Shoeless Joe Jackson is serving a lifetime ban for being associated with seven of his other 1919 Chicago White Sox teammates. Jackson tried to plea that he did not bet on the 1919 World Series or throw the World Series (photo from baseballhistorycomesalive.com)

A’s Move to Las Vegas and Gambling Scandals in Major League Baseball

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Notwithstanding the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal with the use of technology during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Major League Baseball has a much larger history of gambling scandals, the most recent in the 1980s.

Pete Rose’s betting scandal is the only reason the man with 4,256 hits, more than any other player in history as well as another four batting records, is banned from baseball and his election into the Hall of Fame.

Another gambling-related scandal was the 1919 Black Sox Scandal, where eight members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds for money; gambling syndicate boss Arnold Rothstein led the fix.

Other gambling-relating incidents in Major League Baseball include the 1877 Louisville Grays scandal, a 1908 bribery attempt, the 1914 World Series “upset”, and suspicions in 1917-1918. Gambling has been in the DNA of America’s pastime.

1914-The Philadelphia Athletics franchise in the 1914 World Series, some of the A’s players may have been upset at their owner/manager Connie Mack, because he was a penny-pincher, and the rumor was that the A’s players did not play hard in coordination with heavy wagering against Philadelphia A’s placed by famous Broadway entertainer George M. Cohan who was a good friend of Connie Mack.

Did somebody say “collusion”? More recently and now, for over a decade, MLB has partnered with DraftKings North America. In 2012, President and co-founder of Draft Kings North America, Matt Kalish, said, “As we adapt and scale integrations within the constantly evolving sports landscape, MLB and DraftKings will again shape the future of fan engagement in baseball and beyond.”

Major League Baseball helped ignite the daily fantasy industry. Millions of fans bet on baseball. I do not. However, I know people (not baseball players) that are “into the fantasy baseball thing”. Nobody did more for popular gambling in sports than Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder.

He changed the perception of sports betting, which used to be limited to sleazy bookies. Snyder shared his knowledge on radio and television, and even newspapers. He would be The Gambling King of Vegas if he were alive today.

He died in Las Vegas in 1996 at the age of 78 years old. He died eight years after making controversial racist comments that damaged his reputation. Today, some of the big media that cover legalized gambling in sports: are ESPN Radio 24/7 Sports Coverage, Sports Grid Radio Network, Sports Gaming Info and Entertainment, ESPN New York 98.7, Fox Sports Radio, Sports Byline USA.

On October 10, 2022, Cumulus Radio in San Francisco 810AM (old KGO radio) launched The Bay Area First Sports Station Focused on Sports Betting. And, of course, all the commercials on network TV during televised sporting events.

The proposed new Athletics baseball park stadium is scheduled to inaugurate in 2028 in the Gambling Capital of the World. The location is at the southern end of The Strip, near the airport, which takes more sports bets (for all sporting events) than any other in the world.

Gambling is what’s in the blood veins of Las Vegas, Nevada. Will this move to Vegas finally get Pete Rose into Cooperstown? Stats: The new proposed A’s stadium in Las Vegas across from the MGM Grand is nine acres large and should have a half-retractable roof. Target Field in Minneapolis, the home of the Twins, is only 8.5. acres (smallest in MLB) and does not have a roof but a canopy above the top deck.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Oakland A’s lead play by play announcer on the A’s Spanish radio network 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and does News and Commentary podcasts Tuesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com