images from Pete Loeser, 5 March 2019
Last modified: 2019-05-18 by rick wyatt
Keywords: united states | baseball | mlb | al-w | athletica | oakland athletics | philadelphia athletics | kansas city athletics |
Links: FOTW homepage |
search |
disclaimer and copyright |
write us |
mirrors
images from Pete Loeser, 5 March 2019
See also:
The Oakland Athletics, or Oakland A's, are a professional baseball team. They play in the American League (AL) - West division of the Major League Baseball (MLB). The Athletics originated as an amateur team of the gentlemen's Athletic Club of Philadelphia in 1860. Their history as a Major League Baseball franchise begins in 1901 in Philadelphia until they moved to Kansas City in 1955. They left Kansas City in 1968 onward to their current home in Oakland, California where the team plays its home games at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum. The 2018 season was the club's 50th year playing in Oakland.
They are one of the American League's eight charter franchises. They have won nine World Series championships in 1910, 1911, 1913, 1929, 1930, 1972, 1973, 1974, and 1989. They also have 15 American League (AL) Pennants, and 16 West Division titles. They won three World Series championships from 1910 to 1913 as the Philadelphia Athletics, then back-to-back titles in 1929 and 1930. During this time they played their home games first in Columbia Park (1901-1908) and then in Shibe Park (1909-1954). In 1955 the team left Philadelphia for Kansas City where they played in Kansas City Municipal Stadium (1955-1967) as the Kansas City Athletics. In 1968 they moved further west to Oakland. As the Oakland Athletics they won three consecutive World Championships in a row between 1972 and 1974. They added a ninth World Championship to their impressive record in the tragic 1989 "Battle of the Bay" World Series against the San Francisco Giants of the National League (NL). It was interrupted by a major earthquake just before the third game was scheduled to begin at San Francisco's Candlestick Park.
,Although competitive the expected Bay Bridge rivalry between the A's and Giants remains a friendly one. In fact, venders in their respective parks sell hats displaying logos of both teams on the same cap, and occasionally the teams both dress in uniforms from historic eras of their franchises at their Bay Area games against each other. In 2003 Michael Lewis wrote a book called The Moneyball Chronicles about the 2002 Oakland Athletics season and General Manager Billy Beane's unusual economic approach to managing a baseball franchise. The book remained on The New York Times Best Seller list for 18 consecutive weeks, and in 2011 Columbia Pictures released a successful movie called "Moneyball" staring Brad Pitt based on the book.
It should be noted that in the early years baseball teams used pennants rather than flags (hence the practice of calling championships winning the pennant) and there were a host of unofficial manufacturer's variants of these and later fan flags marketed for the Athletics and their fans. They included flags, banners, and pennants too numerous to all be shown here.
Pete Loeser, 5 March 2019
image by Pete Loeser, 5 March 2017
This Championship flag was flown outside the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum during the 1990 season. The 1989 World Series is remembered for a non-baseball event that paused the series just before Game 3. As fans were just arriving the Loma Prieta Earthquake struck stopping series for days, making it one of the longest World Series on record. Due to the sports coverage present for the 1989 World Series, it became the first major earthquake in the United States that was broadcast live on national television. The World Series itself was delayed while the Bay Area started the recovery process, but after ten days the third game was held in San Francisco with the A's raising their total to 3-0. Game 4 was held the following afternoon and the A's swept the Giants, four games to none.
Pete Loeser, 5 March 2019
image from Pete Loeser, 5 March 2017
When New York Giants manager John McGraw jokingly told reporters that Philadelphia had a "white elephant" for a team, the Athletics manager Connie Mack adopted the white elephant as the team mascot. In 1905 Mack even presented Mcgraw with a stuffed white toy elephant at the 1905 World Series. Between 1918-1963, the A's wore an elephant logo on their uniform jersey. In 1963 after the A's relocated to Kansas City, they changed their team mascot to a mule, the state animal of Missouri. Since 1988, the Athletics' 21st season in Oakland, an illustration of an elephant has adorned the left sleeve of the A's home and road uniforms. Beginning in the mid 1980s, the on-field costumed incarnation of the A's elephant mascot went by the name "Harry Elephante". In 1997, he took his current form, "Stomper."
Pete Loeser, 5 March 2017
image from Pete Loeser, 5 March 2017
This Oakland Athletics "Vintage" Flag is a fan flag featuring an older "Athletics" logo than used since 1992. This logo was used by the franchise from 1983 to 1992, and still appears on fan memorabilia like T-shirts, mugs, etc.
Pete Loeser, 5 March 2017
images from Pete Loeser, 5 March 2017
These popular variants of the American national flag have been produced for all the MLB teams and displayed by their enthusiastic fans. In the canton of the first illustrated here the white stars of the national flag have a A's logo superimposed over the stars, on a green field instead of blue. The 13 red and white stripes in the fly have been replaced with the green and gold colors of Oakland Athletics.
The second variant shown here features a white cap logo on a green field in the canton, with the stripes on the fly in green and gold.
Pete Loeser, 5 March 2019
image from Pete Loeser, 5 March 2017
This flag features an Oakland Raiders Football Logo on the hoist side, and an Oakland Athletics Baseball Logo on the Fly side. Both teams share the same stadium. One wonders about the missing Golden State Warriors Basketball team Logo, they play next door to the Athletics.
Pete Loeser, 5 March 2019
images from Pete Loeser, 5 March 2017
These type Athletics's fan flags use the current team logo, authorized in 1992, with different variants of the teams colors of green and gold.
Pete Loeser, 5 March 2019
images from Pete Loeser, 5 March 2017
It is interesting that the official colors of the Oakland A's is Kelly Green, gold and white, but most fan flags use a less bright Forest Green instead of the brighter Kelley Green. Not enough Irish in them apparently.
Pete Loeser, 5 March 2019
images from Pete Loeser, 5 March 2017
Yet another Manufacturer's variant using the current team logo authorized in 1992.
Pete Loeser, 5 March 2019
images from Pete Loeser, 23 April 2019
For those baseball fans who own boats and want to display their team loyalty afloat, these flags are available for them. The flags take the form of either a broad pennant or a square boat flag with either a cap or team logo near the hoist. Each uses the individual team's colors in their designs.
Note: Because of the small size of these nautical broad pennants. usually about a foot tall (approximately 30.48 centimeters), they have also gained popularity as "golf cart" flags. It should also be noted that a broad pennant, or any other flag shape, is only called a "burgee" if it designates an organized boating club.
Pete Loeser, 13 May 2019
