A'S SUPER FAN

by Max Silberman

To a real baseball fan, there is nothing quite like Opening Day! It is a time of rebirth and renewed hope. After all, this might be the year. Just before Opening Day, Barbara Heun visited the museum and shared stories about her grandfather, Davey Bishop, who might have been the best A's fan ever.

Let us begin at the beginning. The year was 1902. Teddy Roosevelt was President and the Athletics were preparing for their second season, one which would see the American League pennant come to Philadelphia. Shibe Park was still several years into the future when 20 year old mechanic Davey Bishop entered Columbia Park at 29th and Columbia Avenue to see the A's open the 1902 season. It was a feat he would joyfully perform for the next 54 years, never missing the opener! From Nap Lajoie, Rube Waddell and Eddie Plank all the way to fellow Pottstown native Bobby Shantz, Davey Bishop saw hem all: Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Cochrane, Lefty Grove, Chief Bender and so many others played before his eyes.

Most of us recall the pain we felt in November of 1954 when the A's left for Kansas City. For the 73 year old Bishop, there was no question that he had to go to Kansas City to keep his streak alive.

This would not be easy. He was not a man of wealth and the train ride would take 36 hours! At Concrete Products where Bishop worked, his co-workers "passed the hat" and raised $112 to finance the trip. $112 does not sound like a fortune today but when gas was 20c a gallon and a soda pop was a nickel, this was a considerable sum of money.

After a 1,500 mile journey , Davey Bishop saw the Kansas City Athletics defeat the Detroit Tigers 6-2 but lost the second game 10-2 the next day. Everyone connected with the A's team from Philly knew Davey and were happy to see him. He had his picture taken with new manager Lou Boudreau and even got to shake hands with Missouri resident Harry Truman, the former President. For the 54th consecutive year Davey Bishop was present for the opener.Connie Mack was also present in Kansas City for that game. When the 1956 season opened, two familiar faces were missing. Connie Mack had passed away in February of 1956 and Davey Bishop was terminally ill. In the museum's Wall of Fame, is a plaque honoring one of Pottstown's favorite sons (Shantz) but David Bishop was equally deserving of being honored for his unmatched loyalty and dedication to the A's.No one would have enjoyed the museum or the activities of the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society more than he .

The Oakland A's opened their season in 2008 in Japan, of all places. Davey Bishop wouldn't have missed it for the world!