Tag: Tropicana Hotel Las Vegas

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Las Vegas visitors president Hill says School vote won’t make the Jan 2024 deadline; plus more A’s news

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From left, analyst Jeremy Aguero, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority CEO Steve Hill and Oakland A’s President Dave Kaval during a presentation to a Senate committee of the whole on the team’s proposed stadium funding during the 35th special session of the Legislature on June 7, 2023, in Carson City. Hill said that the attempted Nevada ballot measure to stop using public money to build a brand new Tropicana ballpark will be past the MLB owners vote to relocate the A’s. Schools over Stadiums are pushing education over spending $380 million for a new Las Vegas A’s park the election is in Nov 2024. (Nevada Independent photo)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary:

#1 Amaury, Steve Hill who Las Vegas Convention and Visitors president said that the Schools over Stadium initiative will not do any good as the vote would take well after the Jan 1, 2024 deadline by that time the A’s would have submitted their renderings to MLB for the owners to vote on the new Las Vegas Park. The Schools over Stadiums vote could take place Nov 2024.

#2 Hill said if it measure were to pass it would be past the owners vote and the renderings being submitted in November and December would be when the owners would vote on the A’s relocation. Hill said that the A’s stadium project would forward even if the voters were to vote on using public funds for the Tropicana ball park.

#3 Hill also stated that it would be hard to get the initiative on the ballot and he doubts Schools over Stadiums can get on the ballot before the Aug 10th deadline and if they were able too the vote takes place well after the owners approve the A’s relocation. It seems like there were many involved to try and stop the A’s from getting their relocation approved but it’s heading down the wire.

#4 Back on the A’s field the A’s surprised a lot of people with their two game sweep over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday and Sunday at the Oakland Coliseum. The A’s edged out the Giants on Saturday and got two key home runs from Nick Allen on Sunday.

#5 Going into the series with the Texas Rangers tonight and coming off two wins against the Giants does this look like a momentum going into the series or Bruce Bochy and the first place Rangers will be just as tough as the Los Angeles Dodgers were for the A’s.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play announcer for the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network on 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel Dullum: A’s will need serious game plan taking on Dusty and the Astros Friday night; Nevada lawmakers-A’s apart by $200 million

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Bally’s Casino-Hotel resort is a site that the Oakland A’s have their eye on for a new ballpark which is planned to be completed by 2027. The A’s and the State of Nevada legislature are some $200 million apart from the $395 million tax credits needed to build the new ballpark on the Vegas Strip. (file photo from Fortune Magazine)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel:

#1 The Oakland A’s (10-36) open a three game series against the Houston Astros (25-19) on Friday night at Minute Maid Field. The Astros are in second place in the AL West and the A’s have a huge job in front of them if their going to beat Astros manager Dusty Baker and the Astros.

#2 Former Houston Astro Justin Verlander who now wears a New York Mets uniform heard it from the Mets fans when he took his first loss for New York. Needless to say the Mets fans expectations are win now or they will make you pay.

#3 Daniel, With the Astros having a different starting rotation from last season does and are in second place in the AL West and the A’s with a long, long, climb to catch them their best aim is to just go out and have a good series against Houston.

#4 Daniel, the Nevada Independent reported that the Nevada legislation and A’s are some $200 million apart for the tax credits needed to build at the Tropicana site in Las Vegas. The A’s need $395 million and the Nevada legislature are willing to part with $195 million in tax credits for the ballpark. The clock is ticking as both sides need to come to an agreement on the financing by June 4th.

#5 Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said that her door is still open on Howard Terminal if the A’s and the Nevada lawmakers can’t come to a financial agreement on the Tropicana siteThao stated today (Thursday) with ABC 7. Thao would resume negotiations on Howard Terminal. Sources have said that the City of Oakland and the A’s were 90% of the way to finalizing the deal on Howard Terminal until the A’s announced they had a binding agreement with the Wild Wild West site in Las Vegas back in mid April which is now off the table.

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

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Athletics are On the Clock for June 5

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The odds of Oakland A’s owner John Fisher putting up his own money for the $200 million gap between the A’s and Nevada Legislation to cover the Tropicana ballpark in Las Vegas is like waiting for a snowstorm in San Francisco tomorrow (file photo from the SF Chronicle)

Athletics are On the Clock for June 5

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

Amaury Pi-González

What an irony. In 2023 the year of the clock in baseball, the Oakland A’s have until June 5 to try to secure the public funds they need in Las Vegas. The A’s originally were asking $500 million when they were going for the 49 acres at the Wild Wild West site, but now since they dealt with the Tropicana site (Tropicana is willing to give the A’s their land for the stadium) they are asking for $395 million, a substantial reduction of $105 million.

Why are the A’s on the clock? Well, the dateline is June 5 for the A’s to have their plan approved by the Legislature in Carson City, Nevada. The legislature might be willing to approve $195 million in transferable tax credits of that $395 million as it stands today for stadium construction (according to the Independent) but they’re still short by $200 million.

Mr. Fisher could always put those $200 million of his own money (the odds of that is like expecting a snow storm in San Francisco tomorrow) to have the deal come to fruition, which more than likely will lead to the ‘shovel in the ground’ on the new park by 2024, as A’s plans call for.

Both houses of the Nevada legislature need to approve the funding package If by June 5 they have not reached a decision Joe Lombardo, Governor of Nevada, according to Nevada law, could then convene a special legislative session in trying to reach a decision.

The Las Vegas Review Journal is reporting today that the State of Nevada and Clark County are ready to offer in a ballpark deal with the A’s currently at $320 million, that leaves just a $75 million dollar gap. If you are dizzy from all these numbers, do not be.

Remember, the A’s are trying to move to Las Vegas, a town that totally runs on numbers. That $75 million “Gap” should be lunch money for the billionaire owner of the A’s, or maybe a banquet for a bunch of people at Napa’s world famous French Laundry, one of California’s Governor favorite restaurants.

All reporting sources in Las Vegas agree that by next week the long awaited and late plan by the A’s will be introduced. There are only 20 days left in the Nevada legislative period, which is June 5, 2023. In Nevada Legislative sessions are held every other year in odd-numbered years, hence in 2024 they rest, Somebody asked me who owns the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum: The Coliseum, along with Oracle Arena and its surrounding parking lots are owned 50% by the City of Oakland and 50% by the Oakland Athletics.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: 100s of jobs to be lost in Oakland as A’s head to Vegas; Legislature to vote on Tropicana site this week

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Las Vegas ballpark at night the home of the Las Vegas Aviators the Oakland A’s minor league triple A club. The A’s could end up sharing the Ballpark with the Aviators at the end of the 2023 season leaving the Oakland Coliseum (Las Vegas Ballpark photo)

On That’s Amaury’s podcast:

#1 Amaury, One of the biggest concerns in the Oakland A’s move to Las Vegas is the hundreds of jobs that will be lost, in talking with the other broadcasters, writers, radio and TV production staff, official scorers, MLB clock staff, front office staff, fans, concession staff, custodians, engineers, grounds crew, security, and many we haven’t named here that’s a lot of people out of work in bad economy.

#2 Bally’s Corp who struck a deal with the A’s to begin construction at the Tropicana site this summer this is all contingent on an agreement that needs to be reached this week in the Nevada Legislature that would fund part of the park for $395 million.

#3 The Wild Wild West location was looking promising that had 49 acres but the A’s didn’t want to pay the back taxes at that location and the cost was higher to build and move there to the tune of $500 million the Tropicana location looks like the sure thing and it was a place that the A’s were considering when moving to Vegas in the beginning.

#4 With the Tropicana location it’s just nine acres almost no room for the office space, the retail space, the condos that A’s owner John Fisher was consider putting in at Howard Terminal. With nine acres sounds like it’s just enough room for the ballpark only.

#5 Some critics are comparing this A’s season to last season of former defunct clubs like the Washington Senators who moved to Texas, the St Louis Browns who moved to Baltimore, Boston Braves who moved to Atlanta, who saw small crowds during the regular season and the Senators in their last game in1971 had fans riot in their last home game grabbing anything that wasn’t nailed down.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play announcer for 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: Bill for A’s funding to Nevada Legislature this week

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A rendering of what the Oakland A’s Tropicana ballpark would look like from the outside. If the Nevada legislation approves the $395 million needed to build the ballpark construction would start as early as 2027 (photo from @SportingTrib)

Bill for A’s funding to Nevada Legislature this week

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

(Monday May 15, 2023)

OAKLAND–The Oakland Athletics and Ballys Corporation struck a deal that will enable the A’s to build a park on a portion of where the Tropicana Las Vegas property is located. That property expected to be demolished this summer.

“The Tropicana has been a landmark of Las Vegas for generations, and this development will enhance this iconic site for generations to come,” Bally’s president George Papanier stated in the news release. “We are committed to ensuring that the development and ballpark built in its place will become a new landmark, paying homage to the iconic history and global appeal of Las Vegas and its nearly 50 million visitors a year.”

The Tropicana is one of the oldest Hotel-Casinos in Las Vegas. — one of the oldest operating casinos in the city — Bally’s president hinted at demolition in his statement, calling a potential ballpark a “new landmark” that would be “built in its place”: We are excited about the potential to bring Major League Baseball to this iconic location,” Athletics President Dave Kaval stated in the prepared release. “We are thrilled to work alongside Bally’s and GLPI, and look forward to finalizing plans to bring the Athletics to Southern Nevada.”

GLPI agreed to fund up to $175 million toward “shared improvements within the future development” of the property, in exchange for a rent increase. As of September 2022, Bally’s had agreed to pay $10.5 million annually as part of a 50-year lease agreement with GLPI.

Bill to the Nevada Legislature to be introduced this week: Nevada State Sen. Scott Hammond told Channel 13 Las Vegas that he has seen language for legislation, and that the public funding portion to build a stadium would total $395 million and include a tax district.

That legislation is expected to be introduced early this week, with enough time to get a deal done during this legislative session. Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred had maintained now for over a year that a move to Las Vegas by the Oakland A’s would be satisfactory for Major League Baseball since the A’s deal with Oakland was not a success, Manfred believes the A’s needed a new state-of-the-art baseball facility.

If the bill for funding is approved, next step will be to begin the construction of the park. If it doesn’t pass, then we will have another chapter of the A’s saga, but as of today, there is little doubt that the Oakland A’s now have bet “all their chips on the table” for Las Vegas.

Where will the A’s play while their new radium, planned to be inaugurated in 2027 is under construction still not certain, and even though the A’s own 50% of the Oakland Coliseum, there is a possibility that they could begin playing at Aviators Park in Las Vegas as soon as 2025, although that remains to be determined.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play talent on the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network on 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Athletics shift to Tropicana

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The Oakland A’s plan to build their new park at the Tropicana hotel location in Las Vegas as announced on Tue May 9, 2023 (photo from KSNV TV)

Athletics shift to Tropicana

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

The Oakland Athletics have shifted their Las Vegas stadium plans and have entered into an agreement with Bally’s Corp. to build a $1.5 billion, 35,000-seat ballpark where the Tropicana now sits. The news broke on Tuesday March 9. The Tropicana site was one of many that the Athletics executives have been scouting for years.

This location for the $1.5 billion stadium is on a portion of the Tropicana hotel site of 34 acres. near the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, as reported by various media outlets, including Howart Stutz of The Nevada Independent, as well as Sports Illustrated and FOX 5 San Diego.

The plan, as it stands now, is to demolish the Tropicana in order to build the 35,000 seat stadium. This move is expected to reduce the funding for the project from the $500 million before, to $395 million for the project today. The proposed stadium with a retractable roof will take up nine acres of the 34 total for that lot of land.

This was a drastic shift from the previous 49 acres of land, where they were planning to build the new stadium at Dean Martin Drive. This shift is mainly because it reduces the amount of money needed by some $100 million-plus/ The two things Las Vegas has in abundance are, land and Casino money, which still is expected to replace or alleviate the use public money for this whole operation. And that’s the way the ball is bouncing.

Join Amaury Pi Gonzalez for all the play by play of Oakland A’s baseball on the A’s Spanish radio Network at 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com