Tag: Robo umpires

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Sounds unusual and strange as A’s no longer use Oakland moniker for first time since 1968

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Sacramento A’s catcher Shea Langeliers sporting a Rickey Henderson T shirt at Surprise Stadium in Surprise AZ before their game against the Kansas City Royals on Mon Feb 24, 2025 (Sacramento A’s X photo)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury the Sacramento A’s open this first week at spring training in Mesa for the first time since 1968 without the Oakland moniker while it was expected it still sounds and feels very strange to those are following the A’s in Oakland and those who are following the club in Sacramento.

#2 Amaury, talk about the talk in spring training that baseball is moving down the list as a sport that no longer one of the most popular sports in America. That it’s viewership and interest has fallen and it might fall even worse now that MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and ESPN are no longer working together.

#3 Amaury, matter of fact when you go to ESPN’s headline banner on the main page of their website MLB no longer appears as one of the major sports in the banner. It now just shows NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAAM, and More Sports you have to now hunt for MLB on the banner. MLB is buried on the main page banner and ESPN barley mentions MLB in it’s news reports through it’s programming.

#4 How much responsibility does Manfred hold since he has two MLB teams playing in minor league parks for the 2025 regular season, the Tampa Bay Rays are going up for sale and they might move to Orlando, the A’s will not play any post season games in their interim park in Sacramento but at a neutral site if they make to the playoffs, the players are not happy that Manfred is using the robo umpire and they prefer the human umpire, and baseball could move to a salary cap after the 2026 season something the players oppose and could trigger a players strike.

#5 Just how confident are the San Francisco Giants in starting a 42 year old Justin Verlander and how successful will Verlander be in helping the Giants contend. There are those who say Verlander who suffered neck and shoulder pain last season at best could be a ten game winner. Some other critics say that Verlander is washed up.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame

Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong: MLB ready to start testing robo umpires; Salary cap could trigger baseball strike after 2026; plus more news

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A radar device, replay screen, is set up behind home plate at the Atlantic League’s PeoplesBank Park minor ballpark on Jul 10, 2019 in York PA. 13 Spring Training parks will use the robo umpire that will host 19 teams in Major League Baseball Cactus and Grapefruit League games (AP file photo)

Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong:

#1 Major League Baseball announced that they will give a demonstration on how the auto balls and strikes challenge system will work. As baseball is moving towards using the Robo-umpires. In the minor leagues the robo umpire was used. The players have voiced their objections to the idea of using robo umpires, “It’s just not a video game” said San Francisco Giants pitcher Kyle Harrison.

#2 One of the sticking points of a negotiating a new Collective Bargaining Agreement between MLB and the MLBPA is the salary cap and Commissioner Rob Manfred realizes that’s a touchy point with the players and if a cap were to be instituted it could trigger a players strike after the 2026 season. As the owner complain that the Los Angeles Dodgers have a monopoly of high priced talent Manfred is backpedaling on any idea of a salary cap saying he would not commit to a salary cap.

#3 It’s a real competition and New York Mets owner Steve Cohen is not hesitating on coming up to par with the Dodgers. Cohen so far has a payroll of $325 million for the 2025 season that includes a 15 year $765 million contract with Juan Soto. Jessica there is no doubt that Cohen wants to build a winner.

#4 The Tampa Bay Rays have outspent the Chicago Cubs for the 2025 season in free agency money and that’s considering that the Rays will be playing in the New York Yankees spring training facility for the regular season in a park that seats 11,000 fans. That had third baseman Alex Bregman looking for greener pastures leaving the Cubs for the Boston Red Sox and leaving Cubs owner Tom Ricketts with very little answers on how the Cubs will be competitive this sesason?

#5 The Rays are not the only big league club that will be playing in a minor league park for the 2025 season. The Sacramento A’s will be using the San Francisco Giants minor league park Sutter Health Field in West Sacramento for their regular season games. The Sacramento park seats 14,014 and is nearly sold out for it’s games. The A’s will play any post season games at a neutral site location to be named later.

Join Jessica Kwong for Headline Sports podcasts every other Wednesday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com