Father Daughter Desires

Newhouse: Daughter seeks recognition for the unknown Finley

Nancy Finley keeps anticipating some form of recognition for her father -- from the Oakland A's, from Major League Baseball, from Cooperstown -- somewhere!

Nancy is a second cousin to Charles Finley, who brought the A's to Oakland.

Nancy is the only child of Carl Finley, who oversaw the A's undermanned operations in Oakland, while his controversial cousin, Charles, remained in LaPorte, Ind., after reneging on his initial promise to buy a home here.

Carl and Charles are first cousins, the offspring of brothers. Nancy realizes that Charles -- don't call him Charlie, which sounds so jolly, which he wasn't -- is more famous than her father, the publicity-avoiding Carl.

But she believes her father was an unsung hero, a behind-the-scenes adhesive to the A's winning three consecutive World Series from 1972-74. And that's why she desires some belated appreciation extended to Carl, who died in 2002.

She's just not sure what.

"I wish the A's would have an honor for him," she said. "Of, if the A's can't do this, then suggest a nomination to the Hall of Fame, which includes executives. Honor him some way. Charlie was from afar. Dad was here at every game."

Nancy wonders why the A's -- her dad's employer from 1962 to 1985, in Kansas City and Oakland -- haven't named something after him. A clubhouse? A dining club? An interview room?

And, furthermore, if the name "Haas" is painted, justifiably, on the outfield wall at the Coliseum, why not "Finley," because there can't be the former without the latter? And painting "Finley" on the wall would honor two men.

Following a divorce, Carl raised Nancy since she was 12.

"He was loving, sweet, had integrity," said Nancy, now 50. "He took me to museums, paid my way through college. I could talk to him about anything, except finances."

Carl was an educated man with a master's degree and a law school certificate, though he didn't take the bar exam. His cousin wanted him in Kansas City, and so Carl resigned as a Dallas high school principal.

Carl smoothed the ownership transition from Finley to the Haases, who kept him on the payroll until he was asked to retire in 1985.

"Dad was the mentor to everyone," Nancy said. "He was second-in-command to Charlie. Dad wore a lot of hats, but he quit in '71. I remember a big blowup. Then Charlie asked him to come back after realizing that no one else could hold things together.

workin out the desires of my heart « i am my Father's daughter.

I think i had a panic attack mini episode yesterday.

as i am talking to kaiting now, i realised that yesterday i was so paralyzed with fear i couldnt hear god at all. for the first time in years, i couldnt hear gods voice. do u know how scary that was. i couldnt hear him. i panicked like crazy. how can i not hear his voice?!?!

and thats fear. thats fear. it paralyzes you, u become illogical, irrational, start thinking all sorts of nonsense, start doing all sorts of rubbish. beneath it all, the worrying the anxiousness, it was fear. it constricted my heart, i felt so suffocated, so pushed into a corner i didnt know what to do. i couldnt breathe.

but god has called me into a broad place.

psalm 118:4-6 he also brought me out into a broad place, he delivered me because he delighted in me.

a broad place meaning a place without fear, a place without the constraints of the law, a place where i will not feel constricted, a place where im free to make the decisions in his hands because i am always kept safe. the fields of grace ala camp 2 years ago.

all that worrying if its the right thing to do or the good thing to do or the god thing to do, all that fear totally paralyzed me. and kt is right. what is of god will not bring fear or confusion, what is of god only brings about clarity and light. i dont know whats the good thing to do, i dont know whats the right thing to do. but i do know what the word says.

psalm 37:4 the more i dwell in his presence the more the desires that are not of him will fall off, and at the same time he puts new desires or strengthens the desires that are already there. as i seek him and delight myself in him, he aligns me to him. and thats how we flow with the unforced rhythms of grace. we just flow by being in his presence, and letting him do all the work. its almost like a spiritual surgery, everytime you’re with him he takes out the bad and puts in the good- till his likeness is seen in me. as i am increased and glorified daily into becoming his image.

perhaps theres no need for self searching or looking for the right things to do, perhaps all that is needful is to do the one thing, to sit at his feet and feed on him. oh that i shall taste and see that the lord is good. because the moment i have tasted his goodness i will not be able to go back to what isnt of him anymore. may i lose taste for the things of the world, the things of my fleshly desires, and grow in tastefulness for the things that are of him.

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