32: Who owns the Oakland A's?

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4.6 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 15 May 2019

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the 1970s, the Oakland A’s were the most bonkers team in baseball. They had bright yellow and green uniforms, iconic handlebar mustaches, and a live donkey for a mascot. It was an eccentric owner's way of getting attention. But those gimmicks didn't win fans in Oakland. Instead, they started a generation of fights between fans and owners, until both sides learned that success in Oakland means embracing Oakland.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Our producer Sarah Wyman has had this book at her desk for months now, and it's about
0:06.9	the Oakland A's.
0:08.4	And so as we've been working on all these episodes the past few weeks, every now and
0:12.4	then she just pops up with some new crazy detail about the Oakland A's.
0:17.4	So I dragged her into the studio, complete with cold or flu or whatever is happening to
0:22.4	you right now.
0:23.4	Yeah, I'm clear what it is, but it's unpleasant.
0:25.8	But the story has to be told.
0:28.0	I want to actually tell you down about this guy named Charlie Finley, and he used to
0:32.8	run the A's back in the 70s.
0:35.6	And Charlie Finley was a really interesting guy.
0:39.6	How so?
0:40.6	Well, there's like really the best way to put it is just that he was sort of bananas.
0:45.8	Like one thing he did that I think really exemplifies his character is he took this mechanical
0:51.6	rabbit and installed it behind home plate.
0:54.8	What?
0:56.1	Literally like a metal bug's bunny looking thing with a crate between its ears that
1:00.6	would come up out of the ground holding this box of baseballs.
1:04.6	That's Jason Turbo.
1:05.6	He's the author of the book I've been reading.
1:07.7	It's called Dynastic, Bumbastic, Fantastic.
1:10.9	That's a great title.
	...

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