O a M G - Oakland Athletics

Alejo was the strength and conditioning coach at UCLA where he worked with 23 men’s and women’s
teams. During his tenure in Westwood, the Bruins racked up 25 national championships and produced
more than 100 All-Americans. An accomplished lecturer and author, Alejo is a Certified Strength and
Conditioning Specialist (through the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s Certification
Commission) and holds the advanced NSCA Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach distinction.
He has also been elected to three halls of fame: Chico State Athletics, Chico State Baseball (inaugural
inductee) and the Chico Professional Baseball “Legends of the Diamond.”
oZZie lyles
Major League Massage Therapist
Ozzie Lyles enters his third season as the Oakland A’s team massage therapist.
He previously worked several years with many professional athletes, while also
studying and practicing sport and medical massage since 1992. He was employed
at Oakbay Chiropractic in Oakland from 2004-09 under the Oakland Raiders’ team
orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Warren Strudwick, and also has worked for Dr. Steve
Isono, the Olympic and track and field orthopedic physician, in Emeryville. The Oakland, Calif. native
also worked at Club One in Oakland.
larry davis
Coordinator of Medical Services
Larry Davis begins his 39th season with the A’s organization and fourth as coordinator
of medical services. He oversees and administrates all health and injury issues
throughout the organization. Before his current post, Davis served 10 seasons
(1998-2007) as the A’s head trainer and 14 previous years (1984-97) as an assistant
trainer for the big league club. A native of Tucson, Ariz., Davis attended the University
of Arizona where he majored in physical education. He began his baseball career in 1973 as the
head trainer, traveling secretary and equipment manager of the Tucson Toros, then Oakland’s Triple-A
affiliate. He remained in that capacity for 11 seasons as the affiliate moved to San Jose, Vancouver,
Ogden and Tacoma. Larry makes his home in Mesa, Ariz. with his wife, Suzi.
The a’s elephanT
After helping form the American League in 1901, New York Giants manager John McGraw dismissed the A’s
with contempt by calling them “The White Elephants,” implying Connie Mack should not by allowed to spend
money without supervision. Mack defiantly adopted the White Elephant as the team insignia and in 1902,
the Athletics won their first American League pennant.
The White Elephant remained the team’s mascot and later that decade, made its first appearance on the A’s team
sweaters. In 1918, the Elephant saw its first game action when Mack had the pachyderm symbol (in blue with a
white “A” inside) placed on the left sleeve of every player.
By 1920, Mack had fully adopted the Elephant as the team’s symbol. The traditional “A” on front of the team’s jersey
was replaced by a blue elephant logo. After a few poor seasons, Mack decided change was in order. So, in 1924, the
blue elephant was replaced by the traditional white elephant on the team’s jersey and the A’s played better ball for the
next few years.
In 1928, Mack decided the elephant had worn out its brief welcome on the A’s jersey fronts and replaced the logo with the familiar “A” on the
uniform. The A’s went on to win two World Championships and an AL crown in the next three years, although the resurgence was probably
due more to the additions of Foxx, Simmons, Grove and Cochrane than the elephant’s absence.
That was the last year for the elephant on the A’s uniform until 1955, when the A’s, now in Kansas City, added the patch to their uniform
sleeves. However, when Charlie Finely purchased the team in the early 1960’s, the elephant was once again sent packing and replaced
by, of all animals, a mule.
Prior to the 1988 season, the A’s brought back a new, more aggressive A’s Elephant. In 1995, the traditional A’s elephant was reincorporated
into many of the team’s promotional items and publications and is now a prominent feature on the A’s uniform.
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