3B Sal Bando played 11 years with the K.C. and Oakland Athletics. He was a four time All-Star in his time in Oakland. Bando played in 1,468 games for the A’s and he was 1,311 of 5,145 (.255 avg, .776 OPS) with 737 runs scored, 192 homers, 796 RBIs and he stole 60 bases. Bando is #4 all-time in games played (1,468) in A’s history and he is also #9 in homers (192), #5 in RBIs (796) and he is #6 in walks (792). Bando was one of the best 3B in A’s history despite never really being a dominant player.

Lefty starting pitcher Vida Blue was easily one of the best pitchers in team history. He pitched 9 years for the A’s appearing in 273 games (262 starts) in which he was 124-86 with 2 saves, a 2.95 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. Blue’s best season came at the age of 21 in 1971. In 1971, Blue pitched in 39 games (all starts) for the A’s and he was 24-8 with a 1.82 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP winning him the Cy Young Award. He threw 24 complete games in 1971, eight of which were shutouts. He only allowed 209 hits in 312 innings that season while whiffing 301 batters showing just how nasty he really was. Vida Blue is #6 all-time in A’s history in games started (262), #8 in wins (124), #8 in WHIP (1.17), #9 in complete games (105), tied for fifth in shutouts (28), #6 in strikeouts (1,315) and he is #7 in innings pitched (1,945 2/3). Blue was a great pitcher for the A’s.

After last night when Mark McGwire pretty much admitted what most people already knew it painted him as a fraud. He played in 12 seasons with the A’s appearing in 1,329 games in which he was 1,157 of 4,448 (.260 avg, .931 OPS) with 773 runs scored, 363 homers and 941 RBIs. He is the all-time leader in homers for the A’s (which is a joke) and he is #4 in OPS, #10 in runs scored and #4 in RBIs. He was the Rookie of the Year in the American League in 1987 when he was 23 years old. He played in 151 games that season for the A’s and he was 161 for 557 (.289 avg, .987 OPS) with 97 runs scored, 49 homers and 118 RBIs. He led the league in both homers and RBIs as a rookie which is almost unheard of. He also led the American League in homers in 1996 with the A’s with 52 of them. McGwire was a 9-time All-Star with the A’s and he also won 1 Gold Glove. After all of his years of denials and lies McGwire should just admit that Jose Canseco was right about him.

Rickey Henderson was the best lead-off hitter I have ever seen, period. He had some of his best years with the A’s. He played 14 years for the A’s appearing in 1,704 games in which he was 1,768 of 6,140 (.288 avg, .839 OPS) with 1,270 runs scored, 167 homers, 648 RBIs and 867 stolen bases. Henderson stole over 100 bases in a season an amazing 3 times for the A’s. He scored over 100 runs seven times for the A’s twice leading the American League. He led the league in hits 1 time for the A’s and he led the league in steals 8 times for them. Henderson is #3 all-time in hits for the A’s, #1 in runs scored and #1 in stolen bases. Henderson won the MVP Award in the A.L. in 1990 with the A’s when he played in 136 games in which he was 159 for 489 (.325 avg, 1.016 OPS) with 119 runs scored, 28 homers, 61 RBIs and 65 stolen bases. 1982 was also a season that seemed to jump off the stat sheet for Henderson as he played in 149 games in which he was 143 for 536 (.267 avg, .780 OPS) with 119 runs scored, 10 homers, 51 RBIs and 130 stolen bases. I often wonder how much Rickey Henderson would have cost in a fantasy auction draft back in the day? Rickey Henderson is the all-time leader in major league history in both runs scored (2,295) and stolen bases (1,406). His is in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown N.Y. and he is the greatest leadoff hitter of all time.