Sergio Varona standing behind Evelio A. Mendoza and Amaury Pi-González Oakland A’s KNTA 1430AM Radio. That year broadcast 120 games in Spanish. (photo from Amaury Pi Gonzalez)

A Cuban Legend joined our broadcast

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

Sergio Varona, born in Cuba, who settled in San Francisco, California, and was the sports editor for El Bohemio News, a weekly Spanish newspaper in San Francisco joined the Oakland A’s Spanish radio broadcast in the mid 1980s, bringing a lot of his knowledge in professional baseball.

Varona was a manager for the Cuban National Baseball team when they won the world cup of Baseball and also a manager for the professional baseball team “Alacranes de Almendares” in the 1950s a team in which Bob Allison, Tommy LaSorda, Sandy Amorós and other major leaguers played during the famous Winter League in Cuba.

Everyone who knew Sergio missed him very much; he passed in 2015 in Pembroke Pines, (Miami area) Florida. Sergio Varona also received the Salón de la Fama del Deporte Cubano (Cuban Sports Hall of Fame) and received an award for “Periodismo”, Journalism.

During our broadcast, Sergio was like “a second manager,” but in our booth. He brought a totally different angle to the games as his commentary was a well-seasoned professional opinion of the game as it was played, that day. He would never scream or root for the A’s on the air, he was the consummate professional and analyst, straightforward and honest with everybody.

Sergio Varona was a good close friend of Bill Rigney, another lifelong baseball man who played in the majors with the New York Giants from 1946 to 1953 and later managed in the major for 18 years for the NY and SF Giants, LA and CA Angels and Minnesota Twins. Rigney for a time was also doing commentary working for the Oakland A’s radio and television.

Varona and Rigney would talk strategy prior or after and it was priceless, just to listen, because these guys played and managed at the professional level, something that not many broadcast teams are privileged to have on board today. Also, unlike today, at that time very seldom an ex player of ex manager was hired to do commentary on the air.

Varona was only available for our weekend broadcast, Saturday and Sundays, but he left a mark with his commentary. People would call the station and asked questions, (Ask Sergio). I would gather those questions and would ask him during the live broadcast. I would give the name, where they lived , and then read the question.. Sergio would answer the question, live on the air. Questions were received by mail or folks called them in.

The games were on KNTA Radio 1430AM Santa Clara, Gene Hogan was the General Manager. We called 120 A’s games, all home and the most of the road games . The road games were recreated from the studio in front of a television monitor, with the consent of the A’s TV broadcast.

Sergio Varona was full of knowledge and insight and shared that knowledge and insight with yours truly. Muchas Gracias Sergio.