Tag: mlb

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Some sports news to be thankful for this Thanksgiving

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sfgate.com photo: San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) celebrates after scoring against the Green Bay Packers during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019.

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

Thanksgiving Day sports fans will be around the table during the Turkey dinner and they will talk about some of the things Bay Area sports fans should be grateful for this year. For example.

-Colin Kaepernick will never play again for the 49ers.The most unpopular man in the country,poll says 91% of the American people do not want him back in the NFL. The 49ers 10-1 record is tied for the best in the NFL with the reigning champion New England Patriots after the 12th week of action.

-The City of Oakland dropped the lawsuit against the Athletics.Other obstacles remain, but the 2019 season is ending on a good note after another 97 wins and and another playoff-wild card berth.

-The Oakland Athletics do not have to share the Oakland Coliseum with the Raiders anymore.Green and Gold will take over Silver and Black at the Coliseum from now on,until they build their new ballpark at Howard Terminal or at the current location.

– San Francisco Giants bullpens will not be on the field,but behind TrIples Alley,which will be reduced from 421 feel to a hitter-friendly 380. Only teams in MLB remaining with bullpens on the field are Oakland and Tampa Bay. 2020 will be the first year that Oracle Park will not have the bullpen on the field, but 2019 (after the Giant season and in the fall)is when the team made the change.

-Golden State Warriors playing in their first year at their new home, Chase Area in San Francisco a state-of-the-art sports facility. Fans can watch and “grow together”with their new cast of future star players. The Warriors and the Boston Celtics are the only two teams in history of the NBA to have played for the championship five consecutive seasons. 2019-20 will not be the case for the Warriors. -San José Sharks has dug out from their 4-10-1 start and are now over .500 with 12-11-1 record as of Sunday November 24.

-The Big Game.University of California Berkeley fans are grateful as the Golden Bears beat Stanford Cardinal 24-20 for the first time in a decade.

-San José Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2019 inducted John Doyle, All American. Doyle is a Bay Area soccer icon, starring at the high school, club, college, Olympic & professional levels who represented USA Soccer at the highest level.

Wishing you and your family a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving Day.

“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” – Charles Dickens

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for Oakland A’s baseball  and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: What’s Next Regarding the A’s Howard Terminal Park?

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Photo credit: bizjournals.com

By Amaury Pi-González

“We’re excited to enter into this next phase of negotiations with the A’s to ensure they remain rooted in Oakland!”

That was the last statement issued by City of Oakland Officials right after the city dropped lawsuit over Alameda County over the possible sale of the Oakland Coliseum to the Oakland Athletics.The team offered to buy out both halves of the 112-acre Oakland Coliseum site, with the goal of building a new ballpark at Howard Terminal.

So what’s next? EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) was founded by the US government in 1970 about concern of environmental pollution. They will conduct studies about the location and what challenges they will encounter at Howard Terminal about the environment.

The New York Mets’ City Field was inaugurated in 2009, but was built with the highest environmental standards, with 95% recycled steel and a green roof to decrease energy needs along with water conserving measures like hand-free faucets and automated flush valves that save millions of gallons of water. It is not only the New York Metropolitans, but most new stadiums today are built similarly and the Bay Area is not different,

Earlier this year, KGO reported that the Bay Area is the most expensive place in the world to build. According to a report by United Kingdom-based consultant Turner and Townsend, the average construction cost in the Bay Area is $417 per square foot, surpassing New York’s $338. It is good news because the A’s will privately finance the park, so it will never go to a local election. When that happens here in the Bay Area,and there is an election to approve or disapprove the construction of a professional sports facility. The vote is “no” and you can just ask the San Francisco Giants.

Unlike states like Texas, Georgia or Missouri, the Bay Area is not easy to build a sports facility for a major league franchise. There are many decisions to be made and this is a project that involves hundreds of millions of dollars. This is the only professional big league franchise left in the City of Oakland, a once proud city that was named “City of Champions” in the 1970’s when the A’s, Raiders and Warriors all won titles, respectively. Obstacles remain and we will be talking about this until it happens or not. If the Howard Terminal location cannot be the place, the same place where they have been playing since 1968 to date would be the most sensicble solution for the A’s future. BART and Highway 880 are also not moving.

Kapler named as Giants manager in second MLB stint at the helm

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@SFGiants photo: San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler joins the Giants as this will be his second team after managing the Philadelphia Phillies in 2018 and 2019

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — When the weekend began, San Francisco Giants President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi was trying to set the table for the foreseeable future.

Zaidi cleared one plate, as he hired Chicago Cubs Assistant General Manager Scott Harris to replace Bobby Evans, who let go during the 2018 season and now he set another place at the table with the naming of former Philadelphia Phillies manager Gabe Kapler as the teams next manager.

“Our top priority in the next manager was to find someone who can build strong relationships with our players, coaches, front office and fans, and someone who has the drive and desire to win,” Zaidi said in a statement. “… In my personal experience in working with Gabe, there is no one who works harder and is more committed to getting the best out of the people around him. This was also echoed in the feedback we received around the baseball community. I look forward to working with Gabe to help return the Giants to its winning tradition.”

Kapler, who is 44 years old spent the 2018 and 2019 season with the Phillies and ended with a record of 161-163 in those two seasons.

Phillies managing partner John Middleton fired Kapler almost two weeks after the season after he re-evaluated the team and the manager and obviously, Middleton did not like what he saw going down the stretch. In his two years with the Phillies, Kapler went 8-20 and 12-16 in the seasons final month.

Kapler comes to San Francisco after multiple incidents that occurred when he was the Farm Director for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Two women made accusations against minor leaguers in the Dodgers organization, as both women accused the players of assault to Kapler. One of the women was just 17 years old at the time, who told police that she was sexually assaulted; however, she did not tell Kapler of the incident in the first place. The other woman involved happened to be a housekeeper at the hotel and told them about the sexual assault.

Kapler reported to the Dodgers brass and legal counsel, as he was obligated to do.

After the incidents, the Dodgers drew ridicule, as they did not report the two incidents to Major League Baseball.

Kapler, who grew up in the San Fernando Valley and went to Taft High School in Woodland Hills, played in the major leagues for 12 years for the Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, where he won a World Series ring in 2004, Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays. He was drafted in the 57th round of the 1995 out of Moorpark College by the Tigers.

Harris comes home to be the GM of the SF Giants

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file photo the Athletic: San Francisco Giants general manager Scott Harris, who was hired this weekend, will be introduced by Giants team president Farhan Zaidi this week.

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — There are many things on the plate of San Francisco Giants President of Baseball Farhan Zaidi during the 2019 off-season, and one of the plates is now filled.

Zaidi announced the hiring of Scott Harris as the Giants 10th General Manager in team history, replacing Bobby Evans, who was let go during the 2018 season.

“We’re thrilled to be able to bring in an executive of Scott’s caliber to help lead our Baseball Operations group,” Zaidi said in a statement. “The combination of his breadth of experience, contributions toward building a championship-winning perennial contender in Chicago and his Bay Area roots made him an ideal fit for our General Manager position and I’m looking forward to executing our vision together.”

Harris, who grew up in Redwood City, went to Columbia Business School and worked for Major League Baseball as the League Coordinator of major league operations before going to work for the Chicago Cubs in 2012.

During his seven years in Chicago, he was part of the front office that saw the Cubs break their 108-year curse of not winning the World Series in 2016.

Harris was promoted to the position of assistant General Manager by the Cubs in January of 2019, but now he is coming home to the Bay Area and will get the wheels rolling for the Giants, who are still looking for a field manager after the retirement of Bruce Bochy at the end of the 2019 season.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Are Atlanta and Minneapolis the Best Cities for Bumgarner?

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Photo credit: talkingchop.com

By Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

Madison Bumgarner has won three World Series and is arguably one (if not the best) postseason pitcher in history. The Giants made a $17.8 million qualifying offer to the free agent, which guaranteed a draft pick compensation for the Giants, a team seriously in need of younger players. It is very doubtful the Giants will win the World Series in 2020. There are two young teams looking for that extra puzzle piece to make it over the hump. Two teams that won their divisions but fell way-short of going deep into the postseason. Two teams that could use a guy like him.

Atlanta Braves
The Braves won the East in the National League with a 97-65 record, four games over the World Champion Washington Nationals, but lost the Divisional Series vs. St. Louis Cardinals in five games. They have a great young ball club with a terrific starting rotation of, Mike Soroka, whose just 22 years old and finished 13-4, 2.68 ERA. He is currently their best hurler. Max Fried, who finished 17-6, 4.02 ERA. Mike Foltynewicz and a very good bullpen. Not to mention one of the best lineups around in Freddie Freeman, Ronald Acuña Jr.and Ozzie Albies. Bumgarner would be like gold for this young team, which he would bring experience. The location is excellent for Bumgarner, who lives nearby in his home state of North Carolina. Plus he would stay in the National League. I would say Atlanta is the best place for him.

Minnesota Twins
The Twins won the American League Central Division with 101-61 record but were swept by the Yankees 3-0 in the Divisional Series. Like Atlanta, they are another young team in need of an experienced starter like the Giants lefty, but unlike the Braves, they are not as deep in pitching. Therefore, the Twins could go hard after Bumgarner. But there is one disadvantage as Bumgarner has only pitched in the National League with the Giants. He is one of the best hitting pitchers in the game and was even used as a pinch-hitter by Bruce Bochy. He loves to hit. The youngest and most talented starter with the Twins is the 25-year-old José Berrios, who finished 14-8, 3.68 ERA this season. The Twins are probably in the conversation for the Giants pitcher.

There are other potential teams looking for pitching,the Los Angeles Angels are one of those. He would definitely fit very well in Joe Maddon’s new team. The Angels are going to go heavy on free agents, especially Gerrit Cole, who was born in Newport Beach, about 45 minutes from Angel Stadium. He seems a perfect fit for the Halos. The San Diego Padres is another young up-and-coming team who plays in the same division as the Giants. They should be looking at him, too, and do not forget the American League Champion Houston Astros. Their rotation — especially if Cole leaves — will be a solid one with this acquisition.

Either Atlanta or Minnesota could offer Bumgarner, who is 30 years old, a two-year deal worth in the $40 million range. I do not see a problem with that. More than two years is a risk because he is still a good pitcher but not as dominant as he once was. Let’s face it, nobody knows which Bumgarner they would get. Although there is a chance of scenery for him, leaving a team that is not close to returning to the Fall Classic, like Atlanta or Minnesota, who are much closer, is something that he likely is considering at this stage in his career. He is the type of competitor that with a winning team, he would perform much better and he would be motivated to take his team to the postseason, which is something he cannot do with today’s Giants.

Bumgarner is in a good situation. If he decided to stay put with the Giants, that would have been a surprise to many. Although 60 wins is tied in total wins at home when Matt Cain was with the Giants. Pitching at Oracle Park, which is not a hitting paradise, is an advantage if he decides to stay in San Francisco and fans will love it, and if he retired with the Orange and Black, that would be even better, but fans do not have much of a say on his future. In my opinion, the only San Francisco Giant that will never leave the team (of the original players that were part of the even year World Series era) is Buster Posey. He was the Rookie of the Year in the NL with the Giants in 2010 and he will retire as a Giant.

Where will Bumgarner be pitching next season? At the end of the day, it is about the money. What else is new?

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: The A’s Stadium Saga (Episode 29)

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Photo credit: eastbaytimes.com

By Amaury Pi-González

OAKLAND–A’s fans have been on this rollercoaster ride of the new ballpark for long enough that it is now almost running as long as one of Telemundo novelas. This last episode was a good one. This week, over 80 Oakland and surrounding area business leaders announced the formation of “Town Business” — an initiative by company executives in support of keeping the A’s in Oakland for the long-term. They hand-delivered copies of the letter addressed to the Mayor of Oakland, Libby Schaaf, urging the City to drop its lawsuit against Alameda County.

There should be no doubt that the Schaaf should be happy with this support. Schaaf’s legacy could the first mayor of a big city in the country to lose three professional sports franchises. The NBA’s Warriors are already gone and playing in San Francisco and the NFL’s Raiders have one leg already in Las Vegas and are currently playing in their last season at the Oakland Coliseum. There are millions and millions of dollars behind these executives running companies here in the East Bay — large, small and new businesses. The famous author, Stephen King, known as “the master of horror stories” once said: “Money talks and bullshit walks”. By the way, King is a huge Boston Red Sox fan.

A new ballpark would usher a new era of prosperity for the franchise. Since the A’s been playing in Oakland in 1968, other major league teams have built multiple stadiums (i.e. the Texas Rangers and the Atlanta Braves) and many others who have at least one. Only a handful of teams remain that have played at the same place such as the Red Sox (Fenway Park), Chicago Cubs (Wrigley Field), Los Angeles Dodgers (Dodger Stadium). For some of us who have made the Bay Area our long-term home, we witnessed what happened with the San Francisco Giants, who lost election after election in order to build a new park until they finally found private investors to build what is today Oracle Park, which debuted in 2000.

The A’s plan is to begin construction of this privately financed new facility at Howard Terminal, just north of Jack London Square by 2021 and hope for a first pitch in 2023. It would be a beautiful 35,000 seat park. It would be a fan and environmentally friendly park that addresses the rising sea level. Today, the sea levels is not a main concern. But, up north in Portland, they are talking about building a new major league park for what they hope will be their first MLB franchise…and I think Las Vegas is taking odds in all of this.

Can’t wait for the next episode!

Sportstalk podcast from Inca Aztec Restaurant in downtown San Jose: Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019

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photo from yelp.com: Inca Aztec Restaurant downtown San Jose home of the Sportstalk podcast on Wed. Nov. 6, 2019.

Cast: Jerry Feitelberg (host and Golden State Warriors beat writer), Mary Lisa Walsh (San Jose Sharks reporter), Marko Ukalovic (San Jose Barracuda reporter), and Amaury Pi-Gonzalez (That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary) and producer Lee Leonard.

Podcasting from Inca Aztec Restaurant at 95 South Market Street downtown San Jose, call 408-715-7042 for information or reservations. The magic culinary can best be described as a mix of Peruvian and Mexican influences. Inca Azteca Restaurant Bar is the union of two cultures. The South American Andean region of Peru and the most important territory of Mexico. During years of tradition, spectacular recipes are created and now Inca Aztec has the magic gastronomic experience. Our thanks to our hosts owners Rey and Alma and general manager Rolando.

Tonight on Sportstalk: Will the Sharks shake off the taste of losing as they have completed three games of their current six game homestand? The Sharks have lost in tough games, including in Boston 5-1, and most recently on Sunday 5-2 to the Vancouver Canucks. Also, join our conversation on the NHL and some the top teams in the league: Bruins, Sabres, Capitals, Islanders, Blues, Avalanche, Oilers, and Canucks.

Headline Sports podcast Pt. 1 with Barbara Mason: Warriors just a bad club or a rebuilding year?; Kings put together two wins in a row; plus more

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Photo credit: goldenstateofmind.com

On the Headline Sports podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 Are the Warriors 2-5 just down on their luck or are they just outright a bad ball club since their offseason mass exodus?

#2 How much would would you allude to the Sacramento Kings’ struggle and their recent two straight wins? Were the wins looked at as encouraging for the Kings?

#3 The Cal Bears opened up their men’s basketball season against Pepperdine tonight at Haas Pavillion. The Bears are looking to have a much better season than they did last year.

#4 The San Francisco 49ers might be facing their toughest challenge this season yet when they host the Seattle Seahawks for Monday Night Football on Nov. 11th at Levis Stadium.

#5 The Oakland Raiders just got by the Detroit Lions with a 31-24 win on a Hunter Renfrow fourth quarter touchdown that help put the Lions away at the Oakland Coliseum.

Headline Sports with Barbara Mason is heard each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Beltrán Returns to the Mets as a Manager

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Photo credit: mlb.nbcsports.com

By Amaury Pi-González

On November 1, 2019, the New York Mets named the 42-year-old Carlos Beltrán their new manager. He is currently the fourth Puerto Rico born manager in the MLB, joining Alex Cora (Boston), Charlie Montoyo (Toronto) and Dave Martínez (Washington). The past two seasons, Cora and Martínez won the World Series. Beltrán is the first Latino manager in Mets history. Prior to getting the job, he said he only wanted to be interviewed by the Mets.

The outfielder played seven seasons with the Mets (2005-2011) and is sixth all-time list on the team with 140 home runs, 559 runs batted in, 374 extra base hits, .369 on base percentage and .500 slugging. In a total of 20 seasons, he was selected to 9 All-Star Games, 3 Gold Gloves, 2 Silver Sluggers, and was the 1999 Rookie of the Year with the Kansas City Royals.

Beltrán’s last season was in 2017 with the Astros, where he won his first World Series ring. He owns formidable numbers for a possible election to the Hall of Fame and will be eligible in 2023.

During his 20 years as a player, Beltrán played with Kansas City, Houston, NYM, San Francisco, St. Louis, NYY, Texas, and Houston (second stint).

Beltrán’s career numbers consist of a .279 average; 2,586 games; 9,768 at-bats; 2,725 hits; 565 doubles; 78 triples; 435 home runs; 1,587 runs batted in; and 312 stolen bases.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: World Series Pulls FOX to the Top of the TV Ratings

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Photo credit: deadline.com

By Amaury Pi-González

According to figures from Nielsen, FOX’s national coverage of the 2019 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals averaged 11.64 million viewers. This was the most watched week by any network since the Superbowl. In a big upset, the Nationals stunned the Astros 6-2 in the winner-take-all Game 7 on Wednesday to win their first World Series. This was the first World Series in which all seven games were won by the visiting team. This was also the first time this has happened in all major sports, where they play a series of games for their championship title.

Previously, the only other Major League team based in Washington to win a World Series were the Washington Senators in 1924 when they beat the New York Giants in seven games.

The Montreal Expos were purchased by MLB in 2002, and as a result, the team moved to Washington and named the Nationals prior to the 2005 season. The Victory Parade is this Saturday at 2 PM ET at Constitution Avenue NW and 15th Street and will end on Pennsylvania Avenue NW at 3rd Street.

MLB Network will televise the parade live nationwide.