In 2002 the Anaheim Angels
finished the month of April
6-14. I remember in some
Press Boxes some reporters
talking about:
When is Angel manager
Mike Sciosia is going to
be fired ?
That same season the
Angels won the World
Series over the Giants
in seven games.

By Amaury Pi-González
San FranciscoThe month of April was a tough one
for Felipe Alou’s San Francisco
Giants. Aside from Barry Bonds who
is All World and playing at another
league level, like on the Moon,
the ’04 Giants looked pathetic
during April and the Dodgers
( I picked them to win
on this column)looked
like the team to beat. But
remember we just ended
April. There are still like
140 games on average
left for each team.

Peter A. Magowan, the
Giants Managing General
Partner(translation) he is
the owner— said recently
the Giants were better off
in right field this year with
the triangulation of Dustin
Mohr,Jeffrey Hammonds
and Michael Tucker than
last year with José Cruz Jr
who won the Gold Glove
in right field. Well, I disagree
with Mr.Magowan, I believe
José Cruz Jr was a very good
player, a streak hitter yes,
but a very good rightfielder
much better than the
trio that the Giants got
during the off season.

But the Giants problems
are not concentrated only
in right field. Felipe Alou
might have to pitch come
July, his pitching staff was
in shambles during April
and unless May brings
more serenity to the
Giants bullpen their
“arms”are going to be
so tired come the
All Star break that the
Giants might be then
in very serious trouble.
Some people are
already talking
trade deadline, that
is July 31…

The Dodgers got Milton
Bradley after the season
started and he is producing
offensively. This is exactly
what the Dodgers needed,
also with Juan Encarnación
in the outfield and the
leadership of catcher Paul
LoDuca, the Dodgers look
like they might open
a big lead. They will
have a bad streak of games
and their pitching might still
carry them long enough to
win the Western Division.
Ishi is doing great and
Eric Gagne is not normal,
he hasn’t blown a lead
in the late innings since
prior to the 911 Comisssion
investigating that sad historic
event.

On May 1, 2004 “May Day”
Jack McKeon, manager of
the World Champion Florida
Marlins walked Barry Lamar
Bonds 4 times intentionally.
THIS IS A NEW MAJOR LEAGUE
RECORD FOR A 9 INNING GAME.
Bonds walked 4 times also
intentionally on April 23 ,2004
in Los Angeles, but that game
went extra innings. The game
on May 1, is the current
MLB record for intentional
walks for a player in
regulation.

Bonds is on a pace to break
his own record of 198 walks
of a couple of years ago.
At the conclusion of April
he already had 40 walks,
incredible 50/50. Half of
Bonds walks are “regular”
the other half are intentional.

I cannot see how the Giants
can be a succesful team if
Alfonzo or whomever hits
behind Bonds doesn’t have
a good year at the plate, it
is almost like looking for
water in the desert.

Felipe Alou was not very
happy at all after a Bay Area
paper reported than an
“anonymous”pitcher said
that catcher A.J Perzynski
is a cancer on the team, that
he doesn’t call a good game.
Felipe told me in Spanish:
“Anonimo ? yo quiero saber
quien tiene los cojones y
me lo dice en mi cara, yo no
creo en eso de anonimo:
TRANSLATION: “Anonymous?
I want to know who have the
cojones of coming to me
and tell me that to my
face, I do not believe
in anonymous”

Felipe has seen a lot of baseball
in his life more than most writers
and broadcasters around and
I for one believe he is an
excellent manager that might
(I repeat might)have been
given an impossible chore
with a mediocre team trying
to repeat as Western Division
Champions. But let us not
forget that this Division is
also a mediocre one.

The 2002 Angels were
“dead in the water”during
April that year and
won the World Series,
the 2003 Florida Marlins
were very dead for the
first half of that season
and won the World Series
against the Yankees.
So, please do not give
up on the San Francisco
Giants, not yet. Do not
be a fool, wait until
July and then, let’s
take inventory on
Alou’s troops, before
all the polls show
that the Giants need
reinforcements for
the second half.

In May the Giants are
playing Eastern and
Central Division teams
like Marlins,Mets,
Reds,Phillies, Pirates,
Cubs and Expos.
During last week of
May the will host
Diamondbacks and
Rockies at SBC Park.

This past April 30,2004 at
the Delancey Street
Restaurant at 600 Embarcadero
in San Francisco the Hispanic
Heritage Baseball Museum
inducted ex Major League
player(now bullpen coach
for World Champion Marlins)
Tony Taylor to the HHBM
Hall of Fame. Taylor who
played for 19 years with
Cubs, Phillies and Tigers
finished his career with
over 2,000 hits and still
has the record for most
games played at second base
for a Philadelphia Phillies
team. Taylor was born
in Cuba and he is one of
4 Marlins in the Hispanic
Heritage Hall of Fame,
other are, Tony Pérez,
Cookie Rojas and Hall
of Fame/Cooperstown,
Spanish play by play
announcer Rafael Ramírez
born in Cuba and the Spanish
Voice for Marlins baseball
since 1993.
————————————————————
Amaury Pi-González is on his tenth season
as Spanish Play by Play announcer for the
S.F Giants over KZSF 1370 AM Radio,
La Caliente, during selected weekend home
games. Amaury is also on his second season
as Spanish Voice for the Seattle Mariners
Spanish Radio Network(www.spanishmariners,net)
doing all 81 home games for a network of
6 radio stations in Washington and Oregon.
He is the Vice President of the Hispanic
Heritage Baseball Museum, a 503 (c) 1
non profit organization founded in
San Francisco in 1999. On February 8,
204 Amaury was inducted into the
CSHOF(Cuban Sports Hall of Fame)
as a Broadcaster in Miami, Florida.