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Wake up Connie Mack for Oakland A’s Opening Day

By David Hill |
LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA - MARCH, 1920. Connie Mack, left, shows a Philadelphia Athletics rookie the finer points of pitching at spring training in Lake Charles, Louisiana in March of 1920. (Photo by Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images)
LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA - MARCH, 1920. Connie Mack, left, shows a Philadelphia Athletics rookie the finer points of pitching at spring training in Lake Charles, Louisiana in March of 1920. (Photo by Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images)

Connie Mack is a legend in Philadelphia and in franchise history. The first owner of the A’s, he served as their manager for 50 years, winning nine AL pennants and five World Series championships. He is even responsible for their logo; as the A’s were referred to as Mack’s “white elephant” by John McGraw, Mack turned that into their logo.

Now, 121 years after the Oakland A’s franchise began, it is time to evoke the memories of the great Connie Mack once more. The A’s will begin the 2022 season on April 8 in Philadelphia as they face off against the Phillies.

Oakland A’s Opening Day game brings back memories of Connie Mack

This will be the seventh series between the two teams, with the A’s holding a 10-8 advantage. It is also the first time that the A’s will open the season in Philadelphia since April 13, 1954, when they defeated the Red Sox 6-4 in front of 16,331 fans.

It was the beginning of a sad end for the once proud franchise in Philadelphia. The A’s had been the American League’s first dynasty, a juggernaut assembled by one of the great minds in the game. However, finances dictated that he broke that core up, a refrain that remains familiar to this day.

Nonetheless, Mack was able to build the A’s up again, creating a team that would battle the mighty Yankees in the late 1920s and early 1930s. But again, he was forced to break the team up due to finances. Only this time, he was unable to rebuild as the game had seemingly passed him by in his advanced age.

These days, the A’s are in another rebuild. A trio of their stars have been shipped away, and more deals will be coming. History, as is often the case, is repeating itself. And yet, in these moments, the legacy of Mack, and the echoes of greatness, can be heard in the halls. That will especially be the case on April 8 when the season begins in Philadelphia.

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The Oakland A’s are playing on Opening Day in Philadelphia for the first time in 1954. It is a time to remember their origins and the great Connie Mack.

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