Former Oakland A’s president David Kaval in 2016 touted how the A’s would build a new ballpark at Howard Terminal near Jack London Square in Oakland. In 2023 Kaval announced the team would move to Las Vegas and later resigned his position with the A’s. ( photo from Forbes)

A’s Pouring Cement in Las Vegas as the Betrayal continues

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

For Oakland A’s fans, this pouring of cement at their under-construction new location in Las Vegas feels like the Mafia burying them in cement. In my opinion, a relocation that did not have to happen. The Oakland media market is ranked in the Top 10 US markets by Nielsen ratings, while Las Vegas, Nevada, is ranked 40th.

In baseball terms, that is like comparing a .330 hitter in Oakland to a .220 hitter in Las Vegas. But…no problem, “pour more cement” says one guy smoking a Havana at the Tropicana location.. In the late 1950s, Brooklyn Dodgers fans felt a sense of abandonment and loss when they moved to Los Angeles, much as New York Giants fans felt heartbroken and betrayed when they moved to San Francisco in 1958.

The story of the Oakland A’s is in some way similar to that of the two New York teams. Especially because the Dodgers and Giants left New York primarily because of a stadium situation. In New York, with the city planner Robert Moses, plus also financial opportunities in untapped markets in California.

The difference is that California was indeed a huge untapped market for Major League Baseball, offering a great opportunity for these teams. Does anybody believe Las Vegas is like Los Angeles or Oakland-San Francisco? In mid-November 2016, the Oakland A’s named Dave Kaval President of the Oakland Athletics. Kaval would come into our Spanish radio booth at the Oakland Coliseum and talk about the new ballpark for the A’s in Oakland, although he did not speak Spanish, we translated very clear and remember when Kaval would tell us/radio audience: “the new A’s park would be next to the bay, a beautiful setting, just like the Giants across the bay.”

He visited many times to “update us” on the new A’s Oakland ballpark; he spoke of it ad nauseam. A good friend who is a huge baseball fan described Mr Kaval to me simply like this: “he is a weasel”. Before 1958, California had several professional minor league baseball teams, such as the San Francisco Seals in the PCL, where young players like Joe DiMaggio and his brother, Vin DiMaggio, played.

Also, here in California, the great Ted Williams played professional baseball years before the Dodgers and Giants arrived in the Golden State. The Hollywood Stars were a rival of the LA Angels. My father-in-law, (Joe)Clardy, played in the early 1950s for the Las Vegas Wranglers.. which was the only professional baseball team in Las Vegas.

The SF Giants released a statement after the A’s relocation to Las Vegas was announced, calling the move a “loss for all baseball fans” The team acknowledged the A’s as a “big part of Bay Area baseball history” and expressed sadness over the potential departure of their East Bay rivals.

Well, the San Francisco Giants were among all the 30 teams that voted to have the A’s leave Oakland. Like the famous line from The Godfather is ‘It’s not personal. It’s strictly business,” delivered by Michael Corleone and also by Salvatore Tessio.

Note: Currently, the smallest Major League Baseball stadium is Progressive Field in Cleveland with a capacity of 34,830. A’s in Las Vegas is projected to have 33,000 seats, making it the smallest in MLB. It took three months to film the movie “Viva Las Vegas” with Elvis, which also featured some scenes at The Tropicana.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.

While in the Bay Area, great food and great prices. 998cuba.com