Vida Blue
A flame-throwing lefty whose 1971 season was a hurricane of talent, making him baseball's most electric and controversial star.
1949–2023 (age 74)·American baseball player·Birthday: July 28·Baby Boomers
Biography
Vida Blue burst onto the baseball scene not with a whisper, but with a 100-mph fastball and a personality just as loud. In 1971, at just 21, he delivered one of the most dominant pitching seasons ever for the Oakland Athletics, winning both the Cy Young and MVP awards with a staggering 24 wins, a 1.82 ERA, and 301 strikeouts. He was the dazzling, charismatic face of the mustachioed, swaggering A's dynasty that won three straight World Series from 1972-74. Blue's career, however, was a rollercoaster of immense highs and public disputes over contract and his desired role, leading to a trade to the San Francisco Giants. His later years were marred by legal troubles, but the memory of 'Vida Blue' in his prime endures—a pitcher of such sheer force and style that he didn't just play the game, he set it ablaze.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Vida was born in 1949, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Vida Was Born
The biggest hits of 1949
#1 Movie
Samson and Delilah
Best Picture
All the King's Men
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Vida's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1949Born
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1954Started school
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1962Became a teenager
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Could drive
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1967Could vote
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Turned 21
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1979Turned 30
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 40
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 50
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 60
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 70
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2023Died at 74
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
Key Achievements
- Won the American League Cy Young Award and MVP in 1971 after a 24-8 season with a 1.82 ERA.
- Was a key starting pitcher for the Oakland Athletics teams that won three consecutive World Series (1972-1974).
- Pitched a no-hitter in 1970 at the age of 20, signaling his arrival as a future star.
- Was a six-time All-Star and finished his career with 209 wins and over 2,000 strikeouts.
Did You Know?
He is one of only a handful of pitchers to win both the Cy Young and MVP awards in the same season.
His first name, 'Vida', was given to him by his father after a favorite aunt.
Blue also played professional basketball briefly for the Kansas City Stars of the ABA.
He famously wore a bright yellow suit to negotiate his contract with A's owner Charlie Finley.
“You're not going to hit what you can't see.”
