The Media came from all over the world.

2002 World Series was in 14 different

languages for 200 countries. And two

California teams took center stage.

Games #1 and #2 were in Anaheim,

#3,4 and 5 at Pac Bell in San Francisco

and #6 and 7 back in Anaheim.

Overall it was a very entertaining

series. Especially if you like hitting.

By Amaury Pi-González

The booth where I broadcast at Edison International Field in Anaheim was

behind the plate -leaning to first base-

To my right a luxury box hosted by

Mrs Jackie Autry(widow of the Singing

Cowboy and once owner of the Angels)

During the four games in Anaheim the

likes of Pat Sajack(Wheel of Fourtune)

secret agent 007 Pierce Brosnan aka

James Bond and other Hollywood types

were in the house. Just steps away from

were I was doing the broadcast.

To the left there were two announcers

calling the games for Holland. One of them

told me 5PM PST was like 1 AM in Holland,

but they did have an audience, plus they

played each game again on tape during

daytime hours. Behind, we had Televisa

(Mexico’s #1 Television Network) and

also behind and in the same booth

Dominican Republic Television.

It was Hollywood South with such stars like

John Travolta mingled with the Media

in the elevators going down to the field,

were guys like Tommy LaSorda and Reggie

Jackson were also on hand to answer

all the questions and beyond…

Security was tight but overall this 2002

World Series was free of incidents,

aside from the few that got arrested

outsisde Edison Field scalping tickets

for the games as well as outside Pac

Bell Park in San Francisco. As well

as the ever present imbeciles that

come around for big events like this

and start fights with other people.

For games 3, 4 and 5 we were back

Pac Bell Park were it was like a party

since 10AM each day of the game.

Our regular booth KZSF 1370 AM at

Pac Bell Park, next to KNBR looked

huge(after the very limited space we

had to share at Edison Field)and it was

all ours, only the Giants Spanish flagship

station.Nobody from Holland, Mexico

or the Dominican Republic. The advantages

of having to work for the team radio rightsholder of the N.L Champions.

During the three games at Pac Bell Park

I moved between the KZSF 1370 AM

booth doing the Giants Spanish and

ESPN Spanish were I did a few innings

with Ed Ortega(Voice of the Padres)and

Billy Berroa(Voice of the Mets)for a network

with over 300 stations in the US and

Latinamerica. I have worked with them

in the past 5 years during Playoffs and

World Series. But since I do the Giants,

my partners were always asking me

about the Giants, Benito this, Barry that

and Aurila that… It was good, we had

fun. And isn’t that what a World Series

is all about ? In Spanish we use stats,

but maybe not as much as our English

speaking friends in the US Media. One

of my buddies in the ESPN Spanish

radio network asked me during a

broadcast “Amaury, wasn’t J.T. Snow

ambidextrous a few years ago ?” We

spoke about that and they also wanted

to know how come Benito Santiago

has played like he is 25…

A World Series is a unique experience.

When Erwin Higueros(my broadcast

partner over KZSF 1370AM)and I got

to Anaheim we traveled with the Giants

team charter and got there 2 days prior

to the first game of the Series.

To our advantage since we got there

that early- we interviewed most

of the Hispanic players on both sides.

Benito Santiago,Liván Hernández,Félix

Rodríguez,Ramón Martínez,Pedro Feliz,

coach Carlos Alfonso, as well as manager

Dusty Baker, who speaks fluent Spanish.

We also spoke and put on tape all the

Latino players on the Anaheim Angels,

Francisco (The Phenom)Rodríguez in

Anaheim aka as K-Rod. The Molina

catching brothers, Benji and José,

Benji Gil,Ramon Ortíz as well as Dominican

coach Alfredo Griffin,

Once the World Series started 2 to 3 hours

prior to first pitch the sidelines on the field

are covered by hundreds of Media people,

there I spoke with good friend from the

US and Latinamerica, who I usually see

regularly during Postseason in the various

cities where the games take place.

There are no loosers in the World Series,

each player on each team makes more

money generated from the World Series

than the average middle to upper-income earner in a whole year in this country.

Players, once they make it to the World

Series they get a ring. The team that

wins it gets a World Series Championship

Ring, the team that doesn’t win the

Series gets a League Championship Ring.

Rookies like 20-year old Venezuelan

right-handed pitcher Francisco Rodríguez,

the youngest player in MLB gets also the

exposure he only had previously in Orange

County.

MLB International sent the broadcast to

more countries than Fox Sports. Gary Thorne

and Rick Sutcliffe at the microphones for

this feed that goes to over 145 countries

in the world. Presently, more than ever

before the World Series has become a

World event because of the electronic

media. It was fun !

Good friend and Giants legend Hall of

Famer Orlando Cepeda was on the trip,

we spoke a lot, he felt like a kid again.

As we arrived in Anaheim and we were

standing in line to get our room keys at

the hotel he said: “This is the World Series,

this is the top, the best of the best”.

I remember at the lobby of the hotel in

Anaheim I had a very spirited but nice

conversation with a bussinessman that

was a Yankee fan and was in Anaheim for

a convention. In the tradition of arrogance

–of all Yankee fans– he told me: “It really

doesn’t feel like a World Series without

the Yankees in it”. All you can do is laugh

as that attitude, but it typical New York.

And after all, they have won 26 of them,

so he has “braging rights”.

Personally, although I have worked other

World Series (maybe one of the most

memorable for me was 1986 from the

ALCS with Boston vs California to the

World Series with Boston vs. Mets and

the infamous Mookie Wilson ground ball

in the 6th game that went through the

legs of Billy Bucker at first base)that one

I was working play by play for CBS Hispanic

Radio Network. This 2002 was unique,I

was involved with one of the teams, the

National League Champions San Francisco

Giants and everything came easier.

Where will the 2003 World Series take place?

We will have to wait, but for now I say

Adios to all my friends in the International

media.