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by Amaury Pi Gonzalez
AP photo: A’s second baseman Marcus Semien takes high throw as SF Giants Angel Pagan slides safely
SCOTTSDALE AZ–On a bright and sunny day with 86 degrees in the Valley of the Sun, and inside Scottsdale Stadium, spring training home of the Giants, I left the secure and sterile press box setting to walk among the fans, 12,095, who watched a very poor appearance by the Giants Madison Bumrgarner. The Giants #1 hurler pitched 2 2/3, gave up seven hits five earned runs and struck out four Athletics. Billy Butler hit his firs home run of the spring. For the Athletics starter Felix Doubront completed four innings gave up one run on five hits, walked one and struck out two Giants, his ERA is 3.00. Bumgarder said: “It felt even better than I expected”, but also and about his lack of command “My delivery was terrible”. He expects to be much sharper for Opening Day.
Every year coming here (and for me it has been around 30 years)I used to come here when they were 5 teams, now a total of 15 train here,all within 45 minutes of each other. One of the things I have done each year, is leave the press box and walk around the fans, talk baseball. listed to them. Let’s face it, these games final score doesn’t mean much. This was predominantly a Giants attendance, as it should be at their home field, but many fans were seen wearing the A’s green and yellow.
Anthony Molina is from San Mateo, and a Giants fan and was telling me: “I think we are the best team in our division, I do not think the Dodgers can survive losing Greinke” and he is probably correct, when I asked him what was the key for the Giants this year(his opinion) “I think we have the pitching and Bochy knows what he is doing…I am a little worried about the hitting, hopefully Pence can have a great year and you know, with Posey and Belt..I hope we score enough runs”. Bob Eisele told me he was from Salinas, and a huge Giants fan, and he has been coming to spring training with his wife Alma for, like ten years now “We are going all the way again, this is our year again, this guy on the mound Bumgarner is our man he is going to win twenty games and take us to the World Series again”. Wearing an A’s hat was Robert Rosillo, from Milpitas “Man, I don’t know what to expect this year, you know we trade all our good players, but I think we are going to better, last year from the beginning our bullpen let us down, let’s hope is better this time.”
Close to the fair post in left field there were about five young men drinking beer with Giants caps on, one had a Lincecum jersey on, I asked him are you a big Lincecum fan? “Yes, I wish they would have kept him, I like to have seen him retired with the Giants….I mean he won two Cy Young man, he has thrown no-hitters, he was one of our best pitchers ever, but that’s life, nothing I can do” one of his buddies followed saying “Nah, we didn’t needed Timmy, we are fine, I wish him the best it was time for him to go -you know what I mean- yes, like he says he was good but now he might just be a reliever, maybe”
If you ever walked this stadium behind the outfield it is a perennial party, beer, hot dogs, wine, you name it is on the air and everybody standing up(many with their backs to the game)actually not watching the game at all), it is by far behind the bleachers and in the grass a social event, but all in good fun. Back in the 1980’s when Billy Martin was managing the A’s you could drive or fly here and get a hotel anytime, but today, you must make reservations no later than January.
CACTUS NOTES: Albert Pujols hit two tremendous home runs(now has three)in the game today against the Milwaukee Brewers, he hit 40 in 2015 and when I spoke with him recently he told me he feels fine, and totally recuperated from foot surgery this winter, he is 36 years old and his son A.J(14)was with uniform shagging fly balls during practice prior to a game at Tempe Diablo Stadium…The company I keep? Jose Mota is my broadcast partner for the games of the LA Angels on Fox Sports West TV/Fox Deportes, Jose is working the World Baseball Classic Qualifying round at Rod Carew Stadium in Panama City, Panama….Manolo Hernandez-Douen, my partner at Oakland with the Oakland A’s Spanish Radio Network is now the Vice President of the BBWAA(Baseball Writers Association of America)Bay Area chapter, and according to their bylaws he will serve as President in 2017.
Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for the Oakland A’s and does News and Commentary for http://www.sportsradioservice.com
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