Category: That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: MLB Veterans Committee Fred McGriff voted to the Hall of Fame

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Former Atlanta Brave Fred McGriff is all smiles after being informed that he has been voted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown (AP News file photo)

MLB Veterans Committee: Fred McGriff voted to the Hall of Fame

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Fred McGriff is 59 years old and played for six different teams during a 19-year career that ended in 2004. With 493 homers he ties with another Hall of Famer, Lou Gehrig as the only two with less than 500 home runs in Cooperstown.

McGriff could not get over the hump in ten appearances on the BBWAA ballot mostly in part of a backlog of controversial (steroids era) candidates and never got out of 69 votes (39.8), but on Sunday December 4, he was elected with 16 votes on the 16 member committee, unanimously. 100%. A player needs a minimum of 75% to get elected to the Hall of Fame.

“What an honor,” McGriff said in a Zoom call with the media from his home in Florida. “It’s a beautiful night in Tampa. I did it. I got in there. I feel as if I’ve been totally blessed my whole life and I continue to be blessed. It’s an honor to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.”

Because of a backlog of controversial candidates from the steroid era, McGriff could not get over the hump in ten appearances on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot, topping out at 69 votes (39.8%). A player needs a minimum of 75% for election to Cooperstown.

Fred McGriff hit 30 or more homers during a season for five different teams; Toronto, San Diego, Atlanta, Tampa Bay and Chicago Cubs. He was a member of the 1995 World Champion Atlanta Braves and now joins four (4) other Hall of Fame players of that great Braves team; Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, Larry “Chipper” Jones and Tom Glavine.

Not surprised Fred McGriff was elected or that Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Rafeal Palmeiro were not for obvious reasons, also not a surprise that Curt Schilling received 43% of the vote, as controversial as he was, it was because of comments he made on twitter on political issues, which everybody is entitled as we all have the rights to free speech. Schilling was never involved or was suspect of using steroids. It will be no sooner than 3 years from today that they would be considered again for election. Here is the final vote:

Fred McGriff 16 votes, (100%) Don Mattingly 8 votes, (50%) Curt Schilling 7 votes (43.8%) Dale Murphy 6 votes (37.5%) Albert Belle Less than 4 votes Barry Bonds Less than 4 votes Roger Clemens Less than 4 votes Rafael Palmeiro Less than 4 votes

The Winter Meetings began today in San Diego. Expect this week some news regarding signing of free agents and trades. The Braves, Cardinals, Indians and others have been talking to the Oakland A’s in trying to reach a deal to acquired catcher Sean Murphy, he is one of the most sought after players this off season and the A’s are expected to trade him for a bunch of prospects.

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

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Major League Baseball Expansion is coming – But on Hold

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A proposal to tear down the Rio Casino pictured above and replace it with a Chase Field Phoenix type ball park with a retractable roof on the Las Vegas strip (Las Vegas Review-Journal photo)

Major League Baseball: Expansion is coming – But on Hold

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González.

Expansion in baseball is coming. However, it has been now “on the on-deck circle” for a while because the office of the Commissioner and the powers to be are focused on the Oakland A’s and the Tampa Bay Rays building new stadiums. 1998 was the last time MLB added a team it was their 29th (Arizona Diamondbacks) and then the 30th was the Tampa Bay Rays. It is over 20 years and the A’s and Rays have been holding the line of a total of 30 teams in major league baseball.

There are no timetable to tell us when the expansion will take place, however these cities are on the waiting list: Nashville, Tennessee, where a group that includes ex-A’s pitcher Dave Stewart is involved, also Austin and San Antonio, Texas, Orlando, Charlotte and a decent chance that Montreal, Canada, will be back as a major league town.

I also have to mention Portland Oregon, because they have shown interest in the past and in this crazy business of baseball, we cannot count anybody out. For the record; Portland is the #21 Media Market in the US and for your information, Las Vegas is #40.

In the MLB plans for expansion, Las Vegas is not listed as an expansion city, although even if Sin City doesn’t land the A’s, they still will have a good shot because that city keeps growing and pro-sports leagues are planning and showing interest to have a team there in the future.

For now Las Vegas is ‘rolling the dice’ on the A’s. One important thing to keep in mind. Las Vegas, Nevada is mostly desert, the building regulations there and politics are not that complicated, unlike here in the Bay Area. It is easier and cheaper to build anything in Las Vegas than in the Bay Area – as simple as that.

How about the A’s? It is December 2022 and no news from the City of Oakland or the Oakland A’s. A’s Present Dave Kaval has maintained that if by December of this year there is no “green lit” plan in Oakland for the A’s project at Howard Terminal, they are gone. In a Twitter Kaval tweeted: “It is Howard Terminal or Bust”.

Winter Meetings: For the first time in three years (none last two because of Covid) they will take place from December 4 to December 7 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego, California. After these meetings are over, baseball is on vacation for Hanukkah and Christmas, so it is anybody’s guess what’s is going to happen, what news we might hear on the Oakland A’s.

But the focus is on the big name free agents available and possible trades, the #1 Aaron Judge and others like Justin Verlander, Carlos Rodón, Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts and A’s catcher Sean Murphy are some of the high profile names in the menu.

For now I wish everybody a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, and see you in 2023.

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

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: His name is Freedom, and he Means it

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Enes Kanter Freedom photographed before he made a trip to play in China for the Boston Celtics (photo from CNN)

His name is Freedom, and he Means it

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Enes Kanter Freedom played in the NBA; he is 6’10” 250 pounds center and played from 2011 to 2022. His conviction cost him his high-paying job. He changed his name to Enes Kanter Freedom as he continues to speak against the president of his native Turkey as well as injustices in China.

Enes Kanter Freedom sacrificed his career as a professional basketball player to be a voice for the voiceless. This is one of his quotes: “Whatever happens in life, always stand for the truth. Stand for justice and stand for whatever you believe in, even if it means sacrificing everything you have,”

Freedom, who has spoken out against human rights abuses at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party and has raised awareness surrounding the mistreatment of Uighur, Tibetans, Hongkongers, and Taiwanese, as he received an award as Most Valuable Patriot from the Fox News Network this year,

Professional basketball player Enes Kanter Freedom accused the National Basketball Association (NBA) of hypocrisy over its decision to host a “civic engagement night” the day before Election Day, the mid-term elections here in the US, while remaining silent on the Chinese “dictatorship” that he says the league is “profiting off of.” and: “The NBA’s biggest backer is China — so when they promote Civic Engagement here, do they care to comment about a dictatorship they are profiting off of? The NBA constantly told me ‘we don’t want to get involved in politics’… I guess what they meant to say was ‘we don’t want to “upset China”

Kanter Freedom has been targeted by the Turkish government for his outspoken nature and was dropped from the Houston Rockets this year but the pushback hasn’t stopped him from advocating for those who need it most. In 2021, he took his activism to new heights when he became an American citizen, changing his name to “Freedom”. “The reason I wanted to add “Freedom” behind my jersey was to remind every child in America how blessed they are in the best place in the world,” he said. “I believe America is going to have even better years going forward. That is giving me so much motivation to fight for what’s right. I represent freedom. That’s, like, the best thing that I could do.”

Some athletes get the call for justice causes and lose their jobs, in 2016 San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee for black justice and since then never returned to the NFL. Enes Kanter Freedom is an opinionated ex-basketball player who spoke publicly about the NBA involvement in China a country where human rights abuses are well documented worldwide and recently lost his job, but he seems to be happy and at peace.

Enes Kanter Freedom, nickname Enes The Menace, played in the NBA and his basketball skills made him a star in the NBA but his activism has made him more of a hero and well-known all over the world, even in the countries where the NBA is not that big.

The irony is that while Enes Kanter Freedom paid a price for speaking the truth, even the US government and other organizations are on his side. It is well documented that the U.S. government and human rights organizations have accused China of using slave labor, especially in the Xinjiang region. If you want to know more, here is the US State Department site ttps://www.state.gov/forced-la

Freedom to speak your mind is a beautiful thing. We just witnessed the USA 1-0 victory over Iran in the World Cup. The Iranian government threatened their payers for not singing their national anthem. The Iranian government could torture and imprison the families of these soccer players in the Islamic republic which is totally controlled by the government. Those Iranian soccer players are as courageous as any athletes in the world and deserve our respect and admiration.

Like Enes Kanter Freedom for speaking against the NBA and their affiliation with communist China, he can do that because he lives in the US where you can speak your mind. One of the most famous athletes in US history, Muhammad Ali when he refused the draft, to be inducted into the US Armed Forces citing his religion forbade him from serving.

It cost him a lot, like the stripping of his heavyweight title, a suspension from boxing, and a $10,000 fine which in 1967 was enough to buy a home in the US. Not to mention the criticism inside the US Armed Forces serving at that time. I was serving at that time in the US Army and Muhammad Ali was not very popular among the troops. If you believe in free speech, you have to respect these athletes.

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

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Iran-USA World Cup politics; Abreu signs 3 year deal with Astros; Tigers Cabrera says this is his last year; plus more

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Former Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu signed a three year deal with the Houston Astros Mon Nov 28, 2022 and will join them for the 2023 season (mlb.com file photo)

On That’s Amaury podcast:

#1 Amaury, talk about the big signing of Jose Abreu 36 with the Houston Astros for a three year deal and how it improves the Astros chances of repeating winning another World Series?

#2 Amaury, talk about the Detroit Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera saying that 2023 will be his 21st and last season. Cabrera said he thought would say “never” but has conceded that this will be his last season playing MLB.

#3 AL Cy Young Award winner and free agent Justin Verlander met with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday in a bid to land Verlander also joining the Verlander sweepstakes are the New York Mets and New York Yankees. Question is which team will Verlander going into the Hall of Fame as?

#4 Trea Turner has been rumored to be linked to the Philadelphia Phillies it was reported by mlb.com that there is a very good chance that Turner will sign with the Phils. Turner last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers had 194 hits, 21 home runs, 100 RBIs and a .298 batting average.

#5 The Carlos Rodon sweepstakes is heating up as the Texas Rangers could be top pursers of the pitching star who the Rangers are also approaching getting a deal done with Kodai Senga. The Rangers were also looking at Jacob deGrom but have backed off as they are focusing more on signing Rodon. deGrom has expressed interest in signing with the Rangers but that deal never developed.

Join Amuary Pi Gonzaelz for News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com each Tuesday

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Royals to build new Kansas City downtown stadium

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Artists rendition of the new Kansas City Royals stadium (photo from the Kansas City Royals)

Kansas City Royals to build a Downtown stadium

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

In 2019 Mr. John Sherman bought the Kansas City Royals for $1 Billion. The Royals have played at Kauffman Stadium since 1973. Recently Mr.Sherman announced the Royals will be building a new stadium in downtown Kansas City. A $1 Billion stadium and entertainment district will be the biggest plans of any construction area in the history of Kansas City. The lease for Kauffman Stadium expires in 2031, when Kauffman Stadium turns 60 years old

According to the owner: “The renovations required at The K (Kauffman Stadium) to achieve our objectives would cost as much or more than the price tag to develop a new ballpark.”Sherman said the club will be seeking public input over the next approaching months.In addition to a ballpark, Sherman said he envisioned shops, hotels, restaurants and affordable housing options. The total price tag projects to surpass $2 billion.

“To accomplish this move, our plans will be contingent on continuing our public-private partnership and investment with multiple local jurisdictions and the state of Missouri,” Sherman said. He added that the club intends to invest hundreds of millions of dollars directly into the project. He also said the Royals will not ask Jackson County citizens to pay more tax dollars than what they already do in the current lease.

The Royals were founded in 1969 as an expansion franchise that was granted by Major League Baseball after the Kansas City Athletics moved to Oakland the previous year.

Since these two franchises have crossed paths in history the obvious question would be: Who will have a brand new park ready for Opening Day first, the Royals, Rays or the A’s?

Population of Kansas: City: 508,394 Population of the greater Kansas City Metropolitan area: 2,192,035 Kansas City is the home of The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, located in downtown Kansas City.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the play by play Spanish radio voice with broadcast partner Manolo Hernandez Douen on the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network and Amaury does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Sean Murphy, Last of The Mohicans

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Oakland Athletics’ Sean Murphy (12) follows through on a solo home run swing as Texas Rangers catcher Meibrys Viloria looks on in the first inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington on Wed Aug 17, 2022 (AP News photo file)

Sean Murphy, Last of The Mohicans

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

OAKLAND–Since they began play in Oakland in 1968, the As’ had some terrific catchers, one of them was Gene Tenace who hit 4 home runs in the 1972 World Series and won the MVP, he was part of the A’s dynasty (1972-73-74). During the glory years of the 1980’s Terry Steinbach, a three-time All Star and the MVP of the 1988 All Star Game, a clutch hitter who drove in seven runs during the A’s 1989 World Series sweep against the San Francisco Giants, was very productive and in my opinion underrated.

Ramón Hernández who was one of six All Star catchers in Oakland A’s history also played the backstop for the A’s. Most recently, and although he only played in Oakland for a brief time, one of the most popular receivers, Stephen Vogt, who started his career with a home run and ended it with a home run in his final at bat this past season., Vogt became the third player in MLB history to have that type of home-run-book-end of a career. Of course, we cannot forget Ray Fosse for the A’s behind the plate, as well as very popular radio and television commentator for the team.

Currently still an Oakland A’s, Sean Murphy, named one of the Top-10 best catchers in MLB. He is the last one of the most recent star players that have left the A’s the last couple of seasons, mostly notably; Chris Bassitt, Frankie Montás, Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, just to mention a few.

While the A’s traded their first baseman (Olson) and third baseman (Chapman) and their shortstop Elvis Andrus was signed by the White Sox, right after he was released by the A’s.Murphy is the only regular A’s on the infield that remains. At least a half-dozen teams are interested in Murphy’s services.

One of the best candidates involving a trade for Murphy are the San Diego Padres, under the direction of ex-A’s manager Bob Melvin (who was also a catcher) is probably the #1 contender for Murphy. Also in the mix are the Chicago White Sox, St Louis Cardinals, and Boston Red Sox.

Murphy was a nominee for the AL 2022 Gold Glove Award, won by Yankee’s José Trevino. He will be missed if he changed jerseys this off-season, but we can say that of most of the players that have left Oakland recently.

Because the A’s are strong and young in the catching position, now with Shea Langeliers, 25 years old, who became a strong #2 catcher behind Murphy this past season, and will probably be their #1 catcher next season, plus 21 year olds in the minors like Daniel Susac and Tyler Soderstrom, it is likely they will depart with Murphy this winter and acquire more prospects and maybe one established veteran.

Why do I say this? Because there is a precedent, this is what the A’s have been famous for, especially when rebuilding. So why are we going to expect anything but… plus like Casey said.

“You have to have a catcher because if you don’t you’re likely to have a lot of passed balls”. – Casey Stengel.

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

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Will Billy Beane’s new role in ownership save A’s from moving from Oakland?

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Oakland A’s former executive vice president and new senior advisor to managing partner Billy Beane (left) and David Forst general manager (right) stand in front of the Oakland A’s dugout before the game against the New York Yankees on Aug 28, 2022. (AP News photo)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury, Oakland A’s executive Billy Beane will no longer run the day to day operations for the A’s but moves up to the number two position in the organization as senior advisor.

#2 Will part of being a senior advisor include having a say in where the A’s go in the event that the new mayor and new city council in Oakland vote against a Howard Terminal project in downtown Oakland?

#3 Beane said he was appreciative of A’s owner John Fisher and the working relationship that the developed over the years since Fisher became team owner. Beane also said that he has confidence in team general manager David Forst leading the club to being competitive and being one of the best executives in baseball.

#4 Beane had said that he had great hopes for the future of the A’s but were those hopes in Las Vegas or in Oakland. There is also a possibility that the new governor of Nevada Joe Lombardo might not fund a new A’s ballpark with public money and the City of Oakland may not vote for a new Howard Terminal ballpark.

#5 Worst case scenario for the A’s if both Vegas and Oakland projects go down the only choice left for the A’s are to stay at the Coliseum something that A’s president David Kaval and Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said is not even a consideration but never say never.

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

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Las Vegas Oakland and Elections

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Sheng Thao who leads for the Oakland Mayor’s race is seen here at her campaign headquarters on Tue Nov 8, 2022. Thao’s decision on whether or not to back the Oakland A’s Howard Terminal ballpark weighs heavy on the A’s future in Oakland. (photo by Saskia Hatvany and from oaklandside.org)

Las Vegas Oakland and Elections

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

OAKLAND–For just a moment forget about the possible relocation of the Oakland A’s to Las Vegas; more on that at the end. The Raiders now play in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium the most expensive stadium ever built among all the current NFL teams, Las Vegas gave the Raiders $750 million in public financing. The Vegas Golden Nights, of the NHL, who in 2018 (their inaugural season) won a conference title, also make their home in the desert.

Let’s see what’s happening in Sin City, when it comes to the world of sports.

-MLS Soccer has been planning to have a team in Nevada and recently called Las Vegas “soccer town”. The MLS is serious about having a team in Las Vegas

-NBA Mega star, LeBron James made a direct appeal to the league’s Commissioner Adam Silver and the owners about owning an NBA team in Las Vegas. The NBA is very positive of Las Vegas for a new NBA team.NBA Commissioner Adam silver said in October: “Las Vegas will make a great location one day”.’This is not imminent, but eventually (if I was a betting man) I would put some chips on the NBA playing in Las Vegas in a few years.

Other sporting events coming to Las Vegas:

1-NFL-Football: Sunday, February 5, 2023 the multi-day AFC vs NFC competition will culminate in an action-packed Flag game featuring Pro Bowl players at Allegiant Stadium. A week-long celebration of flag football.

2-Racing: The Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix, November 16-18, 2023. Where is the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix racetrack? The Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023 will be held on and around the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada.

3-Superbowl LVIII. Las Vegas is scheduled to host the Superbowl LVIII on February 11, 2024 at Allegiant Stadium. Considered the biggest live sporting event in the United States every year and one of the biggest sporting events in the world.

Other Pro-Sports teams in Las Vegas. Las Vegas Aces – Basketball-WNBA, Las Vegas Aviators-Baseball, Oakland A’s AAA team, Las Vegas Knight Hawks- Pro Hockey (owned by Las Vegas Golden Knights) plays in Henderson, a suburb of Las Vegas.

Show original message Latest with the A’s new stadium. With the recent election results, the dynamics could have changed for the Oakland A’s to build their new park at Howard Terminal, Oakland and Las Vegas. Oakland will have a new Mayor and Nevada already elected a new Governor.

The Governor in Nevada plays a larger role regarding the current expansion in Las Vegas, while the situation in Oakland City Hall is still unknown. Joe Lombardo (R) a former Sheriff was elected Governor of Nevada beating Steve Sisolak(D) who was opposed to using taxpayer’s money for the construction of the A’s new park in Las Vegas.

The intentions of the new elected Governor of Nevada, Joe Lombardo are still unknown regarding the A’s. In both elections, Come January 2023 there will be new leadership in all positions from Governor to Mayors to members of city councils in Las Vegas and in Oakland. As of this article, it appears Sheng Thao will be the next mayor of Oakland, she led Loren Taylor by 680 votes in the latest ranked-choice-voting numbers by the Alameda County elections office Friday night.

But regardless of who was elected. The clock is ticking for the city of Oakland and the Athletics to hammer out a deal to move forward with the team’s planned $12 billion waterfront ballpark development by year’s end. And that year is 2022, almost Adiós. That is why there is so much pessimism about the A’s staying in Oakland.

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

FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Schedule and Restrictions

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Fifa logo from Vecteezy

FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Schedule and Restrictions

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar begins Sunday, November 20, 2022,

-64 games are scheduled Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022 will see 32 teams from five confederations compete for the biggest prize in football. The teams have been divided into eight groups of four (A to H) and only the top two teams will advance to the knockout stages.

-FOX Sports/Fox Deportes and Telemundo will televise for the US.

Restrictions for those in Qatar:

-No Beer or any other Alcoholic beverages allowed at the stadiums (nine of them) 6 months in prison and a fine of over $800.

-Smuggling alcohol into the country could result in arrest and a 3-year prison sentence.

-Islam is the official religion of Qatar. Criticizing Islam is subject to criminal prosecution.

-Public speech critical of Qatar government (verbally or signage) could trigger arrest.

-Homosexuality is criminalized in Qatar. LGBT not allowed to fly flags or emblems.

Fans from all over the world including the US, who are in Qatar (and all players from all countries) will have to abide by these restrictions, or face consequences.

Enjoy this great worldwide sporting event. It is unique in nature because it is the most extremely nationalistic and passionate tournament in the whole world. I had the pleasure and privilege of covering FIFA World Cup USA 1994 for Telemundo 48-Bay Area.. After the game ended goalless, Brazil beat Italy on penalties in the final for their 5th World Cup title. It was a wonderful experience and the privilege of interviewing many fútbol/soccer star-players of that time, compadres in the media from many nations as well as interviewing the all-time great Edson Arantes Do Nascimiento commonly known as Pelé, considered the World Ambassador of the Sport.

Prediction. I am looking for Brazil, to win their 6th World Cup.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Harsh conditions expected for Griner in Russian penal colony

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WNBA star Britney Griner is escorted from a Russian courtroom after a hearing in Khimki a suburb of Moscow on Aug 4, 2022. Griner this week was transferred to a undisclosed location to a penal colony. (AP News file)

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

Brittney Griner has been sent to a Russian penal colony. In an court appearance Griner admitted to mistakenly packing two vape cartridges in her luggage and provided documents that showed the hash oil was legally prescribed by her US doctor for pain management. The WNBA Phoenix Mercury star was sentenced to nine years.

According to rights group Amnesty International, conditions in these colonies and prisons are among the worst in Europe. The facilities are located in remote locations, far from cities, making it difficult for family or human rights workers to visit. This form of isolation is believed to be part of the punishment of pseudo-exile. There are about 700 penal colonies in Russia and close to one million prisoners, making it the most common imprisonment institution.

These penal colonies in Russia are infamous for harsh conditions and forced labor. Sleep deprivation torture is one of many tactics with little medical treatment. An estimated 18 million people were sentenced to gulags between 1929 and 1953, until the death of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. About 1.6 million died in work camps. When Griner was arrested the Russia-Ukraine war was beginning, with no resolution it is a war that could go on for a longtime and she was caught in the middle of an international situation.

Although Griner was not that well known in the US and other parts of the world because the WNBA is not the NBA and gets little publicity and coverage still she was in Russia to play basketball to supplement her WNBA salary which is a six-figure salary instead of the approximately $1.5 million she normally earns in Russia.

This could have been avoided if Brittney Griner understood the laws of Russia, which are totally different to the US. For example; cannabis is in fact, illegal in Russia, a country with over 145 million people and largest country in size in all of Europe.

Russia is known for having the highest number of people currently (per capita) imprisoned for drug offenses. When a US citizen travels outside the US he/she is subjected to the laws of whichever country she visits, as a tourist or to work in the case of Griner.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people forget that other countries have different laws to US laws, and when we travel we have to obey those laws, which is just common sense. It is either ignorance or arrogance (or both), we travel abroad and we must obey the laws or suffer the consequences. Nobody knows how much time Brittney Griner will serve in prison of her nine (9) years sentence, however, we know that the US is strongly supporting Ukraine to the tune of billions of dollars in weapons in their war against Russia.

More than likely Russia will detain Griner until the current war between those two countries comes to a resolution. She is a small piece of the biggest land war in Europe since WWII, but Russia is using her and will continue to use her because that is how Russia and other countries with similar types of governments operate.

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