Finley Ball - by Nancy Finley (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Revised and updated!

This is the story of a losing baseball team that became a 1970s dynasty, thanks to the unorthodox strategies and stunts of two very colorful men.

When Charlie Finley bought the A's in 1960, he was an outsider to the game--a 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.

Review Quotes

"A book from the Finley point of view is long overdue. Nancy was there. She saw it happen. Recognition of Nancy's dad, Carl A. Finley, is also long overdue. Carl ran the team in Oakland and beyond . . . . Our 'dynasty' is one of the biggest stories in all of baseball history. Thank you, Nancy!" --Vida Blue, pitcher, Oakland A's, 1967-1977

"From the Charlie Finley dynasty years, to Billy Martin's Billy Ball years, Nancy Finley reveals the inner workings of one of baseball's greatest franchises and offers insights into the creative genius of one of its most colorful owners." --Brian Kingman, pitcher, Oakland A's, 1978-1982

"Finley almost single-handedly saved baseball in the early 1970s with his showmanship and charisma, and, ultimately, his love and understanding of the game. And he built perhaps the best baseball team ever assembled and changed the game for the better." --Jay Darby, lawyer and sportswriter

"Nancy has dotted the i's and crossed the t's in the Finley family saga that covers the history of the Oakland A's. Nancy really gives the Finley side of the story. She has some great stories to pass on to A's fans about Charlie O. and her father Carl." --Len Shapiro, PR director, Oakland Seals hockey team, 1971-1974

"If there was a Major League Baseball Hall of Fame for multitasking, the first member would be Carl Finley of the Oakland A's. When I arrived on the scene in 1980, Carl was a one-man front office. Tickets, stadium operations, broadcasting, public relations. You name it, he did it--with quality and class." --Andy Dolich, VP of marketing, Oakland A's, 1981-1994

About the Author

Nancy Finley, the Oakland A's "dugout daughter," was two years old when her father, Carl, joined his coustin Charlie Finley to run the Athletics' front office, and she grew up with the team. She and her family currently reside in Austin, Texas.