A's Facts and "Conspiracy Theories"

In this never-ending 16-year A's ballpark odyssey, one of the weirder chain of events happened one year apart, in 2005 and 2006. And it helps explain why so very few people trust Lew Wolff and John Fisher.

On March 31, 2005, the day before Wolff and Fisher officially took over the A's, the San Francisco Chronicle had an article where longtime South Bay baseball booster Larry Stone went into elaborate detail to predict what Wolff would do with the A's. Stone said, "Wolff could demonstrate that he tried to make a deal in Oakland and then say, 'I tried, I have to look elsewhere.' We hope and believe that one of the places, if not the only place, is San Jose."

Five months later, Bud Selig gave a speech at the Commonwealth Club in San Jose, which was attended by A's president Mike Crowley. The host/emcee of that public event was the same Larry Stone. (Stone also wrote a Chronicle op-ed guest column last year, demonizing Giants owner Bill Neukom and arguing that the A's shouldn't have to pay the Giants anything for moving into their territory, unless it's proven after the fact that it affected the Giants. Good luck with that argument.) Needless to say, Stone has been carrying Wolff's water for at least six years.

Then, on March 12, 2006, San Jose Mercury News sportswriter Mark Purdy wrote a column that exactly echoes Stone's detailed prediction. In early 2006, Wolff had hinted he was looking to move the A's to Fremont. But Purdy, a tireless Wolff supporter, wrote in the column that Wolff really might not be trying to move to Fremont, after all.

By saying he was going to the move the A's into the furthest part of their East Bay territory without actually crossing the border into the Giants' South Bay territory, Wolff was just bluffing, Purdy wrote. Wolff instead was merely going to threaten to move to Fremont and then rename the team the "San Jose A's of Fremont," and then, just before signing the deal with Fremont, he would go to the Giants offering a deal to let Wolff move the A's to San Jose, Purdy predicted.

Purdy wrote that Wolff would say: "Look, if I go to Fremont and call the team the San Jose A's, the Giants get nothing. But if you agree to let me actually move the team to San Jose, you'll get some compensation. How about it?"

Remarkably, Wolff told Purdy he wouldn't rule out any of this detailed hypothetical scenario.

Let's review:

In March 2005, South Bay baseball booster Larry Stone said that Wolff will only make it look like he tried in Oakland and Fremont and then will try to move the A's to San Jose.

In March 2006, South Bay baseball booster Mark Purdy wrote that Wolff will only make it look like he tried in Fremont and then will try to move the A's to San Jose.

Also in 2006, Wolff said that he had spent the previous three years (2003-2006) trying to buy out the Giants so he could move the A's to San Jose.

In 1998, Wolff told the San Francisco Chronicle that if he were running the A's, he "wouldn't spend five minutes on any other city" than San Jose. Wolff also said in the '98 article that he would work directly with San Jose's mayor and its redevelopment agency on a new ballpark. Since taking over in 2005, that's exactly what Wolff has done.

In fact, in his six years of ownership, Wolff has done exactly what Stone and Purdy publicly predicted a half-decade ago.

If any pro-Oakland booster had laid out those detailed scenarios that Stone and Purdy did, they would have been accused of being "conspiracy theorists." But they weren't Oakland's "theories" at all. They were the words of Wolff's biggest supporters, who somehow, someway knew exactly what Wolff was going to do before he went out and did it.

Stone and Purdy may or may not have been publishing Wolff's playbook, before the fact.

But Oakland fans don't need to try to guess or theorize. With Wolff and Fisher so inartfully showing their hand through the years, we'll just stick to what we know.

Quakes Fans Don't Trust Wolff, Either

Lew Wolff has an increasingly big reputation for being a dishonest guy. How large is Wolff's credibility gap with his paying customers?

Look no further than the South Bay, where Earthquakes soccer fans are not happy with the newest sketch renderings that Wolff's front office team recently submitted to the city of San Jose, according to Sunday's San Jose Mercury News article. Here's an article excerpt:

The most recent documents ... show stark and rudimentary sketches of the stadium, not the colorful U-shaped version unveiled by team co-owner Lew Wolff to much acclaim at a September 2009 event. ... The latest bare-bones version, however, is alarming soccer fans and skeptics alike. They wonder whether the drawing -- submitted as part of the team's application for a building permit -- is a sign that Wolff is backing out of his support for the stadium.

Quakes president Dave Kaval said there is nothing to the controversy, and that the team plans to build according to the original rendering after March 3, when they will demolish an old factory at the soccer stadium site.

However, the whole brouhaha illustrates just how little faith local sports fans have in the words of Lew Wolff and co-owner John Fisher, whether it's in regards to the Oakland A's or the San Jose Earthquakes.

Maybe that lack of trust exists because Wolff has been caught telling so many lies in the past. Or maybe Quakes fans understandably are still mad that, in 2009, Wolff made comments that insulted the Quakes fan base. Then Wolff openly questioned the South Bay's corporate support for pro sports.

Or maybe it's because of the financial woes of San Jose's city government, or the money troubles plaguing Santa Clara County's cash-strapped coffers, are making fans wary of giving more multi-million-dollar discounts of taxpayer money to Wolff and Fisher.

Or maybe Quakes fans are wondering if Wolff will be as misleading with the remaining acres that San Jose sold to him at a discounted price to develop around the soccer stadium.

Whatever the reason, loyal South Bay soccer fans now seem to see Wolff the same way Oakland baseball fans long have viewed the Los Angeles developer: Someone not to be trusted.

Baseball Oakland Interview with Mayor Jean Quan

We recently sat down for an interview with Oakland Mayor Jean Quan at City Hall. She generously gave her time while discussing several hot topics, including redevelopment, the Victory Court ballpark site, and Lew Wolff's campaign donation to Don Perata, among others.

Here is the interview:

BASEBALL OAKLAND: You made history by becoming Oakland's first female mayor, its first Asian-American mayor and the first Asian-American mayor of a major American city. How does making that kind of national history feel for you?

MAYOR QUAN: You know, the national impact was the only thing I did not expect. Being somebody from Oakland, I was the first Asian to be elected to the school board. I was the first Asian to be actually elected to the City Council, not appointed. And I was the first woman (mayor). And so, I'm used to doing these local firsts. For instance, so this morning I had to get up at 7 o'clock to do an interview on Skype with a reporter in Guangzhou, Canton.

So the two things that surprised me was the international attention that we've gotten. It ran in the the major blogs and front page in Beijing and Shanghai before it ran in the (Oakland) Tribune because of the news cycle. The attention from the White House -- I had been already going to the White House to make presentations. I'd been to the White House for conferences and meetings before, as a national leader of urban schools and representing big cities on transportation issues. The invitation to the State Dinner, though, created a huge flurry of articles in (newspapers like) the Washington Post, interviews, and they said that 356 news outlets ran the picture of (San Francisco mayor) Ed Lee and I walking in. It was sort of interesting -- that kind of phenomenon surprised us and I'm pleased that it's helped raise Oakland's profile as an international city.

BASEBALL OAKLAND: A's fans are excited that you are committed to keeping the A's in Oakland and that you back up your talk with action like when you called MLB the day after you won the election. How will the new ballpark at Victory Court benefit Oakland?

MAYOR QUAN: Well, you know, because of the whole fight over redevelopment, there will be a big question as to whether we're going to have that redevelopment money. Both our (plan) and San Jose's plan require redevelopment funds. Redevelopment in the district in San Jose actually has more economic problems maybe than ours does. So, it's interesting, what deals may or may not be made because of redevelopment. But we don't believe redevelopment will totally go away. And so with that, Victory Court obviously has the advantage that it will bring an estimated 2 million visitors to downtown. And Oakland's downtown is pretty hopping these days. I don't know if you do First Fridays. I was out and I decided to visit the mostly African American galleries on 14th Street and then I went over to the museum.

You know, it's just amazing how many people are coming out to downtown, and if you could add baseball to that mix, the whole downtown would be energized, particularly the restaurants and Chinatown and the Lake (Merritt) are so close to the proposed stadium that I think it makes the whole downtown entertainment zone much larger and more diverse. I think it would be perfect for the mix in the next century of the kinds of fun entertainment activities that you have in downtown Oakland. We have a major lake, we have the estuary activities, we have major theaters and jazz clubs, and we have this large, large, large variety of museums and art galleries. So, it would be a perfect addition to that. So, yes, I think that if it's built, that it will probably generate enough traffic for another hotel in Jack London Square, specifically that it will up the restaurants that are struggling in Jack London Square itself, and probably give a boost to Chinatown, too. Any kind of stadium structure these days will have major retail. So, all of those are things we need as a city to do well.

BASEBALL OAKLAND: Do you feel that Victory Court can be a kickstart to the Oak-to-Ninth project and to Jack London Market?

MAYOR QUAN: We focused on that one (ballpark site) because it's the one that Major League Baseball seems most interested in. Some people believe the other Jack London site on the other side is also doable. But we mostly talked about Victory Court because the city owns something like 40 percent or 50 percent of the land because of the fire (department) activity out there.

BASEBALL OAKLAND: The Eat Real Festival is held each year at Jack London Square near the Victory Court site. What are some of the other revenue-generating uses that could be held at Victory Court in the baseball offseason?

MAYOR QUAN: Yes, there is not only that festival, but there are other events that are constantly going on at Jack London, and when you build the Oak-to-Ninth (development) on the other side, it will extend the bay trail. There's talk of an outside amphitheater along the trail, and a lot of other activities. When Oak-to-Ninth is finished, there is supposed to be a long lawn area very similar to Crissy Field (in San Francisco) in size. So, I think it will make the bay trail and all of those sorts of activities along there much more interesting.

Obviously, Jack London is also known for -- it's often where we have our 4th of July, it's where we have the (Christmas) tree lighting. If the ballpark was started there I think the food court (at Jack London Square) would finally get going. They've actually built the food court, but in this economy it's been hard for them. I think they need 80 percent commitment, but I think they have gotten only to about half so far, so they haven't been able to open.

BASEBALL OAKLAND: What can you say or do to reassure business owners at the Victory Court site that they will be treated fairly if their relocation might be necessary for the project to move forward?

MAYOR QUAN: I think we're negotiating with them now. People don't know much about these processes. But we always pick outside appraisers. We're required by law to have outside appraisers to estimate what the value of the land is. Usually in a situation like this, people hold out for more than the amount that the appraiser asks for. It's clear that if you just don't want to move at all, that's problematic. But we're hoping -- and I know Nancy (Nadel) is worried about them -- we have a lot of food industries that are taking off like Peerless, etc. They would get top priority for moving. We have space along the estuary, headed toward Ignacio's district, and we still are filling in the Army Base. Looking at what's there, we're pretty confident that we could find other places for those businesses.

BASEBALL OAKLAND: Have you spoken recently with MLB's so-called Blue Ribbon Committee and, in your opinion, how is that process going?

MAYOR QUAN: You know, I can't say about the so-called Blue Ribbon Committee other than we've really been talking to them, and we have hired our own negotiator, which we had not done in the past. So, we're hoping to get a better deal, first of all, and then secondly, somebody who has a record of finishing these (deals).

BASEBALL OAKLAND: What was your opinion of Lew Wolff's and John Fisher's campaign donation to Don Perata during the mayor's election race?

MAYOR QUAN: The donation to Don Perata (laughs) -- a waste of money, I guess. You know, it explained to a lot of us -- we were pretty shocked during the (Oakland) Tribune interview, I mean, I don't know if you read the Tribune endorsement. They really didn't like me that much, but they really didn't like Don. But the one thing that shocked us all was how he just basically said, "It's a done deal." He wasn't going to waste any time or effort (on the A's). It sort of surprised us all. But maybe the contribution had a role in it, who knows.

BASEBALL OAKLAND: Has Lew Wolff contacted you personally since you were elected Oakland mayor?

MAYOR QUAN: No, the only time I've talked to Lew Wolff was when I was first elected to the City Council. We were at some kind of meeting, and someone introduced us and I asked him, "Mr. Wolff, what can we do to get you to stay in Oakland."

And he said, "Well, you need to give me about 60 blocks around the Coliseum."

And I just smiled and said, "So, I guess you really aren't very serious about staying in Oakland."

Because at that point the city had been trying to eminent domain three businesses in downtown for Uptown. It had taken them over a year. So even if we were willing to kick out 60 blocks of businesses and homes, it would have taken about 100 years at the rate the city was going. (laughs)

So it didn't seem -- he just sort of smiled and that was about the extent of our conversation.

BASEBALL OAKLAND: Tell us what you think about Gov. Brown's proposals about taking cities' redevelopment money?

MAYOR QUAN: I don't think redevelopment will die. I'm on the League of Cities. I think the lawsuits alone will keep -- because of the language of Prop. 22, if you looked at that carefully -- will keep us in courts forever, and I think Jerry wants the money now. I think there will be some deal. They're holding this up, they want a share of our redevelopment money. I don't know if they really want to kill the whole thing. I think they didn't know what redevelopment did. All they wanted was to raid the money. And because of Prop. 22 -- I mean, I heard all sorts of things, like they were going to kill redevelopment, then take the money and then give it back to us and call it something different to get around Prop. 22. I don't know, but there's clearly enough money in the Oakland redevelopment fund to help do this (new ballpark). We may debate over how much of it we want to spend on the ballpark. Clearly, private owners like with Pac Bell (Park) will have to step up because I don't think the city will give them all of our redevelopment money.

I don't think we necessarily have to execute it (protecting redevelopment funds) before the date. We're prepared to, anyhow, if we have to. But our lawyers are telling us we don't really have to pull the plug right now.

BASEBALL OAKLAND: We would like Oakland to envision a pedestrian/bike linkage from Oak-to-Ninth to Victory Court to Jack London to Downtown to Uptown and Lake Merritt. Do you envision the Victory Court site as being excellent for bicyclists, as well as auto traffic?

MAYOR QUAN: I think the trail -- I mean, there's a bay trail and it's going to be there. So, I think you're going to see that. That part of the bay trail is required in the Oak-to-Ninth agreement for them to do their side. I'm guessing when we do the stadium, we would do our side. We pretty much require, as each lot on the estuary or the bay gets developed, that that owner as a condition of their development has to do their share of the bay trail. As you know, there's no state or federal funding for the bay trail, so we include that in every agreement we've done so far, so this would not be an exception.

BASEBALL OAKLAND: Right, and the concept is that we're trying to get linkage not only from that end, but all the way up to Uptown and Lake Merritt, as well.

MAYOR QUAN: Well, I mean, we have a lot of bike paths here, and then you've got the shuttle. So, if you look at the Bike Master Plan, there are bike lanes throughout the downtown. And the bay trail would be the main one along the water, I think.

BASEBALL OAKLAND: The dream of many Oakland sports fans is this: An A's ballpark at Victory Court revitalizes Jack London Square, which serves as the Super Bowl village when a new Raiders (and maybe 49ers) football stadium at the Coliseum Complex revitalizes that area and puts Oakland into the NFL's Super Bowl hosting rotation. How does that vision sound to you?

MAYOR QUAN: Wolff clearly could have made some money by taking the land accumulated around the Coliseum and developing it. But he wanted literally 300 acres, I guess, in Fremont. I think he told me that he needed to make $300 million. So, there wasn't enough right at the Coliseum site to make that much money.

It's clear that should we build a new stadium, that people are now looking at the Staples Center model where you have a combination of hotels and retail as a part of the sports venue. I was just down in San Diego with the League of Cities and I was looking at the stadium (Petco Park) that they put into the Gaslamp District. I thought it was interesting how they left the historic buildings and built the stadium around it, and used it as an alternative entrance. I also thought it was interesting how they had a little public space where people, if they were willing to stand, could just see the game from the side -- whatever they call that area. And I was at a fundraiser inside the stadium at night. I liked the idea of the stadium boxes being able to be used for events. Although, where this (Victory Court ballpark) is going to be there are going to be a lot of great restaurants. A lot of great restaurants have moved into that area, and there's going to be the (Jack London) food court.

So, I think that that probably would fit in pretty well with the revitalization of the Coliseum Complex. We've had a lot of people study that area. It's been a combination of a place for the car dealerships to go because car dealerships aren't surviving in downtown kinds of locations anymore. They do better when they have lots of space. Many of our car dealerships, big ones, are out there (near the Coliseum). But they've wanted to have big box in that area, too. So, it could be a combination of big box, traditional retail, something to do for the wives who don't want to watch the games, I don't know. (laughs)

BASEBALL OAKLAND: Is there any way we can take better advantage of that ramp between the Coliseum and BART? The land that's there, those are businesses that if they could be relocated, and then you could put something with a little bit more of a retail flavor there that could take advantage of those thousands of people who use that corridor.

MAYOR QUAN: People are talking about all of those things, clearly, if they redo the character of the stadium in and of itself. I think we haven't done a good job in planning or integrating any of the area down there. So, for instance, even with the new BART connector, they have reserved the space and we're actually buying the land around the area. They haven't planned the secondary stop between the Coliseum and the airport that we would see as the natural place for additional office buildings and hotels, so that there we would have our own hotel conference center. Right now, we have a little one with the Hilton, but most major cities like San Francisco and L.A. have a whole set of hotels near their airport just for people who fly in for conferences and leave. So, I think one of the problems is that the port commission and the city economic development leadership haven't been closely linked. So, I'm being very careful before I appoint the next series of port commissioners to make sure there's closer coordination with the city.

BASEBALL OAKLAND: Thank you so much. We appreciate the time.

MAYOR QUAN: Thank you. Good luck with your site.

Ricky's Sports Theatre & Grill's Fundraiser on Wednesday

Ricky and Tina Ricardo, owners of Ricky's Sports Theatre and Grill in San Leandro, have always been about at least two things: Bay Area sports teams and helping the East Bay community.

They also have always been very, very supportive in keeping Oakland's pro sports teams exactly where they belong -- right here in the great city of Oakland.

So while Ricky and Tina have been giving for years, here's your chance to join them in giving back and having fun while meeting some celebrities in the process. This Wednesday night (Feb. 16), Ricky's big-screen TVs will show the premiere of "Survivor" on CBS. It's the show's 22nd season. Meanwhile, patrons can make a tax-deductible donation to CB Survivors' Standup to Cancer, or to Grassroots Soccer, which has the goal of fighting HIV through education.

The party Wednesday night starts with a meet-and-greet for "Survivors" contestants from past seasons at 6:30 p.m.. The show's premiere broadcast begins at 8 p.m. The past "Surivors" who are scheduled to be at the Wednesday event include Yau-Man, Chad and Marty from Survivor: Nicaragua." There also may be appearances by Brook Struck, Mary Sartain and Coach Wade.

At the end of the night, there will be an auction of "Survivor" memorabilia.

"We appreciate the opportunity to host what will be a great event that will also benefit two great community organizations," Ricky Ricardo said.

In 2005, Sports Illustrated named Ricky's "The #2 Sports Bar in America" and last year MSN ranked Ricky's No. 2 in its list, "Top 10 Sports Bars in the U.S."

Ricky's is located at 15028 Hesperian Blvd. in Leandro. For more information, call 510-352-0200.

New Oakland Restaurants Keep Opening and Thriving

Oakland's entertainment and restaurant scene, already red hot in 2009 and 2010, continues to heat up even more in 2011.

Diablo Magazine spotlights several new Oakland restaurants and bars that soon are coming to the Uptown district. The East Bay mag also compares Oakland's incredibly burgeoning nightlife to that of the borough of Brooklyn in the Big Apple.

They're not the first to compare Oakland to Brooklyn, but the comparison has probably never been more accurate. Both areas are coming back strong with tons of new development and new residents, and both are overflowing with a rich baseball history and tradition.

Now, three Brooklyn guys who started the Weatherup bar back east are opening a new Oakland bar at 17th St. and Telegraph Ave., across the street from the Fox Theater. It's unclear what the bar's name is going to be, but it's going to have a floating island bar, an outdoor patio and two Bocce courts.

Also scheduled to open soon is Bar Dogwood, which will be at 1644 Telegraph, also near the Fox.

Already opened is the new downtown bar/restaurant at 14th & Webster called Disco Volante, which has great drink specials and live music almost every weekend.

Also, as Diablo notes, Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe will open a new eatery inside the Fox. Rudy's is co-owned by Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt -- the local boys live in Oakland and rumor has it that their practice space is in a warehouse in Oakland's Jingletown neighborhood.

Also, a new four-star restaurant, Plum, owned by gourmet legend Daniel Patterson, has opened up at Franklin Square, near Grand and Broadway in Uptown. And next to Plum will be The Punchdown, a natural wine bar.

Flora, one Oakland's hottest restaurants, looks like something out of an old Humphrey Bogart movie. Now, its owners are planning to open Xolo Taqueria two doors down, and in-between Flora and Xolo will be a new 2,000-square-foot bar, according to Diablo.

The Temescal neighborhood, already revitalized in north Oakland with popular spots like Pizzaiolo, Bakesale Betty's, Barlata, and Burma Superstar, is getting a new restaurant in mid-February. It will be called Homeroom. Check it out here.

And in Rockridge, Rich and Rebekah Wood (of Wood Tavern fame) recently opened Southie just a few doors down from Wood Tavern.

A new Italian restaurant, Baia, is coming to Old Oakland, the great downtown neighborhood nestled between Jack London Square and City Hall. (And just a crosscourt pass away from the Warriors' hoops training facility.)

All of these new hotspots come on top of Oakland's recent successes -- whether it's new places like Commis and Boot & Shoe Service or old standbys like BayWolf and Oliveto.

And check out the locations for all of those new restaurants -- they're not only opening, but also thriving in very different neighborhoods all over Oakland: Temescal, Old Oakland, Rockridge, Uptown, and Downtown.

There's a true renaissance going on within The Town. It's just one of many reasons why Oakland is our favorite city in the world and a place we proudly call home.

T-R-U-T-H from Cincinnati

Lark11, the blogger at RedLegs Baseball, posted an excellent blog last week that analyzed a lazily written, pro-Lew Wolff article by Ken Rosenthal.

Lark11's blog entry basically eviscerated Rosenthal's piece and the pretzel logic the baseball reporter used to justify Wolff's baseless whining that he must move the A's to compete.

This is demonstrably false, as Lark11 showed. Facts are stubborn things. And the facts surrounding the Oakland A's business situation support Oakland's side, not Wolff's. Check out some excerpts:

"In the 1980s, the A's outdrew the Giants by 2.5 million fans. In the '90s, the Giants outdrew the A's by a paltry 300,000 fans. ... in the 2000s, the Giants outdrew the A's by 14 million fans. Of course, the discrepancy in the 2000s has nothing to do with Oakland's viability as a marketplace. It has everything to do with the opening of Pac Bell Park in San Francisco prior to the 2000 season."

But Lark11 was just getting warmed up:

"The only problem with the Oakland market is simply that the A's owners have refused to step up and privately finance a ballpark in OAKLAND. The truth is that the A's were on the same exact footing as the Giants until the 2000s. At that point ... the Giants demonstrated their loyalty to the fans and their commitment to their market ... The A's have not."

The blogger notes that A's co-owner John Fisher is a billionaire, one of only eight billionaire owners in all of MLB. He then reveals his suspicion of what Wolff's true endgame plan may be:

"The real problem here is the A's ownership. ... I suspect that, if we were to pull back the curtain and see the true motivation of Lew Wolff, then his desire to build a ballpark in San Jose has more to do with the opportunity to develop the real estate surrounding the proposed ballpark site than any alleged weakness in the Oakland market."

He adds:

"Rosenthal writes that 'the A's remain in limbo, plodding along in Oakland' without mentioning how the ownership group has intentionally operated to keep itself in limbo."

Finally, Lark11 finishes as strong as the Big Red Machine did when sweeping the Yankees in the '76 World Series:

"I simply expect better out of Ken Rosenthal than this. A national writer should do more than just parrot the self-interested arguments of a baseball ownership group. Major League Baseball works in Oakland. It has for decades ... If the A's actually committed to the market, rather than badmouthing it in an attempt to move to a different city, then baseball in Oakland could flourish again."

It's nice to see that some things are so obvious about Wolff's & Fisher's ownership that they can be seen as far away as Ohio.

Wolff's & Fisher's Legacy: Letting Great Announcers Go

A's owners have chased announcer Amaury Pi-Gonzalez from the team and, sadly, it looks like the team won't have Spanish-language broadcasts in 2011. The Wall Street Journal did a recent story about Pi-Gonzalez's frustrating 2010 season dealing with the A's front office.

Unfortunately, it's nothing new. Lew Wolff is just carrying out a pathetic tradition of ownership penny-pinching, incompetence and terrible product marketing that goes back to 1995, when Steve Schott and Ken Hofmann bought the team and immediately tried to run it into the ground.

Schott and Hofmann chased legend Lon Simmons out of the A's broadcst booth right off the bat. Then, to save a few pennies, they lowballed great broadcaster Greg Papa, who bailed from the A's in October 2003, just six months after Wolff joined the A's as a team executive.

Then Wolff and Fisher let Marty Lurie go to the Giants last year when they failed to guarantee his job or support him as he negotiated his pre-game show contract with KTRB. Lowell Cohn wrote at the time: "I don't believe the A's understand what a treasure Marty is." They didn't value Marty, and now Giants fans get to enjoy Lurie's great broadcast before every game.

Now, Wolff and Fisher have let Amaury Pi-Gonzalez go to the rival L.A. Angels just months after he was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame. Once again, Wolff and the A's front office are bungling another chance to reach out to a large sector of the Bay Area market.

Then they wonder why A's fans aren't fired up to spend money on their product. Sell the team, Lew.

Pi-Gonzalez now an Angel

Well, that didn't take long.

Add Amaury Pi-Gonzalez, an Spanish-language broadcaster who worked his first A's game in 1977, to the list of great announcers that Lew Wolff, John Fisher and Steve Schott let get away.

A reliable source has told us that Pi-Gonzalez has taken a job doing play-by-play in Spanish for the Los Angeles Clippers NBA team, and he will be at the mic starting this spring for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Pi-Gonzalez wanted to stay with the A's, even though he had to take a pay cut last year as the broadcasts were taken off the air during the season and placed on the Internet.

"I have never had this happen to me in the middle of a season," he said. "It is an insult to the fans, to the Hispanic community."

It gets worse. The A's didn't even guarantee him that they're even going to have Spanish-language broadcasts at all this year. That's right -- the A's would be the only professional team in California not to have Spanish-language broadcasts, Pi-Gonzalez told us in a recent interview.

He added: "... the A's would like to keep our broadcast in Spanish, yes, as long as someone else puts it on the radio ... as long as someone else pays for it."

Once again, loyal Oakland A's fans suffer because the team owners do little but offer a weaker product. Same old Wolff and Fisher, same old cheapskate ways, and same old incompetent result.

The Interview with Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez is a Bay Area broadcasting legend. In 2010, Pi-Gonzalez was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame. Pi-Gonzalez, a Fremont resident, is a 32-year veteran of Major League Baseball broadcasting. He started broadcasting Oakland A's games in 1977, when team owner Charlie Finley and A's executive Carl Finley hired him.

Last year, Pi-Gonzalez served as the lead announcer for the Spanish Beisbol Network's Oakland A's Spanish-language broadcasts. But he's not sure if he will return to the booth for 2011. We recently caught up with Pi-Gonzalez to find out why, and to get his thoughts on other parts of our favorite franchise, the Oakland A's.

Baseball Oakland: Congratulations on being inducted in the Bay Area Broadcasting Hall of Fame. What went through your mind when you first heard about your induction?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: When I first got the call from the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame, that I was going to be inducted, I could not believe it. Most of my career I have broadcasted in the Spanish language and the BARHOF is a very prestigious Hall of Fame. To join guys like Hank Greenwald, Jon Miller, Joe Starkey and all those Bay Area legends is truly an honor for me. It is a humbling experience, especially to be recognized by my peers. A good buddy called me the next day (a sports guy) to tell me, "Do you realize you're the only A's broadcaster in the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame?" Well, not that I want to toot my own horn, but jut for the record, I am also in the Cuban Sports Hall of Fame and the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame. I have traveled a lot, but the Bay Area has been my home since 1969, right after I left the U.S. Army as a Vietnam veteran.

Baseball Oakland: How long have you been a broadcaster?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: Technically, I have been a broadcaster/reporter since 1974 when I was doing regular news -- I interviewed people like UFW leader Cesar Chavez -- and did just about everything you can do at a radio station: traffic, weather, working as a disc jockey at the old KOFY-1050 AM. Now it is The Ticket, I believe, and it is all sports. But doing baseball and other sports play-by-play, it all started in 1977. But I always had an affinity for sports.

Baseball Oakland: When did you first start working with the A's?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: It was in 1977 when I first got started for the A's. I remember I sent a letter to then-owner, Charlie O. Finley, and he told me I could broadcast in "Mexican." It was interesting and funny at the same time, since Mexican is not a language. It's a nationality. It is like if you tell somebody to do a broadcast in Irish, instead of English. He won three World Series with the Athletics in 72-73-74, and although I covered his teams prior to 1977, it was in 1977 when I actually started doing play-by-play in Spanish on the radio. I remember telling Carl Finley, who used to run what they call marketing nowadays, "Please thank Charlie, but please tell him it is in Spanish, not in Mexican, since this is a nationality not a language."

Baseball Oakland: It must have been hard to take an unexpected pay cut during the season last year. Tell us what happened last year with the A's Spanish-language broadcasts.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: Yes, it was hard to take an unexpected pay cut in my salary. I also lost my health insurance and such. SBN (Spanish Beisbol Network) had the rights to broadcast all A's games in Spanish. We did all games, home and away, in 2009. Away games were done from our small broadcast booth at the Oakland Coliseum, as we would sit in front of a television monitor (maybe 17 inches) and call the games. Our engineer would have a line set up like in Baltimore, for example, so sounded like we were in Baltimore when the Athletics were playing there. But we did it from the Oakland Coliseum. In 2010, the main guy that runs SBN came to us at the middle of the season and told us that they were losing money and had to "pull the plug." Since mid-July, we only did the home games. They told us that the A's could not help at all. It was very disappointing. I have never had this happen to me in the middle of a season. It is an insult to the fans, to the Hispanic community. As a matter of fact, the Wall Street Journal found out and sent a reporter to interview yours truly. His name was Joel Millman, and he wrote a story about it.

Baseball Oakland: Could the A's owners or front office have done more to help pay your salary, or sell the ads to keep the broadcasts going?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: Yes, I think the A's front office could have stepped up and done more in this case. We lost our two radio stations, KDIA-1640 AM and KDYA-1190 AM, and then were only on the Internet during the second half of the season, on www.losatleticos.com. I am still telling the A's they can "save" this upcoming 2011 season if they keep us over on the Internet on that same site, and promote it and do stuff with over 1.8 million Hispanics that live in the Bay Area. But as of today, I have heard nothing from the A's, who are super-occupied still looking for an English radio station, as of this interview. Of course, the A's front office could have done much to keep our broadcast going, to pay my salary and my partner's. Look at the beginning of last season, when the A's signed Ben Sheets for $10.5 million dollars ... look what happened with him. It would have been a fraction of that type of money to keep us on the air, and to serve their Hispanic community.

Baseball Oakland: Ken Pries, the A's VP for broadcasting, said that "building a network of Spanish radio outlets for baseball has always been a challenge." Do you agree with him? And why?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: Ken Pries is correct, to help build a network in Spanish has always been a challenge. But, it is a challenge to keep a network in English also, and they are still working on that. But I feel when it comes to Spanish (telecasts), we are "second-class citizens." I have done a lot of work for the Athletics in the community, pro bono, in good faith, because I have always believed in the Hispanic market.

Baseball Oakland: It seems like a team in Northern California, where the Latino community is huge and growing, would be smart to go the extra yard to keep Spanish-language broadcasts for their team.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: Of course. A team in the 5th-largest radio and television/media market in the country (some say the 4th-largest) should try to keep their Spanish broadcast. Even the LA Clippers in the NBA are doing Spanish telecasts and radio broadcasts these days. They have been a cellar-dwelling team for over 20 years. The Clippers, with no fans!

Baseball Oakland: How much do you think the A's mean to the Latin community in Oakland?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: If the A's do not have Spanish radio in the 2011 season, they will be the only Major League team in California without Spanish-language coverage. All other teams in California have Spanish radio, even some minor league teams have it. Do you think that looks good in the eyes of the community for the A's? The A's want to increase attendance, they want to move out of Oakland, they want to do many things, but they are not focusing on the people right now, right here in Oakland, Alameda County and the Bay Area.

Baseball Oakland: Why do you think Spanish-language broadcasting is important to not just the A's but to the game of baseball?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: Broadcasting in Spanish is very important, especially in California, because we are a bilingual state. Like it or not, those are the facts. Demographics today show that. This is not Omaha, Nebraska. We are a large Hispanic community; as diverse as any other group, from Central America, South America and the Caribbean. We're growing and contributing to this society. Also, Hispanics are almost 30% of all Major League players in today's game. The game is more Hispanic than ever before.

Baseball Oakland: Is it true the A's are not interested in broadcasting games in Spanish anymore?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: My experience regarding this is that the A's would like to keep our broadcast in Spanish, yes,, as long as somebody else puts it on the radio, buys air time, pays the announcers and all the production costs, and also sells the advertising. They will never say, "NO we do not want Spanish," as long as they do not have to pay anything.

Baseball Oakland: Why do you think the A's would be willing to stop doing the Spanish-language broadcasts?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: To do all games over the Internet this upcoming season will cost just a little over $100,000. That includes everything. That is much less than 1/3 of what a Major League rookie makes, and that would be to cover the Hispanic market.

Baseball Oakland: Last autumn, Lew Wolff and John Fisher gave at least $25,000 to the campaign coffers of Oakland mayoral candidate Don Perata. Was it disappointing to you that Wolff and Fisher didn't spend roughly that same amount so that you and your announcing colleague wouldn't have to take a pay cut for doing A's game broadcasts last year?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: When I see owners giving money to the campaign coffers of Oakland mayor candidates, I cannot explain why they will not spend money on our broadcast. That makes little sense to me. I understand business, and to make money, you still have to invest. Even Donald Trump will tell you this. You have to cultivate the Hispanic market. You cannot expect from day to night to draw thousands of Hispanics if you do not reach Hispanics in all media, not only radio. The A's also have not signed a Latino superstar in years. I do not know why. Miguel Tejada was the last one. It would help in a city as diverse as Oakland to have some Latino stars on the field. The team across the Bay, who just won the World Series, had like 12 Latino players on the roster, while for the A's these days, to find an exciting Latino superstar is like finding water in the Sahara. I was hoping they'd get Vladimir Guerrero, an exciting and still great designated hitter, for maybe $4 million.

Baseball Oakland: What is your opinion of the A's threats to move out of Oakland?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: The Giants are parading their 2010 World Series trophy all over the place. The Athletics have four World Series trophies inside their executive offices. The Oakland Athletics is one storied franchise that dates back to the start of the last century, one of the most traditional and historical franchises. And in all of California, only the Dodgers have won more trophies than the A's when it comes to pennants and World Series. We have the history and the track record here in Oakland, why not stay here? The A's have the history, the players, but they do little to bring back those players in front-office roles, like other teams with lesser history do.

Baseball Oakland: Will we hear you doing A's games on the radio next year?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: As of today, I doubt I will be doing the games on the radio for 2011.

Baseball Oakland: Have you heard of the Victory Court ballpark site for a waterfront Oakland ballpark? If so, what do you think of the Victory Court site?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: The Victory Court ballpark in Oakland for the A's is a good plan. I think the powers-that-be on the team should take it seriously. However, I am afraid they are just focusing on San Jose. That's my humble opinion, for whatever it is worth. I believe if the current ownership cannot move to San Jose, they will put the team up for sale. That is just my opinion. There should have been a resolution by now from the Commissioner's office on the proposed move to San Jose. The reason the A's do not have an answer from the Commissioner is very simple, MLB is afraid of lawsuits, and they could see themselves hit with a lot of legal problems by the current owners of the San Francisco Giants, who are not kidding when they say San Jose is their territory. The irony here is that it was the Athletics who gave the Giants permission to have San Jose as their territory. But that is the way the ball bounces.

Baseball Oakland: You got to know the late Bill King pretty well over the years while doing A's games. What's your favorite Bill King story and why was he so great?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: Bill King was a good friend. I remember back in the 1980s, he once called me to his booth to ask me about a young kid by the name of Jose Canseco, when Jose was still playing in Huntsville. I remember I told Bill, "Just because I am also born in Cuba like Jose, you have called me here?" Bill started laughing like a little kid, but then we got down to business and he was very precise in asking me a lot of questions about Cuban baseball and such. Bill was a treasure. My good friend, Jaime Jarrin, the Spanish radio voice for the L.A. Dodgers for 53 years, was inducted into the Hall of Fame because the L.A. Dodgers developed a tremendous publicity campaign for him in radio, television and newspapers. I believe the Athletics could have done the same for Bill King. I believe Bill King was the best sportscaster the Bay Area has ever had.

La Entrevista con Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez es una leyenda en el mundo de locucion en el area de la bahia. En el 2010, Pi-Gonzalez fue nombrando al Salon de la Fama Radiodifusion del Area de la Bahia. Residente de la ciudad de Fremont, es veterano de la locucion, ya que por mas 32 anos ha side el locutor para los partidos de las ligas mayores de beisbol.

El comenzo como locutor para los Atleticos de Oakland en 1977 cuando el dueno del equipo, Charlie Finley, y el ejecutivo Carl Finley, lo contrataron. El ano pasado, Pi-Gonzalez fue el locutor principal para la Cadena en Espanol de beisbol en las transmisiones de los partidos de los Atleticos. Hoy en dia no esta muy seguro si regesara a la cabina de la radio para la temporada del 2011. Hace unos dias, platicamos con Pi-Gonzalez para averiguar el porque, y tambien para saber su opinion sobre nuestro equipo favorito, los Atleticos de Oakland.

Baseball Oakland: Primeramente, felicidades en haber sido nombrado al Salon de la Fama de Radiodifusion del Area de la Bahia. Que le paso por la mente cuando usted se entero de su nombramiento?

Amaury Pi-Gonzales: Cuando recibi la llamada del Salon de la Fama, y me dajorn saber de que habla sido nombrado, no lo podia creer. La mayoria de mi carrera e transmitido en espanol y el ser nombrado por el Salon de la Fama de Radiodifusion del Area de la Bahia es aigo muy prestigioso. De poder ser parte del Salen de la Fama con gente como Hank Greenwald, Jon Miller, Joe Starkey y todas las leyendes del area de la bahia es un honor para mi. Es una leccion en humilidad el ser reconocido por mis companeros. Un buen amigo mio me llamo al dia siguiente (le encantan los deportes) para decrime, "Te das cuenta que eres el unico locutor de lost Atleticos que sera parte del salon de la fama?" No que me guste presumir, pero tambien soy parte del Salon de la Fama del Deporte Cubano y del Salon de la Fama del Museo de la Herencia Hispana de Beisbol. He viajado mucho, pero el area de la bahia ha sido mi hogar desde 1969 cuando sali de las fuerzas de los estados unidos como veterano de la guerra de Vietnam.

Baseball Oakland: Cuanto tiempo tiene de ser locutor?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: En realidad e sido locutor y reportero desde 1974 cuando reportaba noticias regulares, de hecho entreviste a gente como al lider de la Union de Campesinos, Cesar Chavez. Y e hecho de todo en la radio: el trafico, clima, locutor en la estacion KOFY 1050 AM (creo que hoy se lama The Ticket y trasmiten de deportes). Pero el ser reportero de beisbol y ser comentarista sobre cada jugada empezo en 1977. Siempre me han gustado mucho los deportes.

Baseball Oakland: Cuando empezo a trabajar con los Atleticos?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: Fue en 1977 cuando empeze con los Atleticos. Recuerod que le mande un a carta al dueno del quipo, que en aquellos anos nacionalidad, no un idioma. Es como decirle a alguien que transmitiera en "mexicano." Se me hizo interesante y chistoso porque "mexicano" e una nacionalidad, no un idioma. Es como decirle a alguien que tranmite en irlandes en ves de ingles. El habia ganado tres series mundiales con los Atleticos: 1972-73-74, y aunque yo habia cubierto al equipo en mis transmisiones antes de 1977, fue en 1977 que comenze a ser comentarista de cada jugada en espanol por la radio. Recuerdo haberle dicho a Carl Finley, quien se encargaba de lo que hoy llaman "mercadotecnia," "Por favor darle las gracias a Charlie, pero dile que es espanol, no 'mexicano.' Eso es una nacionalidad no un idioma."

Baseball Oakland: Diganos lo que paso esta ultima temporada con las transmisiones en espanol con los Atleticos.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: Los derechos de las transmisiones de los Atleticos en espanol les pertenece a SBN (Cadena de Transmision en Espanol). Nosotros nos encargabamos de transmitir todos los partidos del los atleticos en el 2009. Los partidos fuera de casa se transmitian desde nuestra cabina en el Coliseo de Oakland. Veiamos el partido en una television de 17 pulgadas y haciamos nuestros comentarios sobre eso. Nuestro ingeniero de sonido abria la linea en donde estuviera jugando el equipo y se escuchaba como si estubieramos ahi con ellos, cuando en realidad estabamos en Oakland. En el 2010, la persona que se encarga de SBN nos dijo a media temporada de que estaban perdiendo dinero y que tenian que cortar nuestras transmisiones. Asi es que desde julio en 2010 solamente transmitimos los partidos en casa. No dijieron que los Atleticos no nos podian ayudar. Fue algo muy decepcionante. Esto jamas me habla pasado a mi, menos a media temporada. Esto es un insulto a los fanaticos, a la comunidad Hispana. De hecho el periodico Wall Street Journal se entero y mando a un reportero llamado Joel Millman a entrevistarme e hicieron un reportaje sobre lo ocurrido.

Baseball Oakland: Me imagino que tuvo una reduccion de salario al hacer eso. Fue dificil?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: Si, fue dificil la repentina reduccion de salario. Tambien perdi mis beneficios medicos.

Baseball Oakland: Pudieron los duenos de los Atleticos o la oficina general haber hecho algo mas para pagarle su salario, o haber vendido mas anuncios para evitar la cancelacion de las transmisiones?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: Si, creo que la oficina general pudiera hacer algo mas para ayudamos en este caso. Perdimos nuestras estaciones de radio KDIA 1640-AM y KDYA 1190-AM y solamente pudimos transmitir en el internet la ultima parte de la temporada, en www.losatleticos.com. Hasta hoy sigo diciendole a los Atleticos que tienen la oportunidad de "salvar" la temporada que viene del 2011 si mantienen las tranmisiones en el internet y la promueven como debe de ser. Habitan mas de 1.8 millones de Hispanos en el area de la bahia. Pero aun no me han dicho nada. Ahora estan muy ocupados tratando de encontrar una estacion de radio que transmite los partidos en ingles.

Claro que la oficina general hubiera podido ayudamos en mantener nuestras transmisiones al aire al pagar mi salario y la de mi companero. Mira lo que paso al comienzo de la ultima temporada, cuando los Atleticos firmaron contrato con Ben Sheets por $10.5 millones de dolares, lo que paso con el. Nosotros solamente requerimos una fraccion de esa suma para mantenenemos al aire y poder servir a la comunidad Hispana.

Baseball Oakland: Ken Pries, el vicepresidente de las transmisiones de los Atleticos, ha dicho que "crear una cadena de radiodifusion para beisbol en espanol siempre ha sido dificil." Usted esta de acuerdo con el y porque?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: Ken Pries tiene razon de que es dificil crear una cadena en espanol. Pero tambien es dificil mantener una cadena en ingles, y aun siguen trabajando con eso. Siento que cuando se trata de transmitir en espanol, nos ven como "ciudadanos secundarios." He trabajado mucho con los Atleticos en la comunidad, pro bono, sin cobro, en buena fe porque yo siempre he creido en nuestro mercado Hispano.

Baseball Oakland: Tal parece que a un equipo en el norte de California, en donde la comunidad Latina es enorme y sigue creciendo, seria algo inteligente de su parte hacer un esfuerzo mayor por mantener las transmisiones en espanol al aire no cree?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: Claro! Un equipo en el quinto mercado mas grande para la television y radio del pais deberia hacer mas por mantener sus transmisiones en espanol al aire. Hasta los Clippers de Los Angeles en el NBA estan transmitiendo en espanol por television y radio. Tienen mas de 20 anos en ser uno de los equipos con menos partidos ganados! Los Clippers sin fanaticos y transmiten en espanol!

Baseball Oakland: Usted cree que la comunidad Latina de Oakland les importe mucho a los Atleticos?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: Si, los Atleticos no tienen cobertura en espanol por la radio en la temporada del 2011, seran el unico equipo en California sin eso. Todos los demas equipos en California tienen transmisiones en espanol, inclusive algunos equipos de liga menores. Tu crees que eso se vea bien en los ojos de la comunidad para los Atleticos? Ellos quieren incrementar la cantidad de personas que asistan a los partidos, se quieren salir de Oakland, quieren hacer muchas cosas pero han perdido el enfoque en la gente que estan aqui en Oakland, el condado de Alameda y el area de la bahia.

Baseball Oakland: Porque piensa usted que las transmisiones es espanol no solo son importante para los Atleticos pero para el beisbol?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: El transmitir en espanol es muy importante porque especialmente en California, somos un estado bilique, nos guste o no. La demografia no ensena eso. No estamos en Omaha, Nebraska, somos una comunidad Hispana grandisima y muy diversa que esta creciendo y contribuyendo a esta sociedad. Casi 30% de todos los jugadores de liga mayores son Hispanos. El juego es mas Hispano que nunca.

Baseball Oakland: Es verdad que los Atleticos no estan interesados en transmitir los partidos en espanol?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: Mi experiencia con esto es de que a los Atleticos les gustaria mantener las transmisiones en espanol al aire, si, pero que alguien mas pague por hacerio. Que alguien mas se encargue de transmitirlo, de pagarle a los locutores, de pagar el costo de produccion, y tambien de vender los anuncios. Ellos jamas diran NO, no queremos transmitir en espanol, pero no quieren pagar por hacerlo.

Baseball Oakland: Porque cree usted que los Atleticos esten dispuestos a dejar de hacer transmisiones en espanol?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: Para poder transmitir todos los partidos por el internet en esta temporada costaria arriba de $100,000 dolares, incluyendo todos los gastos. Eso en una tercera parte de lo que un jugador rookie gana, y eso cubriria el mercado Hispano.

Baseball Oakland: El otono pasado, Lew Wolff y John Fisher dieron mas de $25,000 en contribuciones a las campanas politicas del candidato a la alcaldia de Oakland. Fue desepcionante saber que ellos no contribuyeron ni una porcion de esa cantidad para evitar que usted y su companero no tuvieran que recortar su salario y las tranmisiones en espanol el ano pasado?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: Cuano veo que los duenos de los equipos les llenan los baules a los candidatos para alcalde de la ciudad, no me explico porque no tienen dinero para mantener al aire nuestras transmisiones. Eso no tiene sentido para mi. Yo comprendo el negocio y se que para ganar dinero, tienen que invertir. Hasta Donald Trump le podria decir esto. Tienen que cultivar al mercado Hispano, y esto no se puede hacer de un dia para otro. Pero si no hacen el intento por llegar a los hogares hispanos, como pueden esperar que llenen el estadio? Necesitan llegar a ellos no solo con la radio sino a traves de otros medios. Los Atleticos no han contratado a un jugador Latino en anos, no se porque. Miguel Tejada fue el ultimo, y le serviria al equipo de una ciudad tan diversa como lo es Oakland en tener mas jugadores Latinos. El equipo al cruzar la bahia, que acaba de ganar la serie mundial, tiene como 12 jugadores latinos. Como es posible que para los Atleticos el encontrar un buen jugador Latino es como encontrar agua el desierto Sahara? Yo tenia esperanzas de que contrataran a Vladimir Guerrero un jugador muy bueno por quiza $4 millones.

Baseball Oakland: Cual es su opinion sobre las amenazas de llevarse el equipo fuera de Oakland?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: Los Gigantes estan presumiendo su trofeo de la serie mundial del 2010 por todos lados. Los Atleticos tienen cuatro trofeos en sus oficinas ejecutivas, y son una franquicia que comenzo al principios del siglo pasado. Es uno do los mas tradicionales e historicos. En todo California, solamente los Dodgers han ganado mas trofeos que los Atleticos en cuestion de series mundiales. Tenemos historia y records ganados aqui en Oakland, porque no quedarse aqui? Los Atleticos tienen la historia, los jugadores, pero hacen muy poco por poner a los jugadores en frente, como la hacen otros equipos con menos historia.

Baseball Oakland: Lo escucharemos haciendo las tranmisiones de los Atleticos en la radio el proximo ano?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: A partir de hoy, dudo mucho que estare transmitiendo partidos en la radio este 2011.

Baseball Oakland: A escuchado sobre la propuesta de hacer un estadio en Victory Court en Oakland? Usted que piensa sobre eso?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: Creo que el plan para el estadio en Victory Court en Oakland es muy bueno. Creo que los poderosos del equipo deberian de tomarlo en serio, pero creo que estan muy enfocados en San Jose esa es mi humilde opinion. Yo creo que si los duenos no pueden mover al equipo a San Jose, lo pondran en venta. Esa es mi opinion. Ya hubiera tomado alguna resolucion la oficina del Comisionario sobre la propuesta de mover al equipo a San Jose. La razon que los Atleticos no han sabido nada del Comisionario es muy sencilla. El MLB le teme a las demandas legales, y ellos saben que tendrian muchos problemas legales con los duenos de los Gigantes de San Francisco porque ellos saben que San Jose es su territorio. La ironia aqui es que los Atleticos les cedieron ese territorio. Pero asi bota la pelota.

Baseball Oakland: Usted llego a concer bien al desaparecido Bill King a traves de los anos cuando transmitian los partidos de los Atleticos en la radio. Cual es su recuerdo favorito de el y porque cree usted que era tan genial?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: Bill King fue en buen amigo. Recuerdo que en los 80's el me llamo a su cabina para preguntarme sobre un muchacho joven por nombre de Jose Canseco, cuando este aun jugaba en Hunsville. Recuerdo haberle dicho a Bill, que solamente porque habia nacido en Cuba igual que Jose, me preguntas sobre el? El empezo a reirse come un nino, pero cuando comenzamos a hablar en serio fue muy preciso con sus preguntas sobre el beisbol Cubano. Bill era un tesoro. Mi buen amigo Jaime Jarrin, la voz en espanol para la radio de los Dodgers de Los Angeles por 53 anos, fue nombrado a la Sala de Fama porque los Dodgers emprendieron en una campana publicitaria para el en toda la radio, television, y periodicos. Yo pienso que los Atleticos pudieron haber hecho lo mismo por Bill King. Yo creo que el ha sido el mejor comentarista deportivo que el area de la bahia ha tenido.