Tag: Oakland A’s

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Opposing teams might have problem playing in minor league parks if A’s leave Coliseum; All Star Game in Seattle tonight

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Major League Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark said that the relocation of the Oakland A’s will impact players, front office personnel, stadium employees, fans, visiting teams. No one will be left out from the effects of the A’s moving to Vegas. (AP file photo)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury it’s been since early June when Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said that the MLB owners will take a vote on the Oakland A’s relocation move to Las Vegas here we are second week of July day of the 2023 All Star game no vote is planned. Is this an indication to you that the 30 owners are far apart on this relocation move to Las Vegas and more than eight teams are voting no on the relocation idea.

#2 Tony Clark of the MLB Players Union says that one of the issues of relocating to Reno or Las Vegas to play games in over 100 degree heat in temporary homes for the A’s during the 2025-27 seasons is a concern for visiting MLB teams who come to Nevada to play the A’s.

#3 Clark also said that there are a lot of people affected by the A’s move to Las Vegas, the players, manager, coaches, visiting ball clubs, fans, Oakland Coliseum employees and front office personnel. This move will have those groups having to move and accept a lower pay scale and possible pay cuts in because of lower wages offered in Nevada.

#4 Amaury do you think one of the factors that is stalling the owners from taking the vote is that Manfred has waved the relocation fee and that teams will take in less revenue since the A’s will now play in the 40th and smallest market in MLB and have the smallest ballpark in MLB.

#5 Bally’s who owns the Tropicana site has offered four more acres of land space making it 13 acres to build the new ballpark on it and giving it more room for the retractable roof. Does such an offering from Bally’s sweeten the deal for the A’s getting more space?

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play announcer 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 Barbara Mason: Baseball Commissioner booed at All Star game draft over A’s relocation

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MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred addresses the Oakland A’s draft selection shortstop Jacob Wilson to a chorus of boos at the 2023 draft at Lumen Field in Seattle (ESPN photo grab)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara:

#1 Tough times continue for the Oakland A’s dropping the third game of the three games series in a close battle with the Boston Red Sox 4-3 at Fenway Park.

#2 The Red Sox with the win have a five game winning streak going and the A’s pitching as well as hitting could not put a dent in the Red Sox pitching or stop their hitting.

#3 Masataka Yoshida has been a huge help for the Sox hitting .316 with ten home runs and 44 RBIs and has provided some offensive punch for Boston. Singled and scored the tying run against the A’s.

#4 Oakland pitcher JP Sears took a no hitter into the fifth inning but gave up an unearned run. Sears had control on the Sox hitting but ran out of gas in the fifth.

#5 At the MLB baseball draft in Seattle MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred was introduced and was booed loudly there were several reasons for that one of them is basically fans want the A’s to sell and keep the team in Oakland a chant and a push by fans who insist the A’s do not relocate. Manfred was introducing A’s draft pick Jacob Wilson and said he was from Grand Union University there is no Grand Union University.

Join Barbara for the Oakland A’s podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s swept by Red Sox; Oakland loses 4-3 Sunday in Boston

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics concluded their series against the Boston Red Sox with a series finale on Sunday. The A’s looked to avoid a sweep against the Red Sox but dropped a close game 4-3 at Fenway Park. Oakland (25-67) lost four games in a row, while Boston (48-43) won its fifth straight game.

The A’s starting lineup featured Tony Kemp, Ryan Noda, Seth Brown, Brent Rooker, JJ Bleday, Cody Thomas, Manny Piña, Jace Peterson, Tyler Wade, and JP Sears. Sears pitched five innings and gave up one hit, one run, three walks, and four strikeouts before leaving the mound.

The A’s got on the scoreboard first, thanks to a wild pitch by Tayler Scott off a throwing error by Jorge Alfaro. Noda scored for a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

The Red Sox tied the ballgame in the bottom of the first inning. Adam Duvall was out on a sacrifice fly to Cody Thomas. Rob Refsnyder scored to make it a 1-1 tie with two outs.

The A’s took their first lead of the game in the top of the second inning. Noda walked, and Jace Peterson scored for a 2-1 lead. Wade went to third base, while Kemp went to second base.

The A’s extended their lead in the top of the fifth inning. Rooker homered on a fly ball to left field for a 3-1 lead.

The Red Sox got even in the bottom of the sixth inning. Duvall homered on a fly ball to left center field to make it a one-run game. Christian Arroyo doubled on a sharp line drive to Cody Thomas. Masataka Yoshida scored to tie the game 3-3.

The Red Sox took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the eighth inning. Masataka Yoshida homered on a fly ball to left field for a 4-3 lead.

Notes
A’s prospect catcher Tyler Sodestrom singled up the middle in the bottom of the second inning of the 2023 All-Stars Futures Game at T-Mobile Park on Saturday.

Up Next
The A’s will return home to host the Minnesota Twins on Friday, July 14, at 6:40 pm Pacific. Starters for Friday for Minnesota at Oakland to be announced.

MLB The Show podcast with Charlie O: More All Stars sidelined by injuries; Rangers first team to have 5 starters in 47 years at All Star Game; plus more

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The Chicago Cubs Dansby Swanson trots back into the Cubs dugout after connecting for a third inning home run against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Park in Milwaukee Tue Jul 4, 2023. The Cubs announced this week that Swanson has gone on the 10 day IL and will miss the All Star Game (AP News photo)

On the MLB The Show podcast with Charlie O:

#1 As of last week the walking wounded list for the All Star Game is adding up, the Los Angeles Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani will not pitch due to finger blister, Angels Mike Trout will sit out due to a fractured left wrist and will not attend the All Star game, New York Yankee outfielder Aaron Judge toe injury, and the Chicago Cubs announced that shortstop Dansby Swanson will also sit out the mid summer classic due to a left heel contusion which forced Swanson to leave Wednesday’s against the Milwaukee Brewers, Swanson is on the 10 day IL.

#2 This year’s All Star game in Seattle will look like the Texas Rangers will be playing host they have added outfielder Adolis Garcia making the Rangers the first team in 47 years to have five starters representing the same team at the All Star game. Other Rangers starting catcher Jonah Heim, second baseman Marcus Semien, shortstop Corey Seagar, and third baseman Josh Jung.

#3 Former San Francisco Giants Carlos Rodon and current New York Yankee pitcher made his Yankee debut on Saturday but was outpitched by the Chicago Cubs Jameson Tallion in a 3-0 Cubs shutout. Rodon has been out due to a sore left forearm and Rodon had been out since spring training. Tallion went eight innings giving up one hit and Rodon went 5.1 innings, giving up four hits and two runs.

#4 The Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen and third baseman K’Bryan Hayes were placed on the 10 day IL. McCutchen is retroactive with right elbow inflammation, Hayes as of last Thursday is suffering from back inflammation. Charlie Pirates are 8.5 games back in the NL Central to get back in the hunt they’re going to miss these guys.

#5 Charlie, Major League Commissioner Rob Manfred said in early June that the owners will take a vote on the Oakland A’s relocation in Vegas. Then came the Nevada State Legislature who voted in a second special session to use public funding to pay for the Tropicana ballpark which passed. The first week of July is concluding and heading into the second week of July and still the owners have not taken a vote. Is that an indication that the jury is still out and the owners are haggling over A’s to Vegas relocation issue?

Join Charlie O who does the MLB podcasts Sundays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Memories of Oakland – (No.7 in Series)

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Sergio Varona standing behind Evelio A. Mendoza and Amaury Pi-González Oakland A’s KNTA 1430AM Radio. That year broadcast 120 games in Spanish. (photo from Amaury Pi Gonzalez)

A Cuban Legend joined our broadcast

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

Sergio Varona, born in Cuba, who settled in San Francisco, California, and was the sports editor for El Bohemio News, a weekly Spanish newspaper in San Francisco joined the Oakland A’s Spanish radio broadcast in the mid 1980s, bringing a lot of his knowledge in professional baseball.

Varona was a manager for the Cuban National Baseball team when they won the world cup of Baseball and also a manager for the professional baseball team “Alacranes de Almendares” in the 1950s a team in which Bob Allison, Tommy LaSorda, Sandy Amorós and other major leaguers played during the famous Winter League in Cuba.

Everyone who knew Sergio missed him very much; he passed in 2015 in Pembroke Pines, (Miami area) Florida. Sergio Varona also received the Salón de la Fama del Deporte Cubano (Cuban Sports Hall of Fame) and received an award for “Periodismo”, Journalism.

During our broadcast, Sergio was like “a second manager,” but in our booth. He brought a totally different angle to the games as his commentary was a well-seasoned professional opinion of the game as it was played, that day. He would never scream or root for the A’s on the air, he was the consummate professional and analyst, straightforward and honest with everybody.

Sergio Varona was a good close friend of Bill Rigney, another lifelong baseball man who played in the majors with the New York Giants from 1946 to 1953 and later managed in the major for 18 years for the NY and SF Giants, LA and CA Angels and Minnesota Twins. Rigney for a time was also doing commentary working for the Oakland A’s radio and television.

Varona and Rigney would talk strategy prior or after and it was priceless, just to listen, because these guys played and managed at the professional level, something that not many broadcast teams are privileged to have on board today. Also, unlike today, at that time very seldom an ex player of ex manager was hired to do commentary on the air.

Varona was only available for our weekend broadcast, Saturday and Sundays, but he left a mark with his commentary. People would call the station and asked questions, (Ask Sergio). I would gather those questions and would ask him during the live broadcast. I would give the name, where they lived , and then read the question.. Sergio would answer the question, live on the air. Questions were received by mail or folks called them in.

The games were on KNTA Radio 1430AM Santa Clara, Gene Hogan was the General Manager. We called 120 A’s games, all home and the most of the road games . The road games were recreated from the studio in front of a television monitor, with the consent of the A’s TV broadcast.

Sergio Varona was full of knowledge and insight and shared that knowledge and insight with yours truly. Muchas Gracias Sergio.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: A’s Blackburn face Red Sox Saturday afternoon at Fenway

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The Boston Red Sox Yu Chang connects for a two run single in the bottom of the second inning against the Oakland A’s at Fenway Park in Boston on Fri Jul 7, 2023 (AP News photo)

#1 The Oakland A’s (25-65) on Friday saw the Boston Red Sox (46-43) start of the game with a five run second inning that later handed the A’s a 7-3 loss at Fenway Park.

#2 The Sox Yu Chang got a base loaded hit in the second for the Sox to drive in two runs. Chang’s contribution proved valuable to help get the Sox get a lead on the A’s early off A’s starter Sammy Long and reliever Luis Medina.

#3 What was remarkable Chang missed over three months of play due to a left broken hand. Chang didn’t waste anytime driving in the first two runs of the game.

#4 Medina who came into relieve for Long ended up giving up seven hits, four earned runs, one walk and nine strikeouts in six innings of work. A’s manager Mark Kotsay said that he brought Medina in a tough situaton.

#5 The A’s will start right hander Paul Blackburn (1-1 ERA 4.50) he’ll be opposed Red Sox starter left hander James Paxton (4-1 ERA 2.70) for a 10:10 AM PT first pitch.

Join Jeremiah for the Oakland A’s podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: A Relocation Update

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Major League Commissioner Rob Manfred addresses the news media on Thu Jun 15, 2023 at MLB Headquarters in New York. The owners will be taking a vote on the relocation of the Oakland A’s that date has not yet been determined (AP News photo)

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

Why are the Major League Baseball owners yet to approve the A’s relocation from Oakland, California to Las Vegas, Nevada? Very simple, the A’s are late in this endeavor, and they (A’s) just begun the process to apply for relocation. Almost a month already had passed since Nevada’s Governor Joe Lombardo signed the Senate Bill into law. The owners are waiting for the A’s relocation plan, which would explain why the A’s are leaving one city to move to another. The other 29 owners need to know why they are leaving Oakland to Las Vegas. Have they tried and exhausted all their options in Oakland? Is Las Vegas a brand new untapped market that would benefit Major League Baseball?

It was on June 15, Rob Manfred, Commissioner of Baseball said the following:

“It has always been baseball’s policy and preference to stay put,”  “I think that always colors any conversation about relocation. Having said that, I think the owners as a whole understand that there has been a multiyear, pushing-a-decade effort where for the vast majority of the time, the sole focus was Oakland.

-After the owners get the A’s relocation plan, owners have to review, and then send it to another owners committee for approval. Seventy-five percent of owners have to approve the relocation petition by the A’s. Nobody knows how the owners will vote. Most are probably are anxious to end this long running issue of the A’s new park, others (probably the big markets) might not be very happy with shelling money to A’s and other small market teams via revenue sharing. Ironically the A’s in Las Vegas would be in the smallest baseball media market in the US. For years I have refused  to accept that the A’s in Oakland were a “small market” team, in my opinion, just ridiculous, we have almost 7 million people living in the 9-county Bay Area, around San José, San Francisco and Oakland. However, it is believed, that if the A’s present a coherent petition at least 22 owners would vote Yes to the relocation.

The owners want to get the Oakland A’s situation resolved, as well as the Tampa Bay Rays, so they can move together under the Commissioner on expansion of two more teams. There will be no expansion until Oakland and Tampa are settled. And who knows, Oakland might even get an expansion team after losing the A’s or even a larger bay area city, like San José who already threw their hat in the ring and asked the Commissioner to “free them” from the Giants owning their territory, the same territory the A’s gave the Giants in 1990, as San Francisco was in danger or losing the team to Florida. By the way, I believe San José has an excellent chance to get an expansion team. They presented their request to the Commissioner who did not say No, but, said that MLB is working on the Athletics relocation. Again, there will be no expansion until Oakland and Tampa Bay resolve their stadiums situations.

To be resolved:

-The over $1 Billion to build the proposed new ballpark.  The A’s most prove they can come up with the remaining $1.1 billion in private financing to fund the rest of the $1.5 billion ballpark project. They already got $380 million from the State of Nevada and the city of Las Vegas and then signed by the Nevada governor, at the time, which was believed to be the biggest hurdle.

-There is also another issue at the Nevada Legislation, which was previously on the table.. The A’s agreed in principle to sign a 30-year no-relocation agreement with Las Vegas to another city. This is mostly a “done deal”, since both sides agreed during the Nevada Legislation special sessions, regarding the A’s Bill, but now the A’s owner would have to sign it to make it official.

-The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and the Athletics new planned baseball park in Las Vegas. A’s will have to abide by the laws of federal aviation. That seems also to be a done deal. This is more diplomatic than anything else.

There could be more curve balls thrown at this, but this is the ‘bread and butter’ of the relocation of the Oakland A’s, as we approach the 2023 All Star Break. The Oakland A’s already announced they will play the 2024 season at the Oakland Coliseum. After that, nobody seems to know, and if they do know, they have not said a word. The A’s AAA affiliate Las Vegas Aviators to date have 11 sellouts and lead the Pacific Coast League in attendance, even with temperatures consistently over 100 degrees (no dome), as reported by the Independent in Las Vegas. This park could be the leading contender to host the A’s for a few years (after 2024) until they inaugurate their new MLB park in 2028. The players union will have a say on this also; of course, there is no hidden agenda here. Like they say in Vegas “all cards are on the table”.

Is the relocation to Las Vegas a sure thing?  On the words of the great Benjamin Franklin after signing the US Constitution (quote) “Nothing can be said is certain, except Death and Taxes.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Oakland A’s lead play by play announcer heard on the A’s Spanish radio network on 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 1010 KATD Pittsburg and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel Dullum: Why MLB owners are taking so long to vote on Las Vegas ballpark

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Will owners such as New York Yankee owner Hal Steinbrenner agree to waving a relocation fee and having the Oakland A’s move to the smallest ballpark and TV market in MLB, in Las Vegas? (New York Post file photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel:

#1 Daniel, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said back in early June that the owners would take a vote on the Oakland A’s new Las Vegas ballpark by the end of June, here we are in the early days of July and the jury is still out is this just a matter of the owners haggling over the issues of the A’s relocating.

#2 The owners have to consider the pressure that the A’s must sell out every single event plus concerts and shows at the Vegas ballpark to meet their $380 million tax credit obligation running 30 years, in their view that’s a huge ask and some owners may think that’s just impractical.

#3 The other issue for the owners that doesn’t sit well is the A’s will be moving from the tenth largest market to the 40th smallest market in baseball the owners have always been conscientious about revenue and profit some owners think that this actually a step backward.

#4 The competitiveness of the sports and entertainment dollar is at hand and the A’s knowing this want to have a start time of games at 4:00pm PT because live shows and entertainment with dinner usually start at 7:00pm so the game would end in time for people to go to the next venue. This may not sit well with the owners because they may want primetime televised games for their own teams back east and have the A’s come on Pacific time prime time and there is no guarantee a 4:00 pm start time would sell games out. Is the 4:00pm start practical?

#5 There is also the fact that many Nevadans who were polled during the Nevada State Legislative special session at 87% voted no for public use of a new stadium. The group organization “Schools over Stadiums” is gathering signatures for a ballot measure to put education first. Education in Nevada which is 49th in the US. The measure would stop spending $380 million in public money over a new ballpark. If the measure makes the ballot for this November’s election and gets over one million votes to stop the public funding of the Vegas ballpark Senate Bill 1 would be dead and the A’s might be forced to go back to Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao to talk turkey again regarding Howard Terminal.

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

Tigers prevent A’s from sweeping series; Bengals shutout and beat the Green and Gold 9-0 at Comerica

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Detroit Tigers Jake Marisnick scores in the bottom fourth inning as Oakland A’s catcher Manny Pina can only watch at Comerica Park in Detroit on Thu Jul 6, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

What a difference a day makes. The Oakland A’s offense recorded 14 hits Wednesday and had four singles against the Detroit Tigers’ pitching on Thursday. The A’s pitching held the Tigers to three runs on Wednesday and gave up nine on Thursday.

The Tigers’ starter Michael Lorenzen, who will represent Detroit at the All-Star game next Tuesday in Seattle, had his way with the A’s hitters. The Tigers pounced on A’s starter Hogan Harris who allowed seven runs before his exit in the fifth inning. The Tigers shut out the A’s 9-0.

The Tigers scored two runs in the first, third, fourth, and one in the fifth off Harris. In the first, with one out, Spencer Torkelson singled. Andy Ibanez doubled, sending Torkelson to third. Harris struck out Tigers’ DH Kerry Carpenter for the second out. Tigers’ shortstop Javier Baez singled to drive in Torkelson and Ibanez to take an early 2-0 lead.

In the third inning, A’s starter Harris Hogan couldn’t find the strike zone. He Walked Matt Vierling and Andy Ibanez to put men on at first and second with one out. Kerry Carpenter singled to drive in Vierling. Ibanez went to third when A’s left fielder Tony Kemp bobbled the ball trying to make a throw. Harris walked Baez to load the bases. Harris walked three men in the inning. Ibanez scored on Jonathan Schoop’s sacrifice fly to make it 4-0.

The Tigers continued to make life miserable for Harris in the fourth. Harris gave up back-to-back doubles to Zack Short and Jake Marisnick. Short scored to increase the lead to 5-0. Marisnick then stole third. Matt Vierling singled to make it 6-0.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay let Harris start the fifth inning. Harris’ pitch count was nearing 100 pitches as he started the fifth. Javier Baez led off the fifth with a double. Jonathan Schoops’ infield single sent Baez to third. Tiger catcher Eric Haase grounded into a double play, and Baez scored. The Tigers led 7-0. The A’s replaced Harris with Rico Garcia.

The Tigers added a run in the sixth when Jake Marisnick homered leading off the inning. Detroit continued to put runs on the board. They added one more in the eighth to increase the lead to 9-0.

Game Notes. The A’s were shut out for the tenth time in 2023. The only team with more shutouts is the Detroit Tigers. The A’s record dropped to 25-64. The Tigers improved to 37-48

The A’s line was no runs, four hits, and one error. The A’s had four singles in the game. The Tigers’ line was nine runs, 13 hits, and one error.

The A’s were without the services of three key players on Thursday. Ryan Noda, who blasted a two-run dinger on Wednesday, was unavailable due to a temporary illness. He should be back in action Friday night in Boston.

Esteury Ruiz injured his shoulder sliding back to first base on Wednesday and did not play in Thursday’s game. His injury does not appear to be too serious. Catcher Carlos Perez will be out until August 18th with a thumb fracture. Manny Pina took his spot on the roster.

The A’s finish the road trip with three games against the Red Sox in historic Fenway Park starting Friday night. After the game on Sunday, the A’s will be out of action until Thursday as Major League Baseball will hold the annual All-Star game in Seattle.

The A’s announced Luis Medina (2-7 ERA 6.37) as their starter on Friday. The Red Sox have not announced any starters for the three-game series. The game will start at 4:10 pm.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: A’s win fourth out of last five in Detroit; Series concludes today at Comerica

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Oakland A’s Shea Langeliers knows it’s hammer time after crushing a solo shot in the top of the fourth inning at Comerica Park against the Detroit Tigers on Wed Jul 5, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Jerry, just an early start for the Oakland A’s scoring three runs on the Detroit Tigers in the top of the first inning.

#2 Jerry talk about Ryan Noda whose getting around on the ball for a three run homer in the first inning.

#3 The A’s are starting to cluster their games winning their fourth in their last five games.

#4 The Tigers offensively had only two hits in the first seven innings and both runners got erased on double plays.

#5 The A’s and Tigers conclude this three game series at Comerica today the A’s are going with starter left hander Hogan Harris (2-2 ERA 5.17) and for the Tigers Michael Lorenzen (2-6 ERA 4.28) a 10:10 AM PT first pitch.

Join Jerry Feitelberg for the A’s podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com