Williams' Passing Sparks Memories Of A's Glory Days
By Frank Luna
Hearing about the passing of Baseball Hall of Famer and former Oakland Athletics skipper Dick Williams sparked some fond memories of what I consider my baseball golden years. The last of the '60s and early '70s saw the likes of the Miracle Mets, Detroit pitcher Denny McLain, the major league's last 30-game winner, Cincinnati's Big Red Machine and the Cardinals Bob Gibson -- a bull on the mound. In the midst of this comes the Oakland A's winning three World Series in a row. They were the last team to achieve that distinction, and two of those wins were skippered by Williams. And what a team it was with "Catfish" Hunter, Vida Blue, Reggie Jackson, Joe Rudi and many others coalescing into the most dominant team in decades. That team tamed the likes of Tom Seaver, Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Steve Garvey and Jim Palmer -- all hall of famers, (excluding Rose, of course), and all in their prime.
It was a great time to be a fan and witness excellences that, to this day, have not been eclipsed. Dick Williams was the cornerstone of that achievement and accomplished it all, without a steroid in sight.
