Tag: Oakland Ballers

Oakland B’s player abuse claims could it lead to demise of team?

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The Oakland Ballers have won five of their last eight games in spite of all the off field problems they are having. The Ballers are seen here battling the Yolo High Wheelers on Sat Jul 27, 2024 at Raimondi Field in West Oakland (photo Oakland Ballers X)

By Sports Radio Staff

Last week an agent Lonnie Murray who represents injured Oakland Ballers player Myles Jefferson said that Jefferson’s injury was mishandled by the team and said that Myles was not set up with a doctor’s appointment.

Murray also said that the housing conditions of the players is unacceptable as the team has roomed four players as opposed to be two players per room. There also was a player who was robbed by gun point during the season.

“I’ve been a player agent for 22 years,” Murray said on the social platform X formerly known as Twitter “I don’t stand for bad behavior by anyone and I carry receipts for what I state publicly.”

The Ballers recently fired their manager Micah Franklin last week Sunday even though the club had the fourth best record in the Pioneer league after playing 54 games. The firing could have been because Franklin was speaking out against the mistreatment by the team of his players. The Ballers are in their first year as a expansion club and the question was raised could the reason of Jefferson’s not seeing a doctor be related cost savings? The firing of Franklin and the call by Murray for the trade and release of all the players she represents might trigger the downfall of the organization?

“all my players on the Ballers following months of poor management & highly unprofessional antics to which Micah Franklin spoke out against.” Murray wrote on X that Ballers players “Trevor Halsema, Austin Davis & Myles Jefferson (who got injured) are GONE!”

Also Kelsie Whitmore was told by Murray do not return to the Ballers who is away playing for the national baseball team “When I say I was advising Kelsie not to come back to the Ballers after she’s finished with the national team, I absolutely was,” Murray told the Bay Area News Group.

Former Oakland A’s pitcher Dave Stewart who is a business partner of Murray’s wrote on X that these young players under Murray’s watch will not be mistreated. Murray will support them every step of the way,  “These kids deserve better. The whole damn industry knows you don’t mess with kids when Lonnie’s on watch. What were THEY thinking?”

The Ballers co-founder Paul Freedman said that the Ballers take injury and safety extremely seriously and that if an issue comes up that the Ballers will immediately investigate and rectify a solution. With Murray asking Freedman to release or trade all the players she represents and the firing of Franklin there could be nothing left of the Ballers if Freedman doesn’t come in and do some quick damage control fast.

In spite of all the off field problems the Ballers are having the Ballers have won their last two games on Friday and Saturday and won five of their last eight games. Yet and still the Ballers future as an organization could hang in the balance unless there is a happy medium between Murray and Freedman soon.

Six run forth gives Ballers 14-9 win over Wheelers at Raimondi Park

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There were plenty of Oakland Ballers at Raimondi Park in West Oakland who picked up a five run win over the Yolo High Wheelers on Sun Jul 7, 2024 (photo by the Oakland Ballers)

Yolo High Wheelers ((18-21) 040 050 000 9 9 2

Oakland Ballers (24-18) 004 611 20x 14 15 2

Time: 3:40

Attendance: 1,103

Sunday, July 7, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

WEST OAKLAND–Turnabout is fair play. What goes around comes around. History repeats itself, the first time as tragedy; the second as farce. Choose your cliché, this weekend’s battles royal between the Pioneer League’s two most recent entries had it.

Saturday afternoon, the Oakland Ballers fell behind their rivals from Davis 4-0 in the second inning. Yolo added two runs in each of the following three frames to amass a seemingly insurmountable 10-0 lead when the Ballers came to bat in the bottom of the fifth. They put a four spot on the board then and tacked on six more in the seventh to even the score only to run out of steam and fall 13-10.

That was a tough loss and a tough act to follow.

But the Ballers bounced back this Sunday afternoon, winning going away, 14-9, in ways that frequently harked back to Saturday’s debacle.

It started with another fearsome fourth run top of the second, which was particularly unsettling because the Wheelers also had posted a quartet of second inning tallies not just on Saturday, but on Friday as well. Sunday night’s featured a solo home run by Yolo’s DH, Justin Kirby, two singles—one of them on a bunt—, a double, and a misplay Myles Jefferson, usually a shortstop but playing second today.

It originally had been scored a hit but after much discussion was reclassified as an error. It was fitting that the game would end with Jefferson, who was moved back to his normal position in the top of the eighth, would pull off a beautiful play at short, for the game’s final out.

But the worm turned Sunday. Oakland answered Yolo’s attack with a counter offensive that evened the score in the third. A Payton Harden single, followed by an Austin Davis double off the left field wall and Trevor Halsema’s sac fly to left kick started the Oakland comeback. It continued with two way player JP Gates, in his designated hitter mode singled to left and trotted home on Dondrei Hubbard’s tying home run. That blast would be voted the play of the game.

It certainly changed the nature of the contest, but there was more to come. Instead of petering out, Oakland’s offense picked up in the fourth where it had left off in the third, sending ten men to the plate . The B’s began by clogging the base paths with one out, chasing Yolo starter JC Ariza from the mound, replaced by Jacob Stobart.

He walked Davis, putting the Ballers up by a run. With the count 2-1, Gates swung and connected for a two run single to right. Stobart plunked Hubbard. Noah Martínez smacked a two bagger to right, plating Gates and Hubbard. Now it was Oakland who had two digits in the R column.

Nightmare visions of Saturday’s squandered comeback briefly appeared in the visitors’ fifth, when five High Wheelers crossed the plate. Brayland Skinner walked, stole second, and took third on a wild pitch by Oakland’s starting pitcher, Christian Cosby, arguably the ace of the staff, having started the day with a record of 4-1, 4.79, which in the Pioneer League are Cy Young numbers.

Brylin Marine, Yolo’s batting leader, ground out to short but drove in Skinner, for Yolo’s fifth run. Bobby Lada’s double and a free passes to Brandon Blackford and Kirby loaded the bases and set the scene for Yolo’s last hurrah, a grand slam by Kirkland Banks. It came on the last of Cosby’s 118 pitches. Cosby was charged with nine runs, six earned, on seven hits, three walks, and a wild pitch. He struck out 10.

The Ballers added a superfluous but reassuring run in each of the fifth and sixth innings, and two final tallies in the seventh.

After Cosby’s departure, one out short of earning (by the skin of his teeth the win), the Ballers used three relievers. None of them permitted any Yolo runs. The eventual winner, Zach St. Pierre, threw 26 pitches in two hitless innings to gain his first win against two losses. Conner Richardson gave up a hit in 1-1/3 frames, in which he threw 33 pitches. Carson Lambert’s 17 pitch one hit ninth closed the book on the High Wheelers.

The crew from Davis also sent four hurlers to the mound. Following Ariza (3-1/3 IP, seven runs, all earned; seven hits (one out of the park); three walks, and a hit batter, all on 70 pitches) were Stobart (1-1/3 innings, four runs, earned, three hits, two walks, and a strikeout on 26 pitches); Kris Anglin (a hit in two thirds of an inning, 17 pitches; and Noah Estrella, who allowed Oakland its last three runs, all earned, in 2-2/3 innings, in which he gave up four hits and walk on 41 pitches).

Three Ballers had multi-hit games. Two way Gates led the way, going five for five. Move over, Ohtani! Noah Martínez went three for four; Davis, two for five. Davis, Gates and Martínez doubled. Hubbard, Martínez, and Jaylen Smith hit four baggers for the home team.

Kirkland Banks and Kyle Guerra, with two apiece, had multi-hit games for the High Wheelers. Each of them also homered. Bobby Lada and Banks banged two baggers. Marine, who went one for five, extended his streak of consecutive games reaching base safely to 25.

After their usual Monday day off, the Ballers will open a new six game home series, beginning Tuesday the ninth at 6:35 against the last place Great Falls Voyagers

Northern Colorado hitting knocks Ballers out of the park in 15-7 crushing at Raimondi

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Northern Colorado Owlz (21-14) 005 321 14 15 21 1

Oakland Ballers (19-16) 000 010 114 7 11 1

Time: 3:19

Attendance: 2,337

Saturday, June 29, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

WEST OAKLAND–There are three consolations for the 15-7 drubbing the Oakland Ballers suffered this warm and sunny Saturday afternoon at the hands of the Northern Colorado Owlz. The first is that it wasn’t as bad as the 15-1 demolition they had endured the previous night.

The second was that the Ballers’ bats finally came alive, too little and too late, but still alive in the B’s four run bottom of the ninth, in which they mixed a hit batter (Austin Davis), a single by Myles Jefferson, a Trevor Halsema double, and Dondrei Hubbard’s eighth home run in 35 games, to give what was a rout the appearance of just a lopsided loss.

This isn’t to say that the team’s offense had been completely moribund until the final frame. Three Ballers had multi hit games. Halsema went three for five; Halsema and Jaylen Smith, two for five. The third consolation, and perhaps the most helpful, was the two mediocre innings, the eighth and ninth, that Kelsie Whitmore pitched to preserve the tattered remnants of the Oakland bullpen to survive and fight another day, Sunday’s contest, in which the Ballers hope to even their six game series against the powerful Owlz.

The four runs, all earned, that she allowed in at the game’s end were more than those surrendered by any of Oakland’s two other relievers, Abraham De León and Jake Dahle. Only starter Aaron Eden, who allowed eight runs on a dozen hits, four of them for four bases, in 3-1/3 frames surrendered more tallies than Whitmore. Needless to say, Eden, now 2-3, 8.40, was charged with the loss.

Northern Colorado used three pitchers. Chase Jesse, their starter, was quite effective, gaining the win that put his record at 4-0, 3.48. He was on the mound for six innings and allowed only one run, which was earned, on five hits and three walks.

He threw 105 pitches, 62 of which fit the definition of strikes. Jason McCassey hurled a dodgy seventh frame and allowed a run, earned, on two hits, a hit batter, a walk, and a wild pitch. Halesma greeted Tyler Curtis with a homer over the left field fence in the eighth, but didn’t allow anything more that inning.

But the Owlz relifer fell apart in the ninth and ended up being charged with five runs, all earned, on as many hits, two of them long balls, and two walks in his two innings of work.

NoCo’s five runs in the third pretty much sealed Oakland’s doom. Dario Gómez’s three run homer was the big blow. He ended up going one for four. Dave Matthews and Jackson Coutts, who were on base at the time, finished the day at three for five and three for three, respectively. Evan Scavotto, who went five for six, was on second with a double when Euro Díaz (four for six) doubled him home. Díaz, in turn, scored on Garrett Kuebers single. You get the picture.

In my report on last Saturday’s Baller-Yolo High Wheelers game in Davis, I discussed JP Gates pitching in relief to two Yolo batters without retiring the side and then being replaced by Connor Richardson without any objection by the umpires or High Wheelers.

It caused quite a buzz in the press box. Tyler Peterson, the B’s sportscaster on 860 AM was especially animated, but no one in the press box, including the knowledgeable Doug Greenwald, had an explanation for this violation of the three batter or last out of the inning rule.

After this afternoon’s contest, I had a chance to talk with the Ballers’ manager, Micah Franklin. He had a very simple explanation for this puzzling event; that rule doesn’t exist in the Pioneer League. There’s a certain irony to this. A few days before I went to Davis to cover the game, I wrote to the league offices to ask how I could acquire their rule book. Their answer came after I’d returned to Oakland. They said the rule book wasn’t available to the public. Go figure.

1:05 is the game time for Sunday’s, chance for the B’s to even the series and remain serious contenders for a guaranteed place in the postseason.

Oakland A’s Relocation podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Was raid designed to expedite Mayor Thao out of office before a recall election?

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Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao addresses the news media at Oakland City Hall on Mon Jun 24, 2024 regarding the raid on her Oakland home last week (photo from yahoo.com news)

On the Oakland A’s Relocation podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 Jerry, the last thought on Mayor Sheng Thao’s mind right now are the departure of the Oakland A’s who leave for Sacramento after this season. Thao whose home was raided last week has given two press conferences since the raid.

#2 Jerry, Mayor Thao who faces a recall, how much of the reasons for the recall fall on her for losing the Oakland A’s besides the high crime, retail and businesses moving out of Oakland, and firing police chief LeRonne Armstrong at the beginning of her term.

#3 The Mayor through media reports has been accused of accepting illegal campaign donations from California Waste Solutions. The FBI confiscated ice chest size cases of documents from Thao’s home there’s always a chance they could find a document that ties her to accepting illegal campaign contributions but on the other hand it could amount to nothing. The Mayor has insisted that this is a waste of time and she said she did nothing wrong.

#4 On the surface of it with the recall and the state of the City of Oakland is this raid a further push to make the Mayor look bad and it would actually help push her out of office?

#5 Jerry, the Oakland Ballers the Pioneer Minor League team who before their season started wanted to play just one game at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat Jun 29th for a special game. The Ballers sent out a press release on Thursday saying the A’s shot down that idea of using the Coliseum because there is a clause in the contract that the A’s have say so who they share the Coliseum with. The Ballers will not be permitted to play that one game there. Some say it might be an embarrassment to the A’s if the Ballers were to get over 25,000 fans to show up which is a lot more the A’s have drawn for a single game all season.

Jerry Feitelberg filled in for Daniel Dullum for the Oakland A’s Relocation podcasts heard each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Ballers Hubbard takes Wheelers deep in 8-6 win in Davis

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Oakland Ballers defeated the Davis High Wheelers on Sun Jun 23, 2024 in Davis. Here the Ballers pitching coach Jim Dedrick talks to the players in the dugout before their game on Tue Jun 4, 2024 at Raimondi Field in Oakland. (AP file photo)

Oakland Ballers (17-13)         1 3 1 0 0 0 3 0 0     8 10 0
Yolo High Wheelers(14-13)   0 1 1 0 0 4 0 0 0    6 12 2

Time: 3:15

Attendance: Not announced, but probably short of 100

By Lewis Rubman

DAVIS–This Sunday–and I do mean SUNday–in Davis, with the temperature in the 90s from the opening pitch at 1:05 to the final out at 4:20, the Ballers, who had been scuffling at the plate most of last week,  Ballers built up a 5-2 lead over the host Yolo High Wheelers in the first 5-1/2 innings of play,  blew it in the bottom of the sixth but escaped by breaking the rules, and battled back to win going away, 8-6.

The Ballers scored first, on a 351 foot solo home run by Dondrei Hubbard  to left in the  spacious Dobbins Stadium. It came off the Wheelers’ starter, Ben Ferrer, Hubbard  who had earned his second win of the season on June 20 by holding the Ballers scoreless in one inning of relief work.

He’s become quite familiar with the Ballers lineup; this was the fourth time he’d faced them in the teams’ inaugural season. He got a no decision today, leaving his won-lost record of 2-1  and his ERA of 5.16 intact. Austin Davis also smacked a solo round tripper to the same general area leading off the visitors’ seventh.

  Davis’s four bagger retied the score after Oakland had fallen behind in the sixth frame. His victim was Jacob Stobart, who took the loss, his first of the season against four wins. Many people think of him as Yolo’s best pitcher.

The Ballers blew their lead when Yolo batted around in the sixth. It came about as the result of walks to Justin Kirby and designated pinch hitter Alejandro Figueredo and singles by José González, Tanner Smith,  Kirkland Banks, and Braylin Marine.

Oakland’s starter, Aaron Eden gave up the walk to Kirby and the singles to Smith and Banks. The remainder was surrendered by Jake Dahle, who relieved Eden. Yolo was leading  6-5 when the dust settled.

Oakland drew even on the Davis dinger and tacked on a couple of runs more and was ahead 8-6 after the few fans in attendance sang “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”Next came what was the most fascinating sequence of the contest.

One of the Ballers’ versions of Shohei Ohtani, second baseman-pitcher JP Gates, who had been the designated hitter, moved to the mound. He gave up a single to center to González and a bunt single to Blackford before being relieved by JC Ariza.

This violated themust face three batters or finish the frame rule, but no one called this to the attention of home plate umpire Bill Shortridge, and so Ariza arose to the occasion by retiring 

the three batters he faced to finish up a scoreless seventh and, in spite of a hit batter and a wild pitch, a scoreless eighth. Tyler Davis, another two way player earned his second save of the season, setting the Wheelers down 1,2,3 in the ninth.

Monday is a day of rest in the Pioneer League. The Ballers will play the the Northern Colorado Owlz on Tuesday evening, the first of a six game series. The probable pitchers haven’t been announced.

Ballers come up short in 9th get edged by Rocky Mountain 5-4

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Oakland Ballers just couldn’t come up with one or two runs to get back in it in the bottom of the ninth on Sat Jun 15, 2024 at Raimondi in West Oakland (photo from Oakland Ballers X account)

Saturday, June 15, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

Rocky Mountain (9-11) 200 110 010 5 12 2

Oakland (13-10) 002 001 001 4 6 0

Time: 2:56

Attendance: 1,622

By Lewis Rubman

WEST OAKLAND–The combination of a hot, dry day in Oakland and the power hitting heavy Pioneer League would lead you expect that the ball would be flying out of the park with a certain regularity this Saturday afternoon at Raimondi Park in West Oakland. The balls weren’t leaving the park on a regular basis today, but they did exit the premises five times in the Oakland Ballers 5-4 loss to the visiting Rocky Mountain Vibes. The Vibes hit three of them and the Ballers, 2, which pretty much accounts for the difference in their final scores.

Rocky Mountain set the tone from the very start of the contest with back to back leadoff dingers to left by center fielder Brett Carson and left fielder Stephen Wilmer, their fourth and third, respectively, of the young season in this short season league. Wilmer’s shot apppeared to have gone foul to a vocal caucus of the 1,622 attendees, and they let third base umpire Allen Walker know it. They reminded him of their judgement on and off throughout the afternoon. They also were frequent critics of the ball and strike calls of home plate ump Grant Meyers (even when video reviews of the challanged calls often confirmed them). The Vibes’ last run would also come on round tripper by an outfielder. Right fielder Stephen Rivas’ two out blast over the right centerfield fence in the fifth was his seventh of the year. It came off Reed Butz, who had relieved St. Pierre in the fourth.

Before that, the Ballers had clawed their way back to a tie in their half of the third on a one out single by shortstop Myles Jefferson, who moved on to second when third baseman Dondrei on an error by Josh Day, his Rocky Mountain counterpart at the hot corner. Both runners advanced another 90 feet on a balk called on by the Vibes’ starting and winning pitcher, Carlos Lomelí. They scored on left fielder Trevor Halesma’s down the line single to left.

Oakland went into the home ninth trailing, 5-3. They shaved a run off that lead Once more the agent was a solo home run. Rocky Mountain’s fifth pitcher,Max Pattey, was on the mound in relief of Troy Morrill.It was second sacker Brad Burckel’s fourth four bagger of ’24 and went over right centerfield fence with one out. For a while, it looked like they might just pull off a comeback. Jaylin Smith pinch hit for center fielder Payton Harden, and grounded to short, where Devyn López had trouble fielding the ball. Smith beat the throw, arriving safely at first on the error. Then, taking advantage of the Pioneer League’s complex designated pinch hitter and designated pinch runner rules, Harden pinch ran for the man who had pinch hit for him. The game of musical chairs continued as Bryson Spagnuolo relieved Pattey and got Austin Davis to fly out to right center, Jefferson walked, putting Harden with the potential tying run in scoring position at second while Jefferson represented the potential winning run on at first. Hubbard, who had into the game batting .352 and had gone 0 for 4 so far in the game, popped out to second for the final out, earning Spagnueolo his third save

Lomelí’s win, his third against one defeat, left him with an ERA of 5.55, not particularly bad for the Pioneer League, especially on a team that plays half its games in the Colorado Springs, a stone’s throw from Pike’s Peak. Kelsey Ward pitched to three batters in the sixth, walking one, striking out another, and hitting a third. Kyle Pijaszek retired the side in the seventh. Morrill struck out the three Ballers he faced in the eighth, and the home run that Pattey surrendered in the ninth was the only hit he allowed in his 2/3 of an inning. Spagnuelo needed only eight pitchers to wrap thing up.

Oakland’s right handed starter, Zach St. Pierre, took the tough loss, which left him at 0-2, 7.36. He pitched decently through his 3-2/3 inning stint, allowing no one to cross the plate after the second batter, and even that run was tainted by questionable fair call on Wilmer’s home run. The Pioneer allow a computerized review of ball and strike calls, but challenges to plays on the field are decided by an umpires’ conference. Butz, the victim of what proved to be the game deciding home run went 3-1/3 innings without giving up another hit, walking two and notching three Ks in the process. Connor Richardson and Jake Dahle pitched a scoreless inning apiece.

The Ballers had promoted the game as the reveal party for their mascot. The fans took an immediate liking to the revelation that it was Scrappy, The RallyPossum, an unsubtle dig at that other Oakland team, the one that’s going to pack its bags and slink out of town at the end of the season.

At 13-5, the Ballers now are in fifth place in the overall standings of the 12 team Pioneer League.

Sunday’s Fathers’ Day game against the Vibes will start at 1:05. Pioneer League teams don’t announce their probable starters until the last minute. In any case, don’t expect a pitchers’ duel.

Wheelers roll over Ballers 9-3 in inaugural home opener at Raimondi Park

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The Yolo High Wheelers and Oakland Ballers played in the inaugural home opener at Raimondi Park in West Oakland on Tue Jun 4 2024 (photo by Gail Rubman Sports Radio Service)

Yolo High Wheelers (6-4) 010 002 222 9 10 0

Oakland Ballers (7-6) 200 000 001 3 5 1

Tuesday, June 4, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

WEST OAKLAND–4,100 fans filled Raimondi Park this evening to see the Oakland Ballers fall, 9-3, the Yolo High Wheelers, the other new entry in the Pioneer Baseball League, in the Ballers’ home, and I mean home opener. The A’s barely outdrew the B’s with 5624 at the Coliseum on the same night.

The game was crisp and close, with the Ballers leading 2-1 in the early innings 2-1, but baserunning mistakes prevented them from adding to their advantage, and the High Wheelers tacked on two runs in each of the four final frames to roll over their hosts in what had become somewhat of a farce.

Dondrei Hubbard’s two run homer to left center with Payton Harden on base put Oakland on top in the first. Yolo countered that in their half of the second when B’s starter Derrick Cherry granted back to back walks to Sam Kuchinski and Braedon Blackford, both of whom were singled home by Kirkland Banks.

Things started to go haywire for the home team in their half of the third. High Wheeler starter Cameron Repetti surrendered a one out walk to Austin Davis. Repetti then threw to first in a pick off attempt. Davis was caught in a run down from which it seemed impossible to escape, especially when first base umpire Ron Adams called him out for running out of the baseline.

Manager Micah Franklin contested the call, which came before the play had been completed. The umpires conferred and ruled that there was no play and that Davis could return to first safely.

The pickoff attempt had been Repetti’s second in the at bat, a fact he must have forgotten, because he made one more attempt to catch Davis napping. That third interruption constituted a balk, which sent the runner to second. The Ballers couldn’t capitalize on the no play, but its weirdness seemed to change the tone of the game.

By the bottom of the sixth, the B’s were trailing, 3-2, thanks to Sam Kochinsky’s two run four bagger to left center, but Oakland was fighting back. There were runners on first and second. The runner on second was Davis. He took his lead. Repetti turned around and fired the ball to second baseman Bobby Lada.

There was no rundown this time. Davis was well and truly picked off. Myles Jefferson’s single and a base on balls to Noah Martínez were to no avail. The damage couldn’t be undone, and Oakland never came close again.

Things got uglier for the Ballers in Yolo’s half of the eighth. Oakland, already down, 5-2, was on their third pitcher, Jake Dahle, who had followed Abraham de León, who had relieved Cherry. Dahle walked Braedon Blackford and, after fanning Tanner Smith, allowed a single to center. Manager Franklin yanked Dahle and replaced him with Connor Richardson. A wild pitch and a single by Angel Mendoza later, and the High Wheelers were up, 7-2,

Eric Walichuk took the mound as Oakland’s fifth and final pitcher of the night to start off the ninth. He struck out Lada, the first batter he faced. He fanned him on a wild pitch, and the Wheelers second sacker made it to first safely. He didn’t need to steal second; he had a five run lead, but he did. Another reason he didn’t need to pilfer the base was that José Gonzalez sent the ball over the left field fence to make the score 9-2

It hardly mattered that the B’s loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth against Noah Estrella, who came in to mop things up in the last scene of the final act of tonight’s farce. Indeed, he issued three walks and an RBI single to pinch hitter Jaylen Smith. Yolo won handily, 9-3.

The winners had four batters with multi-hit games, González, Kuchinski, Kirkland Banks, and Mendoza, each of which got two hits. Five Ballers got hits, one each for Harden, Jefferson, Hubbard, Trevor Halsema, and Smith.

Repetti was the winning pitcher; he’s now 1-0. De León, who faced four batters in 2/3 of an inning, took the loss and now is 0-1.

There are a few things about the Pioneer Baseball League that may be confusing to those of us who haven’t been following the events in the lower minor leagues. First, there is the league’s name.

If you search for “Pioneer League” or “Pioneer League baseball” on your computer, you’ll find a wealth of information on the Pioneer Baseball League, a youth organization in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, as well as about the PBL, a descendant of the original Pioneer League, founded in 1939.

When minor league baseball suspended operation in 2020 as a response to the Covid pandemic, it was a short season rookie league, which means that it followed the rules of MLB and its subsidiary MiLB. With the reorganization of MiLB in 2021, the PBL became a partner league, affiliated with MLB but not with any of its member teams.

The new circuit describes itself as “a true development league, with players having less than 3 years of professional experience … focused on innovation and experimental rules.” These two terms— three years experience as a pro and experimental rules — invite further clarification.

Appearance in 30 games constitutes a year for position players. For pitchers, it’s seven starts or 18 games played. All professional leagues, no matter where located except the MLB Draft League, the United Shore Professional Baseball League, the Mavericks Independent Baseball League, leagues in the Caribbean Federation (including the Dominican Summer League and Venezuelan Summer League), the Australian Baseball League or any other winter league.

The PBL also allows each member team to name one “Franchise Player.” The requirements for this designation are a minimum of two years’ experience in the PBL the most recent of which was with the team that names him as an FP. There is a one year term limit for franchise players.

Like their teammates, franchise players can be player-coaches. If the franchise player leaves the team through injury or transfer to the majors, the PBL team can request that the league president allow a replacement, a decision to be made at the sole discretion of the president.

The league doesn’t have a zombie runner rule for games tied at the end of nine innings. It has something new and completely different unless you’re a hockey or soccer fan, the knockout inning. It’s a home run derby between designated HR hitters from the two teams. Each HRH has two minutes to hit as many homers as possible.

The reconfigured PBL experimental rules allow designated pinch hitters and designated pinch runners, who can enter a game as a PH or PR and either stay in the lineup or return to the bench for the rest of the game, allowing the player he’s substituted for to remain in the game.

PBL batters, unlike those in other leagues, can appeal the home plate umpire’s call on checked swings. Even the appearance of the playing field in the Pioneer Baseball League may seem strange to newcomers.

The area around second base in which no fielder is allowed to stand before the ball is pitched is marked in chalk on the infield dirt. This area is called the “pie slice.” Interesting enough, the pie slice wasn’t marked off on Raimondi Park’s diamond tonight.

Time clock limits in the PBL can be found at https://www.pioneerleague.com/sports/bsb/2023/releases/20230216krjfqr.

Wednesday, the second of this six game series will start at 6:35. A six game series between the same teams … it sounds like the old PCL.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Oakland Ballers Pioneer League plays in front of sell out crowd Tonight

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Renderings of Raimondi Park after renovation work at the cost of $1.6 million in West Oakland. The Oakland Ballers played their first home game there on Tue Jun 4, 2024 (renderings from the Oakland Ballers)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury, today is the home opener for the Oakland Ballers Pioneer League as they open up at Raimondi Park in West Oakland. The game has been announced as a sell out.

#2 Amaury, how surprised are you that the home opener was a sell out and is this a statement by Oakland fans that interest in baseball in the East Bay is still alive in well?

#3 How much do you see the Ballers being a replacement for the void the Oakland A’s will leave as this is their last season in Oakland?

#4 There has been talk that the Ballers wanted to bring back Jose Canseco as a promotional move and as this team is selling out could really raise interest. How clever of a marketing move would this be bringing Canseco back for a couple weeks to join the Ballers?

#5 The Ballers last month released rendering for their future ballpark at the cost of $41.6 million to renovate Raimondi Park. The Ballers are scheduled to play 48 home games and are carrying their games on KTRB 860. On the face of it they look like their very prepared in this inaugural season?

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

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

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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

Fans Fest at Jack London Square: Strong support from fans hoping for an A’s to stay in Oakland miracle

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Former Oakland A’s pitcher Grant Balfour is thumbs up on the Fans Fest celebrating Oakland Sports and hosted by the Oakland 68’s and the Last Dive Bar at Jack London Square in downtown Oakland on Sat Feb 24, 2024 (photo by Bay Area News Group)

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–Saturday’s midday Fansfest next to the Jack London Amtrak station billed itself as an affirmation of civic pride Oakland’s sports heritage. It specifically stated that it was not a protest of the current ownership of the currently Oakland Athletics.

It certainly was an outpouring of Oaktown pride and love for its local sports teams. The Fansfest also clearly was an implicit rebuke to the Fisher-Manfred-Las Vegas axis. Even the weather cooperated.

The experience in downtown Oakland was diametrically opposed to that of a typical day at the once imposing pleasure dome on the banks of the River Nimitz, a venue that Peter Gammons once called the best in baseball and which was highly praised by Allan Temko, the architecture critic of the once mighty San Francisco Chronicle. The sky was clear; the temperature, sweltering. And the place was jam packed with A’s fans, many of whom took advantage of the free indoor parking.

Both outdoors and in the enclosed Block 15, also teeming with the faces you used to see at the Coliseum, the mood was festive and co-operative. Ex-A’s Grant Balfour, Coco Crisp, Khris Davis, Ben Grieve, Mike Norris, Bill North, and Trevor May, as well as retired Giant and current Oakland Ballers coach, JT Snow were scheduled to be available for autographs.

I was only able to exchange a few words with the first two. My colleague, Stephen Ruderman, had better luck and managed to conduct a podcast interview, which he reported in his own dispatch.

Block 15’s attractions included a wall of vendors offering bobble heads, statues, drawings, enough to make your head spin. While I was there, Vida Blue’s children were describing what it was like to grow up in the Coliseum, but I could hardly hear their presentation.

The list of sponsors, corporate and individual, was impressive, in spite of the last minute withdrawal of Drake’s Brewery, a withdrawal that the Athletics’ front office vigorously denies having influenced. Whatever the reasons behind that decision, the brewery’s absence wasn’t particularly notable; plenty of suds were on sale to thirsty attendees.

Stands offered an incredible variety of baseball merchandise, from socks to caps, and a wide assortment of baseball arts, crafts, and memorabilia. Cal Athletics, the Oakland Roots, the Oakland Ballers also had booths.

Let Las Vegas match that.

Lewis Rubman is a MLB beat writer for sportsradioservice.com