It’s MLB Monday again, and we’re in the middle of the Swinging A’s dynasty of the early 1970s—the only team outside of the Bronx to win three straight World Series. That in itself is historical enough for us to get our sports history fix, of course, but we have a lot more to do each time out here, obviously. We love drilling down to the LCS MVP level as we inch closer to the actual awards for those distinctions. Here we go, again …

1973 World Series MVP: Reggie Jackson, RF, Oakland (original); Bert Campaneris, SS, Oakland (revised)

The Oakland Athletics beat the New York Mets in 7 games to win their second consecutive World Series for the third time in team history (1910-1911, 1929-1930), dating back to the Philadelphia years. A back-and-forth affair saw the A’s fall behind 3-2 before recovering to win Games 6 and 7 at home. Oakland right fielder Reggie Jackson (1 HR, 6 RBI, .941 OPS) was named the Series MVP. Is there anyone else to consider?

Veteran shortstop Bert Campaneris (1 HR, 3 RBI, .805 OPS, 3 SBs, 6 Rs) had a very good week, too, and he topped the A’s in runs scored with twice the runs scored as Jackson. And Mets RF Rusty Staub (1 HR, 6 RBI, 1.080 OPS) actually outperformed Jackson, really. No pitcher really stood out, unless it was Oakland starter Catfish Hunter (1-0, 2.13 ERA, 1.125 WHIP, 13 1/3 IP). But it’s hard to see that line as worthy of the MVP nod.

So, what happened in Game 7? Staub had two hits and RBI for New York, while Jackson had one hit—a two-run HR. With the A’s winning the game, 5-2, the HR was a big deal. But it was Jackson’s only dong of the Series, while Staub generally was a better hitter throughout the entire matchup. Dilemmas! Jackson also struck out 7 times in 7 games, while Staub only K’d twice. The Mets RF was clearly better than Reggie was.

This is a weird moment, since so much of Jackson’s “Mr. October” legacy began with the ’73 Series. But it shouldn’t have done so, because Campaneris really was the A’s best player here. And he hit a two-run HR before Jackson did in Game 7, as well. Campy outdoes Staub, as well, for Game 7 heroics and overall Series production on an all-around basis. The OPS may be “low”—but the full stat line is what we like so much.

1973 AL Championship Series MVP: Catfish Hunter, SP, Oakland

The A’s beat the Baltimore Orioles, 3-2, in the ALCS, thanks to Hunter’s pitching prowess (2-0, 1.65 ERA, 1.041 WHIP, 16 1/3 IP). He also won Game 5 at home with a 5-hit, complete-game shutout. It will be hard for anyone to top that. Campaneris (2 HRs, 3 RBI, 3 SBs, 1.058 OPS) had another great series, too. With the Game 7 score (3-0, Oakland), we have to pick an A’s player—we go with Hunter, who also won Game 2.

Baltimore won Game 1 at home by a 6-0 score, and the A’s might have been sunk for good if Hunter hadn’t turned in a winning performance in Game 2 on the road. Oakland won that game, 6-3, thanks to Hunter and reliever Rollie Fingers. Hence, we give the nod—barely—to the A”s ace in this situation. Campy comes close to pulling off the October double, but we can’t do it in all honesty (same with the next award’s winner).

1973 NL Championship Series MVP: Rusty Staub, RF, New York

It’s hard to remember, but the Mets beat the Cincinnati Reds in 5 games to win this pennant, as the Big Red Machine came up short once again after losing the 1970 and 1972 Series. New York won Game 5 at home by a 7-2 score, and Staub (3 HRs, 5 RBI, 3 BBs, 1.133 OPS) was awesome in this matchup, too. None of the Mets pitchers won more than a single game in this up-and-down affair, so Staub takes the cake here, for sure.

1973 AL MOTY: Jack McKeon, Kansas City

Both division-winning managers finished with negative PPP marks, so it’s time to dig deeper for this one. And 30 years before he’d win the World Series with the Florida Marlins, Jack McKeon (plus-7 PPP) managed the Kansas City Royals to a second-place finish in the AL West behind the A’s. McKeon got his team to within 6 games of the defending champions, and that was by far the best effort by an AL skipper.

1973 NL MOTY: Sparky Anderson, Cincinnati

No manager of a winning team in the NL East finished with a positive PPP mark, so we have to look to the NL West here—and Sparky Anderson (plus-5 PPP) will win this award for the third time in four seasons. He guided the Reds to a 3.5-game edge over the Los Angeles Dodgers, who themselves got a plus-2 PPP effort from their manager. So, Cincinnati needed everything Sparky had to offer in order to win this one.