Books and articles about Vida Blue

Blue signed with the Athletics at age 19 instead of accepting one of numerous scholarship offers to become a major-college quarterback. He had his first wrangle with A's owner Charles O. Finley right away, when Finley wanted Blue to change his first name to "True."

SHOPPING » Look for Vida Blue books at BN.com » Look for Vida Blue books at Amazon.com Your purchases keep BaseballLibrary.com online. Thank you!

RELATED LINKS » 1973: O, Charlie O. Submissions » Baseball Beards: A Brief History of the Changing Attitudes Towards Facial Hair in Baseball by Maxwell Kates » A List And An Anniversary by Bruce Markusen Ask The Experts » Who played for the A's championship teams of the early '70s? Around the Web » Blue could face six months in prison from bostonherald.com » Vida Blue from baseball-reference.com » Vida Blue from thebaseballpage.com » SITT Profile - Vida Blue from thediamondangle.com » Vida Blue from thediamondangle.com Jump directly to Library content from any website!

He was called up to the A's late in 1970. On September 21, 1970, he no-hit the Twins, who narrowly edged the Athletics for the division title. As a sophomore, Blue won 17 games by the All-Star break, then was the winning pitcher in the only All-Star game won by the American League between 1962 and 1983, when the NL was 19-1. Blue finished 1971 at 24-8, with 301 strikeouts in 312 innings. Though bombed in the ALCS by Baltimore, he was named both MVP and Cy Young Award winner.

Blue's prolonged holdout in 1972 was only resolved through the intervention of baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn. Blue slumped to 6-10. Rumors flew that he'd hurt his arm by pitching without spring training and reporting overweight. Blue denied serious arm pain, but his strikeout record was never as spectacular the rest of his career as it was in 1971. Much later, he acknowledged that his drug problems had begun in 1972. As the Athletics won their first of their three straight World Championships, Blue contributed four shutout innings in relief of Blue Moon Odom to save the fifth and final playoff game.

He rebounded with 20-9 in 1973, when the Athletics had three 20-game winners, and was 17-15 in 1974, 22-11 in 1975, and 18-13 in 1976, as the Athletics chased the Royals to the wire in the last year the nucleus of their dynasty remained together. Already Finley had attempted to sell Blue to the Yankees in mid-season, for $1.5 million. Kuhn vetoed that deal. While most of the other Oakland stars departed through free agency, Finley tried to send Blue to the Reds for $1.75 million plus Dave Revering. Kuhn vetoed that, too. After suffering through a 14-19 season FJ x x in 1977, Blue was finally traded to the Giants for eight players and $390,000. He gave the Giants an 18-10 season, becoming the first pitcher ever to start an All-Star game for each league, and earning NL Pitcher of the Year honors from TSN. Erratic pitching over the next few years continued after he was traded to the Royals after 1981. Drug rumors concerning Blue were confirmed in 1983. Blue was one of five members of the Kansas City Royals who eventually served prison time plus a suspension from baseball (a year in Blue's case) for cocaine use.

Given another chance by the Giants in the Bay Area where he remained popular, Blue was 18-18 in 1985-1986. The Athletics signed Blue for 1987, promoting a reunion with slugger Reggie Jackson, who also rejoined the club after 11 years away. However, Blue flunked a urine test to detect cocaine use, and retired rather than face further scandal. (MC)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » December 28, 1953: Pittsburgh sends flashy infielder Danny O'Connell to Milwaukee for 3B Sid Gordon, OF Sam Jethroe, P Max Surkont, and minor league pitchers, Fred Waters, Curt Raydon, and Larry Lasalle. They also get $100,000 from the Braves. According to historian Sean Lahman, this is the only six-for-one trade in major league history and surpassed only by the 7-for-1 deal that will send Vida Blue from Oakland to San Francisco in 1978. » July 29, 1969: Yankee reliever Jack Aker's string of 33 scoreless innings comes to an end as the A's rally for three runs to top the Yankees, 6–5. Vida Blue, the A's starter, receives credit for his first ML victory. » September 11, 1970: Twenty-one-year-old Vida Blue, recalled from the minors just eight days earlier, hurls a one-hit shutout as the A's beat the Royals 3–0. Pat Kelly's 8th-inning single is the only hit off the fireballing lefty. » September 21, 1970: The A's Vida Blue no-hits the Twins 6–0, becoming the youngest pitcher to perform the feat since Paul Dean, 36 years ago to the day. The only base runner against Blue is Harmon Killebrew, who walks in the 4th inning. Bert Campaneris, who helps Blue with a leaping catch on Mitterwald in the 5th, adds a triple and home run. An Oakland crowd of only 4,284 watches Blue's 2nd ML start. » April 5, 1971: With 45,000 fans on hand at RFK Stadium, the Senators beat the Oakland A's, 8–0, behind the pitching of Dick Bosman. The loser is Vida Blue, who allows four runs in less than three innings. This will be the last Opening Day in Washington. » April 30, 1971: Oakland dazzles the Indians with a color display as Dick Green, Vida Blue, and Larry Brown score the runs in a 3–1 victory. » May 14, 1971: After pitching seven straight complete game victories, Vida Blue leaves in the 7th, losing 2–0 to the Royals. The A's rally for five runs in the 9th on two hits to win, 5–2. The two teams combine for nine double plays, tying the AL mark. The A's six DPs is one short of the record. » June 16, 1971: First place Oakland's five solo home runs account for all their scoring in a 5–1 win over Washington. Mike Epstein homers his first two times up to give him a record-tying four straight over two games. Vida Blue (14–2) picks up the win. » July 9, 1971: The A's beat the Angels 1–0 in the longest shutout in American League history—20 innings. Vida Blue strikes out 17 batters in 11 innings for the A's, while the Angels Billy Cowan ties a major-league record by fanning six times. Both teams combine for 43 strikeouts, a new major-league record for incompetence. » July 16, 1971: Vida Blue boosts his record to 18–3 with a one-hit 4–0 victory over Detroit. Tony Taylor's single in the 4th is the only hit. » August 7, 1971: Vida Blue becomes the first 20-game winner in the major leagues this season with a 1–0, 3-hit gem over the White Sox. Joel Horlen balks in the game's only run. » August 15, 1971: Vida Blue raises his record to 22-4 as the A's beat the Yankees, 6–4. Blue scatters 10 hits and scores the tie breaking run on a wild pitch. » October 26, 1971: Vida Blue wins the American League Cy Young Award by a 98-85 margin over the Tigers Mickey Lolich. Blue was 24-8 for the A's, posting 301 strikeouts, eight shutouts, and a 1.82 ERA. » November 10, 1971: Vida Blue adds the AL MVP to his list of awards for 1971, easily outpointing teammate Sal Bando 268-182. He is the last switch hitter this century to win the MVP. » May 2, 1972: Oakland's Vida Blue ends a long holdout, signing a contract for $63,000. The young southpaw had received $14,750 in 1971 while winning the AL Cy Young and MVP awards. » May 24, 1972: California P Don Rose homers in his first ML at bat, and earns a 6–5 victory over the A's and Vida Blue, who is making his first appearance of the season for Oakland. For Rose, it will be his only ML home run, as well as his only win. » June 12, 1972: Before 50,182 Oakland fans, the Orioles Pat Dobson tosses a 4-hitter to outduel the A's ace Vida Blue, 1–0. » July 31, 1972: Vida Blue retires the first 17 batters before Texas pitcher Rich Hand beats out a surprise bunt in the 6th. Blue allows one other hit to win, 2–0 for Oakland. Hand allows just two hits in seven 1/3 innings, but two errors and a mental boner by LF Ted Ford allows two runs. With a runner on 3B, Ford catches Joe Rudi's fly and trots in thinking it is the 3rd out. It was the 2nd. Rudi added another sac fly for the other run. » July 8, 1974: Cleveland's Gaylord Perry loses to Oakland in 10 innings, 4–3. Vida Blue is the winner. » October 8, 1974: Sal Bando homers again and Vida Blue hurls a 2-hitter to give the A's a 1–0 win and a 2-1 lead in the LCS. Blue fans seven and walks none. » October 13, 1974: Los Angeles, behind Don Sutton, evens the Series with a 3–2 win. The Dodgers score in the 2nd off Vida Blue, and a 2-run home run by Joe Ferguson in the 6th provides the margin. » October 17, 1974: Vida Blue and Don Sutton are tied 2–2 going into the bottom of the 6th when Mike Marshall relieves and retires the side. In the 7th, a shower of debris halts the game for 15 minutes. When play is resumed, Joe Rudi hits Marshall's first pitch for a homer to give the A's a 3rd 3–2 win, clinching a 3rd straight World Championship for the team. » September 28, 1975: In a ML first, 4 pitchers share in a no-hitter, as the A’s shut down the Angels 5–0. Vida Blue, Glenn Abbott, Paul Lindblad, and Rollie Fingers are the unique quartet. This is a tune up for the LCS opener against Boston the following Saturday. » June 18, 1976: Commissioner Kuhn voids the A's sales, totaling $3.5 million, of Joe Rudi and Rollie Fingers to the Red Sox, and Vida Blue to the Yankees, saying they are "not in the best interest of baseball." A's owner Charlie Finley files a $10 million damage suit against Kuhn, and will refuse to use any of the three players until June 27th. » April 16, 1977: Regulations force Oakland P Vida Blue to discard his old, discolored "lucky" cap because it is no longer "identical in color, trim and style" to those of his teammates. » August 10, 1977: Billy Martin installs Reggie Jackson as the Yankees' regular clean-up hitter. The Yanks beat the A's 6–3, as Ron Guidry outpitches Vida Blue. Graig Nettles belts his 26th homer of the season. New York will win 40 of final 53 games, with Jackson contributing 13 home runs and 49 RBIs. » December 9, 1977: The A's and Reds announce a deal that will send P Vida Blue to Cincinnati for OF Dave Revering and $1.75 million cash. Commissioner Kuhn will invalidate the deal on January 30, contending that too much money is involved and there would be a competitive imbalance created. He later sets a limit of $400,000 as the maximum that can be exchanged between teams. » January 30, 1978: Commissioner Kuhn voids the Vida Blue deal of December 9, 1977 between the A's and the Reds, suggesting a restructuring of the trade. » February 25, 1978: Abandoning the earlier Vida Blue deal, the Reds trade Dave Revering and cash to the A's for P Doug Bair. Blue will go across the Bay next month. » March 15, 1978: The A's trade Vida Blue to the Giants for seven players and an estimated $390,000 in cash. » July 11, 1978: At San Diego, the National League wins another All-Star Game 7–3. Steve Garvey singles and triples to earn the game's MVP trophy. Vida Blue starts for the NL, the first pitcher to start for both leagues. Blue also started in 1971 and 1975 for the American League. » August 10, 1978: In just his 2nd start, Dodger P Bob Welch beats the Giants and Vida Blue, 12–2, to put the Los Angeles into a tie for first place. » April 4, 1979: More than 20 umpires picket the ML season opener at Cincinnati. The game goes ahead anyway on the newly installed astroturf and the Giants beat the Reds 11–5. San Francisco scores eight runs in the 2nd to knock out Tom Seaver. Vida Blue is the winner with Mike Ivie hitting the game's only home run. Attendance is 52,115. » June 13, 1980: Vida Blue pitches the Giants to a 3–1 win over the Mets, and Milt May hits franchise homer #9,000 for the Giants. Monte Ward hit homer #1 in 1883, and #8,000 was hit by Bobby Bonds on September 4, 1971. » March 30, 1982: The Giants trade pitchers Vida Blue and Bob Tufts to the Royals for pitchers Renie Martin, Craig Chamberlain, and Atlee Hammaker. » November 17, 1983: Kansas City Royals teammates Willie Wilson, Willie Aikens, and Jerry Martin, who, along with former teammate Vida Blue, had pleaded guilty to attempting to purchase cocaine, are each sentenced to three months in prison. » December 19, 1983: Cy Young Award winner Vida Blue is sentenced to 90 days in prison, and recently convicted and suspended 1B Willie Aikens is traded by Kansas City to Toronto for DH Jorge Orta. » July 26, 1984: Commissioner Bowie Kuhn announces that free-agent pitcher Vida Blue will be suspended for the remainder of the season as a result of his conviction on cocaine possession charges last November. » April 20, 1986: San Francisco's Vida Blue wins his 200th career game, combining with Jeff Robinson to shut out the Padres 4–0. » September 10, 1986: Eric Davis leads the Reds to a 14–2 pasting of the host Giants by belting three home runs, scoring five runs and knocking in 4. His first two homers are off starter Vida Blue. » November 18, 1986: Roger Clemens becomes the first starting pitcher to win the American League MVP Award since Vida Blue in 1971, receiving 19 of a possible 28 first-place votes to defeat runner-up Don Mattingly. » January 21, 1987: Free agent Vida Blue signs with the Oakland A's. » February 19, 1987: Less than one month after signing with the club as a free agent, pitcher Vida Blue stuns the A's by announcing his retirement. » July 13, 1991: The Orioles defeat the A's 2-0 on a combined no-hitter by pitchers Bob Milacki, Mike Flanagan, Mark Williamson, and Gregg Olson. It is only the second time in history that four pitchers have combined to throw a no-hitter. On September 28, 1975, Vida Blue, Glenn Abbott, Paul Lindblad, and Rollie Fingers turned the trick for Oakland against the California Angels. Milacki is lifted in the 6th after Willie Wilson smashes a ball off the pitcher's index finger. » May 21, 2000: The Giants score 11 runs in the 6th inning on their way to a 16-10 win over the Brewers. OF Terrell Lowery collects five hits for SF, including three doubles. Starter Russ Ortiz is the winner, allowing 10 earned runs, the most earned runs in a win since Bob Friend, in 1954. The last pitcher to notch a win and give up 10 runs—9 earned—was Vida Blue against the Padres on April 19, 1979. The Giants are the second team to score 11 runs in an inning this year. Earlier this season, the White Sox dropped 11 runs against the Seattle Mariners in one inning.