Where's the Respect?

[DoubleX]

Does it bother anyone else that the Oakland A's pay what appears to be almost no homage to their Philadelphia roots and the many great players and teams that called themselves Athletics while in Philadelphia? (The same could also be said of the Twins, who do not honor some of the great players that played for the original Senators, and the Orioles, but the St. Louis Browns don't have much to honor). The Giants recognize their New York roots and the Dodgers recognize some of their Brooklyn roots.

The Philadelphia Athletics had two great dynasties and a collection of the greatest players that ever lived, but you would never know of this great tradition upon entering the Oakland Colosseum (or whatever its called now). The A's are so stingy with honor their heroes that they didn't even get around to Reggie Jackson until like last year.

It's time this team got around to honoring Foxx and Grove and Cochrane and Simmons and Collins and Baker and Plank and Bender and Mack, even if they didn't have numbers. Just something to that recognizes that these great players were great for the Athletics, even if it wasn't in Oakland. They deserve to be remembered.

[Steve Jeltz]

I agree 100%. Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Cochrane, Lefty Grove, Al Simmons, etc., are all in the Hall of Fame. The A's should somehow honor the former great Philadelphia A's players. There is something wrong when the Phillies erect a statue of Connie Mack, a man who never played or was associated with the Phillies ever, outside their park, while Oakland ignores the legendary builder of the Athletics. I am sure there are plenty of Oakland A's fans that have no idea that their club originated in Philadelphia and have never heard of the former greats.

[DoubleX]

I think it's similar in St. Louis where a statute of George Sisler stands outside Busch Stadium to honor the 12 seasons he played for the St. Louis Browns.

[Steve Jeltz]

I think it's similar in St. Louis where a statute of George Sisler stands outside Busch Stadium to honor the 12 seasons he played for the St. Louis Browns.

I think the Orioles should honor Sisler in their park as well, even if it just his name on the outfield wall.

[History Of Baseball Fan]

i like how Camerica Park has the brick walls with their great players names on it in center field.

also the big statues they have of their great players.

[Brian McKenna]

i agree with the sentiment here but the public as a whole could care less

hardly anyone in baltimore even knows who the hell sisler is

[Gooch]

I agree that the Oakland A's should honor their great Philadelphia predecessors, but let's face it, the club left Phila. more than a half-century ago (including a brief pitstop in Kansas City). The Phila A's are just too remote and distant for Oakland to even care about. Excluding the hard-core baseball fans, I doubt many current Oakland fans have even heard of Simmons, Foxx, Grove, etc. It's sad, but true... Does anyone know if the Phillies have any memorials to the old A's players at their current ballpark?

[KCGHOST]

Oakland fans barely realize that the A's originally started in Philadelphia. And certainly there is no player from the KC stop-over that didn't play in Oakland that merits real attention.

[Gooch]

I think the Orioles should honor Sisler in their park as well, even if it just his name on the outfield wall.

Sisler is one of the all-time greats, but he has no real connection to the city of Baltimore. The Browns and Orioles are two completely different franchises.

[Bucketfoot Al]

Both KC owner Arnold Johnson and Oakland owner Charlie Finley tried to interest their fans in Athletics history when the team respectively moved to Kansas City in 1955 and Oakland in 1968. In each case there seemed to be little interest from the fans.

Back in the 1990's I was able to walk through the A's front offices and was amazed to see how respectful they were in displaying Philadelphia A's history in their offices.

In 2000 the Oakland Athletics had an All Century Game which recognized the accomplishments of the great Philadelphia teams and players. The families of Connie Mack, Eddie Collins, Jimmie Foxx, Frankie Hayes, Lefty Grove, Sam Chapman and Dario Lodigiani were all there. The game was played wearing their 1911 Philadelphia Athletics uniforms.

The Oakland Athletics have a good working relationship with the Philadelphia Athletic Historical Society and keep in close contact.

What frustrates most Philadelphia A's fans or Oakland A's fans interested in team history is the lack of a retired number for Jimmie Foxx or Lefty Grove on the outfield wall. But the Athletics have been very stingy with retired numbers period. Every year we keep hoping that this is rectified.

[Catfish27]

Where's the respect? Well you can start with the team mascot.

While the A's were in Kansas City Finley made the Missouri Mule the team mascot and named it after himself. Anyone remember Charlie O?

After the Haas family bought the team in late 1981 they sought to rekindle the long tradition of the great franchise. One of the things they did was bring back the elephant as the team mascot. If you examine the sleeves of their uniform, you'll see an elephant perched on top of a baseball holding a baseball bat with its trunk.

As far as retired uniform numbers, why weren't the uniform numbers of Cochrane, Collins, Foxx, Grove, and Simmons retired when the A's were still in Philadelphia? (Collins wouldn't have worn a number during his first stint as a player, of course, but I presume that he did at the end of his career when he was a coach and occasional pinch-hitter.)

As it is, it took the A's twelve years following Catfish Hunter's retirement and four years following his Hall of Fame induction to retire his number. He was the first in franchise history. The delay in Reggie Jackson's number retirement was largely a political issue, which Reggie faults himself for.

As an aside, I've been at the number retirement ceremonies for Catfish Hunter, Rollie Fingers, Reggie Jackson, and Dennis Eckersley. They were all fantastic! I look forward to attending the number retirement ceremony following Rickey Henderson's Hall of Fame induction. Of course he has to retire first!

[johnny]

Does it bother anyone else that the Oakland A's pay what appears to be almost no homage to their Philadelphia roots and the many great players and teams that called themselves Athletics while in Philadelphia? (The same could also be said of the Twins, who do not honor some of the great players that played for the original Senators, and the Orioles, but the St. Louis Browns don't have much to honor). The Giants recognize their New York roots and the Dodgers recognize some of their Brooklyn roots.

The Philadelphia Athletics had two great dynasties and a collection of the greatest players that ever lived, but you would never know of this great tradition upon entering the Oakland Colosseum (or whatever its called now). The A's are so stingy with honor their heroes that they didn't even get around to Reggie Jackson until like last year.

It's time this team got around to honoring Foxx and Grove and Cochrane and Simmons and Collins and Baker and Plank and Bender and Mack, even if they didn't have numbers. Just something to that recognizes that these great players were great for the Athletics, even if it wasn't in Oakland. They deserve to be remembered.

As usual, I think your spot-on Double X.
I wonder if the focus should be on the constant of the A's versus the current team location -hec, for all we know the Oakland may soon become something once again- and as an all time great Athletic they should be honored. Given that in this day and age of team's not owning any real estate per se, what a team really owns is far less tangible such as the logo and all that goes with it such as its history. Sooo, as part of their grand lineage the A's should be claiming and proclaiming their great stars. The Beast, Iron Mike, Lefty, et al should be part and parcel of the experiance as you walk into the A's stadium. The fact that many fans don't understand who these players are should be viewed as an opportunity to educate 'em. If chicks do indeed love the long ball than what better than a 100% natural XX aka The Beast in cut off sleaves.

[RedSoxVT92]

When a team forgets their history it annoys me so much. I said how the senators were erased from twins history in another thread. These teams need to remember the whole franchise not just after a move and on. The A's and Twins dont have no former philidelphia A or Washington senator retired numbers. The twins have no senator in there hall of fame. It's sad that some great players have no team to remember them any more like Walter Johnson, Eddie Plank, Jimmie Foxx, Etc. I bet Connie Mack's rolling in his grave.

[Jamie Johnson]

Does anyone know if the Phillies have any memorials to the old A's players at their current ballpark?

At Veterans Stadium, there was a statue of Connie Mack outside one of the entrances there. There was also a mini Hall of Fame in the Vet honoring former great Phillies and A's players, which included Foxx, Grove, Simmons, etc. I believe the Phillies new park still has the Mack statue, but I am not sure about the Hall.

[philsphan]

I know the phils and a's share a wall of fame. There is no A's suff on the big phillies wall of fame but outside on one of the sidewalks there is the complete "philadelphia" wall of fame that includes Phillies and atheletics figures.

No one really cares but Jimmy dykes is buried at my school. But the even cooler thing is he is My baseball coaches grandad and his son's (my friends) great grandad.

You would never know it but a quote from Jimmy dykes is in "The Natural". Its a litle differant in the movie but next time you watch the natural listen for:"I couldn't (slide into second). I carry my cigars in my back pocket and I was afraid I'd break them." - Jimmy Dykes
Its after Hobbs shows up for thhe first game.