Sacramento A’s podcast Michael Roberson: Was trading Miller a mistake on A’s part?

Former Sacramento A’s pitcher Mason Miller was dealt to the San Diego Padres on Thu Jul 31, 2025. Many question if this is a mistake on the A’s part and that their kissing off the season. (AP News photo)

Sacramento A’s podcast Michael Roberson:

#1 Before Thursday’s 3pm deadline the Sacramento A’s dealt closer Mason Miller LHP JP Sears to the San Diego Padres for shortstop Leo De Vries and right hand pitchers Braden Nett, Henry Baez, and Eduarniel Nunez. The Padres shore up their pitching getting a starter with Sears and one of the best closer in the game with Miller.

#2 Major League Baseball and NBC Sports Regional Networks announced a partnership to stream games direct-to-consumers for the Athletics (NBC Sports California) through MLB.TV during the 2025 season. Fans in the A’s home territory can now watch the network’s game coverage live and on demand with live pre- and post-game shows through the league’s streaming service, which is now entering its 23rd season.

#3 The A’s have placed shortstop Jacob Wilson on the ten day IL on Tuesday and this is retroactive through Saturday. Wilson fractured his forearm and A’s manager Mark Kotsay said the A’s are optimistic that Wilson will return some time this season but it’s doubtful he’ll be back before the ten days are up.

#4 A’s Nick Kurtz became the youngest player in MLB history and the first rookie to hit four home runs in a game last Friday against the Houston Astros. Kurtz had 19 total bases which ties Shawn Green for the most total bases in a single game since 1900. It was Kurtz’s 66th game and he recorded one of the greatest single games in big league history.

#5 The A’s host the Arizona Diamondbacks at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento starting pitchers for Friday night  Starting pitchers for Arizona RHP Merrill Kelly (9-6 ERA 3.22) Sacramento LHP Jacob Lopez (3-6 ERA 4.29). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. PST on Friday at Sutter Health Park after a day off on Thursday.

Join Michael Roberson for the A’s podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Los Tiburones – Successful Hispanic Night at SAP in San José

NBC Sports California’s Amaury Pi Gonzalez (left and author) on color and Carlos Ramirez (right) on play by play, call the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and San Jose Sharks NHL game on Sat Oct 12, 2024, on Los Tiburones Night at SAP Center in San Jose (photo provided by Amaury Pi Gonzalez)

Los Tiburones — Successful Hispanic Night at SAP in San José

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

On Saturday, October 12, the Sharks celebrated Hispanic Night at the SAP Arena. A capacity crowd of 17,916 joined the fiesta with 100X100 Hispanic flavor, including a live Mariachi band, Balet Folklórico Mexicano.

Los Tiburones played their California rivals, the Anaheim Ducks. It was a very entertaining night, which ended with a 2-0 win for the visiting Ducks.

The action was broadcast live on NBC Sports California, with all the action in Spanish on the Secondary Audio Channel, as well as on Sharks Audio, with Carlos Ramírez handling all the play-by-play and Amaury Pi-González providing commentary and promotional announcements for the whole 2024-25 Sharks season.

Sergio Almodovar, coordinator for the Sharks Media Relations, joined us after the second half ended with insightful information about the 2024-25 Sharks season; he talked about how important the Hispanic community is for the San José Sharks.

Almodovar, born and raised in the Bay Area, is of Mexican heritage. San José is over 30% Hispanic and a community that keeps growing. Some of the most famous Spanish media in the Bay Area are in San José, including KSTS CH 48 Telemundo Network, and some of the highest audiences in Spanish on radio stations in the Bay Area’s largest city.

San José is California’s third most populous city, #1 Los Angeles, #2 San Diego. The largest city in Northern California is a global hub for the high-tech industry, home of world-famous Silicon Valley—hosts annual conferences like Facebook F8 and the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference.

Spanish is the State of California’s unofficial second language. With a total population of around 40 million, there are nearly 20 million Hispanics. Here in the nine=-county Bay Area, 20% of the population is Hispanic/Latino, by far the largest minority in the State and in the Bay Area.

As of July 1, 2023, the Hispanic population in the United States was 65.2 million. The United States of America is #2 with the most significant number of Spanish speakers. México is number one, with 128 million people who speak Spanish.

The Florida Panthers, Chicago Blackhawks, and Vegas Knights have all added Spanish-language broadcasts to serve their Hispanic fan bases.

As Sports Anchor of Telemundo CH 48 San José in 1991-92, I covered the Sharks, even before they built the SAP Center. Covered their first game at the Cow Palace in Daly City (before moving to San José to their current digs).

It was on October 5, 1991, against the Vancouver Canucks, during that 1991-92 season, their first they played at the Cow Palace before moving to the SAP Center in San José in 1993.

In 2016, they covered the first Stanley Cup for the team as they played the Pittsburgh Penguins and lost the series in seven games.

The San José Sharks partnership with the Hispanic/Latino community is more important today than ever.

The Sharks are now a Bay Area institution for the last 33 years. And we all hope their best season are soon to come.

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

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: A’s meeting with Coliseum officials still waiting to be put on the docket

The Tropicana Hotel and Casino in discussions with the Oakland A’s and the Hotel’s umbrella parent company Gaming and Leisure Properties are hoping to get A’s owner John Fisher’s financial obligation for the construction share settled. The Tropicana will stop taking reservations after the first week of April in preparation of demoing the hotel in April 2025. (photo by the Nevada Independent)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 No date mentioned yet when Oakland A’s team president David Kaval and other A’s officials plan to meet with the Oakland Coliseum Joint Powers to discuss the A’s extension beyond the 2024 season.

#2 The Oakland Roots and Oakland Ballers have expressed serious interest in playing at the Coliseum in 2025 and beyond if the A’s end up playing in Sacramento or Salt Lake City. There is still time to figure this out but the A’s do have first choice if they do plan to extend the lease after this season.

#3 In an interview with NBC Sports California A’s manager Mark Kotsay said he would never tell his player’s what to say when they are questioned by the media about the move to Las Vegas or the stadium designs or whether they prefer Vegas or Oakland.

#4 A’s owner John Fisher financing for Tropicana park: Fisher’s part of the construction costs are as follows, the A’s need construction plans and a timeline for the FAA as the park’s lighting and layout will front the Las Vegas Airport, private financing and development plans, a lease agreement, and a benefits package to present to the Las Vegas community.

#5 Amaury in your view are the A’s any closer to moving to Las Vegas than they were when the Nevada State Legislature had approved the public funding back in June. Do you see any road blocks here in March that could interfere with the A’s leaving Oakland?

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

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Co-owner Billy Beane encouraging Fisher to continue talks with Coliseum Joint Authority for lease extension; plus more A’s news

Oakland A’s senior advisor to the managing partner Billy Beane (left) and A’s general manager David Forst (right) are seen here standing in the A’s dugout on Aug 28, 2020 at the Oakland Coliseum. Beane has recently advised according to reports owner John Fisher that the Oakland Coliseum would be the best place for the A’s interim years 2025-27 before moving to Las Vegas (AP file photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 Oakland A’s minority owner Billy Beane reportedly from Front Office Sports is encouraging owner John Fisher to continue talks with the Oakland Coliseum Joint Authority for a lease extension. Beane is also a senior advisor to Fisher.

#2 There had been talks that the A’s had the home of the Sacramento Rivercats and the San Francisco Giants minor league triple A team’s ballpark Sutter Health in West Sacramento that would house the A’s home games but some sources within the A’s organization said they didn’t know where those rumors came from and that Sacramento was not named by the A’s as the first choice for an interim site after the 2024 season.

#3 The Las Vegas Review Journal reported also that the A’s are trying to stay at the Oakland Coliseum as an interim site. A’s president David Kaval said this week that the A’s have narrowed their choices to three sites Sacramento, Salt Lake City and Oakland. Kaval is at the A’s spring training site in Mesa AZ. Talk has it that Oakland is the most logical choice because of the TV money they would get from NBC Sports California at some $70 million a year something they would not get in Salt Lake City or Sacramento.

#4 Kaval said that there is already a broadcast distribution now with the Sacramento Kings, San Jose Sharks, and A’s with NBC Sports California and that make Sacramento in the running. Still the players union would still have to sign off on playing in a minor league facility and three years at a minor league park might be an issue with the union.

#5 Kaval said he wants to be thoughtful and work with the league and that talks last Thursday went well and he had a positive feel. Kaval said the A’s are keeping their options open until they identify where they’ll play in the interim. It’s the hope of most fans and employees of the A’s that they would choose the Oakland Coliseum in the interim before moving to Las Vegas.

Jerry Feitelberg does the Oakland A’s podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com