92. Billy North and the Swinging A's cover art

92. Billy North and the Swinging A's

92. Billy North and the Swinging A's

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 The Oakland A’s of the 70’s were at their absolute best when it came to October baseball. They beat the Big Red Machine to win the 1972 World Series. They beat the Miracle Mets in ’73 to win it again. And in 1974, they made it back-to-back-to-back when they disposed of the Dodgers in 5 games. Flooded with names like Catfish & Reggie, Blue Moon & Vida, Campy and Geno, they had talent and swagger and were the team to beat heading into the 1975 postseason. Playing centerfield for those World Series winning teams in ’73 & ’74 was speedster Billy North. Acquired by Charlie Finley from the Cubs prior to the 1973 season, North immediately fit in with the defending champs and his style of play was exactly what manager Dick Williams loved… speed and defense. North would lead the AL in stolen bases in 1974 and 1976 when he stole a career high 75 bags while playing a sterling centerfield. After missing the entire postseason in ’73 when the Athletics repeated as Champs by beating Tom Seaver and the Mets in 7 games, North was looking forward to the ’74 season and a chance to play in the playoffs. But on June 5th in Detroit, he and Reggie Jackson had an altercation that ended up with both of them injured as well as catcher Ray Fosse. It wasn’t the first time the Swinging A’s brawled with each other and it had very little effect on the team’s play. Three months later they were back in the World Series for the 3rd straight year, with Fosse, Jackson and North all in the starting lineup. Despite having won the last two World Series titles, the A’s were underdogs against the Dodgers who won 102 games in the National League and they didn’t give the A’s much respect going into their matchup. On the POP podcast, North tells us how he was called the “Paperboy” because he read all the newspapers and he told his teammates on the flight back from Baltimore after winning the ALCS that a Dodger player was quoted as saying that there were only two players on the A’s that could play for the Dodgers… the champs didn’t need more than that… 5 games later… they were champs again for the 3rd straight year. North tells us how he and Reggie put that incident behind them and remain friends to this day… and how that team 50 years later still gathers together. He talks of how Dusty Baker influenced his life and remains one of his best friends and how Dusty honored him at an All-Star game a couple of years ago… and he talks about the NorthLegacyProject.com that he helped start in honor of his mom to help kids with special needs. For a man who made a living stealing bags in his 20’s, he now lives to give back in his 70’s. A 2-time champion of the only team in baseball history other than the Yankees to win 3 straight World Series Championships. The Fighting A’s… The Swinging A’s… The Winning A’s… Billy North on the Past Our Prime podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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