Category: Oakland Athletics

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Environmental law suit could hold up Coliseum sale

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African American Sports and Entertainment president Ray Babbitt addresses the media at the Oakland Airport Hilton. Babbitt and AASEG intend to purchase the Oakland A’s half of the Coliseum property and also the other half from the City of Oakland (African American Sports and Entertainment file photo)

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury, Alameda County’s sale on half it’s share at the Oakland Coliseum is due to go through on May 14 when the Oakland A’s are scheduled to make the final payment of the property at $85 million. However a lawsuit has been filed in Alameda County court for Sep 24.

#2 The lawsuit filed by Communities for a Better Environment who are a California non profit environmental health group say that team owner John Fisher in the sales agreement ignored the Surplus Land Act which is mandated by state law.

#3 The A’s who purchased half of the Coliseum site back in 2019 in the event that if their new ballpark site at Howard Terminal falls through they could go back to the Coliseum. The A’s later claimed the Coliseum was unfit for baseball but the A’s plan to continue with the purchase.

#4 The A’s are currently in negotiations to sell their half interest to Oakland group the African American Sports and Entertainment Group. AASEG is also negotiating with the City of Oakland to purchase their half of their interest to develop, residential, commercial and sports.

#5 Ruby Acevedo an attorney for the environment group CBE said the county could argue that the SLA is regularly ignored statewide however Acevedo state there is case law that the counties would take demand letters seriously. CBE is asking for the county to engage in housing development for affordable housing. Affordable housing was an issue with Fisher when it was a requirement for his ballpark village at Howard Terminal.

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

#1

Rangers Seagar 8th inning three run bomb passes up A’s in 4-2 win at Coliseum

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The Texas Rangers Corey Seagar watches the flight of his three run homer against the Oakland A’s in the top of the eighth inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Mon May 6, 2024 (AP News photo)

Texas (20-16). 000 000 031. 4. 5. 2

Athletics (17-19). 010 010 000. 2. 7. 1

Time: 2:26

Attendance: 2,895

Monday, May 6, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–The Athletics hoped to rebound from the drubbing they received at the fins of the Miami Marlins on Sunday afternoon, and they came within a few hare’s breaths of pulling it off, but they fell short, succumbing 4-2 in a game that featured strong pitching and crucial error by both squads.

11 year veteran Alex Wood didn’t bring impressive credentials to his eighth start of the season. His ERA of 6.32 was the fifth highest of big league hurlers who’d thrown 30 frames or more, and it was accompanied by a won and lost balance of 1-2.

This was consonant with his performance for the Giants last year, when he went 5-5. 4.33 with an opponents’ batting average. But he was sharp tonight, throwing six innings of two hit, shutout baseball. He allowed only one free pass. His pitch count was an economical 78, and only 24 were balls. He had to settle for a no decision but improved his earned run average, 5.30. Austin Adams took over mound duties for the seventh and put the Rangers down, 1,2,3.

The Rangers also went with a veteran lefty. Andrew Heany broke into the show with the Marlins in 2014 and has pitched for them, both Los Angeles teams, the Yankees, and the Rangers, for whom he went 10-4, 4.15 last year. He pitched almost as well as Wood, also going six frames, but allowing seven hits and two runs, one of them earned, striking out five, and also getting a no decision. He threw 97 pitches 71 for strikes, leaving with an ERA of 4.50.

The Athletics were the first to score. JD Davis led off the bottom of the second with a single to left and moved up a notch on Abraham Toro’s single to right. Shea Langeliers’ fly to right was deep enough for Davis to advance another 90 feet. Toro scored on Darell Hernaiz’s sacrifice fly to left, and Hernaiz took second on left fielder Ezequiel Durán’s errant throw home but was stranded when JJ Bleday’s pop up to first closed the door on the green and gold.

Durán played a pivotal role in the Athletics’ doubling their lead in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, JJ Bleday lifted a fly to left that Durán dropped. Bleday stopped at first, although if he had been running at full speed he probably could have reached second. He made to third on Brett Harris’s single to right center and came home on Esteury Ruíz’s sac fly to the center field warning track.

Bleday didn’t stop at first when he led off the “home” seventh with a line drive that bounced off the center field wall, just missing Leody Taveras’s glove, for a leadoff double that drove Heaney from the mound, replaced by José Leclerc. Both teams now had replaced their left handed starter with a right handed reliever. Leclerc was the agent of The Curse of the Leadoff Double, and the score remained 2-0, A’s, after seven.

Kotsay and Company called on Lucas Erceg to be the A’s setup man in the eighth. He walked a pinch hitting Josh Smith and fanned the pinch hitting Travis Jankowski but allowed a single to right by Taveras. There was a moment of calm after Marcus Semien lined out to second, but Corey Seager smacked a 92 mph changeup way deep, 422 feet deep, into the center field stands, over the Xfinity sign. The Athletics’ 2-0 lead had turned into a 3-2 deficit. The Rangers fans, who seemed to comprise a large portion of the 2,895 people in the stands, cheered loudly.

David Robertson set the A’s down in order in the bottom half of the frame.

Dany Jiménez pitched the top of the ninth and couldn’t contain the Texans, although it wasn’t entirely his fault. He issued a one out walk to Evan Carter, who batted for Carter two innings earlier. Josh Smith’s single to right put runners on first and second, bringing up Jankowski.

He hit a bouncer to Nevin, who had moved from right to first base. It might have become a rally killing double play, but we’ll never know Nevin couldn’t handle the ball, and Carter ran all the way home with the Rangers’ fourth tally while Smith made it to third. Jiménez walked Taveras to load the bases but wiggled out of trouble by retiring Semien and Seager.

There was a glimmer of hope when Bleday worked a one out walk against Ranger closer Kirby Yates, but Nathaniel Lowe nabbed Harris’s hard line drive to first and stepped on the bag to double off Bleday and put an end to the incipient rally.

Leclerc got the win for his 19 pitch effort and now is 3-2, 5.14. Yates earned his sixth save. Erceg was tagged with the loss and now has a record of 1-2, 3.60. It was his second blown save of the season.

These two well matched teams will meet each other again Tuesday, afternoon at 12:37, with Ross Stripling (1-5,4.24) facing a pitcher to be named later. The series will be wrapped up on Wednesday in a double header, with the first game also scheduled for a 12:37 start and 4:07pm for the night cap.

Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara Mason: A’s open four game series with Rangers tonight

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Oakland A’s pitcher Alex Wood deals against the Texas Rangers to open the four game series at the Oakland Coliseum on Mon May 6, 2024 (AP file photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara:

#1 The Miami Marlins Nick Gordon contributed big to the Marlins offense with four hits which one of them was a home run that helped the Marlins broadside the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum on Sunday afternoon.

#2 The A’s had a six game winning streak going into Sunday’s game but A’s starter Joe Boyle gave up four runs in the first inning. Boyle didn’t even get out of the first pitching one inning giving the hit that was the home run and a total of four runs. He was relieved by Mitch Spence.

#3 Josh Bell hit for two RBI singles and Marlins teammate and former Oakland A Jonah Bride had an two RBI single. The Marlins picked up their third win in 12 games.

#4 The A’s Brent Rooker who hit two home runs in the bottom of the third inning on Saturday got two hits on Sunday and is hitting .240.

#5 The A’s drew 12,212 on Sunday their largest crowd since opening day when they hosted the Cleveland Guardians.

#6 The first place Texas Rangers come calling at the Oakland Coliseum for a four game series starting Monday night. The Rangers starting left hander pitcher Andrew Heaney (0-5 ERA 5.10) against LHP Alex Wood (1-2 ERA 6.32) first pitch at 6:40pm PDT.

Join Barbara Mason for the Oakland A’s podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Marlin’s Gordon slugs homer and gets four hits in 12-3 laugher over A’s at Coliseum; Loss snaps Oakland’s six game win streak

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Miami Marlins Nick Gordon (1) slugs a single against the Oakland A’s in the top of the ninth inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Sun May 5, 2024 (AP News photo)

Sunday, May 5, 2024

Miami (10-26). 410 003 004. 12 14. 2

Athletics (17-18). 002 000 010. 3. 5. 0

Time: 2:52

Attendance: 12,212

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–It had to happen some time. The Athletics’ six game winning streak came to an end this afternoon when the lowly Miami Marlins wiped them out 12-3 on five hits.

Joe Boyle, who. had held the Pirates to one run, earned, and one hit over five innings in his previous start, a 5-1 win in Pittsburgh on April 29, started for the A’s. The 24 year old righty got himself in trouble from the very beginning.

By the time he had thrown 14 pitches, he’d given up three walks and two stolen bases. By the time he reached 27, he’d also given up four runs because Nick Gordon had driven a 95 mph four seamer 408 deep, over the right center field fence for his fourth home run and 13th, 14th, and 15th RBI of the season. The Athletics were four runs down before they went to bat.

That was it for Boyle for the day. He left the game between innings with lower back pain. Mitch Spence was on the mound when the Marlins came up in the second. He lasted 4-2/3 innings and surrendered four runs, all earned but one posthumous, on six hits and a walk. He was charged with the loss and now has a record of 2-5, 7.16. He had come to work at 2-4, 6.08).

Sixto Sánchez made his third start of 2024 for the visitors. In his most recent appearance, he had as bad a first inning as Boyle had today. The 25 year old native of San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic, gave up five runs on six hits to the Rockies.

But, unlike the Athletics’ starter, Sánchez remained in the game for another couple of innings and kept the Rox off the board, allowing only one more hit. He left after four innings this afternoon and allowed two runs, both earned, on three hits and an equal number of walks, striking out two. Sánchez didn’t last long enough to be involved in the decision but did bring his ERA down to 7.50.

For a while, Spence fared better than Boyle. He allowed only one run in the second, on a walk and two singles, one of which, Josh Bell’s, drove in Christian Bethancourt, who had hit the other safety. But a spectacular grab and dash of Jesús Sánchez’s bounder down the first base line by Trevor Nevin saved Spence’s bacon.

The A’ were down 5-0 before the green and gold got back in the game in their half of the fourth. Brent Rooker smacked a clean single to right center. After Seth Brown grounded out to first, Lawrence Butler drew a walk.

He moved up two bases when Darell Herraiz singled to left center putting runners on the corners. Then Kyle McCann sent a bouncing ball to Jonah Bride at first. Bride threw to second for what could have been the start of an inning ending double play, but he overthrew the bag, and, when the dust had cleared, Rooker and Butler had crossed the plate, and we had a 5-2 game on our hands. Burch Smith replaced Sánchez and retired the A’s in order in the fifth.

The fish padded their lead in their half of the sixth on doubles by Nick Gordon, Bride, and Bethancourt, the last of which drove Spence from the box. Michael Kelly relieved him and gave up a single to Jazz Chisholm, Jr., that brought Bethancourt home with the Marlins’ eighth run.

Andrew Nardi preserved their six run lead in the A’s half of the frame , followed by Anthony Bender, who pitched a scoreless seventh. Calvin Faucher hopped on Miami’s merry-go-round in the eighth and allowed their hosts to draw slightly closer on a Rooker double and a single to center by Max Schuemann, who had pinch hit for Seth Brown in the fifth.

TJ McFarland coughed up that run and three more in the Marlins’ last go round in ways too numerous to mention. When the inning mercefully ended, Miami led 12-3, and McFarland’s ERA had ballooned from 3.75 to 6.23.

Burch Smith was awarded the win on a scorer’s decision. He’s now (2-0, 3.12).

The A’s will take on Texas Monday, evening at 6:40 when they open a three day, four game series against the Rangers in a battle of left handers. Alex Wood (1-2, 6.32) will try to right the Athletics’ ship. Andrew Heaney (0-4, 5.10) will try to sink it

The Force of wind and rain doesn’t stop A’s who crush Marlins 20-4 on Stars Wars day at Coliseum; Win is Oakland’s sixth in a row

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Oakland A’s Brent Rooker (25) is greeted at the plate after hitting a two run home run in the bottom of the third by teammates Abraham Toro(31) and Tyler Nevin (26) against the visiting Miami Marlins at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat May 4, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Troy Ewers

Oakland A’s Brent Rooker slugged two home run in the third inning during a 10 run rout of the Miami Marlins for a 20-4 win at the Oakland Coliseum on Saturday on Star Wars day. The game delayed three hours and 30 minutes by windy and rainy conditions. The game was supposed to have started at 1:07 but got underway at 4:30pm.

It didn’t matter much as the A’s were ready to swing the bats at the visiting Marlins expense. Rooker who hit the two home runs in the third inning became the first A’s player in 30 years to do it. Rooker took Marlins pitcher Trevor Rogers deep with a two run home run and later in the inning Marlins pitcher Darren McCaughan coughed up a three run homer to Rooker.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay said that Rooker delivered last season that’s why he was the A’s team representative at the 2023 All Star game. Kotsay said that Rooker got hot and capitalized on mistakes and he wound up hitting a couple of them today.

The A’s reached a season high in runs with 20 and hits with 21. They simply just teed off on Marlins starter Rogers 2.1 innings, eight hits and three runs, then McCaughan 4.2 innings, nine hits and eight earned runs, and Emmanuel Rivera one inning pitched four runs and four hits.

Rooker was seeing the ball as big as maybe a softball added a base hit for good measure in the bottom of the sixth inning. Rooker became the 60th player in big league history to hit two home runs in the same inning. The last player to do it was the Philadelphia Phillies Trea Turner and the last A’s player to hit a pair in the same inning was former first baseman Mark McGwire when he did it against the Seattle Mariners on Sep 22, 1996.

“I grew up in Memphis a big (St. Louis) Cardinals fan so he was kind of one of the first players I remember watching during his time there,” Rooker said. “Being able to do anything the same as him is a huge accomplishment and something that’s really cool for me.” Rooker also wears McGwire’s old number 25.

Post game notes: The Marlins and A’s go at it again Sunday at 1:07pm PDT to conclude the three game series. The A’s are looking for their seventh straight win and second series sweep in a row. The Marlins who came to Oakland after sweeping the Colorado Rockies are looking to get back in the win column after dropping the first two games of the series. Starting pitcher for the Marlins on Sunday RHP Sixto Sanchez (0-1 ERA 8.36) and for the A’s RHP Joe Boyle (2-4 ERA 6.08).

Former Marlins lead off hitter Luis Arraez who was traded to the San Diego Padres on Friday night for three minor leaguers and one big league reliever got off to a quick start going 4-6 which included two runs and an RBI against the Los Angeles Angels at Anaheim Stadium on Saturday. The Arraez trade must have had an impact on the Marlins he was traded just before Friday’s game as he was scheduled to lead off. The shock must have impacted the Marlins who lost 3-1 and then on Saturday night getting crushed 20-4.

Troy Ewers is a beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s gain ground in AL West now 1.5 games back of first place; Defeat Marlins 3-1 at Coliseum; Victory is Oakland’s 5th straight win

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Oakland A’s Brent Rooker (25) is congratulated by Abraham Toro (31) after hitting a two run home run in the bottom of the fourth against the Miami Marlins at the Oakland Coliseum on Fri May 3, 2024 (Oakland A’s X photo)

Friday, May 3, 2024

Miami (9-25).        000 000 001.  1. 7.  1

Athletics (16-17).   002 100 000. 3. 5.  0

Time: 2:20

Attendance: 8,533

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–The Oakland Athletics’ drive towards contention continued Friday night when they defeated another resurgent contingent for their fifth straight victory 3-1 over the Miami Marlins. The Marlins came to the Coliseum with a dismal 9-24 balance sheet but fresh from having swept a series for the first time all season, by taking h three straight games from the Colorado Rockies.

The A’s left the park at 16-17, extending their winning streak to five games, Tyler Nevin’s  hitting streak halted at nine.  He went 0-3 with  a hit by pitch.

JP Sears, the lefty who started for the A’s, has wavered between awfulness and excellence. His worst performance was his first, five earned runs on six hits in 3-2/3 inning on March 30. His best came on April 11, when he held the Rangers to one hit in 6-1/3 frames for his first win of the season. 

He was on his game Friday night, allowing four hits and a walk but nary a run, on 95 pitches,  62 for strikes, again over a 6-1/3 frames. He got the well earned win and reduced his ERA to 3.89.

Miami’s starting pitcher, Ryan Weathers, resembles a Marlin; he leaps to considerable heights but also descends into the depths. He ended last season with a six inning, shutout, two hit start against the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Last Sunday, in his most recent start, the 23 year old southpaw also went only four innings but surrendered five hits and three walks but escaped with a no decision against the Nationals.

Entering Friday, he was 2-2, 4.55. After throwing 99 pitches, 30 of them balls, over a span of six innings, he surrendered three runs, all earned, on five hits, including a home run. He struck out five and didn’t walk anyone.

He brought his ERA down a smidgen  to 4.54 eventually was charged with his third loss against two wins. 

The action began just before the first pitch was thrown. Luis Arraez had been announced as the Marlins’ lead off batter. But he was pulled from the lineup at the last moment, and cleanup hitter Dane Myers inserted in his slot, with other changes up and down the lineup.  There had been rumors that Miami and San Diego were working on a trade that would have sent the infielder to the Padres.

This was their consummation. (Shades of. José Canseco learning in the on deck circle that he’d been dealt to Boston)! The Marlins got three prospects and relief pitcher Woo-Sok Go in exchange for the stellar second sacker.

The teams traded goose eggs for three and a half innings until Abraham Toro smacked a one out single to center and trotted home on Brent Rooker’s 440 foot blast over the NBC SportsCalifornia sign in left center for his six home run of the year and a 2-0 Athletics lead.

They added another tally in the bottom of the sixth on Max Schuemann’s two bagger off the right center field wall, which almost subcame to The Curse of the Leadoff Double, except that the speedy Ruíz beat out a two out ground to short that scored Schuemann, who’d been sacrificed to third by Darell Heraiz.

They picked up where they’d left off with Abraham Toro’s leadoff double against the left field fence in the bottom of the sixth. This time, The Curse of the Leadoff Double struck, and that was the only baserunner for the Athletics in that frame.  

Austin Adams got the last two outs for the A’s in the top of the seventh. Miichael Kelly got the first two in the eighth but yielded a single to right to Otto Myers and a base on balls to Bryan de la Cruz. He got an 0-2  count on Josh Bell and then hit with a pitch, clogging the basepaths.  The count went to  2-2 on Tim Anderson before he went down looking at the third strike.

Declan Cronin retired the A’s in order in the bottom of the seventh and eighth.

Lucas Erceg almost shut the fish down in order in the ninth.  With two out, Nick Gordon beat out a grounder to short. in spite of  a beautiful play by Hernaiz. Vidal Bruján then dropped a double into the left field corner that brought Gordon home and narrowed the gap. to 3-1. Then Erceg earned his second save of the season by getting Jesús Sánchez to ground out to third 

Saturday, afternoon, Paul Blackburn (2-1, 3.34) will take the mound for the Athletics while Trevor Rogers (0-4, 4.31) will do the same for Miami first pitch 1:07pm PDT.

Oakland A’s podcast with Augie Mesenburg: Marlins and A’s both coming off winning sweeps in tonight’s battle at Coliseum

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Oakland A’s pitcher JP Sears throws against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington on Thu Apr 11, 2024. Sears goes tonight Fri May 3, 2024 against the Miami Marlins at the Oakland Coliseum to open the three game series (AP file photo)

Oakland A’s podcast with Augie Mesenburg:

#1 The Oakland A’s are coming off a sweep against the Pittsburgh Pirates and improved their won loss record to 15-17. The A’s come into Friday night’s ball game against the Miami Marlins with a four game win streak.

#2 What a difference it’s been for the A’s they started the season 1-7 and now they come into Friday night’s game with a four game win streak and looking to extend it to five.

#3 The A’s had started out with their success which goes back to their first road trip when they won series in Detroit and Texas and then on their second road trip they split a four game series in New York and won a three game series in Baltimore. The A’s came home to sweep the Pittsburgh Pirates in the last series and host the Miami Marlins tonight at the Coliseum.

#4 The Marlins are coming off a three game sweep of the Colorado Rockies to improve their record to 9-24. The Marlins are last in the AL East and have struggled but once you get a taste of winning like the A’s have a team can catch fire.

#5 Game one of the series underway the Marlins are starting LHP Ryan Weathers (2-2 ERA 4.55) and the A’s JP Sears a lefty (1-2 ERA 4.64) both clubs coming off winning three game sweeps how do you see this one?

Augie Mesenburg is a podcast contributor for http://www.sportsradioservice.com and is a reporter for 103.2 FM KHAI Honolulu

Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: A’s host Marlins tonight at Coliseum; Oakland hopes to extend win streak to five

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Oakland A’s starter Ross Stripling throws to the Pittsburgh Pirates line up, Stripling went six innings of perfect ball against the Pirates on Wed May 1, 2024 at the Oakland Coliseum. (AP News photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Oakland are on a roll they have won four straight games going into tonight’s game against the Miami Marlins. The A’s have turned heads and have turned a corner having won series road games in April against the Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, and split a four game series against the New York Yankees. The A’s just swept the Pittsburgh Pirates at the Oakland Coliseum.

#2 In the A’s last game against the Pirates on Wednesday afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum, Oakland starter Ross Stripling was dealing pitching six innings, no runs, three hits and two strike outs. Stripling and five other pitchers combined in a four hit shutout of the Pirates.

#3 The A’s hit two home runs Wednesday afternoon Abraham Toro and Tyler Nevin that helped them beat the Pirates 4-0 it was the A’s first season sweep.

#4 Stripling had been struggling previous to the win on Wednesday he had a combined ten loses over this season with the A’s and last season with the San Francisco Giants. At least for Wednesday’s game he found himself on the winning side of a shutout in Oakland.

#5 The A’s host the Marlins tonight at the Coliseum. Starting for Miami LHP Ryan Weathers (2-2 ERA 4.55) for the A’s LHP JP Sears (1-2 ERA 4.64) first pitch 6:40 pm PDT. The Marlins have been struggling and are last in the NL East at 9-24.

Join Jeremiah for the A’s podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum: A’s hope LA firm can find investors who can come up with $500 million for Vegas ballpark

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Rendering of the Sydney style Opera House ballpark that would take up nine acres at the old Tropicana Hotel and Casino location at Tropicana and Las Vegas Blvd. Construction is scheduled to start in April 2025 (Renderings from the Oakland A’s)

On the Oakland A’s Relocation podcast with Daniel:

#1 The Oakland A’s have hired Los Angeles investor Galatioto Sports Partners to help look for one or more private investors. The investors are trying to help raise $500 million of A’s owner John Fisher’s share of he construction costs for the Las Vegas ballpark.

#2 Daniel, the plan is to have the ballpark sit on nine acres of the 35 acres at the Tropicana. Fisher needs to come up with $500 million of $1.5 billion for his share of he costs and the A’s are counting on Galatioto Sports Partners to find enough investors to make those payments. If that happens 42% of the team’s ownership costs will be financially bought up closing in on half of he value of the team.

#3 Galatioto Sports Partners has helped over 100 sports financing deals and that includes the sale of the Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno in 2004 who bought the team from Walt Disney Co., Broadcom co-founder Henry Samueli and his wife who own the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in 2005 also had help from the partnership. While their reputation is solid some minority partners might come in saying they’ll invest only if they have say in running the club. That might not be acceptable for Fisher under those circumstances.

#4 The Tropicana Hotel and Casino who closed for business in March is set for demolishment in April 2025. Fisher wants to make certain that the $500 million of the $1.5 billion towards stadium construction costs will be paid by investors who could very well own up to 42% of the club.

#5 Written into the agreement is Flip Tax that would require Fisher to pay 20% tax on the full price of the team in the event Fisher decides to sell the club before 2028.

Daniel Dullum does the Oakland A’s Relocation podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: When the A’s brought The Beatles Interview with Nancy Finley

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Beatles ticket from concert scheduled Thursday September 17, 1964 8:00pm at Municipal Stadium Kanas City (photo from Nancy Finley)

When the A’s brought The Beatles –Interview with Nancy Finley–

That’s Amaury News and Commentary–

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

When most baseball fans think about Charlie O. Finley, owner of the Kansas City and then the Oakland A’s, they return to the three consecutive World Series he won for the Swinging A’s in 1972,73,74. By winning three consecutive World Series, Finley’s A’s became only the second team to date that accomplished such a feat. During their dynasties, the New York Yankees were the only other team.

Reggie Jackson, the centerpiece for those winning teams, said of Charlie O. Finley, “He was great for baseball, years ahead of his time,” Reginaldo Martínez Jackson, a Hall of Fame outfielder, played for the A’s from 1967 to 1975. Charlie O.

Finley’s innovations in baseball are legendary, from Charlie O, the mascot Mule of the team, to pioneering the idea of night games in the Postseason play/World Series to many other ideas that baseball adopted, innovations, including all sorts of promotions.

During the Kansas City years, Mr.Finley had one of the most significant music bands in history, The Beatles, who performed in Kansas City as part of one of many Charlie O.Finley promotions. Time Magazine included the Beatles in its list of 100 most influential people in the 20th century.

I interviewed Nancy Finley who tells me that Charlie (her uncle) sent her the 45 LP “I Wanna Hold Your Hand”, while her mother repeatedly played that song in the house. She tells me, “Dad (Carl Finley), the minority owner and General Manager, and Charlie were sitting with the group in a conference room waiting for performance time.

Dad said they were “a group of polite young men.” Spoken like a High School Principal. Charlie O.Finley left his mark in baseball and in American history, truly an innovator who brought the A’s the Gold and Green uniforms, the first team to let the players have facial hair, the Ball Girls, he was strong proponent of Inter league Play, decades before MLB adopted it in 1997.

Also, there is Night Playoff baseball, plus the Designated Hitter and Runner. He suggested the “alert ball,” also called the orange ball, to make it easier for the fans to follow the baseball because white was not that easy to see, and although that was never adopted, it was talked about.

I do not believe Mr.Finley would like any clock ruling in the game, the “free runner” at second base when a game spins into extra-innings, and some other radical changes during the last few years. Undoubtedly, when A’s Charlie O. Finley brought The Beatles, he left his mark on US pop culture forever. He was a visionary a showman and a man for the ages.

Quote: Dagoberto Blanco (Campy) Campaneris, who played more games than any other Athletics player, (1,795 games) a great shortstop born in Cuba, told me years ago talking about Charlie O. Finley ” Charlie no era solo dueño del equipo, pero hablaba y conocía de baseball” -Trans: “Charlie was not only the owner of the team, but he could talk and was knowledgable of the game of baseball”.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play announcer on the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network at 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com