Tag: Nancy Finley

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: From Oakland A’s Ball Girl to owning a Cookie Empire

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Debbie Sivyer founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies is seen on a Topps 1973 style card as a ball girl for the Oakland A’s during the A’s World Championship years

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Somebody who knew former A’s ball girl Debbi Fields is Nancy Finley the niece of former Oakland A’s owner Charlie O. Finley and the daughter of Carl Finley, who was the team’s General Manager. I asked Nancy about Fields. Nancy Finley is the author of the book “Finley Ball”, which details the behind-the-scenes administrative history of the A’s during the dynasty years in the 1970s. You can buy the book on Amazon and at many bookstores.

Nancy Finley explained to me how the whole idea of having Ball Girls came about: “I overheard Dad on the phone with Charlie, telling him how pretty Kathy’s sister, Debbi, was. Charlie asked Dad what they could do to bring Kathy into the office. This is when Charlie or Dad came up with the Ballgirl position. They briefly tried this in KC. That was in 1965. Dad said it would be better if they had a pair of Ballgirls, one for first base, and one for third base”.

“Dad asked Kathy if her sister could meet with him after school. I remember when Debbi arrived to meet with Dad. Dad offered her this position and asked if Debbie had a friend she could recommend for the other Ball Girl. This turned out to be Mary Berry. Debbie Sivyer and Mary Berry started as Ball Girls in 1971. I remember when we had the green-and-gold outfits designed”.

The A’s were the first team in Major League Baseball to introduce ball girls on the foul lines, under baseball innovator Charlie O’. Finley. The iconic program began in 1968 and famously employed future Mrs. Fields Cookies founder Debbi Fields in its early years. The tradition continued across the baselines until the franchise concluded its 57-year tenure in Oakland at the end of the 2024 season

Fields was destined to hit the jackpot in the Holding Company business, with help from an investor. Fields sold her Mrs. Fields cookie empire to an investment firm, Famous Brands International (formerly Mrs. Fields Holding Company), for $100 million in 1992. Currently, she doesn’t own the company; she continues to serve as the brand’s iconic spokesperson.

Fields opened her first store in Palo Alto, California, in 1977. By offering free samples to attract customers, she turned a small startup into an internationally recognized brand that now operates in over 250 locations. In addition to her baking empire, she has authored several cookbooks.

When I first began broadcasting Major League Baseball, back in the mid-to-late 1970s for the Oakland A’s. I usually had more contact with Mr. Carl Finley, who was the GM and oversaw the team’s daily operation, than with Charlie Finley, the owner.

Charlie O. Finley occasionally visited Oakland after the A’s won World Series titles in 1972-73-74. Remembered as a groundbreaking and innovative executive, he is not in the National Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, but he is a member of the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame and the Athletics Hall of Fame.

I thank Nancy Finley for sharing these memories from her years with the Oakland A’s.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in. 

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: When the A’s brought The Beatles Interview with Nancy Finley

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Beatles ticket from concert scheduled Thursday September 17, 1964 8:00pm at Municipal Stadium Kanas City (photo from Nancy Finley)

When the A’s brought The Beatles –Interview with Nancy Finley–

That’s Amaury News and Commentary–

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

When most baseball fans think about Charlie O. Finley, owner of the Kansas City and then the Oakland A’s, they return to the three consecutive World Series he won for the Swinging A’s in 1972,73,74. By winning three consecutive World Series, Finley’s A’s became only the second team to date that accomplished such a feat. During their dynasties, the New York Yankees were the only other team.

Reggie Jackson, the centerpiece for those winning teams, said of Charlie O. Finley, “He was great for baseball, years ahead of his time,” Reginaldo Martínez Jackson, a Hall of Fame outfielder, played for the A’s from 1967 to 1975. Charlie O.

Finley’s innovations in baseball are legendary, from Charlie O, the mascot Mule of the team, to pioneering the idea of night games in the Postseason play/World Series to many other ideas that baseball adopted, innovations, including all sorts of promotions.

During the Kansas City years, Mr.Finley had one of the most significant music bands in history, The Beatles, who performed in Kansas City as part of one of many Charlie O.Finley promotions. Time Magazine included the Beatles in its list of 100 most influential people in the 20th century.

I interviewed Nancy Finley who tells me that Charlie (her uncle) sent her the 45 LP “I Wanna Hold Your Hand”, while her mother repeatedly played that song in the house. She tells me, “Dad (Carl Finley), the minority owner and General Manager, and Charlie were sitting with the group in a conference room waiting for performance time.

Dad said they were “a group of polite young men.” Spoken like a High School Principal. Charlie O.Finley left his mark in baseball and in American history, truly an innovator who brought the A’s the Gold and Green uniforms, the first team to let the players have facial hair, the Ball Girls, he was strong proponent of Inter league Play, decades before MLB adopted it in 1997.

Also, there is Night Playoff baseball, plus the Designated Hitter and Runner. He suggested the “alert ball,” also called the orange ball, to make it easier for the fans to follow the baseball because white was not that easy to see, and although that was never adopted, it was talked about.

I do not believe Mr.Finley would like any clock ruling in the game, the “free runner” at second base when a game spins into extra-innings, and some other radical changes during the last few years. Undoubtedly, when A’s Charlie O. Finley brought The Beatles, he left his mark on US pop culture forever. He was a visionary a showman and a man for the ages.

Quote: Dagoberto Blanco (Campy) Campaneris, who played more games than any other Athletics player, (1,795 games) a great shortstop born in Cuba, told me years ago talking about Charlie O. Finley ” Charlie no era solo dueño del equipo, pero hablaba y conocía de baseball” -Trans: “Charlie was not only the owner of the team, but he could talk and was knowledgable of the game of baseball”.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play announcer on the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network at 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Interview with Nancy Finley daughter of former A’s GM and niece of former A’s owner and author of the book Finley Ball

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The book Finley Ball a look at two outsiders Charlie O Finley and Carl Finley who guided the Oakland A’s to three consecutive championships from 1972-74 written by Nancy Finley (photo of book from Nancy Finley

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry F:

#1Nancy Finley is the daughter of former Oakland A’s general manager Carl Finley and the niece of former A’s owner Charles O Finley. Nancy is the author of the book Finley Ball by Nancy Finley. Nancy was on the scene when the Oakland A’s won three straight Championships from 1972-74.

#2Nancy also was welcomed to Cooperstown for a Hall of Fame celebration and talked about her book Finley Ball on how two outsiders on her father Carl and Charlie O changed the franchise forever and made them baseball’s world champions.

#3 Talk about Charlie he started out as an insurance salesman and with his cousin Carl moved the team from Kansas City to Oakland in 1968 and later built the club up with the likes of Sal Bando, Jim Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson, Vida Blue, Bert Campaneris, Joe Rudi, Gene Tenace and many others.

#4 Talk about when MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn who stopped the deal that sold Rollie Fingers and Joe Rudi to Boston and Vida Blue to the Yankees. It was a trade that had no players coming to Oakland so it was in essence a sale.

#5 Talk about the Nancy appearing at the Cooperstown Hall of Fame and promoting her book Finley Ball. With the relocation of the A’s it seems like it’s drumming up lots of interest in regards of Oakland baseball history which might be gone as soon as next season.

Join Jerry Feitelberg does the Oakland A’s podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com