Believe it or not, I was at both Game 7 of the '73 Series (Willie Mays' last game) and Game 5 of the '74 Series. I was working night shift at a Modesto Cannery at the time (Mo-town being Joe Rudi's hometown, and A's A-level affiliate which had FIngers, Rudi, Jackson, LaRussa, Duncan in 1966). I was short on sleep and bleary-eyed for the Game 5 against the Dodgers, but, wait for it...I caught a foul ball off Joe Ferguson's bat (the only one I ever caught in maybe 1,000 games...I worked at the Giants & A's games while at Cal in the late 70s). Those Coliseum crowds were electric...I remember Dick Green making outstanding play after play in the Dodgers series, Hunter/Holtzman being money pitchers (and hitters), Rudi of course clutch-hitting after the Marshall beach-ball incident, and everyone going nuts after Jackson nailed Buckner at 3rd.
Game 7 in '73 was similarly electric...we felt like the A's couldn't lose. I still can't figure out why Berra didn't pinch-hit Mays in the 9th (I believe he let Garrett hit...who'd just set a record for striking out 13 times in a Series...I don't think Berra liked Mays much, but c'mon!).
I saw Fingers, Odom, Campaneris at a Giants Spring Training game a few years ago. I immediately went to Odom, who I called "the original Mr October" (he along with Tenace were the heroes of the '72 post-season). I told Fingers that I remembered him the getting final out in all 3 Series victories (he corrected me, Knowles got it in '73 (I was there, I shoulda known that). Fingers began as a starting pitcher, kind of shaky his first few years, but honestly a big reason for the 3 rings. Who else had a lights-out reliever who could go 3 innings day-after-day in big games? The A's won so many one-run games during that era. Fingers/Odom appeared to have buried the hatchet.
A big group of us attended the first A's game in '68 at the brand-new Coliseum. My family had moved to CA from out East in the 50s, previously being Giants and A's fans (grandpa talked a lot about John McGraw and Connie Mack, he'd witnessed many games back to Mathewson and HR Baker), so they were beside themselves. My Dad loved Lefty O'Doul, who I later learned was the "Cody Ross" of his beloved '33 Giants. I lived and breathed Bando, Reggie, Campy, Monday, Catfish, the Dobber, Segui etc that first season (Rudi, Rollie, Blue came a little later). Finley always had a revolving door to keep it interesting (Cater, Alou brothers, Mudcat Grant, Epstein, Tommy Davis).
Friends and I talk about 70s A's teams and Giants series winners of 2010,'12,'14. Could it be that in pitcher's parks, pitching and defense are all-important? (both teams had shut down relievers, fleet outfielders, just-enough clutch offense). A's have HOF Jackson-Hunter-Fingers, Gs probably only Posey. Interesting to compare to Mays-Cepeda-McCovery-Marichal-Perry 60s Gs w no rings (while pitching/defense Dodgers & Cardinals edged them out). I suppose chemistry plays a big part too, the winning A's playing with a kind of tough-love rage?
PS-Have you written a Mays article? Could it be that he was a) Best 5-tool b) Smartest c) Most enthusiastic, giving, transcendant, player to have ever played?
