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Dick Williams started his big league career in 1951 as a 22-year old left fielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Though he played for the Orioles, Red Sox, and Athletics, it was his early years in Brooklyn that are memorable. Pee Wee Reese was the Dodger captain for each of the future Hall of Famers five seasons.

Shown here is a Dodger press release dated August 18, 1999 announcing Reese’s passing.

Williams gives his take his take on his teammate, “He was the Captain and a good one. He was class. I always thought he would make a fine manager but I guess he wanted everyone to like him.”

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Dick Williams guided teams to four pennants and two World Series titles during his 21 years as a big league manager. The bookend pennants came with the 1967 Impossible Dream Red Sox and Tony Gwynn’s 1984 Padres. They’re sandwiched around back-to-back Fall Classic triumphs with the Oakland Athletics starting in 1972.

Shown here is a letter from baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn. Baseball’s head man speaks glowingly about his sport’s showcase event.

“The World Series is the premier event of American Sports.

“No other event has been able to capture it’s special appeal or match its magnificent history.”

Kuhn later writes of the thrilling 1971 Fall Classic tilt. He closes the letter with mention of the first of the start of the championship run that made Williams a Hall of Fame manager.

“To our loyal fans, I dedicate the 1972 World Series.”

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Dick Williams piloted the Oakland A’s for only three years but won the World Series twice. Though three seasons might seem like a short stint, working for Athletics owner Charlie Finley made the time almost unbearable.

After guiding the A’s to the title in 1973, Williams and Oakland became baseball’s first repeat champs since the 1961-1962 Yankees. Despite this, Williams resigned at the end of the season.

The next season William took the Angels job for three years, the Astros gig for seven more. In 1982, Williams took the reigns of the Padres. Two years later he led San Diego to their first World Series appearance.

Williams left the Padres in ’85 and spent his final three seasons at the helm of the Seattle Mariners.

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Oakland A’s owner Charles Finley was a difficult man to work for. During his 21-year reign running the club he had only one manager last more that two years. That one man was Dick Williams.

The future Hall of Fame skipper guided the A’s to 101 wins in 1971. The following year he won the first of back-to-back World Series titles. Despite the success, Williams resigned moments after the final out.

In the collection is the first of two handwritten letter in which Dick Williams opines about Finley. Williams writes, “I was the first manager he had to go longer than one year with him — I managed three years and won division championships all three years plus two World Series Championships. Three years was long enough!”.

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Despite leading the A’s to three division titles and two World Series titles, Dick Williams could not co-exist with team owner Charlie Finley. He resigned within minutes of the final out of the 1973 triumph.

Thirty years later in 2003 both Finley and Williams appeared on the Veterans Committee ballot. In this letter Dick Williams writes about the Hall of Fame chances for himself and for Charlie Finley.

Williams adheres to Margaret Atwood’s advice, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”

He writes, “Mr. Finley is one of fifteen baseball people to be considered for the Hall of Fame this year at the managerial and executive level. I am also one who is considered. The vote was due by the 26th of Jan. and will be announced Feb. 27. Other than that I shouldn’t say anything else.”

Williams seems more guarded in this second letter.

Finley is still on the outside of Cooperstown looking in. Williams was inducted in 2008.

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There are only two MLB franchises to win three consecutive World Series titles, the New York Yankees and Charlie Finley’s Oakland Athletics.

Finley was a hands-on owner, controlling virtually aspect of the operations of his team. He no doubt deserves much of the credit for his dynasty.

So why isn’t Finley a more serious candidate for Cooperstown?

According to his his SABR biography, “Nearly everyone, including fellow owners, players, the fans of his teams, the media, and the baseball commissioner, disliked or even despised him. When his team lost, he blamed everyone but himself. When they won, he was apt to call the radio booth during the game if his name was not mentioned often enough. He was a self-made millionaire who, in the words of sportswriter Jim Murray, ‘worshipped his creator.’ ”

His induction seems unlikely.

In the collection is this personal check signed by Charles O. Finley.

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Dick Williams is a baseball lifer. He started playing minor league ball in 1947 with the Class-C Brooklyn affiliate. He continued playing until 1964.

In ’65 and ’66 he managed the Red Sox Triple-A club in Toronto. Then in 1967 he was back in the big leagues as skipper of the big club.

Williams managed every season from ’67 until his final year in 1988.

One of the great perks of spending a lifetime in the game is a lifetime of free admission. That’s exactly what Dick Williams got when he received this pass from the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues.

The NAPBL was the first organization to give out lifetime passes. Click here to see one of the earliest NAPBL passes issued to Hall of Fame infielder Bobby Wallace.