Have you ever wondered why first the Philadelphia Athletics, then the Kansas City Athletics and finally the Oakland A’s all used an elephant as their mascot? As a youth, I always remember seeing the elephant on programs, pennants and jerseys but never gave it much thought as to why.
The back story is a fascinating look back to the very early days of baseball. In 1902, the fledgling American League was starting to put a dent into the older National League. Eventually the two leagues became known as the Senior Circuit (National) and the Junior Circuit (American). Only the oldest baseball fans probably use those monikers today.