Category: That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: O’s and Rays headed for post season; ex-Phils manager Manuel improving after stroke; plus more news

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Philadelphia Phillies hitting coach Charlie Manuel looks on prior to the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Aug. 14, 2019, in Philadelphia. The Phillies announced Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, that former manager Manuel has suffered a stroke. Manuel was undergoing a medical procedure in Florida when he was afflicted, the team revealed. Sun, Sep 17, 2023 doctors said 12 hours after the procedure Manuel was showing signs of improvement (AP News photo)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 The Baltimore Orioles and the Tampa Bay Rays both teams who have great seasons clinched for the AL playoffs after the Texas Rangers lost to the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday.

#2 Good news after the scary experience that ex-Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel 78, had a stroke while going through a medical procedure in Florida. Doctors were able to remove a blood clot from the 79 year old manager Sunday and reported that Manuel has shown improvement. While Manuel was manager for the Phillies he won five NL East titles between 2007-2011. Manuel was fired by the Phillies in 2013 after a 53-67 start of that season.

#3 Cuban born designated hitter and outfielder Jorge Soler of the Miami Marlins hit a home run upon his return from the 10 day IL. Soler had been placed in the IL due to a right oblique strain. Soler said he was feeling discomfort taking swings on Sep 5th but feels alright now going 2-3 with a home run on Sunday.

#4 Pitcher Corey Kluber will not pitch again for the rest of the season for the Boston Red Sox due to right shoulder inflammation. Kluber announced that he has ended his minor league rehab assignment and will not make his third rehab assignment at Triple A Worcester last Saturday. Kluber is a two time Cy Young Award winner.

#5 The New York Mets threw a huge bash for Bartolo Colin at Citi Park in Queens on Sunday. The Mets celebrated Colin’s home run he hit on May 7, 2006. It was Colin’s first home run off the San Diego Padres James Shields and Colin became the oldest player at age 42 years and 349 days to hit a home run. Colin pitched in the big leagues for 21 years. Colin also was a former pitcher for the Oakland A’s and made a big splash with fans and teammates during that time as well.

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

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Bucs Hayes says it’s time for the auto umpire forthwith; Brewers lose no hitter and game in 13 innings; plus more news

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Pittsburgh Pirates’ Ke’Bryan Hayes follows through on a solo home run off Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta during the first inning at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Wed Sep 6, 2023. Hayes said the need for the auto umpire needs to be in place ASAP saying there are too many umpire mistakes that are costing hitters (AP News photo)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury, Ke’Bryan Hayes of the Pittsburgh Pirates is calling for the auto umpire as soon as possible. During Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Braves pitcher AJ Minter threw a 3-1 pitch that was outside and was ruled strike two by plate umpire Bill Miller. Hayes thought he was taking ball four and headed up to first base but had to come back. The Bucs were down 5-2 in the top of the eighth. Hayes is calling for the auto saying some umpires don’t care. He questioned Miller after the game about the call and Miller told him you had your chance to hit a homer.

#2 The Brewers on Monday night took a no hitter going into the 11th inning. Brewers pitchers Corbin Burnes, Devin Williams, Abner Uribe, and Joel Payamps almost made baseball history as they were two outs away from the game’s first 11 inning no hitter. The New York Yankees not only ended the no hitter but came back and won the game as the Yankees Kyle Higashioka doubled in the ghost runner in the bottom of the 13th inning.

#3 The Milwaukee Brewers called up third baseman Josh Donaldson from triple A Nashville and optioned Owen Miller to help the Brewers in their playoff drive. Donaldson started at third base on Monday night against the Miami Marlins. Donaldson was released by the New York Yankees hit .142, .434 slugging percentage, with 15 hits and 10 home runs and 15 RBIs.

#4 The Los Angeles Angels are open to trading superstar outfielder Mike Trout. Trout has seven years and $248 million left on his 12 year deal with the Halos on a contract worth $430 million. Trout had been plagued with back injuries. Trout has been out since July 3 with a broken hamate bone. Trout was hitting .263, 81 hits, 18 home run, 44 RBIs.

#5 The USA Today reports that the Oakland A’s would be one of two cities who would get a expansion team once the A’s move to Las Vegas at Tropicana Park in 2028. The other city under consideration is Nashville. High ranking baseball officials say that the city of Oakland needs to get a ballpark site in place (most likely the Howard Terminal), an ownership group who will secure the site. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said that in order for the city to extend the A’s extension before they move out of Oakland MLB needs to assure the city will get an expansion team and the A’s name brand stays with the City.

Join Amaury Pi Gonzalez for all the action of Oakland A’s baseball on the 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: Dodgers Latino Fan base Shaken up by Julio Urías

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Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Julio Urias throws to the plate during the first inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, in Los Angeles (AP News photo)

Dodgers Latino Fan base Shaken up by Julio Urías

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

At any given time during a Dodgers game at Dodger Stadium, one of every two fans is a Latino, most of Mexican heritage. The Los Angeles Dodgers are averaging close to 48,000 in attendance per game and are closing in 4 million in attendance.

Those are the best attendance numbers in major league baseball. Since the 1980s, when Fernando Valenzuela was the team’s ‘número uno star’ the Dodgers have not had a more giant Mexican star than lefty starter Julio Urías, originally from Culiacán, México, whom the Mexican fans affectionately called “Culichi.

However, his recent arrest for domestic violence has shaken the Latino community of the greater Los Angeles Area. On September 3, Urías was taken into police custody in a parking lot near BMO stadium, where soccer superstar Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF played against Los Angeles FC in an MLS game. The pitcher was charged with felony corporal injury against a spouse.

The news is sad for all Dodger fans, including team Manager Dave Roberts, who said, “it is very sad; that is all I’ve got to say”. Urias is currently on administrative leave “until further notice”. This was not the first time for Urías.

In 2019, he was suspended for 20 games under MLB domestic violence policy. During the past few years, Julio Urías became the #1 starter for a team just a few magic numbers away from winning the National League Western Division again. The Dodgers are within days of winning their 21st NL West title.

Urías was a World Series champion in 2020, National League wins leader in 2021, and National League ERA leader in 2022. He could have taken the third position of the best three left-handers in Dodgers history behind the incomparable Sandy Koufax (Hall of Fame) and currently Clayton Kershaw, a future Hall of Fame member, but this for Urías was the second time and first player since the MLB policy on domestic violence to be punished twice.

Ironically, another big-time pitcher, 31-years Trevor Bauer, who won the Cy Young Award with the Cincinnati Reds in 2020, only pitched one year (2021) for the Dodgers and was given an unprecedented two-season suspension without pay by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred for violating the league’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy. Bauer is out of baseball.

At this time, the final decision by MLB on Julio Urías has not been made; he was supposed to become a Free Agent after this 2023 season. Urías is facing the same fate as Trevor Bauer, as the Los Angeles Dodgers Latino fan base is waiting; many have shown their disappointment.

The Mexican star has become a fan favorite, especially for the Mexican fan base, with many comparing Urías as the best Dodgers Mexican pitcher since Fernando Valenzuela, who had an exemplary career and is still adored by fans all over Los Angeles.

Domestic violence is a serious charge, as it should, and the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball is investigating the Julio Urías situation.

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

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Memories of Oakland  No.11 in Series-Nobody is more Oakland than Dave Stewart

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Former Oakland A’s pitcher Dave Stewart who is a member of the Oakland A’s Hall of Fame and has his #34 jersey retired with the A’s (File photo by the Tennessean)

Memories of Oakland  No.11 in Series

Nobody is more Oakland than Dave Stewart

By Amaury Pi-González

No other player in Oakland A’s history represents Oakland more than Dave Stewart. Born in the City of Oakland and the only Oakland A’s pitcher to have won 20  or more games in four seasons in a row, his grit and determination are legendary. While Tim Hudson, Barry Zito, and Mark Mulder are also 20-game-winners while pitching in Oakland, Stewart is in a class by himself.

He always had a smile and was gracious when we spoke, especially with one of his most memorable anecdotes; when he was a young man and lived not very far from the Oakland Coliseum he would sneak into A’s games and Reggie Jackson would catch him in the process and bring  him to the park.

Soon after, Stewart started washing Reggie’s car in exchange for tickets. If anybody is really Rooted in Oakland, that would be Dave Stewart. That is the best definition of “Rooted” the other stuff is only marketing, but Stewart is the real thing.

Those of us who covered the 1989 World Series remember well, the Cypress Freeway in Oakland, on October 17 when the strong Loma Prieta Earthquake struck the bay area. Stewart was there working shoulder-to-shoulder with first responders, rescuing people that were trapped.

There, 42 people were killed when the double-decked Cypress Freeway (which I had driven hours before on the way from the east bay to Candlestick Park), totally collapsed. Dave Stewart is a World Series Champion and World Series Most Valuable Player, but he is also a role model for the youth in Oakland.

Dave Stewart is involved as an owner of an expansion team in Nashville, Tennessee. His vision could become reality as Nashville is one of the top cities considered for MLB expansion along with Charlotte, Montreal, Portland and Salt Lake City.

“Mental attitude and concentration are the keys to pitching”  – Ferguson Jenkins.

Join Amaury Pi Gonzalez for exciting Oakland A’s baseball on the Spanish radio network at 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Teachers Union Disagree with Schools Over Stadiums

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Clark County Education Association Executive Director John Vellardita is not part of Schools over Stadium and has been at odds with the NSEA since 2018 (file photo Nevada Independent)

Teachers Union Disagree with Schools Over Stadiums

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

There are more curves to this story, than the world’s famous Lombard Street in San Francisco. After a teacher’s union formed Schools Over Stadiums, in opposition to the Athletics building a park in Nevada, there is another teacher’s union in Las Vegas, Nevada who doesn’t support the Schools Over Stadium petition. I believe “not all teachers are created equal”.

This June, the Nevada State Education Association formed a political action committee called Schools Over Stadiums.Today they officially announced they have filed a referendum petition to repeal the funding of $380 million approved for the new A’s ballpark in Las Vegas. They claim that during that 82nd Legislative Session, Nevada legislators “failed to hear a single bill to reduce Nevada’s overcrowded classrooms.”

That same month in June, Nevada’s Governor Lombardo signed State Bill 1. Under this bill, $380 million in public funds for the ballpark were set aside. Steve Hill (an important player in Las Vegas) is the CEO and President of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. According to Hill, room taxes from hotels in Las Vegas generated in the new Sports and Innovation District would help cover some of those costs.

It’s the same structure they put together to pay for Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders. The MLB owners must approve the team moving to Las Vegas; a vote is expected in December. The demolition of the Tropicana, where the A’s have planned to build their new ballpark, is scheduled right after the owners vote.

The Nevada Secretary of State website, on the Schools Over Stadiums, specifies they would need hundreds of thousands of valid signatures from registered Nevada voters before it goes onto the ballot. For example, during the 2022 General Election, petitioners required at least 10% of the voters who voted during the previous General Election. In 2022, 10% meant 140,777 valid signatures. They will need to be collected and submitted by July 8, 2024. As of today, they haven’t started the collection of signatures yet, according to Schools Over Stadiums officials.

Not all Nevada Teachers Unions are reading from the same playbook. The Clark County Education Association (CCEA), which is not affiliated with NSEA and is the official bargaining unit for 18,000 licensed educators, including teachers in the Clark County School District (Las Vegas, the most populous city in the State), is not backing the “Schools Over Stadiums” petition.

CCEA and the statewide union have been at odds since 2018, when the former broke with NSEA.  “We’re not involved, and we wouldn’t follow the lead of an irrelevant organization,” Clark County Education Association Executive Director John Vellardita said in June, adding that Democrats passed the bill, a Republican governor signed it, and the stadium seems settled.

The Oakland A’s also signed a labor agreement with the Nevada Building Trades covering the stadium and has an agreement with the ballpark’s employees. This is the largest labor union in Nevada, the hospitality labor force associated with the AFL-CIO.

The Oakland A’s announced their schedule for the 2024 season, all home games will be played at the Oakland Coliseum.

 Note: In 2005 MLB moved the Montreal Expos to the American capital and renamed them the Washington Nationals. Montreal is the only city that has lost a significant league franchise since 1901 without eventually getting another team.

If the Oakland A’s move to Las Vegas, will Oakland get an expansion team? Nobody could answer that today, but other cities are “in line” to get an MLB expansion team. This June five of San José’s Mayors sent Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred a letter, asking MLB to permanently suspend territorial rights and create and avenue for the city to get an expansion team. San Jose, the Bay Area’s largest city wants a Major League team and if would merit great consideration, if the A’s leave for Las Vegas.

Join Amaury Pi Gonzalez for the Oakland A’s action on the A’s Spanish radio network 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburgh and News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Harrison becomes second Giant to get 10 k’s in second career appearance; Former manager Corrales passes at 82; plus more news

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Kyle Harrison becomes the second pitcher in Giants history to strike out ten in a second career appearance (@SFGiants photo)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary:

#1 Some fans at Oracle Park in San Francisco kept saying from the stands to Giants rookie starter Kyle Harrison “who are you?” and he showed them who he was by setting 11 hitters from the first place Cincinnati Reds down. Harrison was all the rage when he made his rookie debut on Aug 22. On Monday night Harrison became the second Giants pitcher to strike ten hitters in his second appearance since Jeff Tesreau since 1912.

#2 Harrison in that MLB debut showed his effectiveness throwing 3.1 innings. and allowed two runs, five hits and five strikeouts. It was the strikeouts that has got a lot of people’s attention.

#3 Amaury, former Cleveland Guardians manager Pat Corrales who managed Texas, Cleveland and Philadelphia passed away at age 82 over the weekend. Corrales worked as a special assistant to the general manager for the Los Angeles Dodgers until 2012 in his final job in baseball. Is Pat Corrales in the Hispanic Heritage Hall of Fame Musuem?

#4 It was tribute night for former New York Mets pitcher Max Scherzer who returned to the Big Apple with the Texas Rangers. The Mets had a video scoreboard tribute for Scherzer but he was booed roundly when they showed him in the Rangers dugout for a live shot.

#5 The Oakland A’s got to Seattle and were routed by the Seattle Mariners. For the M’s the big hits, in the bottom of the first JP Crawford belted a 394 foot home run and in the bottom of the fourth inning Julio Rodriguez slugged a 420 foot home run putting the M’s in front 6-0 and out of reach in a 7-0 loss on Monday night. This was the seventh loss out of 11 games for Oakland.

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

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: MLB The Three biggest Failures are the three biggest Payrolls

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Baltimore Orioles third baseman Gunnar Henderson is unable to stop an RBI double by Colorado Rockies’ Elias Diaz that scored Charlie Blackmon from first base during the third inning at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Fri Aug 25, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

With approximately 30 to 35 games left for most teams this season, here are the three teams with the biggest payrolls this year and their records today.

1-New York Mets 60-71 in the cellar, 2-New York Yankees, 62-69 in the cellar, 3-San Diego Padres, 61-70 in penultimate place. The chances of any of these teams for the postseason is at best slim and none for real, as they would have to play at an .800 winning percentage clip the rest of the way. Can we say that money is not the key for a winning team?

Yes and No, because at the end is a combination, a balancing-act for front offices to draft, trade and buy players at the same time. A team most draft and develop well, make trades to improve their roster and in some cases open the bank and pay the huge salaries. But money alone is not the solution in the most difficult sport.

The Baltimore Orioles are leading the American League East, with the #29 payroll, only the Oakland A’s have a smaller payroll, the A’s do not really count because their owner has “De-funded the Team” . But, how have the Orioles done it?

They have the best minor league system today. As a matter of fact, this 2023 season the Orioles have the best minor league system for the fourth consecutive year. The best example is Gunnar Henderson, which was one of the eight total guys in the Top 100 prospects, Henderson is a regular in the young and exciting Baltimore Orioles lineup this season.

They have players waiting in the minors, like the highly rated Jackson Holliday, the son of ex major league All Star Matt Holliday. Jackson Holliday is the #1 prospect in Major League Baseball, currently playing shortstop and second base at AA level affiliate, Bowie Baysox in Maryland.

The Birds from Baltimore success was not instant. Here are the last three years record:

2021: 52-100, 2022: 83-79, today the Orioles have a 81-49 record. which is the second best record among all 30 MLB teams, only the Atlanta Braves with 84-45 leading the NL East by miles have a better record in baseball.

The Yankees, Mets and Padres will have a very interesting off-season, the Padres might just tweak their roster, my hope is they keep their manager Bob Melvin, but the two New York teams, only God knows what their management is going to do.

Mets owner Steve Cohen is the richest owner in baseball, but he could not buy the title this year, he is insatiable for high prize talent, and will make a run at Shohei Ohtani. The Yankees? Well there is always next season for their 28 World Series title.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play voice on 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: A Friend and my Favorite Baseball Official Scorer

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A Friend and my Favorite Baseball Official Scorer

This photo was taken by The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame (2012 Pioneer Award) which former MLB official scorer Arturo Santo Domingo was a winner of that year

A Friend and my Favorite Baseball Official Scorer Arturo Santo Domingo

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

Our deepest condolences to the Santo Domingo family for the passing of Mr. Arturo Santo Domingo. All of us who knew Arturo share great lifetime memories that enriched our lives. He was the ultimate professional, a friend in the Press Box in San Francisco and Oakland.

Arturo shared his knowledge, love, and passion for the game of baseball like few people I have ever met in this business. We met in the 1970’s at the Candlestick Park Press Box during a San Francisco Giants game.

I remember when he introduced me to Mr. Chub Feeney who was the Vice President of the Giants and often was in the press box standing in a corner smoking a cigar watching the game (it was allowed back then to smoke in the Press Box) Feeney was a real character.

Arturo was the first Latin American-born Traveling Secretary in Major League Baseball with the San Francisco Giants in the early 1960’s Born in Colombia but educated in the United States, a graduate in Business at Duke University, this humble reporter and Arturo mostly spoke in Spanish.

He would often join me on the air during a Spanish-language baseball broadcast of the A’s or Giants here in the Bay Area, which he really enjoyed and was excellent in his commentary. His knowledge of the game made him my favorite Official Scorer in baseball.

But his stories when we spoke about some of the greatest players he had the privilege of knowing and traveling with, like the great Willie Mays, were priceless. When Arturo spoke in any Press Box people listened.

Through the years I realized how much he loved Cuban food, which we shared in various restaurants with him and some of his friends who are also missing him today. In 2012 Arturo Santo Domingo who was co-founder and benefactor of the 46th Cable Car Classic in Santa Clara,(which I had the pleasure of covering for Telemundo) announced that he would not be part of the tournament in the future.

That same year on August 12, 2012, The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame http://www.hhbmhof.com Awarded him with the Pioneer Award. Official Scorekeepers do not come better than Arturo.

Descansa en Paz Arturo.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Hall of Fame Museum and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: MLB owners not happy with A’s special treatment in relocation move

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Sources have said that New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner is not too happy regarding the Oakland A’s move to Las Vegas including the A’s receiving revenue sharing and having their relocation waved (New York Post file photo)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 MLB owners have expressed their frustration over the Oakland A’s getting special treatment not having to pay a relocation fee as the behind the scenes discussions of the A’s move to Las Vegas heats up.

#2 Amaury, although it’s been quiet on the MLB owners front when they’ll hold the relocation vote it’s pretty apparent that it will most likely be held the first week of December.

#3 John Shea reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle says that the owners from high and low revenue teams are complaining that the A’s are receiving preferential treatment in getting increased revenue sharing and while not paying the relocation fee. Do you see that playing into the owners decision on the A’s relocation vote?

#4 The A’s getting that increased revenue sharing is also a frustration for the MLB owners particularly when they A’s don’t put any money into their payroll. Owners might ask why are the A’s getting all this money and also want to be rewarded by relocating to Vegas?

#5 Amaury, the question is will the owners go along with the relocation for the A’s to move to Vegas in spite of the A’s getting special treatment receiving revenue sharing money from MLB and the relocation being waved?

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play voice on the Oakland A’s Spanish 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: Here are ten reasons why the A’s should Play in Havana after 2024

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Cuban National Ballet dance Daniela Gomez in front of the Capital of Havana on Apr 14, 2018 (AP file photo)

Here are ten reasons why the A’s should Play in Havana after 2024

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

1-Since Fidel Castro died in 2016, Cuba’s new “bosses” are hungry for big-time baseball. Cuba’s long history of pioneering baseball in Latin America is well documented. Fidel said he hated capitalism, yet he had a $1 billion fortune when he died.

2-All the best Cuban players have left the island and are now in the Major Leagues.

3-While the A’s build their new ballpark in Las Vegas, Havana, Cuba, would be the temporary home for the team.

4-Havana’s weather is like Miami, and teams could easily travel to play the A’s in Cuba. What’s another hour on a flight from Seattle to Cuba?

5-Cuba, with 11 million citizens, is a communist country. So what? China has over 1 billion people; they are also communist, and the NBA is king there.

6-The baseball commissioner will be thrilled since he loves to promote the game abroad. MLB has played in Europe, so why not 90 miles from Key West?

7-Cuba is the only Latin American country with a US League professional team. The Havana Sugar Kings were a Cuban-base minor league team that played in the US International League from 1946 to 1960. From 1954 to 1960, they were Class AAA. Baseball in Latin America has roots in the largest island in the Caribbean.

8-Fans could travel to Cuba on vacation and catch a game or two; the same will happen in Las Vegas anyway. So the A’s will be “rehearsing” their marketing.

9- The Estadio Latinoamericano (Latin American Stadium) in Havana has a capacity of 55,000. That is 20,000 more than Las Vegas proposed new park. In 1999 the Baltimore Orioles played there, and they had no problem.

10-The owners, players union, and the Office of the Commissioner will all have to approve it; just like everything else, they are the ones who run the game.

Note: Having fun with this, but it will never happen because political reasons by both countries will not allow it. But it sure looks interesting. Of course, as a Cuban-born US Naturalized citizen is easy for me to say. Well…not that easy, really, because there is a reason I live here and not in Cuba. I am not a hypocrite.

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