The Philadelphia
Athletics baseball club was founded as part of the brand new American
Baseball League. Connie Mack managed the A's for 50 years, (1901-1950).
During their 54 year stay in Philadelphia, they produced such Hall
of Famers as: Frank Baker, Chief Bender, Ty Cobb, Mickey Cochrane,
Eddie Collins Sr. Jimmie Foxx, Nelson Fox, Lefty Grove, George Kell,
Nap Lajoie, Connie Mack, Eddie Plank, Al Simmons, Tris Speaker, Rube
Waddell, and Zack Wheat. Some of them are better known for their play
with other teams but all were A's at one time. The Oakland Athletics
are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. They
are one of four teams that play in the Western Division of the American
League. The Athletics are often referred to as the "A's".
The Athletics were often called the "Mack men", in tribute
to their long-time owner and field manager Connie Mack. The team was
founded in 1893 and was originally known as Indianapolis, Indiana.
Later the team moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1900 when that
league became the American League. The team then moved to Kansas City,
Missouri in 1955 and to Oakland in 1968. The team’s first manager
and owner was Connie Mack. It was under his guidance that the team
won nine AL pennants and five World Series titles. The 1909 lineup
consisted of Stuffy McInnis, Eddie Collins, Jack Barry, and Frank
Baker. The foursome led the team to win the World Series in 1910,
1911, and 1913. The team is team is often referred to as the "A's".
The team played its first night game at Shibe Park, the A's were defeated
by Cleveland 8-3. In 1955 the team opened their first season in Kansas
City defeating the Tigers, 6-2. The game was witnessed by 32,844 fans.
In the 1970s, when they began winning the World Series every year
in Oakland, their free-wheeling clubhouse earned the name "Swingin'
A's." In 1972 the team won the first of three World Series, with
the Gene Tenace, who became the first player to homer in his first
two WS at-bats, earning him the MVP trophy. The team defeated Cincinnati
Reds in a seven game series. In 1981 the team after winning their
first 8 games of the season on the road, the Oakland A's defeated
Seattle 16-1 in their home opening season. The game attracted a crowd
of 50,256. The Athletics uniform consists of the colors green, white
and gold, and the teams logo design is a stylized capital "A's".
The team also occasionally uses a white elephant logo. The Athletics
have won nine World Series Championships, fifteen American League
Pennants, have won thirteen American West Division titles and have
one Wild Card. The Oakland Athletics home ballpark is the Network
Associates Coliseum, in Oakland, California. Network Associates Coliseum
has a seating capacity of 48, 300. The Athletics have won nine World
Series Championships (1910, 1911, 1913, 1929, 1930, 1972, 1973, 1974,
1989), fifteen American League Pennants (1901, 1905, 1910, 1911, 1913,
1914, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1988, 1989, 1990), have
won thirteen American West Division titles (1971, 1972, 1973, 1974,
1975, 1981, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 2000, 2002, 2003) and have one
Wild Card (2001, AL).
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