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Finley Ball: How Two Outsiders Turned the Oakland A's into a Dynasty and Changed the Game Forever
When Charlie Finley bought the A's in 1960, he was an outsider to the game--an insurance businessman with a larger-than-life personality. He brought his cousin Carl on as his right-hand man, moved the team from Kansas City to Oakland, and pioneered a new way to put together a winning team. With legendary players like Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, and Vida Blue, the Finleys' Oakland A's won three straight World Series and riveted the nation.Now Carl Finley's daughter Nancy reveals the whole story behind her family's winning legacy--how her father and uncle developed their scouting strategy, why they employed odd gimmicks like orange baseballs and "mustache bonuses," and how the success of the '70s Oakland A's changed the game of baseball.
1 pages, Audio CD
First published March 28, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
July 23, 2020
Charley O. Finley was one of the most colorful, innovative and controversial owners in baseball history. From the moment he outbid a Kansas City sportswriter to purchase the Kansas City Athletics to the day he sold the franchise to Walter Haas, he was continually working on improving the team despite rubbing some people in baseball and the media the wrong way.
One person who played a very important role in the operations of the franchise was Finley’s brother Carl. Often Charlie would call Carl in the wee hours of the morning, waking Carl and his daughter Nancy. Nancy would often listen to her father’s side of the conversation. Stories about these conversations and other tidbits that only an insider would know make up this book written by Nancy Finley about the time that her family owned the Kansas City/Oakland team.
Nancy Finley was allowed access to the team’s offices and clubhouse from the time she was a young girl until her uncle sold the team. This allowed her to witness some of the inside work done by her family to improve the team and everything associated with it. This included the improvements made to Municipal Stadium in Kansas City, the wild celebrations when the Oakland A’s won three consecutive World Series titles from 1972 to 1974 and later, the “Billy Ball” years when her uncle hired Billy Martin as the manager to groom the young talent signed to replace the starts from the championship teams that mostly left for more money from other teams.
Throughout the book, it is clear that Nancy wants to ensure that readers get a complete picture of some of the more controversial aspects of the era in which her uncle owned the team. This includes revealing documents about incident involving Mike Andrews during the 1973 World Series, the inside story about the 1967 incident aboard a team flight that resulted in the firing of manager Alvin Dark, the failed negotiations with the City Council in Kansas City that ultimately paved the way for the move to Oakland and even a few stories about the beloved mascot mule Charlie O.
Through memories she had of her and her dad working for her uncle at the Oakland Coliseum and meticulous research, the reader will learn much about the team that was not written in the media. She writes with a sense of pride about what her father and uncle accomplished with the team, not only for the championship teams in the 1970’s but also about what her family endured in Kansas City from the writer who failed to purchase the team and from the city of Oakland, who sued the Finleys in 1980 for putting a poor team on the field. (While the team’s record in 1979 was only 54-108, they had a lot of good young players who two years later made it to the postseason.)
This is a very entertaining and fun book to read that any baseball fan, especially fans of the Athletics, will want to include in his or her library. It is an excellent collection of stories from one of the more colorful owners in baseball history.
I wish to thank Ms. Finley for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
http://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/201...
One person who played a very important role in the operations of the franchise was Finley’s brother Carl. Often Charlie would call Carl in the wee hours of the morning, waking Carl and his daughter Nancy. Nancy would often listen to her father’s side of the conversation. Stories about these conversations and other tidbits that only an insider would know make up this book written by Nancy Finley about the time that her family owned the Kansas City/Oakland team.
Nancy Finley was allowed access to the team’s offices and clubhouse from the time she was a young girl until her uncle sold the team. This allowed her to witness some of the inside work done by her family to improve the team and everything associated with it. This included the improvements made to Municipal Stadium in Kansas City, the wild celebrations when the Oakland A’s won three consecutive World Series titles from 1972 to 1974 and later, the “Billy Ball” years when her uncle hired Billy Martin as the manager to groom the young talent signed to replace the starts from the championship teams that mostly left for more money from other teams.
Throughout the book, it is clear that Nancy wants to ensure that readers get a complete picture of some of the more controversial aspects of the era in which her uncle owned the team. This includes revealing documents about incident involving Mike Andrews during the 1973 World Series, the inside story about the 1967 incident aboard a team flight that resulted in the firing of manager Alvin Dark, the failed negotiations with the City Council in Kansas City that ultimately paved the way for the move to Oakland and even a few stories about the beloved mascot mule Charlie O.
Through memories she had of her and her dad working for her uncle at the Oakland Coliseum and meticulous research, the reader will learn much about the team that was not written in the media. She writes with a sense of pride about what her father and uncle accomplished with the team, not only for the championship teams in the 1970’s but also about what her family endured in Kansas City from the writer who failed to purchase the team and from the city of Oakland, who sued the Finleys in 1980 for putting a poor team on the field. (While the team’s record in 1979 was only 54-108, they had a lot of good young players who two years later made it to the postseason.)
This is a very entertaining and fun book to read that any baseball fan, especially fans of the Athletics, will want to include in his or her library. It is an excellent collection of stories from one of the more colorful owners in baseball history.
I wish to thank Ms. Finley for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
http://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/201...
May 2, 2016
Non-kiss and non-tell about Charlie Finley and his consecutive three-time World Series Champs Oakland A's. Problem is that the author is Finley's niece, who was about three years old when Finley acquired the team, then in Kansas City; worse yet, the author's dad worked -- largely unheralded -- for Charley, and the Father's resentment colors the daughter's perceptions.
There are other books about the crazy A's I'd put before this.
There are other books about the crazy A's I'd put before this.
June 23, 2017
The book starts off bad, as in her writing style was all over the place and she repeats her self often, same story just different wording. Despite the bad writing, it's a good story of the A's from the 60s to early 80s and their move from KC to Oakland where they built a dynasty only the Yankees can top.
April 1, 2019
I try to read one baseball book each spring, this is 2019's. This is a short interesting read about a team I wasn't very familiar with. Still, interesting because it is written from a woman's point of view, the neice of the team owner. I know a lot more now about thi period of baseball history.
April 5, 2016
A pretty good read on those A's teams, when Charley O. Finley owned them, starting in Kansas City and then on to Oakland. Plenty of insights, and stories.
December 12, 2022
I enjoyed this book written by the niece of famed 1960' and 70's Oakland A's owner, Charlie Finley. The author's father was also instrumental in the A's success in the 70's. The author was a teenager when the A's were winning three consecutive World Series championships. There was a great deal of insider baseball stuff packed into the pages but the aspect that I most enjoyed was Nancy's unique viewpoint as a 15 year old girl being in the middle of the "Fightin' A's". A definite must-reads for fans of 1970s Major League Baseball.
July 14, 2018
I was excited to read a book about the A’s dynasty of the seventies. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to pick up another book on them to get a true sense of this team and their eccentric owner, Charlie Finley. This book is biased and poorly written. I understand the bias as the author was Charlie Finley’s niece. Her father was Charlie’s right hand man. I say it was poorly written, but maybe poorly designed is a better description. There were lots of small short stories that made the book seem choppy. Also the stories sometimes ended abruptly, and didn’t seem like they even needed to be mentioned. An example would be playoffs tickets. After telling us that Charlie wanted the tickets done at a secret site outside the coliseum (the A’s Park), she could have ended the story. Instead she went on to tell us she got up at 4:30 with her dad , went to breakfast, then to the secret site. What did that add to the story?
I will say Charlie Finley was an interesting man. He was sort of a poor man’s Bill Veeck. He had a mechanical rabbit pop out behind home plate to give the umpires new balls. He burned a bus his first year in Kansas City to prove the trades old ownership always did with the New York Yankees were over. Charlie Finley was behind the colorful uniforms of the A’s. He also put players nicknames on the uniform backs. Nancy Finley basically says Charlie did everything and then some to stay in Kansas City. I was not around during this time, but the lengths she went to point out his desire to stay seemed a little over the top. There was also the 1973 World Series controversy of an A’s player going on the dL then saying he was forced to sign papers by Charlie Finley. Mrs. Finley lays out a very long defense with one problem. Nothing she uses in the defense has any substance to make the reader think Charlie was not involved. Finally she gets delusional when she makes the claim that the A’s lost the 1975 ALSC because CharlieFinley wasn’t at the game. There was no energy in the stadium not because the team had won three straight World Series, but because Charlie wasn’t there. He also wasn’t there to call down to the manager and give him the correct advise he needed to win the game. I won’t even explain why that statement is ludicrous.
I did listen to the audio version of this book, so maybe I missed something in the flow. I recommend skipping this book, and finding a better book, written less bias about the A’s of the early seventies.
I will say Charlie Finley was an interesting man. He was sort of a poor man’s Bill Veeck. He had a mechanical rabbit pop out behind home plate to give the umpires new balls. He burned a bus his first year in Kansas City to prove the trades old ownership always did with the New York Yankees were over. Charlie Finley was behind the colorful uniforms of the A’s. He also put players nicknames on the uniform backs. Nancy Finley basically says Charlie did everything and then some to stay in Kansas City. I was not around during this time, but the lengths she went to point out his desire to stay seemed a little over the top. There was also the 1973 World Series controversy of an A’s player going on the dL then saying he was forced to sign papers by Charlie Finley. Mrs. Finley lays out a very long defense with one problem. Nothing she uses in the defense has any substance to make the reader think Charlie was not involved. Finally she gets delusional when she makes the claim that the A’s lost the 1975 ALSC because CharlieFinley wasn’t at the game. There was no energy in the stadium not because the team had won three straight World Series, but because Charlie wasn’t there. He also wasn’t there to call down to the manager and give him the correct advise he needed to win the game. I won’t even explain why that statement is ludicrous.
I did listen to the audio version of this book, so maybe I missed something in the flow. I recommend skipping this book, and finding a better book, written less bias about the A’s of the early seventies.
March 4, 2016
FINELY BALL is a fascinating story that covers the earliest of the Oakland A's. Of course, this was long before the A's moved to Oakland. Right from the start, the author reveals some of the early "dirty laundry" of the franchise, such as the apparent bribes paid to reporters for the Star newspaper. When Charlie bought the A's, he stopped paying the bribes, and he had no intention of paying for "protection."
Much of the earlier part of the book centers on the dispute between Charlie Finley and the influential Star reporter, Ernie Mehl. According to the author, the reporter was hugely biased against Finley and his business interests. "Soon after her realized there would be no more bribe money from the Athletic he started bad-mouthing Charle..."
I thought the most interesting part of FINLEY BALL was the discussion of all the marketing innovations and other gimmicks by Finley. At Municipal Stadium, Finley wanted to show that the A's were no longer going to be patsies for the Yankees--giving away all their talent. So, Finely had an old shuttle bus driven onto the field, put gasoline on it, and set it ablaze. Finely, the new owner announced that the days of sending their best talent to the Bronx were at an end.
Another theatrical gimmick was the installation of a petting zoo behind the right field fence. Finley liked bright colors, and all the animals in the zoo had fur that was died in bright colors.
Nancy explains that Charlie was like a little kid--enjoying the fun and trying wacky and novel things. I had no idea that Finley was the one who originally put the player's name on their uniform. (He also tried displaying their nickname, but the league put an end to that.) As another change to the A's uniforms, he instituted white shoes, which would become an A's tradition.
All in all, I thought FINLEY BALL was an interesting book, written from the perspective of a close family member. There are lots of interesting facts about the A's, and fun "inside information" as well.
Review copy courtesy of Edelweiss Book Distributors.
Much of the earlier part of the book centers on the dispute between Charlie Finley and the influential Star reporter, Ernie Mehl. According to the author, the reporter was hugely biased against Finley and his business interests. "Soon after her realized there would be no more bribe money from the Athletic he started bad-mouthing Charle..."
I thought the most interesting part of FINLEY BALL was the discussion of all the marketing innovations and other gimmicks by Finley. At Municipal Stadium, Finley wanted to show that the A's were no longer going to be patsies for the Yankees--giving away all their talent. So, Finely had an old shuttle bus driven onto the field, put gasoline on it, and set it ablaze. Finely, the new owner announced that the days of sending their best talent to the Bronx were at an end.
Another theatrical gimmick was the installation of a petting zoo behind the right field fence. Finley liked bright colors, and all the animals in the zoo had fur that was died in bright colors.
Nancy explains that Charlie was like a little kid--enjoying the fun and trying wacky and novel things. I had no idea that Finley was the one who originally put the player's name on their uniform. (He also tried displaying their nickname, but the league put an end to that.) As another change to the A's uniforms, he instituted white shoes, which would become an A's tradition.
All in all, I thought FINLEY BALL was an interesting book, written from the perspective of a close family member. There are lots of interesting facts about the A's, and fun "inside information" as well.
Review copy courtesy of Edelweiss Book Distributors.
May 28, 2020
Point/counterpoint, all thanks to Ollie's Discount Warehouse!
I bought both this one & Jason Turbow's "Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic" & began with this one. Nancy, the author, is the daughter of Carl, Charlie's cousin.
I won't lie & say that hers is either jaundiced or no-holds-barred, but it is an interesting p.o.v. with a LOT of warts!
I got turned onto baseball in June 1974 & while my favorite team was & is the Pirates, I dug the Swingin' A's with their wild uniforms & crazy facial hair.
I was stationed at NAS Alameda from June 1987 to October 1989 & I was a season-ticket holder in '88 & '89! Reading this book evoked many pleasant memories, both from my youth, watching them on TV 📺 & from many afternoons spent at the ballpark.
I was fascinated by her p.o.v. & this makes a great companion piece to Turbow's book.
I bought both this one & Jason Turbow's "Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic" & began with this one. Nancy, the author, is the daughter of Carl, Charlie's cousin.
I won't lie & say that hers is either jaundiced or no-holds-barred, but it is an interesting p.o.v. with a LOT of warts!
I got turned onto baseball in June 1974 & while my favorite team was & is the Pirates, I dug the Swingin' A's with their wild uniforms & crazy facial hair.
I was stationed at NAS Alameda from June 1987 to October 1989 & I was a season-ticket holder in '88 & '89! Reading this book evoked many pleasant memories, both from my youth, watching them on TV 📺 & from many afternoons spent at the ballpark.
I was fascinated by her p.o.v. & this makes a great companion piece to Turbow's book.
January 1, 2019
Loved the author's point of view, especially on the Kansas City years and the Mike Andrews affair. Light that needed to be shined on certain aspect of Finley's ownership, with Carl's considerable help are finally acknowledged. Only flaw would be the glossing over some of the more memorable developments of the era (Vida's holdout and Reggie's trade are the most glaring). Otherwise a very welcome addition to the library
March 21, 2020
Books On Baseball Do Not Get Any Better!!!
Books on baseball ⚾ do not get any better than this loving tribute to one of the greatest teams, owners, staffs, and families for that matter that baseball has ever known. I absolutely recommend this book to any fan of the Oakland Athletics, or for that matter baseball it self. When it comes to baseball books it really doesn't get any better than this gem of a book by Nancy Finley.
Books on baseball ⚾ do not get any better than this loving tribute to one of the greatest teams, owners, staffs, and families for that matter that baseball has ever known. I absolutely recommend this book to any fan of the Oakland Athletics, or for that matter baseball it self. When it comes to baseball books it really doesn't get any better than this gem of a book by Nancy Finley.
April 10, 2020
Very Good Book
I read this book cover to cover in only a couple of days. It was unique in that it was written from an insiders perspective. I only knock the book a small notch for being a little bit too biased in favor of Charlie Finley but Nancy Finley did a great job capturing his genius and the amazing team he and his cousin, Carl built. I'm not an As fan but this book was fascinating and learning about one of baseballs legendary teams.
I read this book cover to cover in only a couple of days. It was unique in that it was written from an insiders perspective. I only knock the book a small notch for being a little bit too biased in favor of Charlie Finley but Nancy Finley did a great job capturing his genius and the amazing team he and his cousin, Carl built. I'm not an As fan but this book was fascinating and learning about one of baseballs legendary teams.
October 18, 2016
Some very interesting stories about what happened behind the scenes with the Finley brothers.
I find it remarkable that Charlie, an insurance salesman, had such a remarkable eye for identifying and developing talent. Completely different from the metric-driven approach so common in today's baseball corporations.
I find it remarkable that Charlie, an insurance salesman, had such a remarkable eye for identifying and developing talent. Completely different from the metric-driven approach so common in today's baseball corporations.
June 30, 2017
I had to read as an A's fan, I felt though it wasn't great overall, it certainly was enlightening to learn about Finley the man from the perspective of the niece who grew up around him. A good but not great read, and definitely necessary to any baseball book buff who has any interest in one of the more unsung innovative and creative pioneers of the game itself.
June 12, 2018
If you like the Oakland "A"s and grew up on them in the 1970's this book is for you. The Finley family speaks on the subject of the ownership of the team. Charlie O. Finley was the outsider who changed the game with his innovations. Long before Billy Ball and Moneyball their was Charlie Finley. I enjoyed this quick and easy read.
April 2, 2016
As a baseball fan, and especially a die-hard A's fan, this book is worth reading for the insight and stories. However, it is incredibly poorly written. Clearly this book should've been written by someone else in consult with Finley.
April 13, 2016
Great book for the baseball lover and the A's fan, the only reason I did not give a 5 star was because at times it seemed choppy!! Other then that, really enjoyed and recommending to other friends and fans!
February 2, 2020
Entertaining, quick read...not well written but had interesting insights about the Finleys. My favorite section was the detail on the Kansas City Athletics. Prompted a book purchase to dive deeper into that time.
October 25, 2016
A fun account of the 1960-1981 A's from the perspective of the owner's niece. Quick read, worth it for A's fans who are interested in history.
Read
June 24, 2017A fascinating look at the era of Oakland A's history during which the team was owned by Charlie O. Finley, from the vantage point of his niece. I enjoyed it.
July 1, 2024
I loved this journey through the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s with Ms. Finley and her memories of being in such a unique position to absorb and report on all the goings on, the drama, the highs and the lows, and all the inner workings of the legendary Swingin’ A’s! I consider myself a friend of the family and I know Nancy (through my 20 years of friendship with her son) and it made the stories all that more real and within arm’s reach. In this book, Nancy weaves a long thread of vignettes that, I assume, come from notes and ideas jotted down for years as random memories occurred to her. She seems to have put them in the best chronological order she could, and using records of the games and events she recalls from decades ago, pieces together such a loving yet honest tale of the good and the bad - the sinner and the saint - that was her uncle Charlie; as well as the humble, selfless and personable man her father was. Is she biased? Maybe so, but she has every right to be. What those men brought to the legacy of the Athletics franchise, from Kansas City to Oakland, and wherever they go from here, means they deserve a living tribute, which we find in the pages of “Finley Ball”.
My favorite parts include:
• everything about what Uncle Charlie did to re-invent and re-design the game of American Baseball… from a mechanical rabbit to a petting zoo and an alternate mascot in a sweet and kindly mule, from orange baseballs and Kelly green jerseys to pitch clocks and hot pants, Charlie O. Finley through more personality at the Great American Pastime than anyone else, and a lot of it stuck!
• the highs and lows of the early 1970 teams, including the passion and drama behind key plays that Nancy was there to witness and can still be seen on YouTube.
• the inside dirt on the best and worst personalities that passed through the front offices and the playing fields and locker rooms.
And maybe more than anything, I enjoyed getting to know more about my friend’s mom, grandfather, and good old Uncle Charlie. For all the criticism the Finley men would get from A’s fans or other detractors, Nancy’s book tells the inside scoop of some truly lovable men with a lot of love in her heart.
My favorite parts include:
• everything about what Uncle Charlie did to re-invent and re-design the game of American Baseball… from a mechanical rabbit to a petting zoo and an alternate mascot in a sweet and kindly mule, from orange baseballs and Kelly green jerseys to pitch clocks and hot pants, Charlie O. Finley through more personality at the Great American Pastime than anyone else, and a lot of it stuck!
• the highs and lows of the early 1970 teams, including the passion and drama behind key plays that Nancy was there to witness and can still be seen on YouTube.
• the inside dirt on the best and worst personalities that passed through the front offices and the playing fields and locker rooms.
And maybe more than anything, I enjoyed getting to know more about my friend’s mom, grandfather, and good old Uncle Charlie. For all the criticism the Finley men would get from A’s fans or other detractors, Nancy’s book tells the inside scoop of some truly lovable men with a lot of love in her heart.
April 2, 2021
I would have given this a 2-star rating, but my sense of nostalgia for 1960s and 1970s baseball reared up and I enjoyed parts of this. Hence the additional star.
The book is a collection of ideas thrown together chronologically with subheads and short sections about various things. For example, Nancy Finley gives four paragraphs to Satchel Paige, whom Charley Finley brought to Kansas City. She gives seven graphs to the team getting a mule for its mascot. A lot of the stories are repeated.
Finley also recreates phone conversations between her father, Carl Finley, and her uncle, Charlie. It's double hard to believe because A. She only hears her father's side of the conversation if she's hearing it at all and B. When her dad got with the Kansas City Athletics - a part she writes a lot of - Nancy Finley was only three or four years old. I don't remember a lot of my father's business dealings at that age. Heck, I don't even remember pooping my pants at that age.
Nancy comes across like a little business tycoon of her own, following her dad and throwing herself into the action. She wakes at 4 a.m. to hear her uncle's daily calls to her father. She takes coach Chuck Tanner to dinner and writes about him placing his hand on her leg. She hangs with Billy Martin and finally takes the executive job as a ticket seller at the Oakland Coliseum.
There are some nostalgic parts, but they are oft glossed over. It was like, "And we had a good season in 1972 and after seven games, we won the World Series. In 1973 ...." I wanted more.
Some of the better parts were more given detail in the dispute between commissioner Bowie Kuhn and Finley over the sale of some of his players and the issue with Mike Andrews' "injury" during the 1973 World Series.
In all of this, Charley Finley comes out looking like a genius and everyone else is wrong. Of course, there is bias. Nancy is related. Still, it's not a bad book for a feel for baseball of that era, but it's far from a good in-depth look at Finley, his baseball moves and how the Athletics went from a New York Yankee farm team to a dynasty.
The book is a collection of ideas thrown together chronologically with subheads and short sections about various things. For example, Nancy Finley gives four paragraphs to Satchel Paige, whom Charley Finley brought to Kansas City. She gives seven graphs to the team getting a mule for its mascot. A lot of the stories are repeated.
Finley also recreates phone conversations between her father, Carl Finley, and her uncle, Charlie. It's double hard to believe because A. She only hears her father's side of the conversation if she's hearing it at all and B. When her dad got with the Kansas City Athletics - a part she writes a lot of - Nancy Finley was only three or four years old. I don't remember a lot of my father's business dealings at that age. Heck, I don't even remember pooping my pants at that age.
Nancy comes across like a little business tycoon of her own, following her dad and throwing herself into the action. She wakes at 4 a.m. to hear her uncle's daily calls to her father. She takes coach Chuck Tanner to dinner and writes about him placing his hand on her leg. She hangs with Billy Martin and finally takes the executive job as a ticket seller at the Oakland Coliseum.
There are some nostalgic parts, but they are oft glossed over. It was like, "And we had a good season in 1972 and after seven games, we won the World Series. In 1973 ...." I wanted more.
Some of the better parts were more given detail in the dispute between commissioner Bowie Kuhn and Finley over the sale of some of his players and the issue with Mike Andrews' "injury" during the 1973 World Series.
In all of this, Charley Finley comes out looking like a genius and everyone else is wrong. Of course, there is bias. Nancy is related. Still, it's not a bad book for a feel for baseball of that era, but it's far from a good in-depth look at Finley, his baseball moves and how the Athletics went from a New York Yankee farm team to a dynasty.
March 16, 2022
I can still remember how I felt leaving high school one October afternoon and learning that the A's had beaten my beloved Detroit Tigers for the 1972 AL title. This book is a memoir of a woman who loved her father (Carl Finley) and uncle (Charlie Finley) -- two men who found success as front office baseball professionals and left a lasting mark on the sport. Other accounts dive deeper into the strategy of how such a team came out of oblivion to create a dynasty. This book is written from ground level by someone who, while being glaringly honest in revealing some things, honestly enjoyed her life in and around the Kansas City and later Oakland A's. She is an understandable defender of these complicated men who gave their hearts to the sport and team they loved.
January 11, 2026
Nancy Finley, niece of former A's owner Charles Finley and daughter of Carl Finley, wrote this book to help give the Charles Finley his proper due as a visionary successful owner and architect of back-to-back-to-back World Series Championships. She also wrote this to ensure her father Carl receives his due as a key figure in the process.
Finley offers some interesting perspective and stories. The writing is a bit uneven.
If you're interested in the story of the great A's dynasty of the early 70's and the visionary, bombastic, combative, free thinker Charles Finley, I wouldn't start with this book, but if you have a solid grounding in the history of that dynasty, this book may add some color and context to your understanding.
Finley offers some interesting perspective and stories. The writing is a bit uneven.
If you're interested in the story of the great A's dynasty of the early 70's and the visionary, bombastic, combative, free thinker Charles Finley, I wouldn't start with this book, but if you have a solid grounding in the history of that dynasty, this book may add some color and context to your understanding.
March 13, 2021
The book that picks up where 'Veeck, as in Wreck' left off.
The stories in this book are awesome. Nancy Finley, the last witness to the A's dynasty, gives great insights into Charlie and Carl Finley. Just as with Bill Veeck, you'll root for the outsider against the baseball establishment.
The book has some technical shortcomings. There are some editing errors, some continuity issues, and some unsubstantiated claims but the entertainment value greatly outweighs the issues.
The stories in this book are awesome. Nancy Finley, the last witness to the A's dynasty, gives great insights into Charlie and Carl Finley. Just as with Bill Veeck, you'll root for the outsider against the baseball establishment.
The book has some technical shortcomings. There are some editing errors, some continuity issues, and some unsubstantiated claims but the entertainment value greatly outweighs the issues.
July 23, 2020
A Chicago insurance salesman is able to buy the lowly Kansas City Athletics and adds some promotions as he collects good ball players.
He is unable to get a good stadium deal so he takes the team to Oakland where they win three World Series Championships! Free agency leads the players elsewhere. Engaging, interesting, insightful.
Should be a movie. Brad Pitt? Are you available?
He is unable to get a good stadium deal so he takes the team to Oakland where they win three World Series Championships! Free agency leads the players elsewhere. Engaging, interesting, insightful.
Should be a movie. Brad Pitt? Are you available?
August 10, 2022
An interesting story told in the most boring and stilted way possible. I get Nancy Finley is trying to protect her family's legacy but she leaves a lot off the page and what is actually in there is too brief to cover the magnitude of the 1970s Athletics. I definitely need to read more about the franchise at that time but this was a disappointment, even by an entry level standard.
July 27, 2023
When I was younger I was a A’s fan. As I got older I would read about Charlie Finley in the paper and thought he was a tight wad, kinda crazy and eccentric. But the bottom line his team won in Oakland. I enjoyed reading about Carl Finley (I had never known about him). It appears he played a large part in the A’s success. Fun read.
November 6, 2020
It brought back memories of a game I went to in Chicago with Billy Martin managing and Ricky Henderson scraping his way all the way around the bases to score.
I also have relatives in La Porte where Charlie is from and remember stories about him.
I also have relatives in La Porte where Charlie is from and remember stories about him.
February 2, 2024
Interesting history of the Kansas City/Oakland A’s. Clear bias in that the writer is the niece of the teams owner, but it doesn’t take much away from the story and is presented upfront that this is the case.
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