Tuesday's Team: The Swingin' A's of 1981

Rickey Henderson, where have you gone? Mike Norris? Shooty Babitt? Back in 1981, these were household names for Oakland A's fans (Can't you just picture A's Nation back in the 80s? Yeah, think of slick hats that have the white mesh netting in the back complemented by loud, yellow shirts. Come to think of it, I recall having the same type of gear in tribute to my team, only it was in shades of Dodger Blue. Check that. It was more like bright disco blue. I was in eighth grade and I was stylin'. I think it was in the following year that I added the white Goody comb to my back pocket.) Back to the lecture at hand - the 1981 Oakland A's. Managed by the incomparable Billy Martin, this team shot out of the gate like a rocket, recording the best start to a season in major-league history (11-0). The club went on to the postseason that year, albeit with an asterisk - they were a first-half division winner due to the MLB players' strike. They closed out the season with another streak, but it was of the losing kind. The New York Yankees swept them three games to none in the AL Championship Series. But 26 years ago this month, the Swingin' A's were on top of the world.