Former Los Angeles Angels broadcasters Jose Mota (left) and Amaury Pi Gonzalez (right) during their days calling Angels games on Fox Sports Los Angeles (photo from the author Amaury Pi Gonzalez)
By Amaury Pi Gonzalez
I see all this hate for Fisher and Kaval of the A’s for what they are doing, and I do feel for the loyal fans who feel betrayed. But in the end, you can’t take this stuff personally. It is business, and different people do business differently. I probably will lose my broadcast job with the A’s.
A few years ago, I had a terrific position doing the play-by-play of Angels Baseball on TV with Fox Sports West. It was a total TV production (like regular English TV) with a Director and producers (just like Fox English). José Mota handled the color, and I handle the action.
At the same time, I was doing home games on TV for Angels in LA and home games on the radio here for the A’s. The LA job paid “like TV pays in a big market like LA, the largest in Spanish in the US” very handsome for each season; there were eight seasons, I was treated well, and I even had reserved parking at Angel Stadium (big deal in LA) plus other very cool benefits.
It was great; our staff was 15 people, between the truck outside and our crew in the booth. One November morning, Nick Davis, Fox Sports West Executive Producer, called me from LA and told me that Disney Co. was acquiring the Fox Sports West Network from Southern California and ten more Regional Sports Networks nationwide, including the Yes Network from New York.
Nick thanked me for the great job I did. And that was it. I was out because Disney Co. did not want to continue the production, although I was told it was successful. Disney wanted to go another way, so the Mouse made the decision. In the end, it is all about business. You and I and many others might not find this right, especially the way A’s management runs this s*!t show, and I agree. But in the end, it is their show.
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
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