, 1945–1951 (Tiburon native)
•  1 Eddie Joost, SS, 1947–1954, Mgr, 1954 (San Francisco native)
• 43 Dennis Eckersley, P, 1987–1995 (born in Oakland, grew up in Fremont)
• 34 Rollie Fingers, P, 1968–1976
• 27 Catfish Hunter, P, 1968–1974
•  9 Reggie Jackson, OF, 1968–1975, 1987
•  1 Billy Martin, MGR, 1980–1982 (Berkeley native)
• 44 Willie McCovey, 1B, 1976
•  8 Joe Morgan, 2B, 1984 (grew up in Oakland)
• 34 Dave Stewart, P, 1986–1992, 1995 (Oakland native)

Athletics in the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame

See: Members of the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame

The Athletics have made no public recognition of Philadelphia Athletics players at the Overstock.com Coliseum. From 1978 to 2003 (except 1983), however, the Philadelphia Phillies inducted one former Athletic (and one former Phillie) each year into the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame at the then-existing Veterans Stadium. In March 2004, after Veterans Stadium was replaced by the new Citizens Bank Park, the Athletics' plaques^[18] were relocated to the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society^[19][20] in Hatboro, Pennsylvania, and a single plaque listing all of the A's inductees^[21] was attached to a statue of Connie Mack that is located across the street from Citizens Bank Park.^[22]

•  -- Frank "Home Run" Baker, 3B, 1908–1914
•  -- Charles "Chief" Bender, P, 1903–1914
•  6 Sam Chapman, CF, 1938–1951
•  2 Mickey Cochrane, C, 1925–1933
•  -- Eddie Collins, 2B, 1906–1914, 1927–1930
•  -- Jack Coombs, P, 1906–1914
•  5 Jimmy Dykes, 3B/2B, 1918–1932; Coach, 1940–1950; MGR, 1951–1953 (Philadelphia native)
• 11 George Earnshaw, P, 1928–1933
• 5/8 Ferris Fain, 1B, 1947–1952
•  3 Jimmie Foxx, 1B, 1925–1935
• 10 Lefty Grove, P, 1925–1933
•  4 “Indian Bob” Johnson, LF, 1933–1942
•  1 Eddie Joost, SS, 1947–1954; MGR, 1954
•  -- Connie Mack, MGR, 1901–1950; Team Owner, 1901–1954
•  9 Bing Miller, RF, 1922–1926, 1928–1934
•  1 Wally Moses, RF, 1935–1941, 1949–1951
•  -- Rube Oldring, CF, 1906–1916, 1918
•  -- Eddie Plank, P, 1901–1914 (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania native)
• 14 Eddie Rommel, P, 1920–1932
• 30 Bobby Shantz, P, 1949–1954 (Pottstown, Pennsylvania native)
•  7 Al Simmons, LF, 1924–1932, 1940–1941, 1944; Coach 1940–1945
• 10 Elmer Valo, RF, 1940–1954
•  -- Rube Waddell, P, 1902–1907 (Bradford, Pennsylvania native)
• 12 Rube Walberg, P, 1923–1933
• 19 Gus Zernial, LF, 1951–1954

Mack, Foxx, Grove and Cochrane have also been inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.

Franchise records

Main article: Oakland Athletics team records

Season records

• Highest Batting Average: .426, Nap Lajoie (1901)
• Most Runs: 152, Al Simmons (1930)
• Most Hits: 253, Al Simmons (1925)
• Highest Slugging %: .749, Jimmie Foxx (1932)
• Most Doubles: 53, Al Simmons (1926)
• Most Triples: 21, Frank Baker (1912)
• Most Home Runs: 58, Jimmie Foxx (1932)
• Most Grand Slams: 4, Jason Giambi (2000)
• Most RBIs: 169, Jimmie Foxx (1932)
• Most Stolen Bases: 130, Rickey Henderson (1982)
• Most Wins: 31, Jack Coombs (1910) and Lefty Grove (1931)
• Lowest ERA: 1.30, Jack Coombs (1910)
• Strikeouts: 349, Rube Waddell (1904)
• Complete Games: 39, Rube Waddell (1904)

Minor league affiliations

Level	Team	League	Location
AAA	Sacramento River Cats	Pacific Coast League	West Sacramento, CA
AA	Midland RockHounds	Texas League	Midland, TX
Advanced A	Stockton Ports	California League	Stockton, CA
A	Burlington Bees	Midwest League	Burlington, IA
Short Season A	Vermont Lake Monsters	New York-Penn League	Burlington, VT
Rookie	AZL Athletics	Arizona League	Phoenix, AZ
	DSL Athletics	Dominican Summer League	Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic

Radio and television

See also: List of Oakland Athletics broadcasters

As of 2011, the Athletics' flagship radio station is KGMZ 95.7 FM.^[23] The current announcing team is Ken Korach and Vince Cotroneo.

Television coverage is exclusively on Comcast SportsNet California. Some A's games air on an alternate feed of CSN, called CSN Plus, if the main channel shows a Sacramento Kings game at the same time. On TV, Glen Kuiper covers play-by-play, and Ray Fosse provides color commentary. Fosse also does color commentary on the radio when the A's are not on TV, or the game is on Fox or ESPN. Fosse also does play by play on the radio during Spring training games.

See also

• 2011 Oakland Athletics season
• Athletics statistical records and milestone achievements
• Managers and ownership of the Oakland Athletics
• Oakland Athletics all-time roster

References

1. ^ Grauley, S.O., Why the Athletics Are Called "White Elephants" (excerpt from the 1909 Philadelphia A's Souvenir Program). Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society official website. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
2. ^ United Press International (1979-01-30). "Yankees, Twins still dickering". St. Petersburg Times. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mBQOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QnwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6523,5452839&dq=superdome+yankees. Retrieved 2009-06-19. 
3. ^ Cashman Field | Las Vegas 51s Cashman Field
4. ^ "A's, Cisco reach ballpark deal". USA Today. November 9, 2006. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/athletics/2006-11-09-athletics-fremont-ballpark_x.htm. Retrieved May 20, 2010. 
5. ^ "Full text of A's letter to Fremont". 2009-02-24. http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2009/02/23/daily33.html. 
6. ^ San Jose officials move into action, hoping to woo A's - San Jose Mercury News
7. ^ Layer, Marine (2009-03-07). "How to Expand a Minor League Park". http://newballpark.org/2009/03/07/how-to-expand-a-minor-league-ballpark/. Retrieved 2010-05-03 
8. ^ "Plans for A's stadium in San Jose moving forward". USA Today. 2010-06-16. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/2010-06-16-2425539876_x.htm. 
9. ^ How the A's ballpark plans stack up - San Jose Mercury News
10. ^ 75 Silicon Valley leaders endorse A's move to San Jose - San Jose Mercury News
11. ^ In case you forgot, the Athletics are still in franchise limbo | HardballTalk
12. ^ San Jose Inside - Selig Talks About A’s Move to San Jose
13. ^ Newhouse: Can A's find the way to San Jose? - San Jose Mercury News
14. ^ "Head-to-Head record for Oakland Athletics against the listed opponents from 1997 to 2011". baseball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC.. http://www.baseball-reference.com/games/head2head.cgi?teams=OAK&from=1997&to=2011&submit=Submit. 
15. ^ Burgoyne, Tom (2004). Movin' on Up: Baseball and Phialdephia Then, Now, and Always. B B& A Publishers. p. 128. ISBN 0-975441-930. http://books.google.com/?id=yba-wMVloosC&pg=PA128&dq=Phillies+Athletics+city+series. 
16. ^ See also: Major League Baseball uniforms.
17. ^ "Oakland A's to retire Rickey Henderson's No. 24". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2009/07/oakland-as-to-retire-rickey-hendersons-no-24.html. 
18. ^ For photos of the A's Wall of Fame plaques, see Philadelphia A's Society Museum and Library webpage. Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
19. ^ Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society official website. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
20. ^ Fitzpatrick, Frank (February 22, 2011). "Demographics may doom the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society". philly.com. Philadelphia Media Network (The Philadelphia Inquirer). http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/20110222_Demographics_may_doom_the_Philadelphia_Athletics_Historical_Society.html. Retrieved 2011-02-23. 
21. ^ For photos of the plaque, see Montella, Ernie (June 5, 2004). "Wall of Fame Day in Hatboro, PA". Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society. http://www.philadelphiaathletics.org/event/20040605walloffameday.htm. Retrieved 2010-09-23. 
22. ^ Jordan, David M.. "Vet Plaques Come to Hatboro". Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society. http://www.philadelphiaathletics.org/event/walloffameplaques.htm. Retrieved 2010-09-23. 
23. ^ "New station, same booth team for A's". http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090105&content_id=3732953&vkey=news_oak&fext=.jsp&c_id=oak. 

Further reading

• Bergman, Ron. Mustache Gang: The Swaggering Tale of Oakland's A's. Dell Publishing Co., New York, 1973.
• Dickey, Glenn. Champions: The Story of the First Two Oakland A's Dynasties—and the Building of the Third. Triumph Books, Chicago, 2002. ISBN 157243421X
• Jordan, David M. The Athletics of Philadelphia: Connie Mack's White Elephants, 1901–1954. McFarland & Co., Jefferson NC, 1999. ISBN 0-7864-0620-8.
• Katz, Jeff. "The Kansas City A's & The Wrong Half of the Yankees." Maple Street Press, Hingham, MA, 2006. ISBN 978-0-9777-436-5-0.
• Kuklick, Bruce. To Everything a Season: Shibe Park and Urban Philadelphia 1909–1976. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ, 1991. ISBN 0-691-04788-X.
• Lewis, Michael. Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. W. W. Norton & Co., Inc., New York, 2003. ISBN 0-393-05765-8.
• Markusen, Bruce. Baseball's Last Dynasty: Charlie Finley's Oakland A's. Master Press, Indianapolis, 1998.
• Peterson, John E. The Kansas City Athletics: A Baseball History 1954–1967. McFarland & Co., Jefferson NC, 1999. ISBN 0-7864-1610-6.
• 2005 Oakland Athletics Media Guide

External links

• Oakland Athletics official website
• Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society
• Oakland Athletics stats and minor league statistics
• Sports E-Cyclopedia
• Eddie Plank
• Oakball Forums
• Oakland A's Minor League Information
• Athleticscast: The Voice of Die-hard A's Fans
• Oakland A's 2011 Home Game Schedule

Preceded by Pittsburgh Pirates 1909	World Series Champions Philadelphia Athletics 1910 and 1911	Succeeded by Boston Red Sox 1912
Preceded by Boston Red Sox 1912	World Series Champions Philadelphia Athletics 1913	Succeeded by Boston Braves 1914
Preceded by New York Yankees 1927 and 1928	World Series Champions Philadelphia Athletics 1929 and 1930	Succeeded by St. Louis Cardinals 1931
Preceded by Pittsburgh Pirates 1971	World Series Champions Oakland Athletics 1972 and 1973 and 1974	Succeeded by Cincinnati Reds 1975
Preceded by Los Angeles Dodgers 1988	World Series Champions Oakland Athletics 1989	Succeeded by Cincinnati Reds 1990
Preceded by Chicago White Sox 1901	American League Champions Philadelphia Athletics 1902	Succeeded by Boston Americans 1903
Preceded by Boston Americans 1903	American League Champions Philadelphia Athletics 1905	Succeeded by Chicago White Sox 1906
Preceded by Detroit Tigers 1907 and 1908 and 1909	American League Champions Philadelphia Athletics 1910 and 1911	Succeeded by Boston Red Sox 1912
Preceded by Boston Red Sox 1912	American League Champions Philadelphia Athletics 1913 and 1914	Succeeded by Boston Red Sox 1912 and 1916
Preceded by New York Yankees 1926 and 1927 and 1928	American League Champions Philadelphia Athletics 1929 and 1930 and 1931	Succeeded by New York Yankees 1932
Preceded by Baltimore Orioles 1969 and 1970 and 1971	American League Champions Oakland Athletics 1972 and 1973 and 1974	Succeeded by Boston Red Sox 1975
Preceded by Minnesota Twins 1987	American League Champions Oakland Athletics 1988 and 1989 and 1990	Succeeded by Minnesota Twins 1991

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