Category: That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary

Former Oakland A’s pitcher Trevor May has been open being against the A’s leaving Oakland and also saying that A’s owner John Fisher should sell the team (AP News file photo)

Do you suffer from A’s fatigue?

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

I know some A’s fans because they have told me they suffer from fatigue about the team’s current situation. What is fatigue? Fatigue is common, and one of the main components of fatigue is “burnout.” The constant talk about “they are leaving,” “no, they are staying,” “it is not over yet,” “sell the team,” they are heard all over the A’s fan-hood.

There is also “anxiety” about the Oakland-Las Vegas-Sacramento-Salt Lake City Athletics. Ex-A’s closer Trevor May has spoken publicly about his anxiety as a pitcher months before he blasted the Oakland A’s ownership.

Anxiety is very real, and although sports is just a part of life, which is meant for people to enjoy, some fans have worked themselves up with something of an obsession about their team potentially leaving Oakland, which creates a constant state of anxiety for uncertain things.

All the cities involved are trying to have the A’s play their games at their respective home parks; their elected officials and the teams that own the parks are all trying to get a piece of the A’s.

There are people on their podcasts in the Bay Area dedicating most of their time to the Oakland A’s saga, from local journalists to some other people outside the Bay Area like David Samson, once President of the Miami Marlins, on his top-rated podcast as he said: “Whether they were close or not, my view has always been that there is a deal to be done to keep the A’s in Oakland.”

He also says that he doesn’t believe the owners would force John Fisher to sell the team, so he doesn’t see a forced sale as an option.

Whatever your situation about the A’s, most things are not under your control. For example, if you do not have a vote in the City of Oakland or are not an executive of the Oakland A’s with the decision-making power to make something happen, you should not worry since you can’t control it anyway.

So what is the point of torturing yourself unless you are a masochist (enjoy experiments that give you pain)

Negotiations: The A’s and the City of Oakland are at an impasse. They have yet to agree to a lease extension beyond this 2024 season, during which they will play at the Oakland Coliseum.

This means that, as of today, it is still possible that this 2024 season will be the last time the Oakland A’s play at the Oakland Coliseum, which make 2024 a very historical year. But I will not let it worry me because I, just like you, cannot control the situation.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play voice 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

The book Beisbol on the Air by Jose Iber and Anthony R Salazar

Oakland A’s – Baseball Boycott Capital

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

If you have never heard of a fan base boycotting their team’s Opening Day, it is because it is not common in Major League Baseball history in Oakland or any other city. But such is the state of affairs on the A’s franchise today. Last Dive Bar and The A’s 68’s have joined forces for a full boycott of Opening Day, March 28 when the A’s host the Cleveland Guardians.

During the 2023 A’s season, there were reverse boycotts, and in the end, the Oakland A’s attendance at the Oakland Coliseum was the lowest among all 30 in major league baseball. Not all of this can be attributed to the boycotts, but A’s hardcore and casual fans have shown disinterest in the team since the team announced their move to Las Vegas.

The relationship between A’s fans and A’s ownership is very similar to part of the Christian marriage vows I, take you to be my favorite team, to have and to hold from this day forward for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer”. Unfortunately, it has resulted in a very nasty divorce, what attorneys call “irreconcilable differences.”

On March 28 at 7:07 PM the Oakland A’s inaugurate their 2024 season when they will play the Cleveland Guardians at the Oakland Coliseum.

Fans plan to boycott the A’s opener by showing up at the Coliseum parking lot but not inside. Instead of going inside the Coliseum to watch the game, fans will show their displeasure with owner John Fisher, who is trying to relocate the team to Las Vegas. The Oakland A’s are offering a BOGO deal for that Opening Night against the Guardians, buy one tixket get another ticket for free.

New book: “Béisbol on the Air” by Jorge Iber and Anthony R. Salazar. Essays of Major League Spanish-Language Broadcast is now available.

Both the U.S. population and Major League Baseball rosters have seen dramatic demographic changes over the past 50 years. The nation and the sport are becoming multilingual, with Spanish as the unofficial second language.

Today, 21 of 30 MLB teams broadcast at least some games in Spanish Filling a gap in the literature of baseball, this collection of new essays examines the history of the game in Spanish, from the earliest locutores who called the plays for Latin American audiences to the League’s expansion into cities with large Latino populations–Los Angeles, Houston and Miami to name a few–that made talented sportscasters for the fanaticos a business necessity.

Oakland Alameda County Coliseum at night (photo file by Ticketmaster.com)

The Coliseum to the Rescue? A’s wouldn’t have to shut down operations

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

In the never-ending saga of the only baseball franchise in Bay Area history to have won four World Series, the Oakland A’s are now to meet with the City of Oakland and County of Alameda to renew a new lease past this 2024 season (last year for the current lease).

As Spring Training in Arizona is getting underway, the Oakland A’s, who are scheduled to inaugurate a new ballpark in the Las Vegas strip by 2028, have obstacles still on the horizon, the most important being the financing for the $1.5 billion stadium in Sin City as well are the renderings of the proposed new 30,000 seat facility.

If you call the Tropicana Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas today hoping to get a reservation for a stay, you can do so until April. The iconic Tropicana has already officially announced that they will not take any reservations after April 2 because they are making way for the demolition, which is also scheduled for this year.

While the A’s build their new park in Las Vegas, the one city that makes the most sense for the team to keep playing is Oakland, which is common sense, but as we all know, in this current story, ” common sense is not common anymore.”

If the Oakland A’s were to extend their lease with the City of Oakland and Alameda County for 2025 and beyond, that would ensure the team keeps playing in a major league facility. As dated as the Coliseum is today, granted, it is not the most attractive baseball park.

However, it is still a major league facility, and the Players Union will probably never approve of the A’s playing in a smaller setting, barnstorming in minor league cities outside the Bay Area.

So get ready. More discussions are underway. This makes sense, there is money for everybody, if they extend it, plus the A’s will still keep the millions they get in television broadcasting revenue, and the city and county also will benefit financially. This is not amateur sports; this is the Big Leagues, and when there is money to be made, everybody likes to talk about it.

Let’s see what happens now.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play voice 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