That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Who is buying the Los Angeles Angels?

Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob is exploring the possibility of buying the Los Angeles Angels. (USA Today News photo)

Who is buying the Los Angeles Angels?

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Arturo (Arte) Moreno bought the LA Angels in 2003 for $184 million. It is now worth about $2 billion. Moreno’s is the first Hispanic-American ever to own an MLB franchise, and now they are for sale. Among the people looking to buy the Angels is Joe Lacob, owner of the Golden State Warriors, who has previously expressed interest in buying an MLB team.

Mr. Lacob once offered to buy the Oakland A’s and said he believes the team belongs in Oakland. According to an interview with John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle, Lacob told Shea his offer to buy the A’s was for $180 million in 2005. How much are the A’s worth today? Most MLB teams are worth a minimum of $1 billion.

Warriors owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber could have some competition from other interested parties like LA Rams owner Stan Kroenke, LA Lakers part owner Dr.Patrick Soon-Shiong, a Japanese consortium, and even a minority group of LA Dodgers owners, maybe in the picture. Or somebody else could also be out there with a potential offer.

It makes all the sense for Moreno to sell (if the price is right) to the owners of the Golden State Warriors, the most successful sports franchise in the past 10 years in the NBA and in the Bay Area, bringing the Warriors to an elite level of teams in the NBA with multiple championships and a great fan base.

The Warriors always had a good fan base. I covered them when they first won an NBA Championship in Oakland 1974-75 under coach Al Attles and the ownership of the great Franklin Mieuli. In the 1990s during the Chris Mullin era under owner Jim Fitzgerald, and as their play-by-play (Español) for all their games, I remember all the excitement that they brought to Oakland and Bay Area fans.

Those were very exciting teams, and although they never won an NBA championship, their front office was very much involved with the community, The Oakland Arena was sold out most of the time during those years. David McGahey an innovator in Marketing and Broadcasting in the Bay Area for various media outfits, who passed in 2002, was a great VP of Broadcasting.

At that time the Warriors were one of the first NBA teams to broadcast all their games, home and away on the radio in Spanish language, only the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, LA Lakers, and Chicago Bulls at the time had Spanish radio.

Arturo Moreno greatly improved his team since he bought them in 2003. One of his first moves was to sign Vladimir Guerrero (now in the Hall of Fame) and later other superstars like Mike Trout and Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani. Moreno bought the team from Disney one year after they won the World Series against the San Francisco Giants in 2002, but the Angels have not been able to win again.

Lots of frustrations for a team whose lineup seems to be always very formidable but their consistent lack of pitching has been their Achilles heel drowning their hopes for the big trophy in October. In baseball, many things change, like stadiums, salaries, and rules changes, and even Mr. Moreno changed his team’s name from Anaheim to Los Angeles, but there is one thing that has never changed “without pitching, you cannot win”.

It’s too bad Arturo Moreno’s LA Angels could not win a World Series. Now, sooner or rather, the new owner(s) will be taking over the franchise in Orange County. In any sport winning is the key. Like the great NY Yankees owner, the ever-present George Steinbrenner used to say; “Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing”.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary podcasts Tuesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Ice Wars International a new Sport…Really?

Ice Wars International a new Sport…Really?

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Ice Wars International is an attempt to create a new combat sport with the components of Ice-hockey fights and boxing. “It’s a play on something that has been part of hockey lore and tradition… but it’s not hockey”. -A.J. Galante, President, and Founder of Ice Wars.

One of my favorite stand-up comedians was Rodney “I Get No Respect” Dangerfield who used to say; “I went to a fight the other night, and a hockey game broke out.” We all know that is a very common saying in the US and Canada, the two countries where the NHL plays, the best professional ice hockey league in the world.

But Ice Wars is different, Mr.Galante who is in charge of this new “sport” is currently a boxing manager and a promoter in Danbury, Connecticut. And for you, hardcore ice-hockey fans, if that name ‘rings a bell’… he was the teenage president of the Danbury Thrashers, a UHL, United Hockey League team from 2004 to 2006.

It was featured on a Netflix documentary titled Untold: Crime and Penalties. The team was backed by Galante’s father James Galante, a former mafia-connected businessman in the trash/garbage hauling industry among other criminal activities, a convicted felon, and an associate of the Genovese crime family.

The NHL did a study a couple of years ago and released a report citing much of a decline in fights inside the games, mostly attributed to the league having access to more fast and skilled players. They do not rely on intimidation. Ice Hockey as well as baseball is a sport of great skill and coordination, and fights during a hockey game, do not really bring much to a game.

It is common sense that hockey is a fast pace sport and players play rough, there is a lot of contact and fights are going to take place, it is only normal. In the NHL the game already shows a lot of excitement and fights but does not bring much to the sport.

Boxing on-the-other hand is probably the purest of competitions/sports since it features a confrontation of one man against another, it is the ultimate pure physical competition, but also requires great training, concentration, and dedication, it is one of the oldest sports on record, although the oldest combat sport is considered to be wrestling.

Will Ice Wars make it as a business and, most important, as a sport.? I doubt if it will ever become something big across the country. They will need television to get real exposure, and that is not cheap. But it is coming.

“Ice Wars” first event is scheduled for May 2023, at the River Creek Resort & Casino in Edmonton, Canada, featuring an eight-man heavyweight “King of The Rink” tournament. Each fight will consist of two rounds and will be judged should a knockout not occur.

(Following is in one of their advertisements) “Experience the non-stop action with each fight as each professional and semi-professional fighter is at the top of their game. The fighters will drop their actual hockey gloves to start the fight” join us for the most extreme combat sport ever invented. See a fascinating new world where only those rough enough, tough enough, and skilled enough will come out on top.

Comprised professional and semi-professional fighters at the top of their game in top fighting condition We begin this 4 series event in the Spring of 2023All fights consist of two 1-minute rounds on the ice Next fight, March 4, 2023, at Events Center, Cheyenne, Wyoming Wishing everybody a Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: MLB Veterans Committee Fred McGriff voted to the Hall of Fame

Former Atlanta Brave Fred McGriff is all smiles after being informed that he has been voted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown (AP News file photo)

MLB Veterans Committee: Fred McGriff voted to the Hall of Fame

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Fred McGriff is 59 years old and played for six different teams during a 19-year career that ended in 2004. With 493 homers he ties with another Hall of Famer, Lou Gehrig as the only two with less than 500 home runs in Cooperstown.

McGriff could not get over the hump in ten appearances on the BBWAA ballot mostly in part of a backlog of controversial (steroids era) candidates and never got out of 69 votes (39.8), but on Sunday December 4, he was elected with 16 votes on the 16 member committee, unanimously. 100%. A player needs a minimum of 75% to get elected to the Hall of Fame.

“What an honor,” McGriff said in a Zoom call with the media from his home in Florida. “It’s a beautiful night in Tampa. I did it. I got in there. I feel as if I’ve been totally blessed my whole life and I continue to be blessed. It’s an honor to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.”

Because of a backlog of controversial candidates from the steroid era, McGriff could not get over the hump in ten appearances on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot, topping out at 69 votes (39.8%). A player needs a minimum of 75% for election to Cooperstown.

Fred McGriff hit 30 or more homers during a season for five different teams; Toronto, San Diego, Atlanta, Tampa Bay and Chicago Cubs. He was a member of the 1995 World Champion Atlanta Braves and now joins four (4) other Hall of Fame players of that great Braves team; Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, Larry “Chipper” Jones and Tom Glavine.

Not surprised Fred McGriff was elected or that Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Rafeal Palmeiro were not for obvious reasons, also not a surprise that Curt Schilling received 43% of the vote, as controversial as he was, it was because of comments he made on twitter on political issues, which everybody is entitled as we all have the rights to free speech. Schilling was never involved or was suspect of using steroids. It will be no sooner than 3 years from today that they would be considered again for election. Here is the final vote:

Fred McGriff 16 votes, (100%) Don Mattingly 8 votes, (50%) Curt Schilling 7 votes (43.8%) Dale Murphy 6 votes (37.5%) Albert Belle Less than 4 votes Barry Bonds Less than 4 votes Roger Clemens Less than 4 votes Rafael Palmeiro Less than 4 votes

The Winter Meetings began today in San Diego. Expect this week some news regarding signing of free agents and trades. The Braves, Cardinals, Indians and others have been talking to the Oakland A’s in trying to reach a deal to acquired catcher Sean Murphy, he is one of the most sought after players this off season and the A’s are expected to trade him for a bunch of prospects.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary podcasts Tuesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Why Aaron Judge will stay a Yankee

Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees has lots to smile about. Here is Judge in the Yankees dugout on Wed Oct 5, 2022 in Arlington. The Yankees host the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium in New York for game 1 of the ALDS Tue Oct 11, 2022 (AP News photo)

Why Aaron Judge will stay a Yankee

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

Aaron Judge will be named the MVP of the American League. He had one of the most remarkable seasons ever for a player in the major leagues. Ending with a new American League record of 62 home runs and without any doubt the most valuable of all players on his team.

Judge was hitting throughout the whole season when his teammates were also hitting early in the season and later when the Yankees struggle to score runs. He was the only Yankee hitting the ball and driving in runs.

Brian Cashman, the Yankee’s General Manager on behalf of the Yankee ownership, offered Judge a 7-year deal worth $213.5 million, prior to the start of the 2022 season. Judge did not swing at it. This past June, the Yankees and Judge agreed to a one year (2022) deal, signed for $19 million just to play this season and avoid arbitration.

Now that Judge established the new AL record, his price has skyrocketed to be much more than the $213 million (peanuts contract) that the Yankees originally offered him. We are looking at minimum of between $300 to $400 million, to start, for his services in a multi-year deal.

There are rumors that some teams will go after Aaron Judge this off season, among those mentioned are the San Francisco Giants. Judge was born in the town of Linden in San Joaquin county, a small town of around 1,700 residents, some 95 miles from San Francisco, a two hour drive.

The Giants haven’t had a real slugger since the days of Barry Bonds, and Judge would be a great improvement for the Giants, or in the middle of other teams lineups.

However, it makes all the sense in the world to expect the Yankees to retain Aaron Judge. The storied franchise now can claim how they got to 62 home runs, after all it was Babe Ruth who originally established the record of 60 in 1927, to be broken by another Yankee, Roger Maris 61 home runs in 1961 and yet to be broken again with another Yankee, this time Aaron Judge, this season 2022 with 62.

All three Yankees! It sounds so good and rhythmic that it could be written, and probably will, into a song. I doubt the Yankees want to break that chain.

The New York Yankees can now offer Aaron Judge the money he wants in order for him to end his career as a Yankee, the only team he has played for. Judge will make the Yankees all the money and then some, to easily give him that great contract, marketing, merchandise, publicity and prestige plus.

The Yankees in my opinion offer Judge a better opportunity to be in a World Series than the San Francisco Giants. Why? Because they are the Yankees! They spend all the money and each and every year they have only one goal, to win the World Series, and they have won 27 of them.

The Yankees won the AL east, and this Tuesday. the 11th will host the Cleveland Guardians, who won the AL Central Division, at Yankee Stadium for the ALDS best of five.

Aaron Judge led the Major Leagues in runs scored with 133 in home runs with 62, runs-batted-in 131, on-base percentage .425, slugging percentage, total gases, led in walks with 111. Was second in the American League in batting average with .311, missing the Triple Crown by six points.

It was the Minnesota Twins Luis Arraez who won the batting crown in the American League with a .316 average. Without Arraez winning the batting title, Aaron Judge would have been the first man to win the Triple Crown since Miguel Cabrera (Detroit) in 2012.

“Pot of Gold awaits Aaron Judge, it’s yet to be determined how much it weighs, but it’s a pot of gold, no doubt about it” -Yankees GM, Brian Cashman.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: MLB 2022 Season back to the Past and Future

You won’t see Arizona Diamondback pitcher Madison Bumgarner taking swings at the plate anymore with the new Universal Designated Hitter rule starting this season (AP News file photo)

MLB 2022 Season: Back to the Past and Future

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

After a short Spring Training because of the 99-day lockout by owners, each team will embark on their regular 162-game journey for the 2022 season, beginning on April 7.

New this 2022 Season

• DH (designated hitter) now will be Universal. Sorry “old school” National League fans.
• Pitchers will no longer have a spot in the batting order. Sorry for Madison Bumgarner.
• Playoffs will expand from 10 teams (five each league) to 12 teams (six each league) Owners happy more money.
• Three Divisional winners and 3 Wild Card teams in each league. The top two division winners in each league will receive byes to the Division Series. The other four teams in each league will play best-of-three series in what will be called the Wild Card round, with the higher seed hosting all three games.
• No re-seeding for Division Series. The No. 1 seed plays the winner of the 4-5 series, and the No. 2 seed plays the winner of 3-6. – No more games known as (Game 163) to decide playoff spots. Playoff spots will be determined through tiebreaker formulas.
• The Rule 5 Draft has been canceled for this season. Usually held each December, the Rule 5 Draft allows clubs without a 40-man roster to selected certain non-40 man roster players from other clubs. Clubs draft in reverse order of the standing from the previous season. No more.
• There will be complete 9 inning games for Double Headers. (Double-Headers made-up from games lost because of lockout or rainouts this year.)
• No “automatic runner” at second base at the start of extra-innings. It didn’t look like baseball.
• Players’ uniforms will feature advertising, including patches on jerseys and decals on batting helmets. More revenue.

-The number of times a player can be optioned to the minor leagues in one season will be limited. –

Back to the Future: Beginning in 2023 – A Joint Competition Committee comprise of four active players and six members appointed by MLB plus one umpire will be tasked with making decisions on other changes, such as pitch clock, limits on defensive shifts, larger bases, and the automatic ball/strike system. Any rule changes that committee adopts can be implemented with 45 days’ notice to the players.

Pitch clocks will be used. There will be a ban on defensive shifts, an automatic ball/strike zone will exist and there will be larger bases. In 2023, teams will play five fewer games against division opponents, instead of playing one series against every team in the other league. Teams will continue to play their “rival” Inter-league team four times, twice at each ballpark.

(More on Pitch Clocks) In 2021, MLB implemented a pitch clock in the Low-A West five weeks into the season, giving pitchers 15 SECONDS WITH NO ONE ON BASE and 17 SECONDS WITH RUNNERS ON. The average time of a nine-inning game dropped from 3 hours and 2 minutes to 2 hours and 41 minutes after the pitch clock was introduced, with offense jumping across the board.

MLB & MLPA agreed to host games or tours in the following locations over the next 5 years: México, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Asia, London and Paris.

Social Media News: Apple takes a Bite at Baseball. Apple now owns rights to the Friday-night package of MLB games. They will have exclusive rights to telecast two “Friday Night Baseball” games each week, a total of about 50 games per year, in the U.S and eight countries overseas, via Apple TV Plus.

So let’s make if fun again, because in the end, it is a kid’s game.

Hasta la vista.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead Spanish play by play talent for the Oakland A’s heard on flagship station 1010 KIQI San Francisco LeGrande and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: 49 years without El Cometa de Puerto Rico

Former Pittsburgh Pirate Roberto Clemente a proud ball player wanted to be called Roberto and not Bobby and was very charitable losing his life trying to charter a flight to Nicaragua following a disastrous earthquake New Year’s eve 1971 (photo from history.com)

49 Years without El Cometa de Puerto Ri

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

This December 31, 2021, marks the 49th anniversary of the great Roberto Clemente plane crash on board a mercy mission flight he chartered to Nicaragua.

Roberto Clemente was the 11th player, among a total of 32 (to date) in major league baseball history to reach the magic 3,000 hit plateau. His 3,000 hit on September 31, 1972, was his last. Not by design but by fate. Just three months after that 3,000 hit (a double to left field at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh against New York Mets lefty Jon Matlack, who was the NL Rookie of the Year that same season ) Roberto Clemente died, when the plane he chartered with friends on a mercy mission crashed soon after take-off from Puerto Rico.

The plane was loaded with aid to the people of Managua, Nicaragua, which suffered a terrible earthquake of 6.3 magnitudes that killed and injured dozens of thousands, just a week earlier to Clemente’s plane crash.

Roberto’s best friend in baseball was his teammate with the Pittsburgh Pirates and catcher Manny Sanguíllen, who told me during an exclusive telephone interview (published in Sports Radio Service last year) he could have easily joined Roberto on that fateful flight, but for reasons he could not control, never did.

During his rookie season (1955) with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Roberto wore No.13, but when center fielder Earl Smith parted ways with the Pirates, Clemente took No.21 which was used by Smith. Today that number 21 is one of the most famous numbers ever used by a player during a stellar Hall of Fame career. Just like all players (especially black players) love to wear No.42 during Jackie Robinson Day, over 30% of Hispanic players in MLB are very proud to wear #21 on Roberto Clemente Day.

Although he played for 18 years, was selected to 15 All-Star Games, won four Batting Titles, 12 Gold Glove Awards, won the National League MVP Award, and the World Series Award, the Press never gave him the credit he deserved.

Had 3,000 hits at the time of his death and a .317 combined batting average, but he was black and Puerto Rican so the racist media had “two strikes” on him, since his debut in the Major Leagues. Some in the media called him Bobby, but he hated that, he always said “my name is Roberto and that is how I want to be called”; he was a very proud man.

During his last season in1972 (in a visit to San Francisco to play the Giants at Candlestick Park) I witnessed a Pittsburgh writer shout in the press box after Clemente struck out, the following: “send him back in a banana boat!” Imagine all the verbal abuse this man had to withstand, to play baseball, one if not, the most difficult game. Baseball is one (if not the most) difficult team sport to master.

Most baseball fans love to see a guy hit a ball 450 feet over the fence. I am proud to say that I saw Roberto Clemente play, and hit and drive in runs, and play defense like nobody else. His instinct was acute and seldom did he have to dive for a ball in the outfield, he knew how to play the outfield.

His arm and accuracy on his throws were legendary. Many superstars of that era like Willie Mays, Stan Musial (just to mention a couple) have statues erected in the cities/ballparks where they played, but Roberto Clemente is in a class by himself, he has a statue at PNC Park in Pittsburgh and a bridge named after him, The Roberto Clemente Bridge, also known as the Sixth Street Bridge, over the Allegheny River in the Steel City, as well as Statues in the South Bronx, New York, a city with the largest population of Puerto Ricans, as well as a Statue at the entrance of Ciudad Deportiva Stadium in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the city where he was born.

We at the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum are very proud to have Roberto Clemente among our greats enshrined forever, he was a great man. Among our numerous exhibits and displays for over two decades, Roberto is still the most popular Latino player and fans are always inquisitive about Roberto Clemente’s history and especially the way he left us, helping people that he didn’t know in a country that was not his own. I like to end with a baseball quote as we remember the Cometa de Puerto Rico.

There are many, many baseball quotes about Roberto Clemente, but my favorite is by a gentleman, in my humble opinion, the best play by play baseball broadcaster who ever lived, who said: “Roberto Clemente could field the ball in New York and throw out a guy in Pennsylvania.” -Vin Scully Brooklyn Dodgers and Los Angeles Dodgers Play by Play.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Felíz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo.