A 1964 Venezuelan Update: The Louisv- I mean Oakl- I mean Kansas City Athletics!

Charlie O. Finley's Athletics were on the move in 1964 - Anywhere but here! The A's, as Finley was asking them to be called, tried to move twice in the year, citing poor attendance in Kansas City. A trip to Louisville was cancelled (missing the opportunity to become the Louisville Sluggers, the Kentucky Colonels, or just the plain old Louisville A's) by the rest of the American League Owners.

The next attempt was to move the team to Oakland, also thwarted; this time by the good citizens of Kansas City. Asked by the local government to pitch in by forgiving the tax burden for the stadium, asking only a percentage of admission and concession sales in return, the fans were happy to have another MLB team in town. It would, of course, not be the last time Finley tried to move out West.

Rocky Colavito was one of the few bright spots for the cellar dwelling Athletics - smashing 34 homers and putting up (for the new-school readers out there) an OPS+ of 137 and finishing the season with a team leading 4.1 WAR. Home runs were, in fact, the Athletics' specialty at home in 1964. They hit 107 Homers in Kansas City's Municipal Stadium, then a team record. They also gave up 132 round-trippers at home - at the time a Major League Record.

ouch.

Last Venezuelan Topps Post is coming up soon... just some odds and ends left to go.