Browsing: the Oakland Athletics said. Blue had used a walking stick to assist his movement at a 50th anniversary of the 1973 A’s championship team on April 16.

     Vida Blue, a hard-throwing left-hander who became one of baseball’s biggest draws in the early 1970s and helped lead the brash A’s to three straight World Series titles before his career was derailed by drug problems, died Saturday, according to the team. He was 73.