The Final Four
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
0 comments
For once I actually agree with you about the A’s. The only thing I differ with you on is I think keeping Hatteberg would be a good thing.
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