DDolichDolich
Andy Dolich

7-23-18 - Andy
Charlie-O the Mule was the mascot used by the Kansas City Athletics and Oakland A's from 1965 to 1976. The mule was named after Charles O. Finley, the team's owner at the time

Andy Dolich -- 2015
Andy Dolich
 
In Reflection,
the Oakland A's 

By Andy Dolich

Andy Dolich, a consummate and highly regarded Bay Area marketing executive, has served in administrative capacities for the Oakland A's, Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies, the San Francisco 49ers and other professional organizations. Dolich was the Oakland A's VP of business operations for 14 years and draws upon his personal experience to reflect on the team's history as the Athletics celebrate 50th years in Oakland. Below  is the second of his four part series. (Items
displayed in this article are from Andy's personal collection.)

The Haas Family
I was the lucky recipient of a golden career opportunity when the Haas family acquired the tattered team from Charlie Finley in August of 1980. I've been asked many times what the key ingredient was in turning around the moribund mess. The greatest marketing and business assistance the A's received was Finley's complete inability to build as strong a marketing operation as he did crafting a legendary winning team with a roster of stars. The gift that kept on giving for awhile was Billy Martin being named manager by Finley in 1980.

Walter Haas appointed his son-in-law, Roy Eisenhardt, as president and son Wally as executive vice president. I was hired as vice president of business operations in December of 1980.

Of the nine franchises and owners I have worked for during my career, the Haas family had the highest regard for the fans of the franchise. Roy viewed the Haas family stewardship as not just something you own but rather as an asset for the entire community. The tone set by Walter, Roy and Wally was positive, creative, open, entrepreneurial and most importantly, community-focused on the uniqueness of Oakland, the East Bay and the San Francisco Bay Area. Their leadership DNA was stitched in their genes.

What make sports so addictive is its unpredictability and we were a significant beneficiary. At the beginning of 1981 we started winning with eight games in a row on the road. Our "Billy Ball"advertising campaign couldn't have been scripted any better. We won 11 in a row and 17 out of 18. Although we had a performance valley from 1982-86, the overall success of the franchise was due to the family and the outstanding group of players, coaches and staff they put in place and had the confidence in to do their jobs.


7-23-18 - Andy
Andy Dolich with the 1989 World Series trophy

Sports franchises are all about people. The owners, players, staff, fans and hundreds of part time workers who handle the parking, security, ticketing. ushering, cleanup and concessions make a franchise hum. I was lucky to work with some of the best minds with the biggest hearts in the sports business.

Hall of Famers, MLB All-Stars, Record Breakers
Finley -- Reggie Jackson, Rollie Fingers, Dick Williams
Schott/Hofmann -- 0
Haas -- Rickey Henderson, Dennis Eckersley, Tony LaRussa
Fisher -- Bill King (2017)

Managers' Records
Finley
1968 - Bob Kennedy, 82-80
1969 - Hank Bauer, John McNamara, 88-74
1970 -- John McNamara, 89-73
1971-73 - Dick Williams, 288-190
1974-75 - Alvin Dark, 188-136
1976 - Chuck Tanner, 87-74
1977 - Jack McKeon, Bobby Winkles, 63-98
1978 -- Bobby Winkles, Jack McKeon, 69-93
1979 - Jim Marshall, 54-108
1980 - Billy Martin, 83-79



Haas
1981-82 - Billy Martin, 132-124
1983-84 -- Steve Boros, 94-112
1984-86 -- Jackie Moore, 163-190
1986 - Jeff Newman, 2-8
1986-1995 -- Tony LaRussa, 798-673
Schott/Hofmann
1996-2002 - Art Howe, 600-533
2003-04 - Ken Macha, 187-136
Fisher
2005-06 - Ken Macha, 181-143
2007-11 - Bob Geren, 334-376
2011-18 - Bob Melvin, 592-577

7-23-18 - Andy
Will Clark on the cover of Sports Illustrated , October 30, 1989

7-23-18 - Andy
Rickey Henderson on the cover of Athletics Magazine, April, 1993
General Managers
Finley
1968-1980 -- Charles O. Finley
Haas
1981-82 -- Billy Martin
1983-1995 -- Sandy Alderson


Schott/Hofmann
1995-98 -- Sandy Alderson
1998- 2005 -- Billy Beane
Fisher/Wolff
2005-18 -- Billy Beane

Community Programs
Finley -- None to mention.
Haas --  Oakland A's Community Fund, Read to Achieve, Lucky Fields (built 10 youth baseball fields), Baseball at the Exploratorium, Men's Wearhouse-Oakland Zoo fund raising project, Gift to BASHOF from 1987 All-Star game skills competition, RBI Program, Negro League honors to Buck O'Neal, Baseball Assistance Team (BAT).
Schott/Hofmann -- RBI program, Reviving Baseball in the Inner Cities, Baseball Assistance Team (BAT), Going Green
Fisher -- Stomper/Mascot in the Town, Educational programs, 50/50 Raffle, Youth Baseball, A's Volunteer team, Safe at Home, Energize your Field, Improving Youth Baseball Facilities (BAT). Going Green

7-23-18 - Andy
Season Ticket brochure, circa 1985
7-23-18 - Andy
Season Ticket brochure, circa 1985

Advertising and Marketing
Finley -- Not much of anything.
Haas -- Billy Ball, Year of the Uniform, Fanfest. Heavy use of TV, radio print and outdoor advertising. The Bash Brothers created by San Francisco advertising agency, Hal Riney & Partners, along with the A's marketing department.
Schott/Hofmann -- With the success of Moneyball and the team on the field, the A's utilized the national buzz around the team to lead their marketing efforts. It is ironic that the two most successful ticket selling campaigns over the 50 years were Billy Ball and Moneyball.
Fisher -- An aggressive program to improve customer service and attractions at the Oakland Coliseum, including Food Trucks, The Treehouse (restaurant), and Shibe Park Tavern., Free Ticket game, In-Seat beer vending and multiple fireworks shows. Marketing and promotion programs around the A's 50th season in Oakland with a number of events, promotions and giveaway days.

Broadcast Outlets and Broadcasters
Finley -- Dom Valentino, Monte Moore. At one point only the Cal Berkeley campus radio station broadcast games.
Haas -- Radio: KSFO 560 with a 6-station network. TV: KPIX Channel 5, KBHK Channel 44.
Ray Fosse, Wayne Hagin, Bill King, Monte Moore, Lon Simmons. First Hispanic broadcasts on KIQI with Amaury Pi-Gonzalez and Julio Gonzalez on KIQI
Schott/Hofmann -- Radio: KABL.  Ray Fosse, Hank Greenwald, Bill King, Glen Kuiper, Greg Papa, Tim Roye, Lon Simmons.  TV: Comcast Sports Bay Area
Fisher -- Radio: 95.7 The Game. Dallas Braden, Vince Cotroneo, Ray Fosse, Glen Kuiper, Ken Korach. TV: NBC Sports Bay Area. Hispanic: Manolo Hernandez Duoen, Amaury Pi-González

7-23-18 - Andy
The subject of the Oakland A's has spawned a number of worthy titles

Read All About it or Go See It
This could be a book and it has many times over. Check out the list below:
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game,  by Michael Lewis
Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic: Reggie, Rollie, Catfish, and Charlie Finley's Swingin' A's,  by Jason Turbo
Holy Toledo: Lessons from Bill King, Renaissance Man of the Mic,  by Ken Korach
Champions: The Story of the First Two Oakland A's Dynasties and the Building of the Third,  by Glenn Dickey
Battle of the Bay: Bashing A's, Thrilling Giants, and the Earthquake World Series,  by Gary Peterson
100 Things A's Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die,  by Susan Slusser
Bash Brothers: A Legacy Subpoenaed,  by Dale Tafoya
Finley Ball: How Two Baseball Outsiders Turned the Oakland A's into a Dynasty and Changed the Game Forever,  by Nancy Finley
Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big, b y Jose Canseco
The New Oakland A's,  by Sandy Darlington and Julie Reynolds
Away Games: The Life and Times of a Latin Baseball Player,  by Marc os Breton and Jose Luis Villegas

Andy's four part series will continue next issue with part three.

Andy Dolich has over five decades of leadership in the sports industry, including executive positions in the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, pro soccer and lacrosse. Dolich teaches sports business at Stanford's School of Continuing Studies and is co-author of the new book:

Pops
3-6-17 - Pops

Michael King (left), with an associate from USF (center), and Karla Granadino-King, are pictured at the Olympic Club in San Francisco,  proudly sharing with the world their  Pops Premium Rumpopo. A King family secret, Pops Premium Rumpopo is a  delicious rum cream liqueur recipe brewed in the family tradition.  The award winning recipe is a Belizean family favorite and now available at all Total Wine & More stores in California and Bay Area retailers.
For more information, visit https://www.bzecheers.com/rumpopo

Pops - Original
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