Tag: Amaury Pi Gonzalez

A’s get leg up on Howard Terminal Stadium; Superior Court Judge and AB734 ruling gets A’s on first base

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Oakland A’s president David Kaval says he’s glad the A’s won this first step to move forward towards a new Howard Terminal Ballpark at Jack London Square (file photo from the Mercury News)

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez and Joe Hawkes

Sports Radio Service staff writers

OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s caught what A’s team president David Kaval would call a huge break just when the future of the A’s new ballpark development had no new developments since March.  Wednesday an Alameda Superior Court judge ruled for the A’s that the A’s need to prepare an environmental impact report and meet the qualifications of the impact report .

Once the report is ready the A’s are still subject to complaints and legal challenges for example traffic and parking , and air quality issues. The A’s would have 270 days from any complaints or challenges filed. The coalition filed an appeal with the court on Wednesday right after the judges ruling.

AB734 a state bill passed by then Governor Jerry Brown in 2018 helped expedite arenas, stadiums and ballparks built in California. It helped the Sacramento Kings expedite their arena Golden One Center after the Kings met challenges in their developments. The courts moved the challenges through working or basically overruling those who had complaints and challenges such as parking, transit and air quality issues.

The A’s could very well enjoy that same cut through the red tape challenge and get to the next step and see groundbreaking of their new stadium located at Howard Terminal at Jack London Square finally get started.

The A’s have face many challenges to get the stadium project off the ground. In March the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, Schnitzer Steel, the Harbor Trucking Association all filed a court lawsuit challenging the A’s on building at the port. The complaint said that in doing so would eliminate port jobs and put businesses there out of business.

Mike Jacob vice president of the general counsel of Pacific Merchant Shipping Association said he is hopeful that the court will agree “that the Howard Terminal project should not be certified for fast tracking and the A’s follow the standard environmental impact review process.”

Kaval said that the city of Oakland is responsible for releasing the environmental impact report and it’s completion. The most recent delays regarding the A’s Howard Terminal development was due to the pandemic and the opposing groups lawsuits.

Joe Hawkes is a staff writer and Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: NBA tells Mavericks Owner Play the National Anthem

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In front of a limited amount of fans the Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks stand for the national anthem on Wed Feb 10, 2021 in Dallas (photo from Dallas Morning Star)

NBA tells Mavericks Owner Play the National Anthem

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

According to history, the tradition of playing the National Anthem at sporting events began in 1918, during the seventh inning of game one of the World Series between the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox.  The NBA was not founded until 1946.

Mark Cuban, billionaire-owner of the Dallas Mavericks said back in November his team will not play the National Anthem. The NBA sent a memo to all teams in the league that they all must play the National Anthem, to what Cuban responded: “We are good with it”.

And that was the end of that story. The NBA is a private business and they have the right to remind their teams/owners of their policy. The NBA sent the notice to all teams, but it was written because of the Dallas Mavericks and their owner.

Mark Cuban is one of the most passionate team owners in the NBA. Last year he was fined $500,000 for saying that director of officiating Ed Rush wasn’t fit to manage a Dairy Queen. He has said that the referee system in the NBA is a decade-long broken training system. He has been fined for at least $2.6 million.

When in Dallas, Cuban is always sitting on the Mavericks side, and has said he enjoys the whole experience and feels he is part of the team, like another player and often warms-up with the team prior to a game.

He is as competitive and passionate as any owner in the league. It reminds me of the once owner of the New York Yankees, George Steinbrenner.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president for the MLB Hispanic Heritage Hall of Fame  Museum and does News and Commentary on http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: MLB: De-Juicing the Pelotas

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The New York Yankees Luke Voit designated hitter led MLB in home runs with 22 will have to swing a little harder this season as MLB has unwound the balls just a tiny bit to reduce the amount of home runs hit. Here is Voit swinging for a ground out against the Miami Marlins last season on Sun Sep 27, 2020 at Yankee Stadium (AP News photo)

MLB: De-Juicing the Pelotas

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

MLB announced today starting dates for all 30 teams to report to Spring Training. As well as the plan for a full 162 game season, with playoffs as in the past, pre-pandemic 2019. The Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants February 17 to 22, for pitchers and catchers first workouts. April 1 is Opening Day.

Last few years Major League Baseball introduced a bevy of changes. This 2021 season is going to have one of the most interesting changes in recent memory. MLB is going to alter the baseball, and therefore hope to reduce the ratio of home runs.

Recently the KBO, Korean Baseball Organization increased the weight of its baseball less than one twentieth of an ounce and moved the COR about 0.01 in 2019, the result was a 33% decrease in home runs. MLB paid attention to such numbers and hope to accomplish something similar.

After the league saw a record 6,776 homers hit in 2019 (the last 162-game season that was played), the home run rate fell from 6.6% of plate appearances in ’19 to 6.5% during the pandemic-shortened ’20 campaign. It might be the worse kept secret that baseballs have more juice than ever in recent memory, and combined with the new style of hitting the famous “launch angle” home runs are becoming, boring?

What MLB is trying to do this 2021 season is De-Juicing the Pelotas. And what is going to do is basically reduce a 375+ foot fly-ball by about 1 to 2 feet, which will return a reduction of 5% less home runs.

This will also result in an increase in doubles and triples. Another change pertaining to the baseball: MLB wants five (5) more teams to store baseballs in a humidor at their home park. As of today the Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets and Seattle Mariners already store their baseballs in humidors.

Of these five teams, Arizona was the only one showing a decline in home runs once the humidor was installed. To this day, the other five (5) teams that will add the humidor are unknown. Plus, my friends that are National League fans will be happy to learn 2021 there will not be a DH, everything stays the same.

Enjoy it, I am afraid this will be the last year with no DH. But not so quickly for those that like less home runs and more bunting, hit and run and strategy that seems to be absent these days. We are not going to regress to the dead ball era, where from 1900 until the arrival of Babe Ruth in 1919 nobody hit home runs.

Ruth hit an MLB record 29 home runs in 1919 and that was Page One material then. John Franklin “Home Run” Baker led the American League from 1911 to 1914 with a total combined of 42 home runs.

I do not think we are going to go that far back in the time machine in 2019 Houston Note: Juiced Pelotas: In 2019 Astros All-Star pitcher Justin Verlander won his second Cy Young of his career, with a 21-6, 2.58 ERA and gave-up 36 home runs most in his stellar career. This is what he said in 2019 about the juiced balls: “Major League Baseball is turning this game into a joke”.

Stay well and stay tuned.

Join Amaury for News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com and Amaury works as vice president for the Major League Baseball Heritage Hall of Fame Museum

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: The Dead Ball era is back in baseball; No way A’s could keep La Stella; plus more

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MLB plans to use a ball with less bounce and less give to reduce the record amount of home runs that have been hit over the last three years (photo from CBS Sports)

On That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast:

#1 With the record amount of baseball hit for home runs in the last three seasons MLB has decided to get some balance in games that have turned into a home run derby and deaden the ball which brought to mind of what you said of this 2021 season could be called “new dead ball era”

#2 Amaury important is it for Tommy La Stella to join the Giants? Scouting reports say La Stella is one of the toughest outs in baseball. La Stella joined the Giants for three years for $18 million. The Oakland A’s couldn’t hold onto La Stella because of his price tag the A’s won’t keep players after a certain budget threshold.

#3 The Dominicans won the Caribbean Series this week, they went 7-0 behind some fine hitting and pitching. Former San Francisco Giant pitcher The Dominican Dandy Juan Marichal was a product of the Dominican Republic pitching system.

#4 The Chiefs head coach Andy Reid who said his heart bleeds for the injured in the auto accident when Reid’s son Britt and also the Chiefs assistant coach hit a car parked on the side of the road hit and injured a 5 year old who  is suffering life threatening injuries.

#5 The Biden administration asked MLB to delay the season one month until they can get the players vaccinated. The decision could cancel Cactus and Grapefruit League games and the regular season could start straight away first week of April. The Arizona Cactus League has also asked the 15 Cactus League teams to delay for a month as well.

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

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast Tue Feb 9, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

 

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: ESPN Pedro Gómez dead at 58

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The late great Pedro Gomez who worked in print at the Arizona Republic, Sacramento Bee, San Jose Mercury News among others and moved to TV at ESPN was a solid beat writer and investigative reporter during the Barry Bonds steroid era, well respected amongst his colleagues and the players. Gone at 58 (file photo Apple News)

ESPN Pedro Gómez dead at 58

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

On Sunday, while watching the Super bowl, I learned that ESPN sports reporter Pedro Gómez had suddenly passed away at the age of 58 at his Arizona home. Since Pedro Gómez is a very common name in Spanish, I thought that maybe it was not true, that it was somebody else, some other Pedro Gómez, but too soon I found out -unfortunately- it was the Pedro Gómez I knew.

We used to run into each other at Spring Training in Arizona when he worked for the San José Mercury News and other newspapers as well in other cities and here in the Bay Area. Sometimes Pedro would be at a Golden State Warriors game and would join me to do commentary in Spanish over the radio during half time from the Oakland Arena.

I remember one time he took his little boy Rio to a Warrior’s game with his wife, he was holding Rio his son, a toddler, and he adored his kid who is now a man and a baseball player in the Boston Red Sox organization.

The Red Sox issued a statement on social media, saying … “Our hearts go out to the Gómez family, including Pedro Gomez’s son, Rio, a pitcher in our minor league system.” Pedro’s parents were Cuban exiles who arrived to the US in the early 1960’s, about the same I did, when there was a huge Cuban wave of exiles into the US.

We often talked about Cuba, and the time he went there to do a report for ESPN during a baseball exhibition between the Cuban team and the Tampa Bay Rays, we had a very nice conversation regarding his trip to the island and when he reported that his father pledged never to go back to Cuba as long as the Castro regime was in power, which is the sentiment of most Cubans who left the country.

I remember when he asked me If I have been back and if I planned to, which I responded, no, I am just like your parents in that regard, I am not going back as long as the country doesn’t have any freedom and the system doesn’t change.

Pedro was a people’s person affable and always seems to be in a good mood, a true professional always ready to cover any sports story that came his way and he did very well for many years. An excellent journalist.

I joked with him every time I saw him, because of his likeness to a young Camilo Pascual, the ex Cuban pitcher of the Washington Senators and later Minnesota Twins, I would ask him if he was sure he was not related to Pascual and he would laugh and say no, I am not.

During one Spring Training game at the Dodgers training camp in Arizona and inside the Press Box, Alanna Rizzo the Dodgers sports television on-the-field reporter, whose mother was also a Cuban exile, Pedro and yours truly were together and I joked saying that three Cubans is the most a press box could tolerate because more than three and there could be a revolution.

Pedro laughs and responded to me: “yo creo que si” trans- “I think so”. I like to remember him this way, talking baseball with me and about the things we had in common. I am very saddened because we have lost a very good man, and way too young. My sincere condolences to his family.

May he Rest in Peace.

Stay well and stay tuned.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for the Oakland A’s at 1010 KIQI LeGrande San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: República Dominicana Wins Caribbean Series, Again

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Criollos de Caguas the Aguilas Cibaeñas of the Dominican Republic are the Caribbean Series 2021 Campeones defeating Puerto Rico on Saturday for the Championship (image from @elacid0)

República Dominicana Wins Caribbean Series, Again

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

With a 4-1 victory over Puerto Rico’s Criollos de Caguas the Aguilas Cibaeñas of the Dominican Republic are the undefeated champions (7-0) of the 2021 Serie del Caribe that ended Saturday in Mazatlán, México.

For the second year in a row the Dominican Republic defeated Puerto Rico in the championship game to win their 21st Caribbean Series. Outfielder Juan Lagares of the champion Doninican Republic was the Most Valuable player and today the Los Angeles Angels announced they signed Lagares to a minor league contract.

At the conclusion of this year’s Serie del Caribe here is where the countries by total championships: Dominican Republic 21 titles, Puerto Rico 16, México 9, Cuba 8, Venezuela 7, Panamá 2, Colombia 0. The 2022 Caribbean Series will take place at Estadio Hiram Bithorn in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Stay well and stay tuned.

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

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Trevor Bauer to the Dodgers – A Rolls Royce Rotation-

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Former Cincinnati Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer will joining the Los Angeles Dodgers to the tune of $102 million for a three year deal. Here is the former Reds pitcher jubilant after striking out Milwaukee Brewers hitter Christian Yelich on Sep 23, 2020 in Cincinnati (AP News file photo)

Trevor Bauer to the Dodgers – A Rolls Royce Rotation-

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Trevor Bauer, the Cy Young Award winner last year in the National League with the Cincinnati Reds is signing a $102 million 3-year contract with the World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Bauer is slated to make $40 million this season, $45 million in 2022 and $17 million in 2023, with an opt-out in season’s one and two.

The New York Mets were the front-runners to acquire the Southern California native and free agent, until Bauer himself (a social media junkie) announced the news himself on YouTube. With this contract, he is the player in MLB with the biggest salary this 2021 and 2022 season.

Trevor Bauer is now joining a rotation with Clayton Kershaw, Walter Buehler, David Price and Dustin May, three of those are Cy Young winners. Since he (Bauer) has said he wants to start every fourth day, young and very talented Julio Urias would be their fifth starter, only if the Dodgers agree to go with a five-man rotation. This makes the LA Dodgers a Rolls Royce Rotation in baseball after acquiring the biggest Free Agent in the market.

During the abbreviated 2020 season of 60 games, Trevor Bauer ended with a record of 5-4 and 1.73 in 11 games he started, struck-out 100 and walked 17 all in a total of 73 innings of work. Those numbers won him the National League Cy Young.

The 30-year old Bauer is a self promoter, controversial because he seems to live his life on social media, as previously mentioned, he announced this mega deal himself over a YouTube video. His career numbers: In nine years, 75-64, 3.90 ERA, 1,189 innings pitched, 1,270 strike-outs and 454 bases on balls. Bauer pitched in 205 games and started 195.

Born in North Hollywood, California, he has previously said he would love to pitch in Southern California. It was rumored that the Los Angeles Angels was the perfect fit for him, because that team is in serious need of starting pitching.

The New York Mets were in the running for him until today, and it was reported the Mets gave Bauer a 12 noon deadline to make a decision. That deadline passed in New York, and then he announced that he will be wearing Dodger Blue.

Even before the Dodgers signed Trevor Bauer and with the busy winter of their rivals San Diego Padres, the Dodgers were the favorites to win the World Series for the second year in a row. This makes them even more of a favorite.

Trevor Bauer who in 2020 won the National League Cy Young with the Cincinnati Reds is the second pitcher in history to join a World Series Champion team right after winning that award. Roger Clemens who won the 1998 Cy Young pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays, joined the World Champion New York Yankees the next year in 1999.

The first two years of the three-year deal for the right-handed pitcher with the Dodgers totals $85 million, that is $20 million more that the total payroll currently (the whole team) prior to the 2021 season of the Oakland Athletics, and also higher than another half dozen teams in Major League Baseball.

Great Rotations: Only two teams in history had a rotation of four (4) 20-game winners in a season. The 1920 Chicago White Sox; Red Faber, Lefty Williams, Eddie Cicotte and Dickie Kerr and the one some of us remember, the 1971 Baltimore Orioles; Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, Miguel (Mike) Cuellar and Pat Dobson. Because today’s pitching is not structured for starters to go all the way, it’s very close to a certainty we will never see this again.

Stay well and stay tuned.

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

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: A Spring Dream

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MLB Spring Training logos for Cactus League and the Grapefruit Leagues 2021 (from SportsLogos.net)

A Spring Dream

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

I had a wonderful vivid dream last night. I was at a ballpark in Spring Training a sensationally sunny and spectacular day with perfect weather watching a baseball game, walking among fans, talking to the fans (like I usually do) taking it ‘all in’. One of those dreams, even when I woke up I tried to go back, closed my eyes and see if I could squeeze it a little more…I just didn’t wanted to wake up.

For anybody that loves baseball this is the time of the year when you think about baseball, around Super Bowl time, what is basically a mark for all baseball fans that this is the last big important event in sports, before the doors open to pitchers and catchers and teams go to their camps to start the long journey of another summer.

You become enamored with this time of the year if you are truly a lifelong baseball fan and specially in Spring Training where a hot dog and a cold drink tastes better that anything in the world.

Because it is baseball and time doesn’t matter, but memories do, because they stay with you. For years I have visited various Spring Training camps, did work, got my credentials, media notes, some interview with players, would stay inside the press box, for a few innings, and then mingle with the fans, talking baseball, take in the whole experience, feel blessed and lucky to do something that I enjoy, can report and it is part of my job.

Just remembering what I was dreaming last night makes me happy, like a 5 year old kid opening a Christmas present December the 25th and to think some people can afford a Napa restaurant where an appetizer that you can’t even see in your plate is $100 but there is no way you can get more pleasure than eating a hot dog under the sun and drinking an ice-cold beer. Arizona baseball during Spring.

Then reality hits me. Wait a minute; soon the baseball parks in major league cities this year, their “attendance” will have thousands of people standing 6-feet apart waiting to get to a table, with medical people to inject you with a vaccine, for something that came from hell, to disrupt all of our lives.

Truth-be-said, for the majority of these people that would be the only time they visit their local baseball park this year, because, after all most people are not baseball fans. Many said “good riddance” to 2020 and announced 2021 was going to be a much better year, really?

So far this year is the continuation of a flight that has not stopped its turbulence since it took off and still doesn’t know when it will land. I am an optimist by nature, but I also have my feet planted on the ground. If you were born and raised loving the game of baseball it becomes inescapable for the rest of your life, especially during Spring.

Keep dreaming, not only is free but it is fun. One writer, also a poet that I always admired is Edgar Allan Poe, a great writer that went into the mysterious type of stuff. This is, for me, one of his best quotes: “All that we see or seen is but a dream within a dream”.

Stay well and stay tuned.

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

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: How tight are the A’s?; Who do you like in Super Bowl LV?

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Oakland A’s outfielder Mark Canha seen here slugging a double against the Seattle Mariners on Sun Sep 27, 2021 at the Oakland Coliseum  says the clubhouse will be a lot different without former A’s infielder Marcus Semien around (file photo AP News photo)

On That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast:

#1 In a recent interview with NBC Sports Oakland A’s outfielder Mark Canha said that the impact of losing Marcus Semien will be felt and his presence will be lost in the clubhouse.

#2 Canha said that when he and Semien first came to the A’s in 2015 the clubhouse culture at that time was veterans ran the clubhouse and the rookies and younger players were expected to keep quiet and follow along.

#3 After some time Semien was instrumental in changing the clubhouse culture and was a positive presence and younger players and rookies were inclusive to say what was on their minds.

#4 There has been heavy criticism about the A’s letting pitcher Liam Hendriks and Marcus Semien that the organization is cheap and won’t spend the money. Critics feel that the team is less competitive without them. How does this image bode going into the pre season this month?

#5 Turning to the NFL and Super Bowl LV: A lot of anticipation Amaury is riding on this Sunday’s Super Bowl LV with two of the NFL’s best quarterbacks going head to head. For the Kansas City Chiefs Patrick Mahomes and for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tom Brady in a game that could be one for the ages.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play announcer for the Oakland A’s at Spanish radio flagship station 1010 KIQI Le Grande San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast Tue Feb 2, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: 63rd Caribbean Series — Serie del Caribe

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2021 63rd Caribbean Series logo (image from Baseball Prospectus)

63rd Caribbean Series — Serie del Caribe

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

It all begins Sunday January 31, in sunny Mazatlán, México, at Teodoro Mariscal Stadium. Teams from Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, México, Colombia, Venezuela and Panamá will take to the field. Cuba who took part from 2014 to 2019 is absent for the second year in a row; last year Cuba did not secured visas for their players traveling to Puerto Rico.

Cuba a dominant power at the beginning of this tournament from 1949 to 1960, (in 1949 the Serie del Caribe was founded in Cuba) but after 1960 Cuba’s government nationalized all sports, eradicated professionalism (including baseball) and things have never been the same. These days Cuba’s talent is basically defecting to the US to play in the Major Leagues.

All the games will be played at Teodoro Mariscal Stadium; fan capacity will be limited to 7,200 fans, that is up to 45% of capacity. Players have to abide by Mexican covid-19 protocols as well as those in attendance. Mazatlán is a resort town on the Pacific Coast of México with a population of over 500,000 very popular with tourist along with Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco.

The Dominican Republic is considered the favorites; they won last year as they defeated Puerto Rico in the championship game. Their teams Aguilas Cibaeñas, have current and ex-major league player’s reinforcement, with Robinson Canó, Melky Cabrera, Jonathan Villar, Ronald Gúzman, and Luis Medina, who is one of the NY Yankees top prospects, plus starters Carlos Martínez and César Valdez.

Puerto Rico’s biggest established star is St Louis Cardinals future Hall of Fame and current catcher Yadier Molina. Since his arrival he has been receiving the most attention by the Mexican sports media.

Sunday January 31, Day games, Panamá vs. Venezuela, Puerto Rico vs. Dominican Republic and Night game: México vs. Colombia. The rest of the week until Thursday four teams will play each day. On Friday the Semifinals will take place, four (4) teams and the Serie culminates with the final two (2) this next Saturday February 6, when a new champion will be crowned.

Stay well and stay tuned.

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