Word: finleyism
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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Little Blowhard. Nobody argued. When Finley took over, the Athletics were so deep in the American League cellar that he needed a flashlight to find them. Over 27 seasons in Philadelphia and Kansas City, the A's struggled into the first division only twice, finished dead last 13 times. "The worst team in the history of baseball," somebody once called them, and Former Owner Arnold Johnson made matters worse by turning the team into a kind of farm club for the New York Yankees-trading away such stars as Roger Maris, Cletis Boyer, Ralph Terry, Hector Lopez...
...outsmarted, but I'll never be outhustled," Finley promised. "What this team needs is color." He spent $411,000 renovating Kansas City's Municipal Stadium, painting it yellow, turquoise and orange, then boasting: "I may not have the best team, but I sure have the sexiest ballpark." He installed all kinds of odd gimmicks-a "Fan-O-Gram" that spelled out messages on the Scoreboard (sample: "Welcome to Paul Richards and his flock of chirping Baltimore Orioles"), a "Little Blowhard" that dusted home plate with compressed air, a mechanical rabbit named Harvey that rose out of the ground...
...when Harvey burst from his hole with a shriek. The A's still finished in the ruck (ninth in 1961 and 1962, eighth in 1963), and fans stayed home in droves. Over three seasons, the Athletics averaged 694,000 fans-third-worst attendance in the league-and Owner Finley glumly totted up losses of $1,028,000-bringing his total investment to more than...
...Arms. That was enough to trigger Finley's temper. He fought skirmishes with sportswriters, got into a violent argument with the city council over the A's stadium lease. He complained that he was paying about $125,000 a year for rent on Municipal Stadium while pro football's Kansas City Chiefs were paying only $1 plus a percentage of the concessions (total: $15,000). Rumors kept popping up that Finley was planning to move-to Atlanta, Dallas, Oakland, San Diego, and goodness knows where else. As fast as they popped up, Finley denied them. "The Athletics...
...Manhattan last week, the owners twiddled their thumbs while Finley pleaded for permission to move to Louisville. Then they voted 9 to 1 (Finley was the one) to ship him back to Kansas City. If Finley wants to sign a new stadium contract by Feb. 1-and maybe lose the $5,000,000 he still has left-that's all right with the American League. If not, well, he can always sell out. Sighs Finley, who promises to fight the decision in court: "Only a damned fool gets into baseball...