On the eve of the 2022 World Series: From 2008: Fall is a great time of the year for sports fans. College and pro football are the big draws. But it is also time for the Fall Classic, the Major League Baseball World Series, a uniquely American event that has no equal in the world. As a kid, the games were rarely on television, and certainly not in prime time. I was fortunate to get to attend several World Series over the years.
In the 1970s, I lived and worked in the City of Alameda. Many of the Oakland Athletics players came into the pharmacy where I worked. The most frequent customer was Dagoberto Campy Campaneris, the shortstop of the 3 times world champions in He came in about weekly and gave game tickets to us whenever we wanted them. The crowds were never very big during the season, since the owner was Charlie Finley, a wild and crazy promoter, who happened to make a fortune selling insurance in the Midwest.
As the team started getting better, we got a little more interested in his free tickets. When Oakland won the American League Playoffs in 1972, we finally had
our chance. But our ticket source said he had to give the tickets to his relatives who came in from the Dominican Republic to see the World Series. So, we went with Plan B. We bought from a scalper at the game, after waiting until the first pitch was thrown. We were always able to get our tickets for less than face value. In addition, we would ride my roommates Harley over to the game, park up close, and leave the parking lot at games end with no problem.
The 1972 Series was against the Cincinnati Reds, and the dreaded Pete Rose. Our tickets were near the left field foul line. We let him know, even back then, that he was a bum. I think Oakland won the Series in 7 games, and without the teams big star, Reggie Jackson. The most memorable side bar of this Series was the ball girl out in left field. It was Debbie Sivyer, who would Debbie Fields, of Mrs. Fields Cookie fame. A World Series game produced much more excitement than a regular season game. We went to games 3 and 4, won by Oakland.
the New York Mets, who also had an aging star, the greatest player of all time, Willie Mays. The Giants had traded Willie to the Mets during what would be his last season in baseball. Though he was a mere shell of himself, it was a thrill getting to see him play in the World Series. The Designated Hitter rule was in effect for the very first time. And crazy Charlie Finley fired the Manager, Dick Williams, after he WON the World Series for Oakland. It was also the last World Series that sold separate programs for their home games. Though not as exciting as winning the previous year, it was still a big thrill for us fans, who had to put up with the eccentric owner.
In 1974, the opponent was the hated Los Angeles Dodgers. The Series went to only 5 games, and the big star for Oakland was Rollie Fingers, the ace reliever who would a Hall of Famer. After several years of Finleys ownership, the team was in constant turmoil. They fought in the clubhouse but won on the field. It was hard to explain. The Dodgers starting pitcher was Andy Messersmith, a fellow Cal graduate, and a successful challenger to the baseball free agency rule. This would be the last of the World Championships until 1989.
By 1989, the Oakland Athletics were very different. They were owned by the Haas Family, of Levi fame. The Manager was Tony LaRussa, who made a name rescuing animals, as well as managing the baseball team. Our dog Buddy is a rescue from his Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF). The big stars were Dave Stewart and Mark McGwire. This unique World Series was known as the Bay Bridge Series, since the opponent was the San Francisco Giants. It lasted a record 14 days, due to the Loma Prieta earthquake on October 17. It was the last World Series televised from start to finish by ABC. Al Michaels, the ABC announcer, was nominated for an Emmy for his eyewitness account of the earthquake.
