Word: bando
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With Kansas City still in last place when the baseball draft began in 1965, Finley took advantage of early-round selections to sign Outfielder Rick Monday and Third Baseman Sal Bando. The next year he grabbed Reggie Jackson for $85,000. In 1968, the year Finley transplanted the A's to Oakland, he flew to Mansfield, La., to corral a high school fastballer named Vida Blue for a more modest $35,000. Three years ago, Bargain Hunter Finley paid $3,000 for an obscure 17-year-old named Claudell Washington. This year Washington is the A's leading hitter, batting...
Finley never stops looking for new players or trading for established veterans. "No team is ever set," he says, "even a winner." Of the 26 players on the winning team in the 1972 World Series, only nine are still in Oakland uniform: Jackson, Rudi, Tenace, Bando, Campaneris, Blue, Fingers, Southpaw Ken Holtzman and Reserve Outfielder Angel Mangual...
...annual battles center on money. Since baseball adopted arbitration for salary disputes two years ago, an astonishing one-third of the 46 players who have tried that tactic have been A's. In 1974 three won major victories: Jackson's salary soared from $75,000 to $135,000, Bando's from $60,000 to $100,000, Holtzman's from $66,500 to $93,0000. This year Bando and Holtzman took a beating. Bando, who thought he had earned a raise by knocking in 103 runs and producing 24 game-winning hits in 1974, got no increase. Holtzman won 19 games...
Finley, whose $1.4 million player payroll is among baseball's highest, could not care less. "Sure, Bando had some clutch hits," he says. "Don't I deserve something for $100,000? As for Holtzman ?hell, he won 21 games in 1973. What am I supposed to do, give him a raise for having a worse year? These guys are just bad losers...
...Late that season, his rancor still running strong, Jackson hit a grand-slam home run. While crossing home plate he looked up and raised a fist of defiance to the watching Finley. The next day, in front of then Manager John McNamara, four coaches and Team Captain Sal Bando, Finley ordered Jackson to sign a written apology. Jackson finally did?in tears...