Category: That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Joe Castiglione Winner of the 2024 Ford C. Frick Broadcasters Award

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Joe Castigilone photo from Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame

Joe Castiglione Winner of the 2024 Ford C. Frick Broadcasters Award

By Amaury Pi-González

Joe Castiglione, the Radio Voice of the Boston Red Sox, is the recipient of the 2024 Ford C. Frick Award for Broadcasters. Castiglione has been the voice of the Red Sox since 1983. “It was a really ‘can you believe it” moment, he said during a brief conference call made by the Hall of Fame.

Castiglione is a humble broadcaster and one of the most recognizable voices in baseball, especially in New England. For a Boston Red Sox franchise record of 41 years, Castiglione has called Red Sox games on the radio. He is the longest-tenured broadcaster in Red Sox history; he is 76 years of age and was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2014.

Joe Castiglione has shared the microphone with partners including Bob Starr, Dave O”Brien, Jerry Trupiano, and Will Flemming while also teaching broadcast journalism at Northeastern University, Franklin Pierce University, and Emerson College.

Congratulations, Joe, well deserved.

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

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Gondola for the Dodgers

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A rendering of a proposed Dodger Stadium gondola project that would aim to ferry up to 5,000 passengers an hour from Union Station in downtown L.A. to the stadium. (LA Aerial Rapid Transit)

Gondola for the Dodgers

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Remember when the A’s talked about building a Gondola to transport people to their future new home at Howard Terminal? It was in January 2019, and it was met with many bad jokes, primarily by cynical A’s fans. Something similar is in the works for the LA Dodgers to alleviate traffic to the games at Dodger Stadium. The Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit gondola was proposed by Aerial Rapid Transit Technologies LLC, an entity created by McCourt Global.

The company’s CEO is Frank H. McCourt, who owned the Los Angeles Dodgers and the stadium from 2004 to 2012. Originally, the LA gondola was said it would cost $125 million. Still, after all the environmental studies (as usually happens in costly California constructions), the cost now looks like a half-billion dollars for the project.

The aerial system would get fans from downtown to Dodger Stadium in about seven minutes, from Union Station to Dodger Stadium. Up to 5,500 people per hour in each direction, which means that 10,000 fans could be transported to Dodger Stadium two hours before the start of a game.

Anybody that has attended games at Dodger Stadium has experienced the incredible amount of traffic, going to a baseball park that averages about 47,000 fans per game. Dodgers have led MLB in attendance for a few years now.

No city in North America has more automobiles than Los Angeles, so a Gondola to Dodger Stadium is a practical and it is not a joke, it makes sense. Coincidentally, as projects go, if approved, the gondola would take thousands of fans from Union Station downtown to Dodger Stadium in seven minutes, just in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics.

The gondola is planned to be inaugurated in 2028, the same year the Oakland Athletics plan to inaugurate their new ballpark in the Las Vegas Strip, but…without a gondola. Finally, and ‘for the record’, The City of LA to Dodger Stadium gondola was planned years before the Oakland A’s announced they wanted to have one for what was to be their new home at Howard Terminal.

Gondola Trivia: The original gondola has existed in Venice, Italy since the 11th century. It is estimated that there were eight to ten thousand gondolas during the 17th and 18th centuries, most over the canals of Venice. There are only 400 hundred in active service today. Most of them used by tourists.

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

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Top five teams pursuing Ohtani; Hinch gets long term deal with Tigers; plus more news

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Detroit Tigers manager AJ Hinch received a contract extension on Mon Dec 3, 2023. The Tigers didn’t name the amount of years but said it was a long contract. (Athletic file photo)

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury, talk about some of the teams that have shown interest in obtaining free agent Shohei Ohtani are the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, and the San Francisco Giants.

#2 How ironic is it that former Houston Astros manager AJ Hinch who kicked out of Houston for the garbage can drumming scandal now is the darling of the Detroit Tigers as manager. Hinch was reportedly signed by the Tigers on Monday for a very long time. Hinch and the Tigers finished the 2023 season 78-84, the Tigers seventh straight losing season. The Tigers are very confident that Hinch can get this club turned around.

#3 Jimmy Leyland who led the Miami Marlins to the 1997 World Series championship was voted into the MLB Hall of Fame last Sunday. Leyland was named on 15 of 16 ballots. Leyland becomes the 23rd MLB manager to get elected to the hall a string that started in 1980. The Leyland is also remembered for managing the Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates.

#4 The Miami Marlins hired former San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler as assistant general manager on Monday. Kapler who lead the Giants to a 296-248 record during his tenure. Kapler also led the Giants to 107 wins in the 2021 season. This was the only Giants team to win 107 games and make it to the post season under Kapler. The Marlins still haven’t named a general manager to replace Kim Ng who had stepped down from the GM role.

#5 Amaury, with Formula One Race making Las Vegas their home Bally’s Hotel and Casino say this is a big opportunity to give the company and profits in entertainment when the Oakland A’s ballpark is built. The Rhode Island based company Bally’s says it plans to demolish the Tropicana to make way for the A’s ballpark and plan to include a plaza with the park. The entire space is 35 acres with nine acres dedicated to the ballpark.

Join Amaury for News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Why Ontani could soon be with the Dodgers

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Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani celebrates in the dugout while wearing a hat after hitting a home run against the Seattle Mariners during the eighth inning of a baseball game Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. The Los Angeles Dodgers are odds on favorites to win the Ohtani sweepstakes. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Why Ohtani could soon be with the Dodgers

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

These are the three main reasons the two-way Japanese superstar could quickly sign with the Dodgers.

Why are the Dodgers the favorites to sign Shohei Ohtani? 1-He has repeatedly said he wants to stay on the West Coast. 2-He wants to be with a winner, and the Dodgers have won 10 divisional titles since 2013, three NL pennants, and a World Series, and they play here on the coast.

Three only a super-rich team can sign him, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are one of those teams, owned by the Guggenheim Baseball consortium. So, what is not to like for Ohtani?

It is well known by now that baseball sensation and free agent Shohei Ohtani is much more comfortable playing in southern California. He has played all of his six-year career at pitching-friendly Angel Stadium in Anaheim. If Angel Stadium is pitching-friendly, just 35 miles up Interstate Highway 5 there is a park that is even harder to hit a ball out, and that is Dodger Stadium.

The Los Angeles Dodgers makes all the sense in the world for the fantastic two-way player to set his new home beginning this next 2024 season. It is expected Ohtani could make a decision as early as Monday, the fourth of December.

On Monday, December 4, the Baseball Winter Meetings begin in Nashville, Tennessee. Shohei Ohtani is the biggest catch possible, and the Dodgers are one of the favorite teams to land the Japanese star with a salary that could reach $600 million.

The Dodger’s biggest and most historic rivals, the San Francisco Giants, have the money and the desire to land that box office attraction, especially since last season they struck out twice with two biggies, first Northern California native Aaron Judge, who stayed with the Yankees, and later with Carlos Correa who signed with the Twins. In both cases, the Giants went public and told their fans they were after these two superstars.

For Giants fans, It was like dangling a piece of candy in front of a 3-year-old and then pulling it back. Ohtani’s agent is Nez Balelo, one of the top agents in the baseball business, who Forbes also lists as one of the most potent agents in the world. Balelo is in the class of super-baseball agent Scott Boras.

Winter Meetings are scheduled from December 4-7. There is more than a 50% possibility that Shohei Ohtani will be signing his new contract, which will be, by far, the biggest in baseball history and one of the biggest in all sports. The 2-time MVP had successful elbow surgery last September; he is expected to hit in 2024 and return to the mound in 2025.

Quote: -“MVP with ease. He should win it every year. What he’s doing is insane. All of us at the highest level can’t believe our eyes. Truly remarkable. Be thankful you get to witness a real GOAT” – Chicago Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman after Ohtani struck out ten players and hit two home runs in a win over the Chicago White Sox.

Join Amaury Pi Gonzalez for That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcasts Tuesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: KNBR Big Budget Cuts -Can Sportstalk Radio Survive?

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Former KNBR talk show host FP Santangelo sent a social media message on X saying he was appreciative for the opportunity to work at KNBR. Santangelo was the 6-10pm talk show host and was replaced by John (JD) Dickinson in the 6-10pm slot. (photo from X.com)

KNBR Big Budget Cuts -Can Sportstalk Radio Survive?

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

In this fast-moving social media world, sports on the radio, mostly AM radio, are limited to live broadcasts of games, which figure to be the most profitable and popular. KNBR has been the sports leader in San Francisco for over half a century. This week, San Francisco’s KNBR management announced that it will no longer have a 6-10 PM show. F.P Santangelo was hosting, but not anymore.

In a post at X (formerly Twitter), the ex-major league player, sports talk host, and baseball commentator said it was due “to budget cuts”. Sportstalk radio is not as popular anymore. The proliferation of Podcasting has become one of the biggest enemies of the “old school” sports talk radio show formats. In 2021, over 82 million people listened to podcasts; by next year, it will reach over 100 million listeners.

Some other names that were laid off with Santangelo, Paul McCaffrey morning co-host, Danny Emerman sports reporter, Lee Hammer former program director, and the digital team. It was reported that McCaffrey’s co-host Brian Murphy upon learning the news took Friday’s morning show off “to collect his thoughts of what just happened.”

John Dickinson who formerly worked at 95.7 the Game will now do the Golden State Warriors post game shows at KNBR. JD worked at the Game for 12 years and seven months and seven days. He started at KNBR this week.

The 100 million would be approximately one-third of the country. WFAN radio in New York City is still the king of sports talk, working in the number-one media market in the country, and there are some others in Boston, Atlanta, and other large to medium to small media markets, but they are not as dominant as they were in the 1980s or even the 1990s.

This should not surprise anybody; the world of communications is ever-changing. AI (Artificial Intelligence) is already here. Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines or software, as opposed to the intelligence of humans or animals.

It may also refer to the corresponding field of study, which develops and studies intelligent machines, or to the smart machines themselves. It is already a controversial topic, and yes, it will eliminate many jobs, but it will also open new horizons.

Can Sportstalk radio survive? The answer is Yes, but it is in Intensive Care..

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

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Baseball: Elefantes de CIenfuegos- -Cuba’s last professional League Champion

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Baseball: Elefantes de CIenfuegos- -Cuba’s last professional League Champion

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Elefantes de Cienfuegos (Cienfuegos Elephants) was a Cuban baseball team that played in the old Cuban League from 1878 to 1961. In 1961, the last year of existence for the most popular winter league in the world, where many American-born stars also played with Cuban players after the primary league season.

In 1961, the Cuban communist government eradicated all professional sports, including professional baseball, which is the #1 sport on the largest island in the Caribbean. The Cienfuegos team won five Cuban League championships, including the last one in 1960-61; they also won two Caribbean Series, in 1956 and 1960.

Cienfuegos was one of the four teams that played in the Cuban Winter League, also Leones del Habana, (Havana Lions), Alacrames del Almendares (Almendares Scorpions) and Tigres de Marianao, (Marianao Tigers).

Although back then, Cuban baseball was very much like US baseball, and the green logo of the Elephants of Cienfuegos was not an affiliate of the Philadelphia, Kansas City, or Oakland A’s, who also had an Elephant as their logo. Below is the list of some players who proudly played for the Cienfuegos team; if you are a real baseball fan, you will recognize over 90 percent of these names.

Adolfo Luque, George Altman, José Azcue, Octavio “Cookie”Rojas, Martín Dihigo, Sandy Consuergra, Cool Papa Bell, Leo Cárdenas, Don Zimmer, Alejandro Olms, Sam Maglie, Camilo Pascual,Curt Roberts, Pedro Ramos, Willie Wells, Napoleón Reyes, Humberto “Chico”Fernández, Tomy González. Every team in the Cuban Professional Winter League had a distinctive narrative about their logo; in the case of the Elefantes de Cienfuegos it was: “El paso del Elefante es lento pero aplastante”. Translation- “The pace of the Elephant is slow but crushing.”

The Alacranes del Almendares, who had a Scorpion as their logo, read: “El que le gane al Almendares se muere” Translation- “Whoever beat Almendares will die”. The passion of the Cuban people ran high among fans of these four teams. Some people never sat down during a game; people would take bets on their team against the other team they were playing, and some fans were real characters.

Fans attending these games did it with pleasure and great passion and a celebration of the game. One of the best Cuban-born players in recent history made his debut with the Oakland A’s in 2012, Yoenis Céspedes, The Cuban baseball star had fled Cuba with other Cubans in search of a prosperous life with the opportunity and the freedom that is not available for the citizens of Cuba, it was not easy to escape as well as for Céspedes family who escaped later.

Céspedes, born in 1985 (25 years after Cienfuegos won the last Cuban title), only heard about this league from his parents and older folks. Quote: “My life has changed in many ways, both economically and personally. All major league players are accorded the respect they deserve.

In Cuba, it was not that way. National team players were not respected. The treatment was not adequate. -Yoenis Céspedes.

Amaury Pi-González is a member of SABR (Society for American Baseball Research). He has spoken about the Elefantes de Cienfuegos and other historic teams during SABR conventions. He is a co-founder and vice president of The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame.https://hhbmhof.com/

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Oakland Ballers–Rooted in Oakland

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Oakland Ballers executive vice president of baseball Operations Don Wakamatsu speaks during a news conference Tuesday at Laney College in Oakland, Calif. (Associated Press)

Oakland Ballers – -Rooted in Oakland

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

OAKLAND–As the sign “Rooted in Oakland” is scheduled to be removed from the west wall of the Oakland Coliseum before the beginning of the 2024 season, another team has been rooted in Oaktown. They are the Oakland Ballers or the Oakland B’s.

The group says they have raised $2 million from investors and pledged to the community that they “will never leave Oakland.” Anybody can become a part owner of the team by contributing to this initial push. Like the NFL Green Bay Packers, the Packers are owned by more than 500,000 community shareholders. Owned by the city’s fans.

This Tuesday, the independent Pioneer League announced that it will add a new expansion team, the Oakland Ballers, to the newly planned Pacific West Division. The Pioneer League is an independent baseball league that operates in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States.

Its teams are not directly affiliated with Major League Baseball. It is designated as an MLB Partner League. So, Oaklanders can now claim: “We already have an expansion team.”

Starting in 2024, the Oakland Ballers will play in the Independent League. There are two types of professional minor league systems: Independent and Affiliated. The Ballers will be Independent and, therefore, not affiliated to any of the 30 major league teams.

This league is considered a Rookie-level league. And the teams are Missoula PaddleHeads, Ogden Raptors, Rockey Mountain Vibes, and Billings Mustangs.

The Oakland B’ s are scheduled to begin their season in May 2024 and will play their home games at the Laney College baseball field in Oakland, with a capacity of approximately 800. 

Throughout the season, each team plays in 96 games, from May to September, in a split schedule between the North Division (Billings, Missoula, Great Falls, Glacier, and Idaho Falls) and the South Division (NoCo, Rocky Mountain, Grand Junction, Boise and Ogden. (This was before the recent announcement of the Oakland Ballers.

Some might consider this some kind of a joke, but it is not. People who like organized baseball can enjoy a new team in Oakland since the: “old team, the one that won four World Series in Major League Baseball since 1968, has decided to tell Oakland fans, “Adiós, nos vamos a Las Vegas”.

Ballers Rooted in Oakland?  As Yogi Berra would say, “Déjà vu all over again.”

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

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: A’s considering modeling Vegas park after Globe Life in Arlington

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Talk of the Oakland A’s modeling their new Las Vegas ballpark after Globe Life Field in Arlington complete with retractable roof. The Las Vegas A’s park is expected to be completed by 2028. (photo from Ballparks of Baseball)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal the Oakland A’s are looking at Globe Life Field in Arlington as a blue print for their Tropicana Ball Park. Globe Life was built in 2020 has a full retractable roof and seats 40,000. The A’s last proposal said they would seat 30,000 fans at the Tropicana in Vegas.

#2 A retractable roof at the A’s Vegas ball park most likely will only be opened maybe 10-11 times a season as it gets up to 102-1110 during the summer month of June, July and August. If the A’s have a retractable roof it will be at the cost of $100 million.

#3 Amaury, the A’s if they have the retractable roof will be using the park not only for baseball but for multi purpose events like concerts and public events. The question is can the A’s sell out every event like they say they can for the next 30 years some would say it’s doubtful.

#4 According to Dave Sampson the former Miami Marlins team president who podcasts on the show “Nothing Personal” said that the A’s deal to Vegas is not done yet despite the owners voting 30-0. There are two things that could hold things up John Fisher the team owner still needs to come up with his share of the construction money for the Vegas ballpark. Fisher is hedging his hopes that financing will be from tourism. The Vegas fan base will be too small to support the A’s but visitors from out of town are who the A’s are hanging their hats on.

#5 The question as to where the A’s play after 2024 is still up in the air as the Oakland Coliseum is the best location for the A’s to play 2025-27 in. The A’s have explored minor league parks and Oracle Park in San Francisco as places to go to but still don’t have an answer yet.

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

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: The Legacy of the Cuban Giants

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Original Cuban Giants 1886-1990 who played in St Augustin Fla and Trenton NJ (photo provided by Amaury Pi Gonzalez)

The Legacy of the Cuban Giants

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Sixty-two years before Jackie Robinson became the first black player in the major leagues, with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, the Cuban Giants were the first salaried African-American professional baseball club in the United States.

The team got its name because they played in Cuba during the winter of 1885-1886. There are 21 countries in Latin America, including Cuba, the largest island in the Caribbean. All the players with the Cuban Giants were born in Cuba.

Throughout history, Cuba has been the first Latin American country with proven baseball talent. Not only the Cuban Giants ball club, but many US-born black players (who could not play in the US because of segregation) went to Cuba and played there and were welcome there.

Cuba, the country, has always been linked with the origins of American baseball. Anybody who researches baseball history will find that the Cuban League was one of the oldest baseball leagues in the world.

For decades, American major leagues kept black players off their roster. They were integrated into Cuba after the Spanish-American War in 1900. This increased after Cuba won its independence from Spain in 1902.

Esteban Bellán, a Cuban-born player of white skin, was the first Latino to play in a US-organized professional baseball league in 1871 with the Troy Haymakers; Bellán later served as player-manager in 1878 for the home Havana side and led his team to three championships in 1878-1879, 1879-80 and 1882-83. As a winter league in Cuba, the season begins in late winter one year and ends during early winter of the next.

As a young kid in Cuba, I remember going with my father to the Cuban Winter League games and watching such stars as Cuban-born Orestes “Minnie” Miñoso, the first black Latino player in MLB with the Cleveland Indians as a rookie in 1949, who later found his stardom with the Chicago White Sox. Miñoso played with the Marianao Tigers.

Many US born black players went to Cuba to play in this popular league. With the Cienfuegos Elephants, I remember outfielders Lou Jackson and Jim Williams, both African-American players. Cienfuegos had such established Cuban major league stars as Camilo Pascual and Pedro Ramos.

At the end of the 2023 season, there were dozens of Cuban players in the major leagues; many established stars and among the best, like Yordán Alvarez, José Abreu, Adolis García, Randy Arozarena, Yandi Díaz, Aroldis Chapman, Luis Robert Jr., Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

The great Willie Mays signed with the Almendares Alacranes, (one of the most popular teams in Cuba) in the winter of 1950, but he would never go to play in Cuba (then as a top prospect) because the United States Army drafted him to serve in the Korean War.

Quote: “I played in Cuba; it was the best winter league back then, not only because of talent, but they paid the best” -Bill Werle, told me personally. He pitched in the majors with the Pirates, Cardinals, and Red Sox. Born in Oakland, he lived in the Bay Area and worked as a major league scout for various organizations after he retired. Bill pitched in Cuba for the Marianao Tigers and won a championship in 1957-58 season.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: How serious is a deal for A’s playing last 3 years in San Francisco?; Dodgers top pick so far for Ohtani

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Former Los Angeles Angels two way player Shohei Ohtani won the 2023 AL MVP and is an odds on favorite to join the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 2024 season. It’s yet to be determined. (AP News file photo)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Insiders have said that Oakland A’s president David Kaval after the MLB owners vote to move to Las Vegas that Oracle Park home of the San Francisco Giants could be the home of the A’s for the remaining three years 2025-27 while they wait for the Tropicana ballpark to be completed by 2028. How strong do you see that possibility.

#2 It’s ironic if the Giants were to allow the A’s to play at Oracle Park for the 2025-27 season in San Francisco after not allowing the A’s to have territorial rights to move to San Jose and now will allow them to come to Oracle and play their final three years in the San Francisco.

#3 No surprises here as former Los Angeles Angel Shohei Ohtani was named the AL MVP, Ohtani the two way player was 10-5 with an ERA of 3.14 pitching and hit .305 with 151 hits, 44 home runs, 102 runs, and 95 RBIs.

#4 Atlanta Braves Ronald Acuna Jr won the NL MVP hitting .337, 149 runs, 41 home runs, and 106 RBIs. Both Acuna and Ohtani won by unanimous decisions which is a first in the 92 years of the award.

#5 Ohtani is up for free agency is still waiting through the bidding and what team he would like to go and play for. The Los Angeles Dodgers are the odds on favorites in the Ohtani sweepstakes followed by the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants.

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