Category: Sacramento A’s

Sacramento Athletics relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum: Sutter Health still a work in progress expected to be ready by Mar 31 opener

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Sutter Health Park Sacramento the 2025 home of the Athletics. The park is still under renovation but is expected to be ready by Mar 31, 2025 opening day (photo by ABC 10 Sacramento)

On Sacramento A’s relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 There a lot of questions being asked as spring training started on Wednesday for the Sacramento A’s in Mesa Arizona. One them is how are the A’s going to play in a packed 14,014 seat minor league park sharing it with the Giants triple A team for 132 dates (Triple A is over at the end of August) trying to fit fans, media, front office people, scouts, employees in a tight space.

#2 Taking a look at the developments of Sutter Health Park in Sacramento the A’s 2025-27 ballpark the field is still dug up the entire field is dirt and they are designing the infield and will plant grass there shortly.

#3 Construction is ongoing for the clubhouses which will be located outside of the outfield wall, It is expected to be ready by opening day March 31st.

#4 How much of a beating will that field get with 132 games being played there everyday with the A’s and River Cats taking turns.

#5 The A’s will play their post season games if they make post season in a number of places but it will outside of Sacramento. Options include neutral sites Oracle Park in San Francisco, Oakland Coliseum which is not too far off the mark because Oakland has a interim mayor Kevin Jenkins who might give them a much better deal for post season than former Mayor Sheng Thao who offered the A’s a $91 million three year deal which the A’s walked away from.

Join Daniel Dullum for the A’s relocation podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Athletics podcast with Daniel Dullum: A’s claim they have their share of construction costs for Vegas ballpark

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Sandy Dean Athletics president has said all along the A’s would come up with the funding for their share of the Las Vegas ballpark on the Las Vegas strip which is expected to open baseball season 2028 (LV Sports Biz file photo)

On the Athletics podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 The Athletics are saying they have the $350 million coming from SB1 and the State of Nevada and $300 million from Goldman Sachs and US Bank.

#2 One of the requirements are that the A’s have to spend $100 million of their own money before they can touch any of the public funds from Nevada.

#3 The A’s have spent $40 million of the designer process so far the site selection and the A’s stadium will occupy nine acres of the 35 acre Tropicana casino and resort which should be ready by opening day 2028.

#4 The A’s will be sharing the space with Bally’s Mega Corp where the rolling of the dice and slot machines will be a baseballs throw away.

#5 The A’s have submitted their land use permit has been filed. The A’s have officially submitted their land use permit to Clark County. Which is important in getting construction underway.

A’s Relocation podcasts can be heard each Sunday with Daniel Dullum at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Mark Kotsay — The Perfect Manager for the A’s

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Athletics manager Mark Kotsay looks forward to managing in Sacramento and is considered the perfect manager for the job. A steady hand, works well with the players, and the players respond to his managing style. (AP News file photo)

Mark Kotsay — The Perfect Manager for the A’s

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

The first time I met and interviewed the A’s Manager,Mark Kotsay, this is the way he described his managing style: “I really see myself as someone who comes across as transparent. I want the players to know that I care about them. That comes with the relationships I’ve developed inside this organization”. Kotsay creates a positive team culture, excellent communicator, and a great knowledge of the game, especially the game’s situation on the field.

Mark Kotsay is a leader, and he is excited about these off-season moves, like signing pitcher Luis Severino to a three-year $67 million contract, the largest in A’s history. He wants to be with the A’s long term and see the organization succeed, and even though the team will have a new home in Sacramento in 2025 and until 2027, he believes the team’s tenure in Oakland should be honored appropriately. And why not?

The A’s played in Oakland for 56 seasons under various owners and left a rich tradition of winning four World Series titles while playing at the now-historic Oakland Coliseum. They also won four World Series when they were the Oakland A’s.

As a player with the Padres, Marlins, Athletics, Braves, Red Sox, White Sox, and Brewers, Kotsay played 1,914 games. He also coached the Padres and Athletics before becoming the A’s manager for the 2022 season.

Mark Kotsay was a legend at Cal State Fullerton as an outfielder who guided the Titans to a 149-41 record in his three seasons. His .404 batting average still a record for the school. He was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2007.

As a young manager at 49, Kotsay will soon prepare his team for this Spring Training in Arizona. Kotsay played for the A’s from 2004–2007. He also coached for the A’s for six years, serving as bench coach, quality control coach, and third base coach.

During the three years that Kotsay managed the A’s the team(s) record; 2022 (60-102) 2023 (50-112), 2024(69-93) There was evident improvement during the last season at Oakland with 69 wins, and with the changes this off-season Kotsay hopes his Athletics(soon to be playing in Sacramento) can reach the .500 mark this season.
Managers are evaluated in wins and loses. Kotsay has done a great job developing the young players, even with the team’s low budget investments in players in recent past. I wish nothing but the best to a very good man during this upcoming season. Sacramento will welcome a baseball man with the talent and integrity of Mark Kotsay in my humble opinion the perfect manager for the A’s.

-Mark Kotsay is one of only three people to have played for and managed the A’s, along with Tony LaRussa and Jeff Newman. There is a lot of excitement in Sacramento with the arrival of the Athletics. This is understandable, for the first time, they will have a major league team that also will host teams like the Yankees, Dodgers, Giants, plus other American and National League teams, making the State Capital a Major League City.

A fan recently asked me how the A’s players feel about playing in Sutter Health Park, West Sacramento, some have played there while they were playing at the Triple A level. Most players are happy to be on a team they believe are building up for the future, there is optimism.

Let’s face it, these are professional baseball player, they do not chose where they are going to play, but for what I have been my contacts there, what they told me, the vibes are good going to Sacramento.

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, a role he continues to this day (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.

Athletics Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum: A’s Fisher and MLB’s Manfred inspect Sutter Health Park developments

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Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento as it looked on Apr 4, 2024. Athletics owner John Fisher and Sacramento River Cats owner Vivek Ranadive announced to the media that day the A’s would play there for the 2025-27 seasons. On Wed Jan 29, 2025 MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said that he like the improvements at Sutter Health in preparation of the 2025 season for the A’s. (AP file photo)

Athletics Relocation podcast with Daniel:

#1 On Wednesday A’s owner John Fisher and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred took a tour of the A’s interim home Sutter Health Park in Sacramento and wanted to take in some of the improvements that would try and bring it up to MLB specs at least the best that it could.

#2 Not only does the park have to measure up for the A’s and visiting clubs who come to play there but the remodeling has to also satisfy the San Francisco Giants triple A team the Sacramento River Cats who play there also.

#3 The Rivers Cats will play a June home series on the road of all things in Tacoma to allow the field to be resurfaced at Sutter Health. Kyle Haines the Giants director of player development said sometimes you have to make adjustments and that everyone is on board with the situation.

#4 The park holds 14,014 fans and has been announced as a sell out for their home opener on Mar 31st. The A’s had 74,000 fans who wanted and registered for a shot to buy a single game ticket for the opener. The A’s plan on making 250 lawn seats available for day of game tickets which would also include opening day.

#5 The A’s and visiting clubs can expect a lot less amenities with the clubhouses located just outside of the outfield and the players will have to walk past the foul lines and through the fan stands to get to the dugouts.

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

Athletics Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum: Remodeling at Sutter Health Ballpark continues

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Sutter Health Park the future home of the Sacramento A’s being worked on and expected to be ready by late March 2025 (photo from MSN)

On the Athletics Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 Daniel, the make over at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento is well underway the exterior of the ballpark is nearly finished.

#2 The finishing touches on Sutter Health are some three months away as spring training starts in February and it’s off to Sutter Health in late March for the 2025 season.

#3 The Athletics and the visiting teams will get new clubhouses which will be located in left field. It won’t be such a long walk for the pitchers who will be sitting in the bullpens.

#4 There will be very hot summers so the A’s are constructing a beer garden called the Legacy Club a place where fans can get a cold drink to cool off.

#5 No word where the TV and radio broadcasters will sit and how much room there will be for the working media. Word has it that an extra ten to 15 seats are being added to the main pressbox but even still room will be tight for reporters and fans likewise in the small space of the 14,000 capacity ballpark.

Join Daniel Dullum podcasts the Athletics Relocation podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Athletics Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum: Does a season ticket sell out mean the relocation pressure is off the A’s brass?

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Athletics owner John Fisher (left) smiles while former Athletics pitcher Rollie Fingers (right) signs autographs for the fans at Las Vegas Ballpark on Mar 8, 2024 during last year’s spring training (Las Vegas Review-Journal photo)

On the Athletics Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 Now that the A’s have sold out their season tickets for their 2025 season in Sacramento is the pressure off the A’s brass regarding their move out of Oakland?

#2 Are fans from the Bay Area going to still be fans of the A’s and maybe even spend their money on going to see the A’s in Sacramento?

#3 Reporters have said that Sutter Health Park and the A’s have built out their seats, fixed the clubhouses with weight rooms, and have added 10-15 more seats in pressbox. That said it’s still falls short of MLB standards and it’s going to be quite a squeeze to get into park for employees, fans, media, and the teams to fit into.

#4 A’s designated hitter Brent Rooker said that the A’s are the team he wants to stay with that the A’s are a desirable place to be at and that he’s happy with the group of people that Rooker has to work with on a day to day basis. Needless to say he’s happy about the five year $60 million extension he got with the club.

#5 The A’s actual environment covering this team everyday in 2024 they are a great group of players who like each other. In the press conference they had in Sacramento when some of the players were introduced they were excited about coming to Sacramento. But will this be at a honeymoon stage when they and visiting teams realize that playing in a minor league park is not all that it’s cracked up to be for a big league setting?

Daniel Dullum does the Athletics podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary–Athletics Loading-Up and Spending money in Sacramento

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Sacramento A’s two way player Shotaro Morii (gold A’s jersey) is introduced at press conference in Sacramento. Morii signed a minor league contract for $1,520,500. (photo from the New York Post)

Athletics Loading-Up and Spending money in Sacramento

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

When a team relocates, it brings a lot of new challenges, aside from the city they’re moving to, marketing strategy, new players, who is gone and who is returning plus changing the team’s identity. For the Oakland A’s, who made Oakland their home from 1968 to 2024 are now starting a new phase of their history in Sacramento, California. Aside from the new players, more on that later.

For this first season in Sacramento, 2025, the Athletics have added a new sleeve patch to their uniform that features the Tower Bridge and the word Sacramento. No, it is not as famous as the Bay Bridge or the Golden Gate Bridge, nevertheless is an emblem of Sacramento.

For this first year in Sacramento, the team also signed Dominican-born right-handed pitcher Luis Severino in December 2024. Severino (a veteran with the Yankees and Mets) got the largest contract in the history of the Athletics, a three-year, $67 million contract. Previously, Eric Chavez hsd signed the largest contract in athletics history twenty years ago, a six-year contract extension of $66 million in 2004.

The A’s went to Asia to find young talent. They recently signed 18-year-old Shotaro Morii, who made the rare decision to bypass Japanese professional baseball entirely and agreed to a minor league contract with the Athletics, including a signing bonus of $1,520,500.

Morii is trying to become another two-way player from his country after the great Shohei Ohtani with the World Champions Los Angeles Dodgers. The minor league contract is the largest ever for a Japanese amateur outside of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB)

The spending spree came after the team extended slugger Brent Rooker’s contract to five years and $60 million. The A’s DH was their MVP in 2024, with a .293 batting average, 39 home runs and 112 runs batted in. Since last season, many teams where interested in Rooker, but the A’s did well in retaining him.

The A’s signed a one-year contract with Dominican-born right-hander José Leclerc for 1 year and $10 million. The team expects José’s acquisition will bolster the back end of the bullpen, with their #1 star sensational closer Mason Miller, on his third season with the A’s.

The team also signed experienced third baseman Gio Urshela to a 1 year contract worth $2.15 million with up to $400,000 in incentives. Urshela, a native of Cartagena, Colombia, signed with Cleveland in July 2008 at age 16. He made his MLB debut for the Indians on June 9, 2015, and played two-plus seasons in Cleveland before being traded to the Blue Jays in May 2018. The team was looking for a guy with this experience to be part of their infield this year. Saludos and Adiós, for now.

Amaury Pi-González was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame in 2010 for his work as a Spanish-language Major League Baseball. Amaury is the vice president of the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Hall of Fame Museum catch Amaury’s podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Athletics relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum: Kotsay talks about adjustment and getting to know Sacramento

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Sacramento A’s manager Mark Kotsay addresses the media during Winter Meetings on Tue Dec 10, 2024 in Dallas. Kotsay spoke with the media on Mon Jan 6, 2025 regarding the A’s getting ready to play at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento for the 2025 season (Tom Gutierrez AP file photo)

On the A’s relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 Mark Kotsay manager of the A’s met with the media on Mon Jan 6, 2025 at the Kimpton Sawyer Hotel in downtown Sacramento and said regarding leaving Oakland and starting in Sacramento that change is never easy and that’s its never easy leaving from what your leaving behind that meaning the Oakland fanbase.

#2 Kotsay who spent the day in Sacramento and got a chance to go to the Sacramento Kings game on Monday and getting a chance to see the energy at Golden 1 Center and the support that the Kings get Kotsay said that’s a vision of the A’s future.

#3 Kotsay said that there is a sense of a lot of excitement regarding the A’s moving to Sacramento and brining Major League Baseball to a city that hasn’t had it before.

#4 Kotsay said that it’s important that the baseball is and the A’s are about the Sacramento Community and that any kind of community that the A’s can build and get support in makes it more comforting and life becomes a little bit easier.

#5 Kotsay was real and said that also there is a level of uncomfortability that can challenge you that makes you stronger and that the A’s are fully aware of that and that the Sacramento community is important and being part of the Sacramento community.

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

Athletics Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum: When will actual construction begin on Vegas ballpark for A’s?

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Athletics president Sandy Dean addresses the Las Vegas Stadium Authority regarding the construction finance for the A’s Vegas ballpark. Dean said is working the planning stages for zoning, traffic, parking and designs to name a few. Dean is seeking to get some of the SB1 funding to get the project moving by March 2025 (LV SportsBiz photo)

On the Athletics Relocation podcast with Daniel:

#1 Those who are following the progress of the Athletics new Las Vegas Stadium project ask the ongoing question when will construction get off the ground for the new park on the corner of Las Vegas Blvd and Tropicana Blvd?

#2 The A’s and Clark County are still working out the details of how funding will go to begin the process of the ground breaking for the Tropicana Park which be build on nine acres on the 35 acre property of the old Tropicana.

#3 The cost overruns since the A’s and the Las Vegas Stadium Authority came to an agreement in 2023 have increased to from $1.5 billion to $1.75 billion and A’s president Sandy Dean said that talks are in the early stages with Clark County on how the money will be spent on construction.

#4 Ground breaking is scheduled around March 2025. The nuts and bolts of getting the construction of the park underway is between April and June 2025 with a target date of completion of March 2028.

#5 Right now Dean says the A’s need to get funding from Clark County to cover land use, zoning, traffic and parking plans, design, occupancy details and needed offsite improvements.

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

Athletics Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum: Did fans and media put the pressure on Kaval to eventually resign?

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Outgoing Athletics president David Kaval resigned this week and said he would seek other ventures and will remain living in California (file photo Oakland Athletics)

On the Athletics Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 The reaction of the resignation of A’s president David Kaval is one of good riddance in commentaries on social media, main stream media and by former Oakland A’s fans.

#2 Kaval had once said that the A’s are rooted in Oakland when all of that changed in June 2023 when Kaval announced the A’s had a binding deal to move to Las Vegas that was pretty much the beginning of the end of any hope to stay in Oakland but also Kaval is remembered for rubber stamping the idea rather resigning right then and there instead of doing it after Christmas 2024.

#3 Daniel, do you feel the resignation of Kaval was caused by all the last two years of criticism from fans, media, MLB fans around the country, social media, the heart break of the A’s moving out of Oakland and that Kaval was the face of this move.

#4 To what degree does the announcement have a shock value or are people really surprised at all considering the way this relocation had been handled. No money for the construction costs have been announced for the Vegas ballpark as of yet. Did owner John Fisher’s role in all of this and getting negative reaction from the fans and media prove too much for Kaval where he just really had no choice but to walk away?

#5 Fisher family business associate Sandy Dean who had spoke at multiple Las Vegas Stadium Authority meetings in helping cement the financial plans to finance the Vegas ballpark will take over Kaval’s job as team president.

Daniel Dullum does the Athletics Relocation podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com