Marty Lurie Talks San Francisco Giants Baseball
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A's As Good As 70's Team? by Ivan W. Golde


This is my first article for Love of the game productions and it is an honor to be a part of Marty’s website. My basic premise is this club, the 2005 Oakland A’s reminds me more of the A’s clubs of the 70’s than any A’s club since
1975, the last of those great A’s seventies clubs to appear in the playoffs.
Why do you ask?
Click below for the answer! It is because this club has great athletes, great “pure”
ballplayers who have great team chemistry and this club also has depth. I told my
friends and anyone who would listen a month and a half ago this club was
special and could make a run at the World Series. They thought I was crazy.
Though these people still say I am crazy they are all now saying How did you know?
Of all the great seasons going on with this club I thought a real key was the
addition of Dan Johnson. His numbers speak for themselves. He is rookie of
the year in my book despite playing only half of the season. His power,
defense and patience at the plate is making everyone else on this club better.
Everyone is getting better pitches to hit now. I knew after seeing Dan Johnson
for one week this club would turn around. His performance is in direct
relation to the A’s success. Billy Beane made great trades for Payton, Witasik and
Kennedy. Signing Kotsay gave the club continued stability. With Crosby,
Swisher, Chavez, Kendall, Keilty, Ellis, and Hatteberg in his role as a DH and
pinch hitter along with the entire pitching staff make the A’s a strong candidate
for the World Series. Like the clubs of the 70’s there is no real superstar.
Though Reggie Jackson was a superstar and the A’s of the 70’s had five to six
players on the All Star team each season they played as club, as a real team,
as a unit, a facet of sports we just take for granted, that “doesn’t show up
in the boxscore”. Everyone contributed in their own way on those A’s clubs in
the 70’s. Everyone played and excelled under pressure. Those clubs were
balanced. In prior years we had the best starting pitching in baseball but our
staff was not as balanced as it is now and our position players were not as
balanced as they are now. Kotsay should be a gold glove winner. Never
underestimate the importance of a great center fielder. Ellis, Crosby, Chavez and
Johnson are perhaps the best defensive infield in baseball. Scutaro is a key
utility player. Kendall though I am certain his is not happy with his percentage
of throwing out runners, handles his pitching staff as well as Ray Fosse did
in the 70’s. This 2005 club is a very special group. Though I grimace at the
inability of some of our players to lay down a sacrifice bunt and the fact our
baserunning was below average for the last three seasons until the last two
months when our baserunning has greatly improved with Swisher and Johnson’s
aggressiveness, as long as our pitching holds up, I think we have plenty of
offense to beat anyone at anytime, we have scored more runs than any club in the
last two months, I repeat as long as our pitching staff holds up we have as good
of a chance as anyone to win the World Series this year. Please enjoy this
season and get out to the ball park. Don’t miss a minute of this great season.

Ivan W. Golde

Ivan W. Golde, Attorney at Law in Oakland California was born and raised in
Oakland. Ivan has attended at least seventy A’s games per season since the
club moved to Oakland from Kansas City in 1968 including all post season and
world series games and was in attendance at Catfish Hunters perfect game among
many, many other great moments in A’s history and is considered an expert on the
history of the Oakland A’s. Ivan is still in contact with some of the A’s
greats from those clubs in the seventies.
Ivan’s life has been captured by professional sports having played Young
America Baseball, Little League Baseball, Babe Ruth Baseball, American Legion
Baseball and Connie Mack Baseball in Oakland at the Famed Bushrod Park in Oakland
where such all time greats as Frank Robinson, Vada Pinson and Jackie Jensen
played before signing as professionals. Ivan played and competed against major
leaguers, to be, Rickey Henderson, Loyd Moseby and others while playing
organized ball in Oakland.
Ivan worked for the Raiders football club and has represented many current
and former professional athletes and coaches in a variety of legal contexts and
currently lectures to various professional sports clubs about the law,
sociology, and justice system.
Ivan Golde is also a scratch golfer who has written a published a golf
instructional book on putting.

0 comments

1 Anonymous { 08.04.05 at 4:10 pm }

Nice analysis, Ivan. Marty will tell you that I thought the
club had lost its collective marbles when they traded away
Hudson and Mulder. I thought they would be lucky to play .500 ball. I was right until May 30th. Crosby came back
and the pitching came around and, voila, they started a great run. They are within striking distance of first place in the division. Who would have thought that on May 15th!!
The A’s may become the 1st AL team to go from 15 games under .500 to 15 games over .500. They have strength up the middle with excellent pitching, good players behind the plate and the middle infielders,Crosby,Ellis,Scutaro and a terrific center fielder. Yes, Dan Johnson has made a huge differnce. Durazo’s time with the A’s has expired and he will be looking for employment elsewhere.
People should enjoy this club. Let’s hope the fans turn out
and fill the Coliseum for the rest of the season.

Jerry Feitelberg

2 Anonymous { 08.15.05 at 1:46 pm }

I really enjoyed this commentary by Ivan Golde, it’s one of the best articles I’ve read anywhere on the Oakland A’s.

I write for a magazine, I would like to contact Mr. Golde for a feature article, in that I have not seen anyone with such a historical background and knowledge of the Oakland A’s (dating back to when they moved to Oakland.) If Mr. Golde logs into this, can you please contact me at ValHarris@aol.com.

Thanks!

Valerie Harris

3 Anonymous { 08.16.05 at 6:12 pm }

I would like to commend Mr.Golde on an article well written.I have had the pleasure of meeting Mr.Golde and conversing with him about the Oakand A’s and baseball in general.He is very knowledgable about the game.Mr.Golde’s article was a welcome addition to your site.
Bob Espinosa

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