1970s Oakland A's: Greatest baseball team ever?

That would dovetail with "incredibly overrated."

 

I never said anything about the second-place team being the second-best team, did I?

With no interleague play in MLB in 1972, it's impossible to judge which league was better, unlike today, or unlike the NBA, which has always had a somewhat balanced schedule. It was obvious this year that Cleveland wasn't in the top three.

But yes, it's quite possible the second-best team in baseball in 1972 didn't make the World Series, just as the second-best team in the NBA didn't make The Finals this year. That team might have been the Baltimore Orioles, who the A's defeated in the ALCS, and not the Reds. You know, the franchise that kicked Cincinnati's ass in 1970.

The A's were the best team in baseball from 1972-74, as proven on the field, back in the days when there were no wild-card teams or division series.

Hey, the 1972 Reds were good. Just not as good as the A's. Get over it.

 

The beauty of a vague concept like "incredibly overrated" is you can take any piece of information and bend it to serve the agenda.

 

Oh, you mean like making something out of two sets of crappy Hall of Fame vote totals? Anyhoo, I got your agenda right here:
--Campaneris from 1972-74:
BA: .240/.250/.290
SB: 52/34/34
HR-RBI: 8-32/4-46/2-41

--Concepcion from 1972-74:
BA: .209/.287/.281
SB: 13/22/41
HR-RBI: 2-29/8-46/14-82

But I'm glad you're so certain that Concepcion's better.

 

Campy's 1972 was significantly better.
In 1973, their RBI totals were the same, and Campy stole way more bases.
In 1974, Campy had an edge in average, but Concepcion was all in all better.
And Concepcion was no Belanger or anything. I'd have gone with Campy.

 

In 1972, his eighth full ML season, Campaneris managed a .278 on-base percentage. That is one sweet top of the order guy.

 

But 52 singles turned into doubles....that's a darn good .278.