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.
Download and start listening now!
“In June 1960, Chicago insurance salesman Charles Finley was an unlikely candidate to buy the St. Louis Athletics’ baseball club. When he shockingly outbid legendary sportswriter and nemesis Ernie Mehl, nobody imagined that he would put together a good team—let alone a baseball dynasty. Finley wasn’t afraid to make moves and his determination paid off. After making aggressive deals and bringing in his cousin Carl as his advisor, the Athletics won three consecutive World Series, between 1972 and 1974…Author Finley (Charles’ niece) gives the reader a behind-the-scenes look at the extraordinary age of baseball…Finley’s impact on the sport is still legendary to this day.”
—
Library Journal