Category: Oakland Athletics

New Oakland Athletics President Dave Kaval holds his first open office hours, speaking to Saint Mary’s College sophomores Michael Doran, left, and Ryan Mitchell, center, both 19 and longtime A’s fans, at the Oakland Coliseum on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Janie McCauley)

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

OAKLAND–About 15,000 people attended the Oakland Athletics 2017 Fan fest this past Sunday which is approximately the average crowd they have drawn during a whole season for the past few years.

As Vice President of The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame, I attended the Fan Fest and had a tent/booth for the museum. We were right next to another non-profit, Tony LaRussa’s ARF(Animal Rescue Foundation) fun fact LaRussa and I are born on the same exact date and year.  As every year, at this time I met and chatted with many many folks, including those that listen to A’s Spanish radio. Many of the questions for the new A’s President were the ones that I heard from the fans.

Mr. Kaval came to our tent/booth at the Fan Fest and I had a chance of doing an informal interview.

Q; What do you think of the crowd?

Kaval: “Great, a great crowd on a beautiful day”.

Q: Many fans asked me about what is the news of a new ballpark for the A’s?

Kaval: We will know soon and make an announcement, we are considering different sites”.

Q: Why not the same Coliseum, it has great accessibility, BART on the east side of the Coliseum and Highway 880 on the west side, why not building a new park right there?

Kaval: “That is a possibility, especially if the Raiders (who we want to stay at Oakland) it’s a good thing to have the Raiders stay but if they happen to leave, maybe that area could be turned into a new ballpark for the Athletics”.

Q: The situation about players staying with the A’s is always a case for all fans, many asked me that although they like the A’s it is tough because they trade all the good players.

Kaval: “Well, if we build a new park things will change we will have a situation where we would be able to keep all the players that we all love”.

Q: Is Sony Gray going to be traded?

Kaval: “I like to have Sonny Gray with us for the near future and maybe like for the next ten years”.

David Kaval was speaking to a group of fans in front of The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame who asked him: ‘Would we be able to keep our same position as last year for out tailgate parties?

Kaval: “I do not see why not”.

Fans: We would love to have you to visit us….

Kaval”: Sure where will you be?

After the fans told Kaval their location for their tailgate parties, they asked him, what do you like to eat?

Kaval: “What do you have?

Fans: Anything you want…sausage, tri tip, burger, you name it”.

Kaval: “I love tri tip, so I will be there”.

Fans: You got it!.

David Kaval was friendly and engaged with the fans as he walked around during a sunny and very nice afternoon at Jack London Square.

The day before, Friday, the Oakland A’s had their First Pitch Luncheon at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Oakland. This is a yearly affair where the A’s invite their sponsors and most players show up to mingle with the fans. Question were also asked from the audience after the luncheon, and mostly were geared to the “new ballpark”. Ken Korach introduced all the A’s announcers, but forgot to introduce yours truly and it was a front office employee who stood up as he grabbed the mic that was passed from table to table to say: “we also have here today the Spanish play by play announcer of the Oakland A’s, Amaurty Pi-Gonzalez”.

They forgot about me, and Korach apologize for that oversight. This is not the first time it happened, but I have been in this business way too long to get all worked-up about such things. I feel I am blessed to keep working and doing what I like, since 1977, when Charlie O. Finley told me: “Amaury, you can broadcast in Mexican”.

Mr Finely (RIP) thought that Mexican was a language, which it is not, it is a nationality, the language is called Spanish. But those are the things I have seen and heard over almost 40 years in this business. So nothing surprises me anymore. Although it might surprise some of the readers if I would start to list them. I expressed my opinion to the new Athletics President David Kaval, about the biggest issue that confronts him and his franchise, the construction of a new ballpark in Oakland.

I told him that they already have the location, it is right where the Oakland Coliseum sits today, and they could built a brand new ballpark right there, the only problem is that that area is an industrial section of Oakland, and the common denominator in new baseball parks is that they are built in downtown areas or places where there is an infrastructure, restaurants, theaters, all kind of places where people could also go and spend a whole day there after watching a ballgame.

Unlike the 2016 Fan fest which took place at the Oakland Coliseum and it rained and rained and rained, this time it was a marvelous day at Jack London Square and it seemed fans had a great time, and that is what it is all about, that is why it is called “Fan Fest”.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for the Oakland A’s, the vice president of the MLB Hispanic Heritage Museum and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

 

 

 

pinterest.com photo: Newly inducted Hall of Famer Bill King at the mic in 1974 circa photo By Amaury Pi Gonzalez SAN FRANCISCO– On Wednesday afternoon, a bevy of Bay Area sports personalities, past and present attended a well deserved tribute to Bill King, to celebrate his induction this year into the National Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, New York. The recipient of the Ford C.Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting. Owners, broadcasters, writers, producers, radio engineers, scouts, in general, people in the business who worked and knew Bill King. Hosted by the inimitable Andy Dolich, (Marketing Guru), Master of Ceremonies and the best ownership in Bay Area history, Athletics Wally Haas and Roy Eisenhardt, they were all there, together with Ken Korach current voice for the Oakland Athletics as well as Ford C. Frick Award winner Jon Miller, Voice of the San Francisco Giants, who before joining the Giants was a play by play man for the Athletics. Roy Eisenhardt, who told me he is teaching law these days, described Bill King as a man that would “paint a picture “of a baseball game that you, by listening to him on the radio, could basically see the game in your head. It was that Athletics ownership that hired Bill King and also Lon Simmons. In my opinion that was the best broadcast team in Bay Area history. Two number one announcers working side by side. Both are in the Hall of Fame and both are Bay Area institutions. The Bay Area never had two Hall of Fame announcers working in the same booth and for the same team. That has never happened. Broadcasters, executives, writers alike were rubbing elbows. Like Hank Greenwald (another Bay Area legend) and his son also broadcaster Doug Greenwald, Ted Robinson, Barry Tompkins, Lowell Cohn, Dave Newhouse, Pat Gallagher, Rich Walcoff, Gary Hughes, Debbie Gallas.,among others. Perry Butler the owner of Perry’s at Union Street, since 1969 a very popular San Francisco spot, himself a huge sports fan, was enjoying the tribute to the one and only Bill King. I remember many years ago writing a story for El Mundo News of Oakland about Bill King, in which I described that listening to Bill doing the play by play of the Golden State Warriors on the radio, was a lot better than watching the game on television. The “Holy Toledo” man was one-of-a-kind. I gave him a copy of my article (in Spanish) and framed it and presented it to Bill and basically told him what I was writing about. He loved it. He was always very inquisitive and wanted to get involved with everything he took interest with. If he asked me how to pronounce a players last name that was Spanish, I told him and he always wanted to know more about each player. It is about time that Bill King won the Ford C. Frick Award. Like I told his daughter, it was a pleasure and something I had to do, when he was nominated to ask my friends Jaime Jarrin (Dodgers Spanish announcer) and Rafael (Felo) Ramirez(Marlins Spanish announcer), both whom I have worked with during postseason for Latin American networks, and urged them to vote for Bill King, they did.  Jarrin and Ramirez are the only two living Spanish speaking Major League Baseball announcers that have also won the Ford C.Frick Award. The other was the legendary pioneer Eloy “Buck” Canel, who used to be the anchor for “Cavalgata Deportiva Gillette” (Gillette Cavalcade of Sports) which originated from the NBC Studios at Rockefeller Center in New York City. Canel was also the Voice in Spanish for the New York Yankees and for many World Series for millions of radio listeners in Latin America. Andy Dolich was right when he said that Bill King should also be in the Basketball and Football Hall of Fame. The Bay Area never had a much versatile announcer than King. He was at the same time the voice for the A’s, Raiders and Warriors, and -trust me- he preferred radio over television. Ken Korach who wrote the excellent book, Holy Toledo:Lessons from Bill King, Renaissance Man of the Mic, share anecdotes about working with Bill King. Wally Haas told me he is involved in running a non-profit for inner city kids. There has never been a more humble and decent owner in Bay Area Sports than Wally Haas, and his late father Walter Haas, they brought pride to Oakland, a winning attitude and great years of baseball. During the late 1980’s championship years they drew much better than their cross bay rivals San Francisco Giants, who were then dying at the gate at maligned Candlestick Park. Last time I saw Bill King, the Athletics were playing the last weekend of the regular season at SAFECO Field in Seattle(2005) Bill King and Ken Korach were calling the game and I was two booths to their right doing the same in Spanish language. I remember I asked Bill what was he doing in the off season, he told me he was going to have hip replacement. About three weeks later I learned he has died of some kind of after-surgery complications, at a hospital in San Leandro Remembering Bill King’s life, was quite an event and on the first day without rain in the Bay Area,and Holy Toledo! the skies opened up and where clear for the great erudite broadcaster. Kudos to Andy Dolich and the Haas and Eisenhardt ownership of the Oakland Athletics for this very emotive event.   Amaury Pi-Gonzalez was broadcasting the Oakland Athletics in Spanish, when the Haas family bought the team from Charlie O. Finley in 1980.

bing images photo: Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Museum logo

It’s important that the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Museum will be making it’s appearance at the Oakland A’s Fan Fest this month at Jack London Square in downtown Oakland. The A’s had finished in last place they’re trying to recoup fans they haven’t done a lot in the off season. The A’s have kept Sonny Gray and Stephen Vogt so far two All-Stars a number one pitcher and the former catcher of the Detroit Tigers.

They both could have been traded and the A’s need to get a good first step to start the season and it’s important that the Hispanic Baseball Museum appears at the Fan Fest it is a marketer’s dream that the A’s have people already thinking about baseball which it starts next month and a couple weeks. You also have the NBA and NHL seasons still going on too.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez will be hosting at the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Museum at the Oakland A’s Fan Fest listen to the podcast right here at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

photo from en.wikipedia.org: Rajai Davis (11) during his Oakland A’s days taking a hack at the plate will return for the 2017 season to the tune of $6 million

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

OAKLAND–The Oakland Athletics signed Rajai Davis to a one-year $6 million contract and he will be back patrolling centerfield at the spacious Coliseum. A’s fans are happy, he is a popular player and left very good memories, last time he play here.

Rajai played for the Athletics in 2008, 2009 and 2010. In 2010 he sole 50 bases, becoming the first Athletic to steal that many since the “Man of Steal” Rickey Henderson in 1998 when he stole 66 bags. During those three seasons at Oakland, Rajai stole a total of 115 bases, and last year with 43 steals for the American League Champion Cleveland Indians led the American League. He is a great guy to have in the clubhouse and a very humble but hard-working player. Last World Series, his last at bat of the season came in the eight inning of game seven, a game tying two-run homer against Aroldis (103mph) Chapman of the World Champion Chicago Cubs whose now a Yankee. Rajai said goodbye to 2016 in style.

Nobody since Rickey Henderson has come close to be a total blur on the base paths for the A’s. l remember Rickey as a rookie in 1979 with the green and gold. He was part of that famous outfield together with Dwayne Murphy in centerfield and Tony Armas in right field. I remember when Rajai first came to the Athletics in 2008, Rickey was very happy to see a fleet-footed player like Davis. I remember talking to Rickey during Spring Training in Arizona. He always likes to coach players that are fast and always a threat to steal. I am sure Rickey is happy to see Rajai again, and will be working with him this spring again in Arizona.

Rajai’s brother is a missionary spreading Christianity around the world, I had the pleasure of meeting him years ago. Rajai Davis is one of those guys that seems to have a smile on his face when he comes to the park, he works hard, but also has fun playing, a positive attitude he always maintains, and that is good in any sport at any level. The mental part of baseball is extremely important, long season, long trips, ups and downs. But Rajai Davis always seems to manage the ‘high and the lows ‘of the long summer.

Always happy to talk to the media, to mingle with the fans. This was a good idea by A’s management, to bring him back, at the same time resolving their centerfield situation.

One brief anecdote about Hall of Fame member Rickey Henderson. I remember I used to tape promos for him, for Spanish radio. No, he doesn’t speak Spanish, but every season in Spring Training I would write in a 3X5 card something like “Hola, yo soy Rickey Henderson, escuche los juegos de los Atleticos en Espanol en ___radio” Hello, this is Rickey Henderson, listen to the A’s games in Spanish on___radio”. He would take that 3 by 5 card and rehearse for a few minutes, with my coaching, reading it a few times…then he would tell me: “OK chief, I’m ready” and then we taped it. Quite a guy Rickey, looks like he can still play today and at 58 he still looks great.

It will be fun in a couple of months to see Rajai Davis listening to Rickey Henderson in Spring Training, about the stealing technique and all that good baseball stuff. After all Rickey Henderson is the only man on earth than can say he played for 25 years in the major leagues and stole 1,406 bases.

Bienvenido a la bahia otra vez Rajai! Welcome to bay again Rajai!

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does the Oakland A’s Spanish Radio play by play and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com