In between the Championship teams of the early 70's and late 80's "Billy-Ball" kept things interesting in Oakland. Former Yankee star Billy Martin took over in 1980, the A's "Billy Ball" style of play along with emergence of future HOF Ricky Henderson brought fans to the ball park and national attention to Oakland. In the strike shorten season of 1981 the Athletics played for the AL championship with a bunch of young overachievers. The glory was short lived, the A's faded to 4th in the AL west during the 1982 campaign, Billy was fired mid season after several angry outbursts.  

The Teams:
Year W L Finish
1979 4th place AL West Team roster  Final stats
1980

2nd place AL West

Team roster  Final stats
 1981  

1st place AL West 

Team roster  Final stats playoffs    
1982 

4th place AL West

Team roster  Final stats

   The official Oakland Athletics web site

 


The Players

Future hall of famers; Rickey Henderson * 

The Best of ther rest; Dwayne Murphy * Mike Norris * 

     


The Stories, Articles and Anecdotes;

ESPN ranks the top six world series of all time Series super six.
Reggie says: '70s A's would beat '90s Yanks 

Sports Illustrated 1972 World Series article, Mustaches all the way
Bayinsider 72 series recap, Gene Tenace, anyone
baseball almanac 73 review, see if you can catch the error on this page
Sports Illustrated 1973 recap; Mutiny and a Bounty
Sports Illustrated 1974 recap; Triple Crown to the Clowns

The first All-California series nearly produces a series with one final score as four of the five games are 3-2 affairs.
The Four-Year Itch: Any Chance of a "Four-peat"?


The Bookshelf;

coverMarkusen, a senior researcher at the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, presents a compelling case for classifying the A's of the '70s as a sports dynasty. The A's were also controversial, starting with renegade owner Charlie Finley, who scoffed at baseball tradition and chafed at its clubby attitudes. Markusen explains how the foundation of the team was created, the subtle midseason trades Finley made to cover weaknesses, and the clubhouse controversies that often detracted from the team's on-field success. This is a carefully researched study of the team that was built in the old baseball world of the reserve clause and was disbanded with the onset of free agency, effectively bridging the game's two key erasBuy this book on sale now at Amazon.com

Other Oakland A's books; Amazon.com: A Glance: Oakland A's (Baseball (Mankato, Minn.).)
Oakland A's Greatest Hits 1968-79 (Vest Pocket Ed)

Waiting Game : Photographs of the Oakland A's

Talkin' Baseball : An Oral History of Baseball in the 1970s


The Links;