Tag: Oakland Athletics

Oakland A’s Podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Cotton comes back to Bay Area to have elbow looked at; changes within the A’s pitching rotation; Laureano has broken finger and will go back to minors

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On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 Oakland A’s starter Jharel Cotton has been sent back to the Bay Area to have his elbow looked at and is going to have an MRI.

#2 If Cotton is out for a significant amount of time, the A’s are going with a rotation of Andrew Triggs, Daniel Gossett, Daniel Mengden, and Paul Blackburn. AJ Puk whose looked the best in the rotation could wind up the one pitcher on the A’s.

#3 The A’s outfielder Ramon Laureano has a broken finger after Giants pitcher Roberto Gomez threw in on his hands. Laureano will be out several weeks and will rejoin the A’s minor league club, the Nashville Sounds.

#4 Calling him long shot to make the A’s opening day roster, Ryan Dull, is suffering from shoulder soreness and recently has thrown a 20-pitch bull session.

#5 A’s pitcher Kendall Graveman allowed five hits and four runs in three-plus innings. When Kendall pitched to the Royals, he had given up a smash hit and a walk that started off the Royals’ fourth inning rally on Tuesday.

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

 

A’s sign catcher Jonathan Lucroy to one-year, $6.5 million contract

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Monday, March 12, 2018

MESA, Ariz. – Free agent catcher Jonathan Lucroy landed with the Oakland Athletics on Monday morning after agreeing to terms on a one-year, $6.5 million contract, the team announced.

“We’ve been in touch for about a month,” A’s general manager David Forst said. “We kept the conversation going and ultimately, it got to the point where it became realistic and we became excited about it.”

To make room for Lucroy on the 40-man roster, the A’s designated left-handed pitcher Jario Labourt for assignment.

“It’s very positive for me,” Lucroy said. “I talked to Bob (Melvin, manager) and Kots (coach Mark Kotsay) about it. I know from calling some games against them, this is a pretty good lineup and (the A’s) have some pretty good arms on the mound.

“I think there’s a lot of positives to look forward to, and we can sneak up on some people. Our division is going to be good, but we’ll be right there with them.”

Lucroy, a two-time All-Star for Milwaukee in 2014 and 2016, split last season between the Texas Rangers and Colorado Rockies. After hitting .242 for the Rangers, Lucroy was traded to Colorado on July 30 for Pedro Gonzalez, and hit .310 in 46 games before becoming a free agent after the season.

The 31-year-old Lucroy is one of a growing list of free agents signing a one-year deal well into spring training.

“This is a good opportunity for me, both from a competitive standpoint and a playing time standpoint,” Lucroy said. “Any time you get a chance to compete for a division and the league, there’s a possibility to do that. And I’m happy and proud to put this uniform on.”

Lucroy figures to add a veteran presence and power to the otherwise youthful A’s lineup and will likely take over the starting duties behind the plate from incumbent Bruce Maxwell. He’s a .281 career hitter with 96 home runs and 458 RBIs over his eight-year career.

Lucroy, who finished fourth in the 2014 National League most valuable player voting, has also thrown out 177 base stealers, most by an MLB catcher over that span.

Labourt had not pitched this spring after Oakland claimed him off waivers on March 4 from Cincinnati, two days after he was picked up by the Reds on waivers from Detroit.

On Sunday, the A’s optioned Labourt and right-handed pitcher Lou Trivino to Triple-A Nashville. Oakland also reassigned left-handed pitchers Jeremy Bleich and Jarret Martin, right-handed pitchers Nolan Blackwood and Bobby Wahl, catcher Santiago Chavez and infielder Nick Noonan to their minor league camp.

The Athletics have 50 players in camp, including 39 on the 40-man roster (which is full) along with 11 non-roster invitees.

GIANTS UPDATE
The Giants, meanwhile, rank near the top of numerous Cactus League categories after 18 games. San Francisco leads in team batting average (.307), total bases (365) and on-base percentage (.371). Going into Monday’s game in Mesa, the Giants are also tied for second in home runs (34) and runs batted in (122).

Outfielder Mac Williamson is swinging one of those hot bats for the Giants. In 15 games, Williamson is hitting .412 with two doubles, two triples, four homers and 13 RBIs. Infielder Kyle Jensen, a non-roster invitee, has also had a strong spring for the Giants, with five home runs in 19 at-bats – most of any National League player.

The team reports that third baseman Evan Longoria is still listed as day-to-day with stiffness in his left heel and ankle. Catcher Hector Sanchez is dealing with a hamstring pull and hasn’t played since Feb. 28. He’s expected to possibly miss another week or two.

Following Monday’s game, the Giants optioned right-handed pitchers Tyler Herb, Pierce Johnson, Chase Johnson and Reyes Moronta; left-handed pitchers Steven Okert and D.J. Snelten; catcher Aramis Garcia and infielder Miguel Gomez to Triple-A Sacramento. San Francisco also reassigned right-handed pitchers Tyler Cyr, Jose Flores, Dereck Rodriguez and Madison Younginer; and infielder Alan Hanson to its minor league camp.

ORLANDO CEPEDA UPDATE
The Giants issued a brief update on the medical status of Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda, saying, “The Cepeda Family would like to thank the baseball family for its concern and well wishes for Orlando. We are pleased to report that Orlando continues to make significant progress every day and is showing major signs of improvement. Please continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers.”

Cepeda, 80, was hospitalized in February after suffering cardiac arrest and falling in a parking lot, where he sustained a severe blow to the skull.

THE GAME
Jarrett Parker’s RBI double in the eighth helped San Francisco regain the lead and take a 6-5 Cactus League decision Monday over the Athletics. Orlando Calixte, who was hit by a pitch from A’s reliever Daniel Gossett (0-1), scored on the play.

Righthander Roberto Gomez (2-0) threw 1 1/3 innings to get the win; Joan Gregorio and Manny Parra each threw a scoreless inning. Parra earned his first save of the spring.

The Giants broke the game open in with five runs in the top of the fifth inning. Centerfielder Steve Duggar’s two-run home run – his fourth – and a two-out, three-run double by catcher Nick Hundley were the key blows off A’s reliever Ryan Buchter.

Oakland rightfielder Stephen Piscotty belted his second CL homer, a solo shot to left in the second inning off San Francisco starter Chris Stratton. It was also the first hit off the righthander, who struck out three and walked one in four innings.

The A’s closed to within 5-4 in the sixth on Franklin Barreto’s two-run homer off Sam Dyson, and tied the game at 5-5 on Jake Smolinski’s sacrifice fly to center.

Jharel Cotton, the Oakland starter, struck out five and walked three in four hitless innings. Piscotty was 2-for-2 before departing in the fifth.

Announced attendance was 8,539.

THE WEEK AHEAD
The Giants (10-7-2) face a Chicago Cubs split-squad in Mesa on Tuesday, then head to Peoria on Wednesday (Seattle) and Thursday (San Diego) before taking Friday off. The A’s split squad visits Scottsdale on Saturday while the Giants send their other split squad to Goodyear to face Cincinnati.

Oakland (8-7-2) heads to Glendale to face Kansas City on Tuesday, has an off day on Wednesday, returns to Hohokam Stadium for games on Thursday (Seattle), Friday (Cleveland), Saturday (Seattle – SS) and Sunday (Chicago White Sox).

TAGS
San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, A’s, Jonathan Lucroy, Cactus League, Sports Radio Service.

That’s Amaury’s Podcast, News, and Commentary: Texans and Dolphins won’t kick out players who didn’t stand for anthem; D-Backs bring back the golf cart; A’s Maxwell–How will he cope?

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That’s Amaury’s Podcast (where you get all the latest):

1 Houston Texans had said according to the players agents that players who refused to stand for the anthem last season will not be signed for this season, the Texans later said the agents got it all wrong and that what they said was “false and without merit.” The Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross won’t make players stand for the anthem. Ross had said during a Jackie Robinson event honoring the former Brooklyn Dodger that the players have to stand for the anthem this season as he told the NY Daily News. Ross later said he never told the NY Daily News that the players had to stand for the anthem.

2 The Arizona Diamondbacks are bringing back the golf cart. Do you believe bringing pitchers in from the bullpen by cart will really speed up the game and make that much up in time?

3 Thing aren’t going well for Oakland Athletics’ catcher Bruce Maxwell during February 23’s Cactus League opener. He took a back swing by the Angels’ Jerry Marte after less than a week he got back into the lineup.

4 A’s need to stay healthy. How key will it be for the A’s to come into spring had some injuries with Matt Chapman, Jorge Mateo, Grant Holmes, Rento Nunez, and Sean Manea, who were day-to-day at some point this spring?

5 The A’s released 34-year-old Brandon Moss, who said he would consider retiring if a big league club wouldn’t sign him.

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

 

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: New Ballpark–Are the A’s still at Home Plate?

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Photo credit: @oaklandCaRR

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

The saga of the Oakland Athletics’ new ballpark continues. The final score? There’s still no final score. But the A’s might find themselves back at first base in a stadium issue in which the Bay Area is always difficult to score.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said the Howard Terminal site is a big positive, but BART has told the A’s to forget about a new ballpark by Howard Terminal.

The Mayor of Oakland, Libby Schaaf, is a big proponent of the Howard Terminal site, but BART carries a lot of weight in this deal, and obviously, a lot of passengers as it is one of the most popular transportation asset for A’s fans attending the games at the Oakland Coliseum.

It seems like it was during another life, years ago, that I attended a pro-A’s move to Fremont rally in that city. Fremont is currently the fourth most populated city in the Bay Area. Only San José, San Francisco and Oakland have more residents, respectively. Fremont used to be a bedroom community with one large employer the old General Motors/New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. plant.

Today, it is Tesla, and the city of Fremont is steadily increasing in residents as it has become very conveniently named the Silicon Valley East. BART has been extended to Warm Springs and will extend into Santa Clara county later this year. As a matter of record, one year the Athletics included in their media guide with great optimism, a design of the proposed Fremont ballpark. The Fremont site idea struck out quickly.

This next March 29 at 1:05 pm, the A’s will open their 50th season at Oakland. They have played at the Oakland Coliseum since 1968 when they arrived from Kansas City, Missouri. The Coliseum is and still is a perfect location when it comes to transportation. It is hard to find another sports facility in the Bay Area, including A&TT Park in San Francisco, California, with better access for mass transportation. The Oakland Coliseum with Highway 880 to the west and BART station behind left field, to the east is the perfect transportation location. And let’s not forget the AMTRAK station that behind the Stadium. Since Opening Day being on rare afternoon at the Coliseum, I would probably leave the car at home and take BART.

The A’s new ballpark game has been in extra innings with no scores now for years, but it seems like the A’s have still not left first base. A guy who I covered since his rookie season in 1979 and who could leave first base at a moment notice, Rickey Henderson, told me years ago when I asked the question on where the new ballpark should be. He responded:  “Why not right here at the Coliseum?”

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: A’s Fiesta De Fanaticos 2018, Big Turnout at Jack London Square in Downtown Oakland

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photo by capitalcorridor.org: Oakland A’s fans are jubilant entering the A’s Fanfest at Jack London Square in downtown Oakland on Saturday Jan 27th

By: Amaury Pi Gonzalez

OAKLAND — It was all free admission, so there was no hard-ticket count, but it could have easily be 20,000 or more that visited the Oakland Athletics Fanfest this past Saturday at Jack London Square, to celebrate the A’s 50th Anniversary in Oakland. Food trucks served free food for the enthusiastic crowd, who enjoyed live music. A’s players mingled with fans and signed autographs, kids had pictures with clowns and the fiesta was on!

At The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame booth, A’s newly acquired reliever, Yusmeiro Petit, signed autographs for about 40 minutes. He also posed with fans and their families for photographs.

“Estoy muy contento de estar de vuelta en California. Translation: “I am very happy I am back in California,” the 33 year old Venezuelan right handed told me. Many fans that got his signature at the Hispanic Baseball Museum booth remember him with the Giants across the Bay Area, where he was an excellent reliever and a part-time starter from 2012 to 2015.

I asked Yusmeiro if he was surprised that the Angels did not keep him (last year in 60 relief appearances he had a 2.73 ERA and was the most dependable reliever for Mike Sciocia’s team). “Esto es un negocio, tu sabes. Translation: “You know, this is a business.” Petit brings experience to the team’s pitching which is a welcome site on a relatively young pitching staff. He was happy and poised to meet with A’s fans this Saturday. He was also anxious to report to Spring Training in Mesa, Arizona, by mid-February.

Note: All autographs were signed with free pens from KIQI 1010/990 AM Radio, the home of the A’s Spanish Broadcast Network.

Great ambiance permeated the event, as old colorful characters we know at the Coliseum like “Banjo Man” was playing as well as “Swinging A’s Ragtime Band.” It was held next door to the spectacular new front offices of the Oakland A’s. The place was rocking on a perfect sunny morning/afternoon.

A’s President Dave Kaval came over to our booth, like he did last season, and was “taking it all in.” He faces some challenges after the Laney College location (his No. 1 favorite) for the proposed new park didn’t materialized. But he is a determined and optimist young man with a plan that will succeed in this endeavor, even in the very complicated and competitive Bay Area thoughts when it comes to building new baseball facilities.

The players were wearing their new Green and Gold jerseys, which they will wear on Friday home games with the 50th anniversary patch on the shoulder. Dallas “El Perfecto” Braden was taking pictures around our booth. I call him “El Perfecto” because on Mother’s Day (May 9, 2010), he pitched a perfect game at the Oakland Coliseum against the Tampa Bay Rays. Dallas is the new A’s television analyst, taking the place of Mark Mulder, and he is always pumped up.

It was a great afternoon for all at Jack London Square. I spoke with a gentleman who was at the Oakland Coliseum for the first ever game in Oakland in 1968. I also talked to some other baseball veteranos like my good friend Adalberto “Ucho” Lopez, who was here in 1968 and was part of the great tradition of Major League Baseball in Oakland, California. They were happy to see the four World Series trophies. I spoke with many of my friends that for years have been with the A’s Booster Club. It was a fun day at Oakland! It was a truly a Grand Slam event!

See you in Spring Training!

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Vice President of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Museum and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsadioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Ex-Athletics player elected to Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame

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By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

OAKLAND — Although Hideki Matsui played most of his Major League career with the New York Yankees, he also made a brief stop in the Bay Area for the Oakland Athletics. His name was on the ballot for this 2018 MLB Hall of Fame election. He will not make it to Cooperstown, New York, but at least he is in the Hall of Fame of his native Japan. He was recently inducted to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.
Also known as “Godzilla,” Matsui is a legend in Japan. He won the People’s Honor Award, three Central League MVPs, and was an All-Star in nine of his 10 seasons. His most memorable award in the major leagues was in 2009 as he won the MVP in the World Series. He became the first and only Japanese-born player to win this award, and he did it with sensational numbers. As a designated hitter during the 2009 World Series, he hit .610 with three home runs and eight runs batted in.
The most impact a DH had on a World Series game came in the Game 6 of the 2009 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies. Yankees’ DH, Hideki Matsui, contributed to six of the seven runs his team had in the game. Matsui batted .600, the highest average for a DH in a World Series, and was also the first DH to win the World Series MVP Award.
Hideki Matsui played for 10 years from 2003 to 2012 with the Yankees, Angels, Athletics and Rays. In 2011 with the A’s, he played in 141 games and hit  .251 with 12 home runs and 72 runs batted in. During his Major League career, he finished with a respectable .282 average 175 home runs and 760 RBI.
In Japan, Matsui was one of the most popular players ever. Extremely marketable, his face appeared in tea cups and even on the fuselage of a 747 plane. During his brilliant Hall of Fame career in Japan, he compiled a .309 batting average, 332 home runs and 889 RBI in a total of 1,268 games played.

There are some among the United States baseball media members that said while he was playing in the states, he was the first Japanese player to reach 500 home runs, which was correct.

However, there is one caveat, you have to add the 332 home runs in Japan to the 175 here in the big leagues, to reach that number. Many also had similar combined numbers when it came to hits for another great Japanese player, Ichiro Suzuki, who will be someday the first ever Japanese player inducted to Cooperstown.

One interesting note about these two players: While Matsui was popular in Japan and in the U.S., Suzuki is not as popular. It has to do with two totally different personalities. Not to take anything away from Suzuki, who is the best Japan-born player that I have seen here in the major leagues, but he was never as well-liked in Japan as Matsui. That is what my Japanese colleagues have told me for years.

In the 2011 season that Hideki Matsui played for the A’s, he was well-liked by his teammates, fans and media members in the Bay Area. He was a soft-spoken young man with a strong presence along with excellent professionalism and skills.
Congratulations to Hideki “Godzilla” Matsui!

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: 2018 MLB Hall of Fame Inductees and Prediction

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By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

OAKLAND — All the votes are in, by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) for the players that will be inducted this 2018. The results will be announced in January 24 on MLB Network. The inductions are scheduled for July 28 -29 in Cooperstown, New York.

Any candidate must be named on 75 percent of the ballots. Last year, Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez were elected and inducted in July.

For the first time Andrew “Chipper” Jones, great power-switch-hitter and third baseman for the Atlanta Braves for 19 seasons, .303 average 468 home runs and 1,623 runs batted-in. Hideki Matsui and Johan Santana (two-time Cy Young winner) have a record of 139-78 in 12 seasons with the Twins and Mets.

Jim Thome ranks eighth in history with 612 home runs. Venezuelan Omar Vizquel the great defensive shortstop who played for 24 years and won 11 Gold Gloves (nine with Cleveland and two with San Francisco) are among several players who are eligible this year as well as Chris Carpender, Johnny Damon, Livan Hernandez, Jamie Moyer, Scott Rolen, Kerry Wood and Carlos Zambrano.

Returning to the BBWAA ballot, Trevor Hoffman (74% of the vote in 2017) leads the National League for saves in history with 601. Dominican outfielder Vladimir Guerrero (71.7% of the BBWAA vote in 2017) had a great 16-year career with the Expos, Angels, Rangers and Orioles, .318 lifetime average with 449 home runs, 1,496 runs batted in and 181 steals, they both missed last year’s election by five and 15 votes, respectively.

Below are the top 10 players with the percentage they received as of last season (not including votes pending casted by the BBWA this time). 75% is needed for election.

Player | Year(s) eligibility | Percentage of vote
Trevor Hoffman, 3rd, 74
Vladimir Guerrero, 2nd, 71.7
Edgar Martinez, 9th, 58.6
Roger Clemens, 6th, 54.1
Barry Bonds, 6th, 53.8
Mike Mussina, 5th, 51.8
Curt Schilling, 6th, 45
Manny Ramirez, 2nd, 23.8
Larry Walker, 8th, 21.9
Fred McGriff, 9th, 21.7

My prediction for the 2018 class: Trevor Hoffman, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome, Omar Vizquel and Andrew “Chipper” Jones

The first three should go in, for sure, while Vizquel and Jones, which are on the ballot for the first time, might have to wait. But I would be content if they also make it this year.

Players like Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and Manny Ramirez are obviously tainted by the “steroids era.” Clemens was acquitted of all charges in 2012 that he obstructed and lied to Congress in denying he used PEDs. Bonds, in 2013, was convicted for obstruction of justice for giving an “incomplete” answer to a grand jury. In 2015, the court overturned conviction and federal prosecutors dropped the case. Ramirez was suspended more than once for his PED use.

I know, it all stinks, and people have different opinions about this, but the black cloud for those guys, and others like Sosa, Palmeiro, McGwire will always follow them for the rest of their lives. If it was left to me, I would not send them to Cooperstown, although they all have the statistics.

I agree with Hall of Famer Joe Morgan, the second-baseman who played for 22 years, towards the end of his career, two seasons with the Giants, and retired with the Athletics in 1984. I agree with Morgan on that very clear and stern letter he sent to the Hall of Fame. I believe cheating is cheating, be in 1919 or 2004. It is not fair for the guys that played by the rules and were clean of steroids.

Morgan wrote:

“The more we Hall of Famers talk about this—and we talk about it a lot—we realize we can no longer sit silent. Many of us have come to think that silence will be considered complicity. Or that fans might think we are ok if the standards of election to the Hall of Fame are relaxed, at least relaxed enough for steroid users to enter and become members of the most sacred place in Baseball. We don’t want fans ever to think that.

“We hope the day never comes when known steroid users are voted into the Hall of Fame. They cheated. Steroid users don’t belong here.”

“It’s gotten to the point where Hall of Famers are saying that if steroid users get in, they’ll no longer come to Cooperstown for Induction Ceremonies or other events. Some feel they can’t share the stage with players who did steroids.”

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame at Oakland A’s FanFest on January 27

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By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

OAKLAND–The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame will be at the Oakland Athletics’ FanFest this January 27 at Jack London Square in Oakland. The HHBM HOF is celebrating its 20-year anniversary, since it was founded in San Francisco in 1998 by Mr. Gabriel “Tito” Avila Jr., who’s currently the president of this non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

Beginning in 2018, the HHMB HOF have 67 inductees from 1999 to 2017. One of those inductees is Ted Williams, and many have asked me: “How come, is he a Latino player?” Williams’ mother was born in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Her name is Maria Hernandez-Benzor. Therefore, Teddy Ballgame classifies as a player with Hispanic heritage.

When the museum attends the A’s FanFest this next 27th, they will also celebrate the great history of the A’s list of Latino players, including Dagoberto Blanco “Campy” Campaneris, (shortstop), Diego Segui (pitcher) and second-baseman Rigoberto
“Tito” Fuentes, who played with the A’s as well as the Giants. All three HHBM HOF inductees were born in Cuba.

The museum doesn’t merely induct players because of their statistics, but also their historical relevance, good sportsmanship and community involvement. It doesn’t necessarily means that to be inducted into the HHBM HOF, you also have to be in Cooperstown. Best example is Campaneris, who is arguaby the best ever shortstop in A’s history. He’s a three-time World Champion who also played all nine positions in one game on September 8, 1965.

Mr. Avila is the president and founder of the museum. He founded the HHBM in the Mission District in San Francisco, California, on October 24, 1998, and Incorporated as a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization on June 23, 1999 in Sacramento, California.

Gabriel “Tito” Avila, Jr. is a former semi-pro, Sandlot, high school, college player and a Vietnam Era Veteran from New York City. He’s a San Francisco resident who wanted to honor the greatest Hispanic Baseball position players of all-time.

The HHBMHOF is International and dedicated to recognizing the contributions made to baseball by Hispanic players. Since its inception, the HHBMHOF has inducted (65) players, coaches, broadcasters, Negro Leagues Hispanic players, MLB scorers, and Pioneer Executives. Founding members include Orlando Cepeda and Tito Fuentes.

Avila told me how he felt after 20 years of founding the museum and Hall of Fame: “The HHBM HOF to date has inducted into its HOF 67 inductees and 21 pioneers. We have also recognized Hispanics and non-Hispanics with numerous awards. As we are a National Traveling Museum Hall of Fame, and I am very proud of the work we have done, with our Board of Directors and the help of two local baseball stars, in Orlando Cepeda and Tito 23 Fuentes.”

Also, Mr. Avila Jr. said: “We are elated to be associated with the Athletics and I want to take this time on behalf of the HHBM to congratulate the A’s for their 50th Anniversary, which they are celebrating this year.”

This 2018, the A’s will celebrate their 50th Anniversary at Oakland, since they moved from Kansas City in 1968, winning four World Series in Oakland. The A’s will play a totally free game for their fans against the Chicago White Sox on April 17, a date that marks 50 years to the day after the team’s first game at the Coliseum in 1968. Fans can sign up for tickets to this 50th anniversary game beginning at 8 a.m. PT on Jan. 10 by visiting athletics.com/50.

NOTES: Daktronics of South Dakota is installing 14 LED displays at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. The focal point will be a 9,500 square-foot video display inright field, the third largest in Major League Baseball behind Cleveland and Seattle. The 9,500 square-foot scoreboard will be equal to the size of 890 60 inch television and be ready for the 2018 season.

Big Papi’s new show: David Ortiz’s new television show is called “Big Papi Needs a Job”which will debut January 31 on Fusion.

Giants: At the beginning of the 2018 season, the San Francisco Giants have the oldest roster in the National League, with an average of 28 years old per player, which doesn’t seem that old, but in today’s game many teams have superstars in their mid 20’s. Yankees: With their winning 2017 season they have a 25 consecutive years ending with winning records.

Numbers: Giancarlo Stanton wore #27 with the Marlins, this year (his first with the Marlins) he will also wear #27 in pinstripes, and by the way the Yankees have won 27 World Series to date, most in history.

Puerto Rico: The Winter League is set to begin January 5, after Hurricane Maria, it will only be an abbreviated season four teams and total of 18 games.Puerto Rico was in very bad shape prior to the Hurricane, they had declared bankruptcy, after years of political corruption and mismanagement.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez is the Spanish radio play by play announcer talent for the Oakland Athletics radio KIQI 1010AM/990AM San Francisco/Oakland,and the play by play talent for the Los Angeles Angels on Fox Sports West TV in Los Angeles and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com.

Matt Williams joins the A’s as the new third base coach for 2018

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Photo credit: @Athletics

by Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Oakland Athletics announced today that Matt Williams, former All-Star third baseman and former manager of the Washington Nationals, is joining the A’s as the new third base coach, replacing Chip Hale.

Williams was an excellent fielder who won four Gold Gloves as a player. The A’s defense was not very good last year as they led the Major Leagues in errors. The A’s defense improved in the second half of the season, but they gave away too many games due to their crummy defense. Matt was the leading home-run hitter in the National League in 1994 and was on pace to break Roger Maris’ record of 61. Unfortunately for Williams, the players went on strike on August 12th and for the rest of the season, along with the World Series, was wiped out.

Williams’ bio follows below:
Williams spent five seasons on the Arizona Diamondbacks coaching staff as a first base coach (2010) and a third base coach (2011-13, 16). He also managed the Washington Nationals for two seasons.  He was named National League Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) in his first season as a manager in 2014, guiding the Nationals to a 96-66 record and an NL East title.  He went 83-79 in 2015 for a 179-145 (.552) record in two seasons as a manager.

Williams played 17 seasons in the majors with San Francisco (1987-96), Cleveland (1997) and Arizona (1998-2003).  He was a .268 career hitter with 378 home runs and 1,218 RBI in 1,866 games.  Williams was a five-time All-Star and won four Gold Gloves as a third baseman.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: AL West: Two different worlds; What do the A’s need?

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Photo credit: @biggamerings

By: Amaury Pi Gonzalez

The American League West now has the World Champion Houston Astros, we can see why the Astros are in outer space and the other four teams are on planet earth. Standings below are enough and clear for anybody to understand.

1 – Houston 101-61 .623 —

2 – Los Angeles 80-82 .494 -21

3 – Seattle 78-84 .481 -23

4 – Texas 78-84 .481 -23

5 – Oakland 75-87 .463 -26

It we took the champion Astros out, it would have been a great race. Four teams separated by five games in the lost column. But we cannot do that. The Astros came to live with us here in the West back in 2013, after 51 years as a member of the National League winning nothing in the NL. Since they moved to the AL West, Houston have won two pennants and a World Series.

While the Astros still basking in their impressive 2017 championship season, the other four teams are involved in a dog race to see who can improve the most. We know the Astros have a team already that could easily win again in 2018 and be competitive for a long time. I hate to use the word ‘dynasty ‘because these days with free agency it is not something that anybody could predict. If not, ask the Giants.

What do the Athletics need?
The last three seasons the Athletics have owned the cellar. Ending in last place this year with 75-87, last place in 2016 with 69-83, and again in last place in 2015 with 68-94. Back in 2014 the A’s had a respectable 88-74 season, and finished in second place, 10 games behind the division leaders Angels.

The A’s have a very good nucleus of young talented position players: Healy, Olson, Chapman, Pinder, Powell, and guys that have been there in the past like Marcus Semien and veteran Jed Lowrie, who is returning. Their infield seems to be set (not to make any comparisons, but the Astros strength is also in their infield with Bregman-Correa-Altuve and Gurriel). The outfield is quite another story. Let’s assume that Khris Davis (arbitration eligible) is coming back, then we need a regular center fielder, is it Powell? Matt Joyce who had a very good season (.243 25 HR 68 RBI) on his first of a two year contract with the team, could be the Opening Day right fielder. It could take until Spring Training to see who of these guys figure in the mix: Brugman, Nunez, Canha, Smolinski, or some other outfielder coming from someplace else, not in the A’s organization.

Their weakness seems to be in the bullpen and the inconsistency of their starters. For starters, I believe they could use a veteran like Vallejo-native CC Sabathia. If the Yankees do not retain him, he is a free agent. Hope is, that the A’s do keep their young group of players because that is their future. A veteran hurler like Sabathia would compliment their young starters, like Graveman, Cotton, and others. It could be the same effect as when Bartolo Colon was with the team next to a young Sonny Gray. Remember?

I do not expect the A’s to be very active this off-season, but I could be surprised. Healy is one guy that could be gone, as much as I hate to see that, I can understand it, since they have very good young infielders, and I forgot to mention Franklin Barreto is just 22 years old, he had a taste of major league baseball this season. Barreto is a nice kid; hard-working, when I spoke with him this year, he comported himself like a veteran. The A’s will not be favorites in this division next season, but they might make it very interesting, especially if their young talent continues to improve.

As I had said during the. year, the best news for the A’s this year, is that under the leadership of team president David Kaval, the team is now in a very good position to build a new park in Oakland. People that have lived here (Bay Area) for a long time, know very well that building a new sports facility is not something that happens easily. This is not Cincinnati, Kansas City. Atlanta or Texas. Therefore, you need strong leadership and from the first time I met Mr. Kaval personally during the A’s Fanfest prior to the starting of the 2017 season at Jack London Square. I saw his passion and dedication to make this happen. And I believe he will make it happen.

However, and as much as I like the Lake Merritt location, something still tells me that at the end of it all. The A’s might build their new place right at the same place where they have been playing since 1968. At the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. I believe that is the best location, most accessible, and although there is nothing around it, the land is there and they can build around the park.

Next season, the Athletics will celebrate their 50th season at Oakland.