Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic: Reggie, Rollie, Catfish, and Charlie Finley’s Swingin’ A’s

How the Oakland A’s of the 1970s—a revolutionary band of brawling Hall of Famers—won three straight championships and knocked baseball into the modern age

The Oakland A’s of the early 1970s were the most transformative team in baseball history. Never before had an entire organization so collectively traumatized baseball’s establishment with its outlandish behavior and business decisions, let alone an indisputably winning record: five consecutive division titles and three straight championships. The drama that played out on the field was exceeded only by the drama in the clubhouse and front office. But those A’s, with their garish uniforms and outlandish facial hair, redefined the game for coming generations.

Under the visionary leadership of owner Charles O. Finley, the team assembled such luminaries as Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, Rollie Fingers, and Vida Blue. Finley acted as his own general manager, his insatiable need for control dictating everything from the playlist of the ballpark organist to the menu for the media lounge. So pervasive was his meddling that one of his managers, Dick Williams, quit in the middle of the championship celebration following Oakland’s Game 7 victory over the Mets in the 1973 World Series. The advent of free agency spelled the end of Finley’s reign; within two years, his dynasty was lost.

A sprawling, brawling history of one of baseball’s unforgettable teams, Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic is a paean to a turbulent, magical time.