Drunken Goat (1996)- Vida Blue

Laurence Horn laurence.horn at YALE.EDU
Mon Feb 10 19:31:45 UTC 2003


>Larry writes:
>>Vida Blue was 70's, not early 60's, although his best season was 1971, his
>>rookie (of the year) year with the A's. His name (unlike our Vida's) was
>>pronounce to rhyme with Ida, sweet as apple cida'.  He refused his owner's
>>bribe to change his name officially to True Blue.  (This was the era of
>>Catfish Hunter and
>Mudcat Grant.)<
>
>Wasn't this owner Charlie O. Finley (Finlay?) and didn't he also make up
>colorful biographical fictions about the players, not to mention
>encouraging extravagant grooming styles?  Anything to get
>attention....though the players were doing pretty well at that with the
>excellence of their field performance, as I remember.
>A. Murie

Yup, Finley it was.  A true character.  The green and gold unis got
attention too, not to mention the mustaches he had all his players
wear at one point (to emulate relief pitcher Rollie Fingers, he of
the great handlebar variety).

larry



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