Category: MLB

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Belmont Stakes one of the very few sports live; MLB negotiations

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Tap with jockey John Valazquez is a favorite to win 6-1 in the Belmont Stakes this Saturday at American Grade Stakes Race (AP file photo)

On Headline Sports pod with London:

#1 London one of the very few sports that are live and with little doubt draw millions of fans who are starved for sports action of any kind the Belmont Stakes this Saturday the first of the Triple Crown races.

#2 The Belmont normally is the third race of the Triple Crown behind the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. The other differences in the Belmont as expected no spectators and the length will be 1 1/8 miles instead of the traditional 1 1/2 miles.

#3 Somewhere between 60-70 games the haggling continues with the MLB and the players union, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred proposed 60 games with full prorated pay to MLB players rep Tony Clark and the union has come back saying 70 games and they would have a deal.

#4 MLB also wants to have expanded playoffs with an extra round also with sponsors on the jerseys. These changes although nothing is officially announced are expected to be permanent to help raise revenue.

#5 Some of the NBA players are questioning if coming back is the right thing to do and not because of Coronavirus issues but is it the right thing to do with such racial strife happening in the US?

London joins Sportstalk each Friday for Headline Sports at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: MLB Players Proposed 70 games instead of 60

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MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred proposed a 60 game schedule and the players union is asking for 70 games the baseball is in the owner’s court now as the players wait for MLB’s decison (New York Times file photo)

MLB Players Proposed 70 games instead of 60

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

A day after the owners proposed a 60 game season beginning July 19 and ending September 29, the players union today made a counter-proposal according to ESPN this is what it calls for:

-70 game season from July 19 to September 30. -$50 million in playoff bonuses -50/50 split of new postseason TV revenues in 2021 -Universal DH -Forgiveness of salary advance for Tier I-III players -Mutual waiver of grievance

This should probably fly, but with these two sides never bet anything.

Stay well and stay tuned.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for the Oakland A’s on 1010 KIQI San Francisco and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: MLB proposal 60 games full prorated salaries; Dr.Fauci-second wave fears MLB should end post season by Sep 30th

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Baseball America file photo: MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred (left) and MLB Players Representative Tony Clark (right) in 2017 at the World Baseball Classic sat down on Wednesday to discuss starting the MLB season in July sources report there is progress

On Headlines with Jerry F:

#1 Jerry Dr. Anthony Fauci said that baseball should wrap up it’s playoff season meaning the World Series by the end of September to avoid the coming second wave in the cold months.

#2 Dr. Fauci in an interview with the Los Angeles Times said he would end the season in September during the core summer months and avoid the cold months of October when temps can get down to the low 30s in some parts of the US and the flu season is back. Fauci felt the fall is the most vulnerable time for Covid-19.

#3 Baseball is at the tipping point and negotiations between the MLB players union and MLB are starting to show progress according to reports on Wednesday between the two sides. As MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and Union Chief Tony Clark said one on one to iron out roadblocks to get the season started.

#4 One of those roadblocks is prorated play. The owners last offer a 70 plus game schedule at reduced pay for the players that was rejected by the union. In talks with Manfred and Clark on Wednesday the l proposal salaries will be at the full prorated pay and a 60 game schedule starting July 19th. Sources say they had a serious talk about expanded post season play.

#5 Clark and Manfred know there is really not much choice don’t play you already have a dwindling fan base you could lose more than 50% of your fans or play July through September and try to win more fans over. Choosing to play is really the only choice now.

Jerry joins Headline Sports each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: MLB 60 Game Proposal Looking Good

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yahoo.sports.com file photo: MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred (left) and MLB Players Association Rep Tony Clark (right) met for a one on one discussion to bring baseball back on Wednesday

MLB; 60 game Proposal looks Promising

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

After Commissioner Fred Mandfred for the owners and Tony Clark,representing the players Union met in Arizona on Tuesday.

“The owners are 100% committed to getting baseball back on the field,’’ Manfred says.

Says Clark: “The players want to play.’’

The new proposal is from the MLB/owners going to the MLPA/players, is to play a 60-game season in 70 days with prorated salary to the players and an extended playoff. The season would begin,(if this is approved) around July 19.

So far, looks like booth sides are in agreement (at least)to formally submitting this for an approval or rejection.

So if you are exhausted about this, that is normal, but this story, even if they play, would not end, because we have an unpredictable Pandemic going on, and at the end, that might be the “wild card” with cases currently spiking all around the country.

Stay well and stay tuned.

Amaury is the Spanish radio voice for the Oakland A’s on 1010 KIQI San Francisco and does News and Commentary weekly at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: Manfred puts doubt on baseball’s return; The latest on the season shortened or put off

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MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred now says that baseball might not return at all after the owners have offered a 50 game season to the players which was rejected (yardbarker.com file photo)

On That’s Amaury’s podcast:

#1 How huge is it that baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred would say that he’s not sure if there will even be a baseball season in 2020?

#2 Supposing baseball is canceled for the 2o20 season will the damage be as bad as it was like the strike shorten 1994 season?

#3 Owners want to limit the salaries they pay and the players are looking for a full prorated pay, if this negotiating to get the ball rolling by mid July is a sampling of whats to come in next season’s collective bargaining you could be assured the game is in danger.

#4 Rob Manfred is known as a Commissioner who likes a challenge and taking on the players union head on in a situation like this will get the idea across and is known for his attack dog style.

Join Amaury Pi Gonzalez each week for That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: MLB Commissioner Not Sure of a Season

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Major League Baseball Players Association representative Tony Clark said the latest offer from the owners of 72 games and cuts in player salaries was unacceptable on Sunday (USA Today file photo)

MLB Commissioner: Not Sure of a Season

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

Last week Commissioner Rob Manfred said “100 percent is going to be a season”. Today after his weekly conference call with the 30 owners said he was “not very sure we will have a season”. According to Manfred the league doesn’t want to open a season with the risk that the union could file multi-billion dollar grievance saying that MLB did not act in good faith to play as many games as possible this year. With the Covid-19 situation players could choose not to report for work.

The Commissioner lacks the ownership votes to open the season. MLB/owners after they rejected the 72-game proposal by the MLPA this past weekend, and after the union told the owners they are “done” negotiating, and told them to “go and set a schedule”, the players now do not seem to want to go any further.

This is what the Commissioner told ESPN today. “I had been hopeful that once we got to common ground on the idea that we were going to pay the players full prorated salary that we would get some cooperation in terms of proceeding under the agreement that we negotiated with the MLBPA on March 26th. Unfortunately, over the weekend, while Tony Clark was declaring his desire to get back to work, the union’s top lawyer was out telling reporters, players and eventually getting back to owners that as soon as we issued a schedule — as they requested — they intended to file a grievance claiming they were entitled to an additional billion dollars. Obviously, that sort of bad-faith tactic makes it extremely difficult to move forward in these circumstances.”

Commentary: Many epitaphs will be written about MLB 2020, I believe it will be remembered as the weird year where greed killed the game, suicide by the numbers. Nobody was arguing about a $15 per-hour salary here, in a game where the owners can make billions in television deals and a rookie makes around $563,500 per-season, and the rest of the country is struggling in many ways with 30-40 million unemployed, many will lose their jobs and businesses forever, this was as ridiculous as it could get.

Unless there are last second surprise(s), the great Lon Simmons would say today about the 2020 season: “Tell it goodbye!”

Stay well and stay tuned.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for A’s baseball on the A’s Spanish radio flagship station 1010 KIQI San Francisco and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Daniel Dullum: Review of the A’s-Giants draft picks; Dr. Fauci supports NBA’s 22 team restart program; plus more

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Oakland A’s top 2020 draft prospect Tyler Soderstrom is part of Daniel’s podcast discussion for the A’s selections this week (KCRA 3 still image)

Daniel on Headlines:

1 A’s, Giants 2020 draft with five selections instead of 40

2 Dr. Fauci backs NBA’s 22-team restart plan, which has Finals ending on Oct. 13

3 The latest on MLB, players negotiations

4 MLB lands billion-dollar deal with Turner Sports includes one LCS

5 TV money gives NFL a leg up if fans can’t attend games

Daniel does Headlines each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: MLB Players Reject Proposal – It’s Manfred’s Time!

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MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and the owners 72 game proposal was rejected by the players as the odds of a 50 game season is the most likely scenario (AP photo)

MLB: Players Reject Proposal – It’s Manfred’s Time!

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Major League Players Union rejected the latest proposal by the MLB owners from yesterday this afternoon which called for a 72-game season at 70 percent pay with a chance to get is as high as 83 percent of their pay if postseason is concluded.

Players told MLB/Commissioner Rob Manfred today to set-up the schedule. This more than likely would mean the 48 to 50 games “season”that I have written about recently on this site. When Manfred said recently he guaranteed 100 percent a season, he was talking about this last resort of around 50 games.

When people don’t talk to each other, things do not work out the way they should through these “negotiations” both sides owners and players have just shot down each others proposals. With such quick response from the players it is obvious that each side mistrusts each of other rules the day. As expected the MLPA rejected it.

There are reports they even have shut down their Zoom accounts. Zoom is a video-audio-conferee chat (not in person) platform where it allows people to communicate from different locations.

As mentioned before, Commissioner Rob Manfred, who recently guaranteed there will be a season, can set a schedule and by decree the power to start the season. Not only the economic, health and security of the players are at risk but the whole 2020 season.

The Commissioner is very close to doing a”Pontius Pilate” washing his hands from this mess and ordering a 48 to 50 games season, that’s very possible scenario (the last one left) then the MLPA can file grievance. Players might not even show up in that case, the cloud of health and security for them is paramount since after all we still are inside a Pandemic.

Remember the owners do not take the field and are not under the same danger of contracting Covid-19 as the players. So we have to be fair here, in this cold war called baseball.

If Manfred orders 48-50 games: There are at least six owners that prefer not to play at all this year. That has a lot to do with the Commissioner selecting the last option of 50 games,the smallest amount, so players get paid less.The players feel betrayed and see the owners trying to pay them less and therefore not abiding by the March 26 agreement.

The Commissioner is chosen by a vote of the owners of the teams. Rob Manfred assumed office on January 25, 2015. This by far has been the biggest challenge for Mr.Manfred who is the CEO of baseball and rules over all the important things in the game.

Like any Commissioner he would like to leave a good legacy someday and I am sure the year 2020 was not what he had envisioned. Not to mention there is a collective bargaining agreement expiring after the 2021 season. But to be fair to the Commissioner had anybody alive in this world could have predicted this 2020 so far?? I do not think so, unless Nostradamus just resuscitated and was back in business.

Stay well and stay tuned.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the play by play talent for Oakland A’s radio at 1010 KIQI San Francisco and does News and Commentary on http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Headline Sports podcast with Michael Duca: A’s and Giants strengthen their catching positions in draft

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Former North Carolina catcher Patrick Bailey joins the Giants as their top pick in the draft on Wednesday (si.com file photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Michael:

#1 Michael how surprised were that the Giants drafted a catcher in Patrick Bailey when they have catcher Joey Bart waiting in the wings to come up to the show soon. Is Bailey someone who is regarded to be a compliment for the future or what does his acquisition mean for Bart.

#2 Bailey can swing for the fences .302, 29 home runs, with a .411 on base percentage, slugging average .568 slugging average in 578 at bats he’s got a great resume.

#3 Taking a look at the Oakland A’s they drafted catcher Tyler Soderstrom on Wednesday, Soderstrom hit .357 hit a homer in five games just before his senior season that got shutdown by the Virus crisis. In Soderstrom’s junior year hit .450 with four home runs.

#4 Sodertstrom is the 26th pick in the draft, Kevin Mello the A’s scout from Northern California said Sodertstrom has a very good chance to be very, very good.

#5 Michael talk about Petaluma native Spencer Torkelson who was selected as the overall first round pick by Detroit Tigers hit .337 at Arizona State University last season. How important is this selection for the Tigers.

Michael Duca does Headline Sports podcasts every other Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: MLB Commissioner “100 percent” There Will Be A Season

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Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer who sits on the Major League Players Association negotiating board said the owners proposal to cut players salaries a second time and order to play 50 or less games is unacceptable (msn.com file photo)

MLB Commissioner “100 percent”There Will Be A Season

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

During an interview with the MLB Network and also with ESPN, Commissioner Rob Manfred said is “100 percent” that a 2020 season will take place.

1-What he said: He hopes a settlement between both sides, owners and players union is reached.

2-How: Under the current rules. He would mandate a structure of the season, if both sides cannot come to an agreement. The March 26 accord gives the Commissioner the power to implement a season as long as the negotiations are in “good faith * The “good faith”part is a matter of interpretation, both sides alleged they’re negotiating in good faith.

3-Bottom Line: If these negotiations cannot come to a conclusion with an amicable agreement Manfred would implement a regular season of 48 to 50 games.

On Tuesday: The players union responded to MLB/owners plan with an 89 game season of their own. But an executive from the owners was quoted as saying “We’re nowhere” -after the players proposal was submitted. This season-proposal would have run from July 10 to October 11 with postseason into November. But MLB wants to avoid this, because(potential second COVID-19 wave)as well as new broadcast deals. Included was a $5 million fund for minor leagues players and social justice organizations.

Conclusion: Commissioner Rob Manfred is fighting the clock, if both sides run the clock and do not come to an agreement, the only feasible solution for a “season”will be for him to implement the 48 to 50 games option. Considering we are close to the middle of June(this was the time for Spring Training part two) and for season to begin on July 4, but this is now out of the question.

Stay well and stay tuned.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Museum and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com