How do you rate the A's?

The Oakland A's have qualified for their third consecutive World Series, prompting discussion about how they compare to other outstanding teams in baseball history. We'd like to limit that debate to the best teams of the past two decades and have come up with five candidates. The lineup:

1. The Baltimore Orioles of 1969, '70 and '71, led by Frank and Brooks Robinson.

2. The Oakland A's of 1972, '73, '74, led by Catfish Hunter and Rollie Fingers.

3. The Cincinnati Reds of 1975, '76, led by Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan.

4. The New York Yankees of 1976, '77, '78, led by Reggie Jackson and Thurman Munson.

5. The Oakland A's of 1988, '89, '90, led by Dave Stewart and Jose Canseco.

Each of those clubs, with the exception of the Reds, made three World Series appearances in a row, and the Big Red Machine of '75-'76 won back-to-back championships.

We'd like to know which team you rate the best.

To register your opinion, call SUNDIAL at 783-1800 (or 268-7736 in Anne Arundel County) today until midnight. After you hear the greeting, you'll be asked to punch in a four-digit code on your touch-tone phone. Punch 4600 and you'll be connected with "It's Your Call," The Evening Sun's phone survey on topical issues.

"It's Your Call" represents a sampling of opinions from certain segments of the community, but it is not balanced demographically, as would be done in a scientific public opinion poll. Look for the results in Monday's Evening Sun.