Baseball's Last Dynasty: Charlie Finley's Oakland A's [Paperback]

Bruce Markusen (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Markusen justifies use of the term dynasty as "an attempt to describe teams that have won a number of championships and place those teams in proper historical context." Free agency now allows players to move freely from team to team and practically guarantees that his subject, the Oakland Athletics, will indeed be the last long championship reign. Markusen's heavily detailed account of Oakland's success in the early 1970s describes a team that won five consecutive division titles, three American League pennants and three world series between 1971 and 1975. The A's are a potentially appealing subject: Owned by Charlie Finley and starring Reggie Jackson on field it was led by two of baseball's most compelling personalities. They played across the bay from San Francisco and integrated some of the persona of flower children, wearing outlandish green and yellow uniforms and sporting mustaches and sideburns. The author has brought research that enlivens almost every page, interviewing many of the team's central figures to supplement library sources and an almost week-by-week account of the A's long run. What the book lacks is a historical or biographical thread that would turn this into a compelling narrative rather than five years of baseball statistics and a blizzard of detail. Only fans who see the national pastime as the core of history and all else peripheral will celebrate this degree of baseball purity, but there are more than a few of those around.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The dominant team in the early 1970s, the Oakland Athletics, won five division titles and three consecutive pennants and World Series, finally losing out to the Red Sox in 1975. Unlike Tom Clark in Champagne and Baloney (1976), Markusen, senior researcher at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, centers more on the exploits of "Catfish" Hunter, Reggie Jackson, and the other As, and on owner Charlie Finley's trades and quirks, and less on Finley's actual biography. Using recent memories of players and press accounts about this last baseball club to win three straight World Series, Markusen tells an engaging tale that should attract Bay Area libraries and active sports collections elsewhere.AMorey Berger, St. Joseph's Hosp. Lib., Tucson, AZ
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: Masters Pr (April 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570281882
• ISBN-13: 978-1570281884
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,930,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The books a hit - but not a HR, December 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Baseball's Last Dynasty: Charlie Finley's Oakland A's (Paperback)

This book had some extremely interesting information and background about a very colorful organization. The problem was that it was a little heavy on details about mid season games, and a bit light on player quotes, descriptive pictures, and statistics. I would of really enjoyed seeing more pictures of the players and situations describes. It would of been nice to glance at player and team statistics to support points the writer was making. There were quotes from some of the players but many of the key players were notably quiet. The writer did demonstrate a passion for the franchise that made the reading interesting. The writer was a young child, as I was, when the A's were winning these championships, it just appeared there was a lack of information for portions of the book.

The background and explanation of the internal A's battles, Charlie Finleys personality, and the destruction caused by free agency were all very captivating. In part due to my interest in the A's of the 70's, I could not put this book down. I read the book feverishly but it had my wanting more.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent research, a must read for any baseball fan !!!, January 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Baseball's Last Dynasty: Charlie Finley's Oakland A's (Paperback)

The first thing that should be said about this book is the incredible amount of research and detail that was invested in it. This writing has everything that is needed for an excellent baseball book. It is all here--statistics,trades, critical games,clubhouse chemistry, and quotes from the key players that made the the A's a special team.

The strange and odd antics of Charley Finley is displayed brilliantly, as is the love/hate relationship the players had for the quirky owner.

When great teams of the past are brought up by historians, remarkably the A's of 1972-1974 seldom come up. Most baseball fans will talk about the '27 Yankees, the '39 Yankees, the '49-53 Yankees, the '61 Yankees and the '75-76 Reds. Markusen correctly points out how good this team was. Although they did not have an overpowering offense, they had excellent defense and quality starting and relief pitching which excelled in big game clutch performances, all noted in greatly detailed fashion by Markusen.

If you are a person who enjoys reading a true baseball book, than this book is an absolute must. I consider myself a baseball "junkie", who can never get enough statistics and history of our grand game.

I look forward to future publications by Bruce Markusen, who is a baseball writing talent we will here from again. 5 STARS!!!!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good book, horrible editing..., December 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Baseball's Last Dynasty: Charlie Finley's Oakland A's (Paperback)

This book is very well researched and contains everything that is needed to know about the Oakland A dynasty. I have never read a book with so many grammatical errors though...