A’s Relocation podcast Daniel Dullum: A’s owner Fisher says ballpark cost will grow to $2 billion

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is all smiles after the Sacramento A’s groundbreaking ceremony at the former Tropicana Hotel and Casino where the A’s plan to build their new ballpark on Mon June 23, 2025 (AP News photo)

A’s Relocation podcast Daniel Dullum:

#1 Sacramento A’s owner John Fisher says that the cost of the Las Vegas ballpark will grow to $2 billion. Fisher. Fisher and the A’s had a deadline to meet last December to come up with their share of the construction costs at the tune of $1.75 billion but it’s still a question does John Fisher have the money even after the ground breaking on Monday.

#2 Even baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said he hoped that the shovels in the ground “puts to bed the doubt as to where they’re going to be in 2028.” Still at the Monday presser no one came out and said that the A’s have funded their share of the construction costs.

#3 Daniel, do you think that this press conference Monday was designed to quell any doubts that the media or the public may have that the A’s and the Las Vegas Stadium Authority are ready with the financials to move forward with the ballpark project.

#4 A’s executive Sandy Dean was asked if Fisher has the money for the construction costs. Then why would he have to sell the San Jose Earthquakes. Dean said that” the project is independent of the Earthquakes.”

#5 Manfred said regarding any shot of an expansion team possibility for Oakland could be in the future. Manfred was frustrated with how negotiations went with former Oakland Mayor Sheng that the way he feels now there would be no way there would ever be another MLB team in Oakland again. Manfred also he didn’t want to talk about potential expansion sites.

Join Daniel Dullum for the A’s Relocation podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in. 

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Does Anybody Care about the A’s in Sacramento?

The Sacramento A’s have not sold out a game yet in the 2025 season since their home opener on Mon Mar 31, 2025. Sutter Health Park’s capacity is 14,014 the A’s highest season attendance is 12,119 at the home opener. (tripvisor.com photo)

Does Anybody Care about the A’s in Sacramento?

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Let’s say you have your eyes on that brand new car you dream of, and you are “almost sure” you are going to buy it in 2028 because you just put your other car (Soccer Team)for sale, but in the meantime, you need another vehicle.

For the A’s owner, West Sacramento Sutter Health Park, it’s like leasing an Avis car for a couple of years, hoping to buy a brand-new car in a few years in Las Vegas. You do not care much for maintaining the Avis lease; you are only interested in being practical, since you are not going to buy it anyway.

Sacramento’s 15 minutes of Major League fame have been cut to 5 minutes, all the hype a month before the season was more “sizzle than steak:”, in the stadium, they call it “all foam no beer” and in the cattle areas of California, “All hat no cattle”.

The A’s announced in January that Opening Day tickets were sold out, despite offering $25 lawn seats the night of the game. The team announced a sold-out crowd of 12,119 fans at the home opener. However, team officials said Sutter Health Park’s total capacity is 13,416.

The Oakland A’s fans in Sacramento (the number is unknown) are disappointed by the team’s temporary move to Sutter Health Park, expressing feelings of betrayal and a sense of disconnection from the team in its new temporary home.

They miss the Oakland atmosphere and feel the team is not embracing Sacramento. Some Sacramento fans, however, are excited to have a Major League team in their city, even if it’s just for a temporary period, but the team also couldn’t care less about Sacramento.

To the best of my knowledge, the A’s are not even recognized by the Sacramento Chamber of Commerce, the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, or the Sacramento Asian Chamber of Commerce. Neither did the A’s approach them.

However, if you’re interested, you can still follow the A’s games in Sacramento on sportsradioservice.com, which covers all the team’s day-to-day activities with reporters in the Sacramento area.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.

@Central Park Fremont – Fremont CA

http://goaquaadventure.com

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast Daniel Dullum: Set your alarm clocks A’s will break ground at 8AM Monday Jun 23rd in Vegas

This image shows a rendering of the baseball club’s proposed stadium in Las Vegas. AP photo

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 Daniel, the Athletics groundbreaking will be held at the old Tropicana Casino and Hotel on Monday June 23 at 8:00AM. Some question the time of the ribbon cutting being unusually early by press conference standards.

#2 Some said it could be a tactic to keep the amount of press away that will ask about A’s owner John Fisher’s construction costs and if he paid his share of the $1.75 billion yet?

#3 Do you look at this groundbreaking as a closer step to getting the stadium constructed or is this ceremony being done to keep the pressure off of the Las Vegas Stadium Authority when questioned when are there going to be shovels in the ground.

#3 A’s president Mark Badain said that construction for the Vegas ballpark started back in April and the A’s wanted to make Mon Jun 23rd ribbon cutting a celebration for the A’s and local officials.

#4 VIPs expected to attend the groundbreaking Mon Jun 23rd, A’s owner John Fisher, Badain, Las Vegas Stadium Authority president Steven Hill, Nevada State Legislature, members of the Clark County Commission and Governor Joe Lombardo.

#5 The Stadium Authority report says the construction of the park will take 32 months and is expected to be ready opening day 2028.

Daniel Dullum does the Sacramento A’s Relocation podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast Bruce Macgowan: Bill King clearly the best play by play announcer in Bay Area history; What was Raiders owner Al Davis like?; plus more news

Former Oakland A’s play by play announcer Bill King (photo from the Press Democrat)

Headline Sports podcast Bruce Macgowan:

#1 Bill King was the legendary play by play voice for the Oakland A’s, Oakland Raiders, and Golden State Warriors he was the word picture broadcaster. What was it like working alongside one of the great play by play voices in sports history?

#2 You had a chance to cover some of those legendary Oakland Raider teams in the 1970s you knew Raiders owner Al Davis what was it like to work some of those great Raider teams and have access to Davis?

#3 Did you have a chance to cover the 1972-74 A’s World Series teams and the 1988-90 A’s World Series teams.

#4 Since the Giants released LaMonte Wade, Christian Koss, and Sam Huff that might have been the shot in the arm the club needed as they have now won five in row.

#5 A’s Las Vegas situation. They said their putting shovels in the ground with a groundbreaking ceremony later in June. After all this time it’s a question are the A’s really going to get started with the construction of the ballpark like they say they will.

Bruce Macgowan is a podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast Daniel Dullum: A’s team prez Badain says they’ve already broke ground for Vegas ballpark

Work being done on the Athletics Las Vegas ballpark construction site at the former Tropicana Casino and Hotel includes excavation and piling foundation work on May 14, 2025 (photo by Las Vegas Review Journal)

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast Daniel Dullum:

#1 According to Sacramento A’s president Marc Badain cranes will be arriving at the old Tropicana site to start construction on the Las Vegas ballpark in late June.

#2 Badain addressed the Las Vegas Stadium Authority on Thu May 22 sharing work details for the construction plans. Badain also talked about the work that is already taking place as the foundation is already underway.

#3 Grading work already has taken place. Before July 1 100,000 cubic feet of dirt will be excavated. Construction crews have already doing tests on the pilings the foundation for the park. The pilings will be supporting the stadium.

#4 According to Badain Las Vegas Stadium Authority and the A’s have already broke ground at the old Tropicana site.

#5 Mortenson-McCarty is the contractor that is working on the park’s construction they will have their office compound set up and 75 percent should be on site by this coming week.

Daniel Dullum does the A’s Relocation podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast Daniel Dullum Sun May 18, 2025: Report-A’s have already started drilling in Tropicana foundation

Large caisson drills can be seen lining the former Tropicana/future A’s stadium site in this still from an aerial video taken on May 10. (Image: Chris Holmes X/@seventensuited)

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast Daniel Dullum:

#1 Reports in Las Vegas have said the Athletics have already started drilling as of this month in the foundation at the Tropicana site. The initial grading and preparation are now being formed with concrete being poured and steel caissons inserted to start the building of the park on the Tropicana’s nine acre corner which sits on 35 acres of land. There has been no ribbon cutting or ground breaking ceremony whatsoever since construction has started.

#2 On the stadium design one of the options is the roof will be retractable or a permanent roof with windows around and above the field so the sunlight will come through. The park will be temperature controlled.

#3 If the A’s decide to go retractable it’s unlikely that they will not open their roof for the months of June through mid September. It stays hot in Vegas like it does in Sacramento in the summer months. So the roof will stay shut.

#4 The questions of the aesthetics of the park on the outside is something that fans and media have question looking like the Sydney Opera House or an armadillo. Critics simply say the park doesn’t look anything like a Major League stadium.

#5 Reports say that A’s president Mark Badain said that the team is on track for the team’s target date to complete the project by opening day 2028. Further the A’s have secured the $1.75 billion for the construction costs for their share. The State of Nevada will soon come up with the SB1 bill public funding towards the stadium worth $380 million the A’s reportedly will not be taking that full amount towards the stadium costs.

#6 A’s owner John Fisher reportedly is still looking for investors to come up with $500 million to soften the $1.75 billion hit and reduce his share to $1.1 billion towards the construction costs.

Daniel Dullum does the Sacramento A’s relocation podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast Daniel Dullum: Schools over Stadiums looking to a put measure on Nevada ballot to stop public funding for A’s ballpark in 2026

Alexander Marks spokesman for Schools over Stadiums as he appeared at the Las Vegas Stadium Authority hearing on Feb 27, 2025  to argue that $400 million of public money from SB238 to funding Hollywood Studios should go to education and schools. Marks says Schools over Stadiums intends to revisit putting a 2026 initiative on the Nevada ballot to block the public funding for the A’s Las Vegas ballpark. Marks said the A’s have not even broke ground yet for the project. (file photo from google)

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast Daniel Dullum:

#1 Daniel, according to Schools over Stadiums spokesperson Alexander Marks the tax payers of Nevada are already paying over $36 million and there isn’t even shovel in the ground to start the Las Vegas A’s stadium build over at the Tropicana on the Las Vegas strip.

#2 The construction funding share from the A’s was due last December and Marks is questioning how this plan will fall into place with the deadlines already passed?

#3 The Las Vegas Stadium Authority and the A’s were expected to get shovels in the ground by now and criticism of the money already spent by the state tax payers to get the project going has ran up to $36 million Marks says for next year.

#4 Marks was talking about the transferrable $36 million tax credit that’s being built into the state budget for 2026 which State of Nevada lawmakers are writing up this month. The $36 million is just the first installment of the $380 million that will go towards building the A’s Las Vegas park from public tax dollars that Marks said should be going towards education and schools in Nevada.

#5 The $380 million is tax money that will allocated towards the ballpark but the total price tag to pay for the entire project is $1.75 billion that amount is what the A’s need to come up with to pay for the park. Marks says the A’s are getting F’s because the schools need that budget and that public money should not be going towards financing the ballpark.

#6 After trying to get a ballot initiative back in November in front of the Nevada voters to stop funding the project a judge stopped the question from going forward in last year’s state election which was during the general election. Marks says Schools over Stadiums are considering making another try at it again for 2026 to get the question on the ballot to stop public monies towards the A’s ballpark.

Daniel Dullum does the A’s Relocation podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast Bruce MacGowan Sun Apr 27, 2025; Williams is what 49ers are looking for on defense; Raiders Jeanty could wind up being leading running back; plus more news

San Francisco 49ers newest running back Mykel Williams is all smiles after being the first round draft pick and the 11th overall. Williams was addressing the media on Fri Apr 25, 2025 at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara (AP News photo)

Headline Sports podcast Bruce MacGowan:

#1 Bruce, the San Francisco 49ers made it their mission to get first round draft pick pass rusher Mykel Williams. The 49ers had their eye on Williams but pumped the brakes two seasons ago because Williams had suffered an high ankle sprain. He recovered since and 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan hope to use Williams as a key and core person on the 49ers defense.

#2 The Las Vegas Raiders made a great choice in getting running back Ashton Jeanty as their top pick in the draft. Jeanty was one of the most effective running backs in college football last season at Boise State and Raiders head coach Pete Carroll is confident that Jeanty will end up being the number one running back for the Raiders in the future.

#3 The Las Vegas Review Journal ran a headline that the Athletics still have not come up with the $1.75 billion as the A’s had said in a March 5th Las Vegas Stadium Authority meeting that the would have the money and would be ready by June to have shovels in ground. The article questions when will the A’s fund the park and there is a possibility it may not happen.

#4 The Golden State Warriors Jimmy Butler is still questionable for game 4 for Monday night against the Houston Rockets at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Butler who suffered a lower back contusion after getting his legs taken out from beneath him and missed game 3. Can Butler return and be playoff competitive Monday.

Bruce MacGowan is a podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum: Schools over Stadiums says public money going to Hollywood studios; Schools over Studios protested funding at Nevada Assembly Committee Thursday

Alexander Marks and Schools over Stadiums/Schools over Studios appeared at the Assembly Committee on Revenue on Thu Feb 27, 2025 to argue that $400 million of public money from SB238 to fund Hollywood Studios to do production in Nevada should be going to pubic schools. Marks had previously argued that SB1 funding for an Athletics Las Vegas stadium should go to public schools and not a ballpark. (file photo from google)

On the Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 In December Athletics team president Sandy Dean said that the A’s are in the early stages of getting construction organized with Clark County (Las Vegas) back on Dec 5th. As of yet there is no report that the A’s have come up with the $1.75 billion for their share of the construction costs for the Vegas ballpark.

#2 The A’s are looking for loan help from Goldman Sachs and US Bank and Dean was pretty definite that those loans will be coming to the rescue. Some in the media have now questioned it’s been past the deadline Dec 2024 set by the Nevada Assembly for SB1 funding at $380 million that would be triggered when the A’s come up with their share of the construction costs. Could there be doubts that maybe this money may not happen at all?

#3 Schools over Stadiums spokesman Alexander Marks who previously protested and litigated against the A’s Vegas ballpark. Schools over Stadiums are now trying to stop the Nevada Legislature from spending more public money with a new senate bill that would fund Hollywood Studios with AB238. The bill would provide $80 million in tax credits from 2028 to 2043 and require at least $400 million to be invested into Nevada. The cost to fund the Hollywood studios where all filming would be in Nevada would be $20 million more than what the state will be paying for the Las Vegas A’s ballpark.

#4 Schools over Stadiums also named Schools over Studio for fighting the Hollywood funding has two fronts to fight. Schools over Stadiums had a meeting Thursday at the Assembly Committee on Revenue to argue their case that public money that should go to schools and not go to pay for Hollywood Studios productions to the tune of $400 million plus getting 15 years of tax credits.

#5 Schools over Stadiums knows they’re efforts to stop the A’s Vegas ballpark looks almost nil if the A’s come up with their share of the construction costs for the park. Schools over Stadiums still needs 102,586 signatures from four districts in Southern Nevada to sign a petition that would put an initiative on the ballot to stop public funding for SB1 the A’s ballpark. That signature drive has not launched as of yet.

Daniel Dullum does the Athletics Relocation podcasts Sundays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Athletics Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum: When will actual construction begin on Vegas ballpark for A’s?

Athletics president Sandy Dean addresses the Las Vegas Stadium Authority regarding the construction finance for the A’s Vegas ballpark. Dean said is working the planning stages for zoning, traffic, parking and designs to name a few. Dean is seeking to get some of the SB1 funding to get the project moving by March 2025 (LV SportsBiz photo)

On the Athletics Relocation podcast with Daniel:

#1 Those who are following the progress of the Athletics new Las Vegas Stadium project ask the ongoing question when will construction get off the ground for the new park on the corner of Las Vegas Blvd and Tropicana Blvd?

#2 The A’s and Clark County are still working out the details of how funding will go to begin the process of the ground breaking for the Tropicana Park which be build on nine acres on the 35 acre property of the old Tropicana.

#3 The cost overruns since the A’s and the Las Vegas Stadium Authority came to an agreement in 2023 have increased to from $1.5 billion to $1.75 billion and A’s president Sandy Dean said that talks are in the early stages with Clark County on how the money will be spent on construction.

#4 Ground breaking is scheduled around March 2025. The nuts and bolts of getting the construction of the park underway is between April and June 2025 with a target date of completion of March 2028.

#5 Right now Dean says the A’s need to get funding from Clark County to cover land use, zoning, traffic and parking plans, design, occupancy details and needed offsite improvements.

Daniel Dullum does the A’s Relocation podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com