The Peculiar Story of the Kansas City Athletics
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ค. 2024
- In 1955, the Philadelphia Athletics moved to Kansas City and played 13 seasons in the heartland. Those years were filled with eccentric owners, collusion, fights with city hall, and even the Beatles. And what followed, changed the landscape of Major League Baseball forever.
00:00 Intro
02:34 A Hungry City
04:10 Business Owner, Johnson
06:47 Under New Management
08:53 A New Chief in Town
11:18 Hostage, Finley
14:37 1967
18:41 Outro - กีฬา
4:54 "The MLB Commissioner ... wasn't too thrilled that his most notable owner was a gambling tycoon." Imagine how he'd feel about ballparks and TV broadcasts with ads for casinos and online sports books.
And even though they haven't been in Philadelphia for going on 70 years, the Philadelphia A's still have more championships (5) than the Phillies (2).
Both of them had numerous dry spells in between pennants and championships. To the Phillies credit, though swept in The '50 Series, the games were all close.
The Phillies were the last of the 16 original teams to win a World Series (1980).@@garyfaught3769
But there's more competition now in a larger league.
Lol true but in defense of the Phillies the A's had Connie Mack who was basically the Nick Saban of his time
@@heartman6314 Connie Mack put Nick Saban to shame!
Congrats on making the definitive KCA documentary! You’re doing valuable work.
Great job!!! For a baseball fan of over half a century, this is extremely entertaining
This is a great video and I hope this channel succeeds. One note: the correct pronunciation of Roger Maris’ last name is like “Paris”.
Been a baseball player/fan/purist since 1956 (8 yrs old), this is one of THE best baseball docus I’ve had the pleasure to experience. Anyone even vaguely interested in baseball and it’s history should see this documentary.
I remember attending A's games at old Municipal Stadium when I was a 7-year old boy. I remember the Cleveland Indians coming into Kansas City for a summer night game and remember how back then, how loud the crack of the bat was compared to now. I also remember how the players used to run out fly balls, and how the pitchers used to hit for themselves with many being pretty good hitters. I also remember the flashing kelly green and gold lights with a horn that blew whenever one of the A's hit a home run. As I kid I got to pat Charlie-O the A's mascot (a mule) up in his pen down the 3rd base line behind the seats. The peanuts, popcorn and hot dogs all tasted better. It was a memorable time for me as a child, one I cherished. When the Royals came to KC, I quickly became a Royals fan and attended as many of their games as I could. Wonderful times.
Not like roger maris who didn't like to run out grounf balls he.run half.way first go
To the dugout like he had badfeet
How about the residents around old Municipal Stadium selling parking space in their yards?
same as baltimore before camden yards and $35 parking @@IncogNito-gg6uh
You talking about the handlebar mustache A's of the early 70's that beat the Big Red Machine in '72
Had the same experience once myself had about the same age. All I really wanted to see was Charlie over the mule!
I actually knew member of the A's, that played under Connie Mack in the '40s. His name was Rankin Johnson Jr. I sat with him many times, and he was even to a party at my house once. I wish that he was still around. As you can imagine, he had some amazing stories to share!
Can you share one with us?
@@juliebraden6911It's been a few years but here's one that I laughed at. I'm sorry but I don't remember his name, but in one game, the 2nd string catcher was obviously hung over, and it was a hot day. Mack noticed that the player repeatedly used the water fountain in the dug out. The player wasn't expecting to play, but when Mack saw this, he put him the game, in the fifth inning. When you are told a humorous, but frankly mundane story like this, you know that it's not BS. Ranking also had some great stories from when he was the President of the AA Eastern League, from 1961 until 1968!
There were two Rankin Johnson's that played in the majors. This must have been the son.
@@waynejohanson1083 Yes, it was. He also had a son named Rankin.
@@bernie2231 And if I am not mistaken they both played for the A's.
The team that 'Three-peated' the World Series was built in KC.
Yankee farm team
It sure was.
@JGill.75 No when Finley bought the team in 1960 the farm club for the Yankees, that came to an end
I have a special fondness for Kansas City. As a sports writer for a Grand Rapids, MI paper, I was sent to KC to cover the NAIA national basketball tournament at Kemper Arena. The host organization took us on a tour of the Truman Sports Complex. Both were (and are) beautiful stadia. Then, they treated us a steak dinner and made sure we understood they were KANSAS CITY steaks, not (New York) steaks. This was an excellent documentary and it covered many of the issues with Arnold Johnson and Charlie Finley very well.
do you remember the restaurant? Was it Golden Ox? thats about a block away from old Kemper. Also, there was a bar next door where all the tough guys hung out. Most of them were pro wrestlers with the NWA I think?
Very impressed with your editing skills. followers will come soon just keep making vids!
Very informative. As a Yankee fan learning about their KC pipeline filled in a lot of gaps.
I moved to KC in 1990. The one that I took personally was losing Danny Tartabull to the Yankees. I remember seeing him during a batting practice repeatedly volleying shots way beyond left field wall.
As a lifelong Kansas Citian and big sports fan, I've always been fascinated with the history of the A's and their influence on professional sports being in KC. This is far and away the best video I've ever seen about the Kansas City A's. The storytelling, graphics, and transitions are awesome. Such good work!
A’s should have never left Philly. KC is a second rate cupcake city
@@volodymyrzablotsky5372no one asked, thanks 👍
I'm pretty interested in the history of baseball, but I have to admit that I knew very little about the Athletics relatively brief and uneventful history in Kansas City. Thanks for a very informative and entertaining look at that era!
Same! It's amazing how a few major but unrelated events had so much fallout. The integration of MLB leading to the destruction of the Negro Leagues and a void in baseball-crazed KC, crooked dealings by crooked mobsters conspiring to create a next-level Yankees farm team, the introduction of NFL football in Dallas leading to the introduction of AFL football into KC, and a dirty politician twisting arms. In the end things worked out well for both Oakland and KC, though it looks like the A's mob ties may come full circle soon.
Agreed. For some reason its kind of a forgotten period.
Kansas City was where A's outfielder Hawk Harrelson invented the batting glove. He ran afoul of Finley, and was dispatched to Boston where he was integral to Bosox winning the pennant in 1967. And in a one-division, 10 team league, that was hard to do. Hawk often said that Finley's colorful uniforms in K.C. were terribly hot and uncomfortable.
Those were flannels everyone in baseball was wearing them until the early 70s In 1972 the A's had new greens golds and whites in a different material
Adam, I really enjoyed watching this documentary on the history of the Kansas City A's! It is ironic how the franchise now in Oakland is threatening to move to Las Vegas within the next few years as the team may be on the move again.
Oakland's W-L records in 2022 and 2023 were reminiscent of the KC A's of old. 😢 (60-102 and 50-112)
@@nostalgia6578 , I lived in KC the entire time the Athletics were in KC ( 13 seasons ), and they NEVER had a winning season!
Superb work, Adam. One thing to add: the AL’s plan was to expand in 1972 with the Royals and Pilots, but because of Symington’s insistence on a team for KC in 1969, the Pilots were rushed into existence-with a ballpark that needed two years’ worth of renovations, no TV deal, and a very limited radio deal. They were cash starved and mismanaged from the beginning, and it led to their bankruptcy and shift to Milwaukee on April Fool’s Day, 1970.
Seattle had already voted in construction of the Kingdome, but Sicks Stadium was so inadequate it couldn't hold up long enough to house the team while waiting for the dome to be finished. Those three years probably would have been enough to allow the Pilots to stay in Seattle. Criminal.
@@rpc717, Sicks Stadium's conversion to a major league ballpark was just as the first poster on this side of the thread said..WAY BEHIND SCHEDULE..
The PILOTS were going to play in the park until THE KINGDOME was completed, but the primary owner was cash strapped, even seeking out one of the CLEVELAND owners to lend him money, and take a piece of the team..if memory serves, and as a result, when that plan fell through, the PILOT light went out, drowning its flameless sorrows in beertown one season and beyond later..
Jim Bouton's famous Ball Four recounts some of his early experiences with the Seattle Pilots.
@@rpc717What's in a name - Sicks Stadium (Yes it was a sick stadium!)
As well, KC was also home to a Federal League team called the Packers. Not sure if this should be included. The Fed only lasted 2 seasons. The Packers had been shifted over from Covington, Ky. in 1913. The Monarchs are an amazing story. Their owner JD Wilkinson, was a genius with courage.
The expansion team, the Royals, may have been named that in honor of the Negro League team, the Monarchs. Would seem fitting, ya think?
Wow, to stumble on a quality channel with so few sub's is rare. Here's hoping you succeed.
Thanks for the history of the Kansas City A's. As a long time Cardinals fan with baseball memories going back to 1960 I believe the Cardinals played the A'S just prior to the season starting as part of spring training. Now I understand why so many A's players became good Yankees players. Then later on young A-s players became great for Oakland with very good pitching. The expansion Royals given to Kansas City is exactly how I had wished the NFL had given an expansion team to St. Louis when Stan Kroenke moved the Rams to L.A. ignoring the new St. Louis stadium proposal approved for building to move to the much larger TV market of L.A.. To get league approval from owners Kroenke signed an indemnification agreement to compensate NFL owners from any St. Louis lawsuits.
I grew up a Tigers fan and now a Dbacks fan since moving to Arizona.
I saw a game of the WS in 68 at Tiger Stadium as a kid.
Cardinals are one of the great franchises and their fans are probably the most knowledgeable of any.
I remind Dodgers fans that St. Louis has more titles. 😁
That is a great experience and memory for you going to the world series as a kid. @@kentstallard6512
If the NFL expands again I think St. Louis should get a team like Cleveland got one
You got a good laugh from me on that comment. I try whenever I can to make sure on TH-cam sites for stories about the St. Louis Rams they people realize the NFL Relocation committee actually recommended the Rams stay in St. Louis given their new outdoor stadium approved for building here however there was an uninterested owner Stan Krooine who knew the big money was in the much larger L.A. TV market and years prior bought the land for SOFI . As a result of the St. Louis lawsuit with the NFL it was then learned Stan Kroenke swung their owner votes after first failing by signing an indemnification agreemnet he would compensate NFL owners if there were any St. Louis lawsuits. St. Louis does pretty well supporting its XFL Battle Hawks team. I think it would have been better for the NFL to work out a compromise with Stan Kroenke St. Louis should have been offered a expansion team but a good owner would have been needed who wanted to be in St. Louis. Attendance was not an issue here. I agree with your comment.
@@larryloveless2967 After the Greatest Show on Turf days faded away so did interest in the team
Great video.
The job done by the Del Webb Corp in expanding Municipal Stadium was quite a feat, considering they doubled the size of the stadium by further encircling it more down the lines and adding a second deck in the span of about 3 months.
One thing not mentioned but folks may be interested in knowing is that the scoreboard was previously in use at Braves Field. The Boston Braves moved to Milwaukee in 1953, leaving the abandoned scoreboard ripe to be purloined and shipped to Kansas City, serving both the A's and the Royals.
In 1964, I almost saw The Beatles at Municipal Stadium but I didn’t have my drivers license yet, so I had no way to get there. In 1965 I did go to an “A’s” game at Municipal Stadium with some high school friends.
This was a very educational and enlightening documentary. I was aware of the many trades between KCA and the Yankees but until had never heard of the reasons behind them.
Fantastic video! Well researched and edited!
Superbly crafted!! Beautifully done!!!
What an incredible video! And I love the graphics, must have been a lot of work. Thank you.
Terrific video that’s incredibly well documented! I visited the old KC stadium in 1969. It was a lousy, rickety old stadium that had virtually no parking. Anyway, thanks again for creating this vid. I subscribed.
Adam, congratulations on a superb documentary. This was very insightful.
Great video, very informative! Worth a subscription. Looking forward to seeing more of your content.
An excellent history of the Kansas City A's!!!
Thank you for this. This is so well-edited and researched, I wish you could make more videos. About anything. When something is crafted as well as this, it breathes life into any subject imaginable. I greatly look forward to your next video, whenever it does happen.
Love all your videos, this video especially, keep going!
Adam-this video is fabulous in the storytelling, but even more so for the visuals. The graphics, the editing, everything. I’m looking forward to seeing more of your outstanding work.
excellent video keep ‘‘em coming
sensational short doc, if you love baseball you have to watch this! thank you!
The Summoning Salt of baseball videos has arrived. Wishing you great success dude! 👍
⚾️This Is Outstanding Sports Doc! Thanks!!👏
Hi Adam.
Very well done! Good job on the production, research, and narration.
I'm originally from the Topeka, Kansas area, and got to see Mickey Mantle play in his last season at this fine old stadium (A's last season also).
I saw quite a few Royals games in their first two years before going into the Navy in 1970.
Will look at your channel for more quality videos like this one.
Thanks!
There's an old saying, "the best revenge is living well", the KC Royals outdrew the A's in 1969, in two out of the three A's World Championship seasons (73,74), and after 74 it was no contest, the Royals crushed them in attendance. Can you imagine the attendance numbers that might have ben produced in the early 70's matching Finley's ability to put a ballclub together with the enthusiasm of the KC fans.
Great presentation.
Oakland won 4 world series, six pennants, and five straight division titles. Glad you root for attendance record though.
☝️😆👍
@@TheBatugan77 I was specifically commenting on the A's run in the 70's, Finley as I'm sure you're aware was no longer the owner of the team during the run the team had in the late 80's.
Excellent content. Subscribed!👍
The sight of that 1961 New York Yankees player roster was a real shock, with a shocking ten Yankee players having previously played on their Athletics "farm team." Just who did the Athletics get in return?
Well, they got back Yankee castoffs like Don Larsen, Norm Siebert and the like :)
Excellent video!
How does this channel only have 424 subscribers? 😮
This quality is really good! This is gonna be a 100,000+ subscriber channel over time
Fascinating! Thanks.
This is an amazing video! Love seeing KC history represented and told so well! You're editing is top notch and I can't wait to see this channel blow up! Where did you get all of the old footage and KC Star articles? I may be working on a video myself that deals with KC history...
Good job! Had some info I was unaware of.
Great video, I like your style
Brilliant video. As a huge fan of the Mariner's one, this certainly gripped me and I encourage you to keep putting these out! Sub time
714th subscriber and I live in the OC! Do my Angels next XD
This is an excellent video. Great use of graphics, archival material and editing.
Frankly I'm disappointed you don't have more content. I'll keep an eye out.
Well done. I learned a ton. And it was fun since I HATE the Yankees. 😂
My late cousin Tracy became the answer to a trivia question after Maris hit 61 off him. Damned Yankees. 😄
It seemed when the Yankees were heading for the pennant during the 1950s, they were always trading with A's. Notables who were dealt: Bob Cerv, Harry (The Suitcase) Simpson, Hector Lopez, Roger Maris.
That ended when Charlie Finley became A's owner
And in 1960 KC had Marvelous Marv Throneberry, former Yankee. Interesting to note that when Charlie O moved KC to Oakland was the time that the Yankees, owned by Columbia Broadcasting System 1966 to much of the 1970s, turned to 💩.
Yankee owners Del Webb and Dan Topping had been largely responsible for getting Arnold Johnson approved as the A's new owner. I'm sure they did so knowing that Johnson would be so grateful for the opportunity to become a major league owner, he wouldn't have any objection to becoming a de facto farm team for the Yankees.
What kind of behavior leads one to getting the nickname
“The Suitcase” 😂
Harry Simpson was known as "The Suitcase" because he was often traded during his during his nine seasons in the majors (1951-59).
Hey man this was great content thank you I hope you do more sports team
Nice job on the video!
Well done. I was too young for much of this era, so I did not know much of this story.
Really well done. Subbed.
Outstanding-caliber exposé’ on the KC A’s. Should win an Emmy. I sat in my car to watch this after work on my phone.
The best year the A's ever had in KC was 1966 when they finished 74-86 and finished 23 games out of first. Funny because as soon as they moved to Oakland they became instant contenders finishing 2nd 2 years in a row before winning 5 straight division titles and 3 straight World Series.
Finley & the circus he created aside, part of the reason for that was some VERY good young talent that came into its' own. Look at some of the people who appeared on the '67 A's-----Sal Bando, Bert Campaneris, Joe Rudi, Reggie Jackson, Rick Monday, Dave Duncan, Catfish Hunter, Blue Moon Odom, Chuck Dobson, Paul Lindblad...........and Rollie Fingers was in the organization pitching in AA. That organization was bound to eventually win---be it in Oakland, KC, or Moosejaw.
Their first losing season in Oakland wasn't until 1977 the first year Charlie Finley let his best players go elsewhere
@@michaelleroy9281 didn't Reggie Jackson leave in 1976?
Joe Rudy, Reggie Jackson, Sal Bando, Vida Blue, Catfish Hunter, Rollie Fingers come to mind as free agents that left Oakland as soon as free agency allowed them to. Among the first ever after the Curt Flood decision. This franchise is absolutely the best reason for a relegation system like English Soccer has.
They became instant contenders in Oakland thanks to the amateur draft that started in 1965,
They were able to draft top players like Rick Monday Reggie Jackson,Sal Bando,
Gene Tenace and Vida Blue. If it weren't for the draft, they probably would have been the same sub .500 team in Oakland.
Awesome video
Hard to believe St. Louis was the western-most team until the 1950s.
Southernmost too
Is it one time St Louis was the only team west of the Mississippi
St. Louis had the only 2 teams west of the Mississippi until 1954 when the Browns became the Baltimore Orioles in the American League. Not only were the Cardinals a favorite team of western states nearby but also southern states nearby. KMOX radio brought them Cardinals baseball. @@mikekeeler6362
@@blazingbattlehawk9626 Is St.Louis further south than DC? That has to be close.
1958 to be exact. Until then, the "west" was actually the midwest. Then goodbye Brooklyn and NY Giants after 1957.
I grew up in NY in the 50s watching Mickey Mantel at Yankee Stadium. When a Yankee screwed up, the jeer would be, "Send him to Kansas City." The fans considered it a farm team. I lived in KC in 69 and 70 and went to Royals games at Municipal Stadium. Bars in that part of town still displayed signed pictures of Hank Bauer and Billy Martin. Finley's name was considered bad language. I thought KC's loss was minor compared to my loss of the Dodgers and the Giants in 1958. I have lived in Los Angeles since 95 and have only gone to Chavez Ravine once - to boo the Dodgers.
Excellent summary
Great video fam
My dad's cousin, Ray Herbert, pitched for K.C. in 55, then 58 -61.
Thanks for the history lesson. I didn't know anything about the team other than Ray's stats.
Sweet Video, commenting to boost you in the algorithm
Outstanding video, so much information. Thank you for creating this. Any chance on a KC Scout or King video soon?
Excellent video. The Pennant Porch was wild-and new to me! Very nice graphics with the map and such-what software/editing package did you use for that?
Wow great job! Sadly there’s probably going to be an Oakland A’s video in the future. Btw you gotta make more videos.
The Charlie Finley inspired 'pennant porch' in 1964 is one of my all time baseball related memories.
Then they told Charlie to take it down
@@michaelleroy9281 yes a few days prior to the start of the '64 season
Good work young man
Very nice job on the documentary Adam. That last KC A's team in '67 saw the debut of future Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson. They also had good young players John "Blue Moon" Odom, Jim "Catfish" Hunter (another future HOF player), Sal Bando, Joe Rudi and Rick Monday, and young veteran shortstop Bert Campaneris.
Awesome video. Ive subscribed
WOW! Baseball History.
Very interesting stuff about the A’s, and I’m watching this just as approvals have gone through to have the A’s move the Las Vegas. Over what? Stadium issues, the exact reason how Oakland even got the A’s. Great content, thanks for the video. 👍🏻
Great job!
Great documentary.
I’m from KC so this is interesting to hear about a club wayyyy before my time. My dad is a Chiefs fan and greeted them, along with other fans, at their arrival of the flight back from SB IV with a big “GO CHIEFS” sign and what not. Him being a football fan I never heard about any of this growing up so thanks.
Also, if you were going for a
Jon Bois/Secret Base feel to your videos,
ya nailed it 👌🏻
This is really good stuff, I’d just recommend fewer pauses between sentences. If you want to extend the length, add more information, like who were the managers Finley fired, who were the pitchers on that bad staff, etc.
Really good concept and graphics, though
Interesting video 😊
Very nice report. But left out the 40 foot high "Mesmerizer" fence to curtail opponent's HR's, and Bert Campaneris's game where he played all 9 positions.
Hmmm...I'd never heard about the seamy side of the Yankees ownership in the 1950s. I need to dig around to find out more about it.
The New York Yankees could've thanked the KC Athletics for some of their best and brightest at least if not more than once or twice.
Solid vid
The Chief's played in the AFL in 1967; the NFL seating requirement did not apply as many AFL teams played in smaller venues
Well done brother
Nice presentation. I recall as a kid often hearing how the A's were the Yankees other Triple-A team but most of the players the Yanks got were hardly minor leaguers.
The As is the only baseball team in history to begin in the east (Philadelphia), spend over a decade in the midwest (Kansas City), before they settled in the Pacific Coast (Oakland, California)
And end up in Las Vegas.
It's interesting hearing the KC lease challenges of the past and then comparing them to the current stadium debate!
Well done
GREAT VIDEO! You should absolutely do a similar video on the Washington Senators / Texas Rangers and their owner Bob Short, and his negotiations with Tom Vandergriff, mayor of Arlington, TX. It’s a similar story with some crazy angles (Tom Vandergriff hiding inside a closet in Bob Short’s office while Richard Nixon’s son in law comes to plead his case for Senators to stay in DC)
Good vid bro
Quality stuff.
THe Major Leagues in the early 1960's promised to expand with up to 12 teams as a result of not getting competetion from the Continintal League. So the senator really didn't make 4 teams out of nothing.
Good documentary. Very informative. Just a note though.... Roger Maris last name is pronounced with the A sounding like it is in the word as, not Morris.
I wish the video got into why the Athletics got so much better in oakland, with Finley as owner
Check out the young talent on the '67 KC A's roster. They were bound to have success whether they moved or not.
So basically in the 2950’s the A’s were pretty much a minor league team for the Yankees. Wow what could of been
very cool
Fantastic
Well done, in general. Suggest overdubbing the correct pronunciation of "Maris." It's MARE-iss, not MARR-iss. The original family name was spelled Maras, but it was changed because too many people were putting the emphasis on the last syllable.
Beautifully told and illustrated story. Only flaw: The pronunciation of Roger Maris' name.
I recall the A's signing power hitters Rocky Colavito and Jim Gentile to bolster their offense and they did but the team still finished last. Colavito hit 34 homers and Gentile hit 28.
I am a life long 60 year old A's fan. Say what you want about Finley but he got 3 in a row
Very well done--I learned some things. But I couldn't help cringe at the pronunciation of Roger "Morris" [sic]. That's akin to pronouncing The Sultan of Swat "Baby" Ruth.
Roger Maris, not Morris