Category: MLB

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum: Did AASEG really miss a Coliseum payment? and City Council is asking “where’s the money”

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Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao announces an exclusive negotiating agreement to develop the Oakland Coliseum complex in Feb 2, 2023. Fast forward to Oct 2024 Oakland City Council Jannai Ramachandran is asking where are the AASEG payments are for the purchase of the Oakland Coliseum. Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle file photo

On the Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao this past week said that the missed payment on the Oakland Coliseum property payment by the African American Sports Entertainment Group would not trigger and budget contingencies.

#2 Oakland City Council member Jannai Ramachandran in a statement said the City has not received the $15 million payment for September from AASEG.

#3 Oakland and AASEG came to an agreement to sell the AASEG 50% of the Coliseum property meanwhile the Oakalnd A’s sold 50% of their half of the property. The cost to AASEG was $105 million for each of the 50% purchases.

#4 Ramachandran said that the people of Oakland need to know “where this money is and the impact on public safety.”

#5 Mayor Thao’s office said the money is track. Ray Bobbitt AASEG founder said that they have met all payments. The group has said it paid $15 million in September and is scheduled to make a $10 million payment in early October.

Daniel Dullum does the Sacramento A’s relocation podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Charlie Hustle should be in Cooperstown 

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Former Cincinnati Reds hitter Pete Rose at the bat against the Atlanta Braves on Aug 2, 1978 at Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta (AP file photo)

By Amaury Pi-González

When I first arrived in the United States as a young teen in 1961, I remember people saying, “In America, everybody deserves a second chance.” Well, Pete Rose, as a player, never got that chance by the MLB Hall of Fame.

Charlie Hustle was banned from baseball in 1989 for gambling on the Cincinnati Reds team he managed; that makes a lot of sense. As a manager, he made the moves; some of them could win a game, and some could not, but he had absolute control throughout any match. Common sense tells us that for baseball, it was correct to ban him for life as a manager. But as a player?

In the United States of America, even criminals, big-time felons, go to prison, serve their time, rehabilitate later, and join society again. Example: O.J Simpson, and we know that story.

As a player, Pete Rose is the all-time Hits King, with 4,256 hits. #2 in Ty Cobb, 4189 hits; if we used today’s standards, Ty Cobb should lead a new Hall of Fame, “The Racist Hall of Fame, and ‘trust me’ he will have competition, even managers.

Today, the Hall of Fame’s various committees elect participants other than recently retired players. The most active is the Veterans Committee. I hope that for the sake of the great game of baseball and future generations, Pete Rose could be elected to the Hall of Fame as a player. Why?

Because he was one of the best baseball players ever to wear a uniform. Whether or not you like his personality, you do not elect people for their personality flaws but for the merit of their performance. With 4,256 hits, who could argue with a career of such magnitude, especially during this time in baseball history when the average batting average in baseball is a paltry .240. I covered Pete Rose as a player, and he should be in the Hall of Fame. Period.

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

San Francisco Giants podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Posey Giants new President; Ex-catcher says changes on the way; Putila out as GM

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San Francisco Giants president Buster Posey (left) and Giants Chairman Greg Johnson (right) address the media at Posey introduction as new team president on Tue Oct 1, 2024 at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP News photo)

On the Giants podcast with Stephen Ruderman:

#1 Giants catcher Buster Posey said at his press conference when he was introduced as the team’s new president replacing Farhan Zaidi, that ultimately the team needs to hit and pitch better and that the margins were so small between winning and losing when your talking about the best players in the world.

#2 Posey who caught for San Francisco in all three World Series Championships was the leader of the team during those years knowing that how well does that fit in as a team president knowing what to look for on the field.

#3 Posey said that the decision making will be coming from a new general manager as far as delegating some of the on field strategy and decision that goes on on day to day operations.

#4 Posey said he wanted to be as useful as he can to the all people that he’s working with. Posey also said he didn’t want to feel like he’s the kind of leader where he’s constantly looking over somebody’s shoulder all the time.

#5 Giants general manager Pete Putila is out as GM and Posey said Putila will take a different role with the club and that the search for a new GM will start immediately.

Stephen Ruderman is a San Francisco Giants beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Tigers get all the runs they need in 2nd inning in 3-1 win; Royals Witt with RBI helps defeat O’s 1-0 in game 1; plus more Wild Card news

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Detroit Tigers starter Tarik Skubal (29) is stoked after striking out Houston Astros Yanier Diaz in the bottom of the sixth inning at the AL Wild Card Game in Minute Maid Field at Houston on Tue Oct 1, 2024 (AP News photo)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury, just wanted to ask you about the four MLB Wild Card games being played today and see if you can share your thoughts about today’s results. We’ll start with the Detroit Tigers who played the Houston Astros today at Minute Maid Field in the AL Wild Card game. Framber Valdez started for the Astros and Tigers did all the damage against Valdez in the top of the second inning scoring three runs coming away with a 3-1 win in game 1.

#2 The Royals and Orioles battled for the second AL Wild Card game at Camden Yards. The Royals came away with a 1-0 shutout to defeat the Orioles at Camden Yards. The Royals Bobby Witt has been doing it all season Tuesday he drove in the winning run and Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragan pitched six innings of shutout ball to close down the Orioles in game 1.

#3 The New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers might be a tight match at American Family Park in Milwaukee.

#4 The Atlanta Braves will be starting SJ Smith-Shawyer (0-0, 0.00) and the San Diego Padres will be starting Michael King (13-9, 2.95) Shawyer will be pitching against one of baseball’s best teams the San Diego Padres at Petco Park in San Diego.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Pete Rose podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: He was controversial, banned, all time hits leader, now belongs to the ages at 83

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Pete Rose in memorium 1941-2024 tribute dedication photo courtesy of the Cincinnati Reds

Pete Rose podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

Former Cincinnati Red Pete Rose a long time player and manager passed away on Monday at age 83. Rose had a fabulous career as a baseball player. Rose broke in in 1963 that’s 61 years ago. He holds the records for most hits ever.

He surpassed Ty Cobb for the most hits. He holds the record for a hitting streak at 44 games. He was know as Charlie Hustle. He’d give you 100%. He’s remembered for his collision with the late Cleveland Indians catcher Ray Fosse during the 1970 All Star Game.

I covered the Oakland A’s for many years and got to see Fosse who was an A’s broadcaster and never asked him about the collision with Rose and when I did get to ask him about it he would just simply say “that’s baseball” and “I was there to block the plate he had every right to crash into me.”

TMZ recently asked when they caught him on the street and asked him who was the best player not in the Hall of Fame right now. Rose said, “Joe Jackson” who was part of nine players who were accused of throwing the 1919 World Series. Although found not guilty of betting on the World Series by a jury MLB Commissioner at the time Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned Jackson and his teammates for life a ban that stands to this day. Rose is banned as well for life.

Jerry Feitelberg does baseball analysis at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants fire Zaidi replace him with Posey; Firing was a long anticipated event

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Buster Posey takes over as the San Francisco Giants new team president as on Mon Sep 30, 2024 replacing former Giants president Farhan Zaidi (photo from mlb.com)

By Lewis Rubman and Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–After six seasons the San Francisco Giants have moved on from team president Farhan Zaidi and have replaced him with former Giants catcher and part owner Buster Posey. Zaidi had one more year left on his guaranteed contract as the Giants missed going to the playoffs for the third straight year.

The Giants who completed their regular season finished two games below .500 at 80-82 and were 453-417 during Zaidi’s six year tenure. Under Zaidi the Giants had one winning year. Zaidi had hired former Giants manager Gabe Kapler who was later fired after the 2023 season. It was under Kapler the Giants had that one winning season in 2021 when San Francisco won 107 games.

The firing on Monday marks the second big firing the Giants have made after Kapler now Zaidi being the second. Zaidi was mentioned by critics as someone the Giants should have let go with Kapler after the 2023 season. The Giants hiring of Bob Melvin for the 2024 season was a positive and gave Zaidi one last chance to steer the club to a winning season which it failed to do.

Beginning and during the 2024 season under Zaidi the Giants spent over$320 million on signing free agents Jung Hoo Lee, Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, Jorge Soler, Jordan Hicks and Tom Murphy. The Giants also added Robbie Ray to their pitching core signing a player that wouldn’t be available until July for another $74 million. The Giants were hoping the moves would pay off as they also gave up two draft picks, it didn’t they ended up going over the luxury tax for the first time since 2017.

Posey was instrumental in getting Chapman signed on Sep 5th to a six year $151 million contract that will keep Chapman in San Francisco through 2030. After the Chapman signing some in the media said that Posey would be a good fit for team president to replace Zaidi. Posey was also instrumental in helping those World Series teams win during his time as catcher and he might be able to get the Giants to the post season under his presidency.

Giants general manager Peter Putila someone no one ever really mentions in the press about what his role was in the Zaidi firing as of now still remains team general manager.

Lewis Rubman and Stephen Ruderman are both Giants beat writers at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: End of an Era-I feel I was Evicted

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Oakland A’s Spanish radio announcers left to right Manolo Hernandez-Douen, Jose Orellana (engineer), and Amaury Pi Gonzalez at the last MLB game ever played at the Oakland Coliseum between the Oakland A’s and Texas Rangers on Thu Sep 26, 2024 (photo furnished by the author Amaury Pi Gonzalez)

End of an Era -I feel I was Evicted

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

OAKLAND–It ended on a Sunday afternoon in Seattle, the Oakland A’s run since 1968. The Seattle Mariners beat the Oakland A’s (last time we can say Oakland A’s): Seattle 6, Oakland 4. It has been an emotional hangover for most of us who worked at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

I do feel like I have been “evicted” for no fault of my own, and I know many feel the same way. I have been there from the Charlie O Finley ownership[ days to Joh Fisher’s days}. I met Mr. Finley, but never A’s owner Mr. Fisher.

I started broadcasting Major League Baseball at old Box 19, a broadcast booth at the Oakland Coliseum, in 1978. It has been a long time since then. In 1978, the NY Yankees beat the LA Dodgers in the World Series, and Bucky Dent was the MVP.

The highest-paid player in 1978 was third baseman Mike Schmidt of the Philadelphia Phillies, who earned $560,000.The US turned the Panamá Canal to Panamá. Louise Brown became the first human born from in vitro fertilization, and the average gas price in the United States was .70 cents per gallon.

But back to the Oakland Coliseum. A’s Manager Mark Kotsay and his players were a “class act” playing during a difficult season, not because they were trying not to finish last, they did not. They looked like a team that could be a .500 team starting next season, but because of all the circumstances with the team moving to Las Vegas, with an expected stop in Sacramento.

This time in history is not like it was back in 1978 when everybody got their news from three television Networks and a couple of local stations (no 500-plus cable channels like today). In the Bay Area, the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner, Oakland Tribune, and San José Mercury News were mostly our daily sources of information. That was when people actually read whole newspaper articles, not just a big-fat headline on YouTube.

Today, everybody has a cell phone in their pockets (including the players), and rumors, fake news, and innuendo move faster than the wind at old Candlestick Park in San Francisco during batting practice around 5 PM. As I remember, this includes the games during the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989.

I do not have an exact count of the many days, afternoons, and nights that I spend at the Oakland Coliseum, but I have called it “my second home” since the 1970s in the business. I not only called games on the radio but also covered games. In the 1980s, I broadcast games for Telemundo CH 48 San José, which was first a tiny station but is now part of NBC Universal.

No matter how you analyze the Oakland Athletics story, it is sad, and I, for one, feel like I was evicted from the Coliseum.

Adiós al Coliseo y todas las memorias.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary podcasts Tuesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants Pecked and Beaten by the Cardinals 6-1 in the Final game of the season; lose series (2-1), finish two games below  .500 in contest #162

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San Francisco Giants starter Hayden Birdsong was dealing early in the game keeping the St Louis Cardinals off balance striking out 11 hitters. Things fell apart in the top of the fifth when Birdsong had left and gave up three unearned runs. (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The San Francisco Giants (80-82) finished the 2024 season on a sour note, by losing the last game 6-1 and series (2-1) of the year to the St. Louis Cardinals (83-79) in front of 32, 248 disappointed fans, Sunday Afternoon by the Bay at Oracle Park.

On a Noon start time and a pleasant 62 degrees in the City. the Giants were aiming to win the series and achieve the safe .500 status. However, the 6-1 loss put their record to two games below .500. at 80-82, instead of 81-81.

“Regardless of what our record was, it would have been disappointing, based on what we felt the team was all about at the beginning of the season.” Stated Giants Manager Bob Melvin about not reaching .500. “Either if it were 81-81 or 80-82 it still was not going to feel much better, regardless.”

The game itself got off to a slow start, as no one scored until the third inning. Unfortunately that happened to be the road team from the Midwest. The Cardinals went up 1-0 off the bat of second baseman Brendan Donovan, as he belted a solo home run to right field, near McCovey Cove.

Two innings later, Donovan was at it again as a run producer. This at bat he hit an RBI single, scoring shortstop Thomas Saggese. The Cardinals temporarily led 2-0. Then left fielder Alec Burleson duplicated the previous feat with his own RBI single. He plated Pedro Peges, putting them up 3-0 after 5 innings of play.

In the top of the sixth stanza, St. Louis decided to double their score, while still simultaneously shutting out the Giants. Third baseman Jose Fermin continued the RBI single barrage by knocking in outfielder Michael Siani, expanding the lead to four.

Burleson repeated his last plate appearance with–you guessed it–another RBI single; however, this line drive scored two runners (Jordan Walker & Fermin). The Birds from the LOU were up a whopping 6-0 at that juncture of the game.

The Giants did show enough pride to prevent an embarrassing shutout at the Oracle Park Finale in the bottom of the seventh inning, second baseman Brett Wisely was on the other end of the ever so common RBI single. His hit brought in infielder Casey Schmitt, eliminating the Goose Egg the Giants were facing as season’s end.

After seven innings, San Francisco was finally on the scoreboard and had two innings to mount a dramatic final comeback. That did not come to fruition, so the Giants had to settle for a 6-1 loss, and the distinction of finishing the season below the magic .550 line. This imaginary line delineates a winning or non-winning season in all sports.

That’s a WRAP for the 2024 MLB season for the two Bay Area teams. In the 2025 season, the Giants will have the nine county region all to themselves, as the the now former cross-Bay neighboring Oakland Athletics, will be relocating to the State Capital city of Sacramento, with the final destination being in Las Vegas in 2028 with their former roommate, the Raiders.

Oakland era of the A’s closes with 6-4 loss at Seattle

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Last time anyone will ever see the Oakland A’s on deck circle which was used against the Seattle Mariners at T Mobile Park in Seattle on the very last day of the season Sun Sep 29, 2024 as the A’s will depart for Sacramento for the 2025 season going forward (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Sunday, September 29, 2024

For the final time, the name “Oakland” appeared on the visiting uniform of the Athletics Sunday at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. The A’s lost the 2024 season finale 6-4 to the Mariners.

For the next three seasons, the Athletics will only be identified with their nickname as they play at their temporary home, Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. The A’s finished their final season in the East Bay 69-93.

A charter member of the American League, the Athletics called Philadelphia home from 1901-1954. They resided in Kansas City from 1955-67 before owner Charles O. Finley moved the A’s to Oakland in 1968.

Mariners starter Logan Gilbert (9-12) was perfect for 5 2/3 innings, and Cal Raleigh belted a two-run home run to spark the Mariners’ victory. Gilbert struck out seven while ending the season with 208 2/3 innings to lead all of MLB – the first Seattle pitcher to do so.

Raleigh’s homer capped a four-run Mariners rally in the fifth inning, giving him 93 for his career – the most by a cancer in their first four seasons. He passed Mike Piazza on the list, and finished the season with 100 runs batted in – the first Seattle catcher to reach that plateau.

Justin Turner had a two-run single for Seattle and teammates Victor Robles and Julio Rodríguez added RBI base hits, as the Mariners finished 85-77.

Oakland starter Mitch Spence (8-10) gave up all six runs on seven hits while striking out five without a walk. Joe Boyle and Kyle Muller combined to throw 3 2/3 shutout innings in relief.

Tyler Nevin’s two-run double in the seventh put the A’s on the board, and Darell Hernaiz had a two-run double for Oakland in the top of the ninth.

There was a contingent of A’s fans who were part of the announced attendance of 42,177, often chanting “Let’s Go Oakland.” Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson threw the ceremonial first pitch wearing a half-A’s/half-Mariners jersey – Henderson spent most of his career with the A’s and played part of 2000 with Seattle.

San Francisco Giants and Oakland A’s 2024 season wrap up with Stephen Ruderman

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Former San Francisco Giants Jorge Soler who was dealt to the Atlanta Braves during the 2024 season. Was his leaving San Francisco something that impacted the Giants line up? (AP News photo)

On the San Francisco Giants and Oakland A’s 2024 season wrap up with Stephen Ruderman:

San Francisco Giants: After a mediocre 2024 season it’s the hope for the San Francisco Giants that they’ll be better. The status regarding Giants team president Farhan Zaidi is yet to be determined and most likely it will be figured Monday. Zaidi was signed to an extension last season but he’s been very much been on the hot seat this season.

The Giants didn’t want him to be a lame duck, they didn’t want him to negotiate with free agents and the Giants have failed to make the playoffs and they failed to finish over .500 finishing 2024 80-82 losing their last game of the season on Sunday 6-1.

Farhan is a very smart guy he had his weird successes he started in 2019-2022. He’s had a hard time managing the day to day operations he’s a new age guy and you don’t let the new age guys run the show and hopefully that will be announced on Monday.

Sacramento A’s: Regarding the A’s move to Sacramento an artificial turf expert said went on Friday’s show and said temperatures can range from 160-180 degrees on the field at Sutter Health Park. Now the Players Association they cannot veto the Sacramento move.

However, the MLBPA to the conditions and they could kind of defacto veto it and not agree to the conditions. The way it’s set up the players will not be able to play on natural grass. One rumor is that the Giants minor league team the Rivercats would go to Fresno but good luck with that and they would have to put artificial turf in Fresno.

Stephen Ruderman covered San Francisco Giants and Oakland A’s baseball at http://www.sportsradioservice.com