So after six months and days, we

are down to four teams

fighting for the World

Championship.

Pick the four that are

still alive below:

Twins: “Contract this”

Athletics: “There is no “A” in choking”

Braves: “Eleven Division Titles only one ring”

Yankees: “Go back east for the winter”

Giants: “What is this called… NLCS?”

Angels: ‘What is a World Series”?By Amaury Pi-González

As I am getting ready to board a plane to

St Louis to work the NLCS for the ESPN

Radio Network(Spanish)with my good friend

and Spanish Voice of the Padres Eduardo

Ortega. I have these thoughts about the

last 3 1/2 weeks of the Postseason.

First let me start with the Oakland A’S.

Both of my kids, Geoffrey and Jonathan

were broken hearted. They were born and

raised in Fremont and grew up with the

Oakland Athletics, they cannot believe

than the A’S lost to the Twinkies. To be

honest with you, I am also saying

-How did that happened?

One easy answer: That is baseball,

the other one, well my last column said

it: After the 1988 World Series All Bets

Are Off ! Baseball is a weird game,

the ball is round but it comes in a square

box when you buy them. Unlike the NFL

were coaches have their first half plays

written, in baseball managers cannot

plan ahead. Here you have to think and

think fast…

Were the A’S focused only on the Yankees

and forgot that the Twins also won their

division? Were the young A’S blinded by

revenge on the Yankees and didn’t dreamed

that guys with names like Mientkiewicz,

Hocking,Koskie,Cuddyer and Pierzynski

(which sounds more like a European

Ice Hockey team)

than an American League team could

really do this to them?

Forget about it !! If you think the A’S are

in for a tought winter. Image If the Twins

win the World Series !! Is Bud Selig planning

to be invited to Mr. Carl R. Pohlad, owner of

the Twins for a Christmas party?

I agree with Marty Lurie. A’S need to make

some “serious”trades If they are going to

take advantage of such young talent in the

future. Get rid of T-Long, get rid of Hatteberg

and get a first baseman(talk to the Tigers,

maybe you can get that kid…Carlos Peña)

get a new catcher. Ramón Hernández is good

if you do not need a guy hitting eight to produce. The A’S still need some serious

help in the outfield. With exception of first

base, the rest of the infield should be set

for many a season and yes….please

sign Miguel Tejada ! He had a bad Postseason

well, so have guys like Willie Mays,Barry

Bonds,Mike Schmidt and Ted Williams and

many other with plaques in Cooperstown.

Oh yeah…and a little “touch up”in the

bullpen would be appreciated. Ricardo Rincón

might be their best reliever and I do not

say that because he is Hispanic(born in

México). Why was Billy Koch winning so

many games for a reliever? Would that

be because he blew “a few”saves and

then Tejada hit a homerun to win in the

10th and…..Koch gets the win.

—

Next case:

The Atlanta Braves have won 11 Division

Titles, but they have to make a decision

on free agents: Greg Maddux and Tom

Glavine. They might only be able to afford

one of the two. They need a first baseman.

Julio Franco would be great coming out

of the bench, but not playing everyday.

Their outfield still one of the best and

they could use somebody steady at second

base. Smoltz might still want to go back to

the starting rotation in 2003.

Yankees: Orlando (El Duque)Hernández

is overrated and George might have

to do an overhaul of that pitching staff that

is breaking down like a cheap KIA.

Nick Johnson should play much more in

the outfield, but I am sure they are going to

go after another superstar in the winter.

But, who is out there? Vladimir Guerrero

in a trade ? -Could happen you know.

I do not feel sorry for Yankee fans, they have

won 26 World Series, let somebody else

eat for a change !!

—

Angels:

Mike Sciosia will have a lot of votes for

American League Manager of the Year,

but might loose to Ron Gardenhire who

took a team in Spring Training that was

going to the electric chair.

The Angels are the ONLY Major League

team in California that has never made

it to the Fall Classic. They are owned by

The Mouse. Disney is a company that makes

money by creating fantasy and this year

they have defenitely created some Magic

Kingdom in Anaheim.

I like this team the way it is. They have

some of the greatest young arms and

the way they play, I would think 4 more

wins against Minnesota should not be

that difficult.

—

Twins:

Last time I saw Tony Oliva he was still

working for the Twins, developing young

talent and he told me: “We will be back

to the days of Kirby and Hrbek”. He was

right(at least so far) hey, they have won

2 World Championships in the Twins Cities,

that is two more than the Giants since

1955.

Twins are like a nice VW, nothing fancy

but boy it always starts and runs well

enough to take it on the 101. I would

not make much more changes, but they

might need another young starter.

—

And finally: The Giants.

My favorite player with the Giants has always

been Rich Aurilia. Here is a man that plays

and plays and plays and plays. Last year

he hit 37 homeruns, this season he had

surgery and didn’t play a full season, but

among all the veterans that play for Dusty

Baker, Aurilia is as good as a professional

you get on a baseball field.

Aurilia should win his first Gold Glove this

year. He led all NL shortstops in defense.

The Cardinals are waiting for the Giants.

This week the Giants will get a taste

of a team that is on a mission. For LaRussa’s

Cardinals on a year were they lost their

greatest broadcaster Jack Buck, one of their

great pitchers in Darryl Kyle, Tony’s father

died in Tampa and many pitchers were hurt

during this season, facing Barry Bonds and

Jeff Kent is just “another day at the park”.

Tony will spend half of the time in this

NLCS at home, when his team visits Pac

Bell he will also be at home in the East

Bay were he makes his permanent home.

Everytime the Giants play the Cardinals,

Dusty Baker tells me: “We are facing your

favorite manager”.

Let me say this. Right after the Giants won

the wild card I ran into Dusty in the Giants

Pac Bell Park clubhouse, he looked into my

eyes and told me: “It is going to be St Louis

against us”. Dusty please give me the

6 Lotto numbers next time !!

—-

Well, they are about to call my flight here

at Oakland International, so I have to go,

I hate to write on the plane, I am not

an “easy flyer”.

But let me leave you with this:

During Spring Training I picked these

two teams to be in this year’s World

Series: Yankees vs. Cardinals.

One out of two is not bad !!!

———————————————————–

Amaury Pi-González is on his eight season

as Spanish Radio Play by Play announcer

for the San Francisco Giants. Previously

for 17 seasons as Spanish Radio and TV

announcer for the Oakland A’S. He is doing the

NLCS and World Series again this 2002

season for ESPN Spanish Radio Net.

During the month of February he is to

call his third Caribbean World Series for

Fox Sports International(in English).

Recently his biography was selected by

the prestigious Marquis Who’s Who in

America to be published this November

on its 57th edition. Amaury is Vice President

of the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum,

a non profit organization founded in San

Francisco in 1999. He is a member of

ASA(Association of American Sportscasters)

and CNP(Cuba’s Journalist College-in exile)

His articles are available in various publicationas as well as on:

www.latinobaseball.com