Jul 31, 2017
Author/historian David Jordan (The Athletics of Philadelphia: Connie Mack's White Elephants; The A's: A Baseball History) joins Tim Hanlon to discuss the first incarnation of one of Major League Baseball’s most enigmatic franchises. Jordan discusses how the Philadelphia As:
- Helped launch the American League as a charter franchise in 1901;
- Dominated the majors with six league pennants, three World Series titles and two 100+ win seasons in its first 15 years;
- Were dismantled by long-time manager Connie Mack in the 1914 off-season after losing (or throwing?) the Fall Classic to the “Miracle” Boston Braves;
- Posted the worst-ever record (36-117; .235) in baseball history two years later, and finished last every season thereafter until 1922;
- Rose from the ashes to again become baseball’s most dynastic team in the late 1920s/early 1930s – rivaling that of the vaunted New York Yankees; and
- Succumbed to Depression-era economic realities that slowly drained the team’s talent and challenged management’s finances enough to push the team to ultimately relocate to greener pastures in 1954.
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