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☆ Vida Blue, Pitching Sensation for Champion A’s Teams, Dies at 73
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Alex Traub | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Vida Blue, who as a rookie with the Oakland Athletics in 1971 threw an unhittable fastball and became baseball’s hottest player, died on Saturday. The Athletics announced his death but did not say where Blue died or provide the cause. Vida (pronounced VYE-da) Blue was one of the stars of an Athletics team that won the World Series three straight years, from 1972 to 1974. After losing on opening day to the Washington Senators in 1971, Blue, a lefty, reeled off eight wins in a row. By the summer, he was leading baseball in not just shutouts but also wins, strikeouts, complete games and earned-run average.

☆ Oakland Athletics’ announcer apologizes for using racial slur
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Wayne Sterling | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Oakland Athletics play-by-play announcer Glen Kuiper has apologized for using a racial slur during the team’s pre-game show prior to the A’s road game against the Kansas City Royals on Friday. Kuiper was discussing the “phenomenal” time he had visiting the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri with A’s TV analyst Dallas Braden when he used a racial slur to describe the museum during the NBC Sports California broadcast. I just wanted to apologize if it sounded different than I meant it to be said. … I just wanted to apologize for that.”The Athletics called Kuiper’s language “unacceptable.”“The language used by Glen Kuiper during (Friday’s) pregame broadcast is unacceptable,” the team said in a statement. “The Oakland Athletics do not condone such language.

☆ Oakland Faces a ‘Devastating’ Future Without Pro Sports
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( David Waldstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

They also yelled in rhythmic unison for the team to, “Stay in Oakland,” and “Save their jobs,” referring to friendly ushers and security guards, sympathetic to their cause. “It’s tough,” said Kemp, who is in his fourth season in Oakland. You think about generationally, people raising their family here and wanting to take their kids to A’s games because they were brought to A’s games as kids. It’s very hard.”Kemp, like most of the Athletics’ players, empathize with the fans, but “hard” does not adequately reflect their plight. It was a crushing blow to the loyal fans, some of whom have cherished the A’s since they moved to Oakland, Calif., in 1968.

☆ MLB roundup: AJ Pollock's HR ends no-no as Mariners edge A's
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

Mariners starter Bryce Miller, in his major league debut, gave up a run on two hits and no walks with 10 strikeouts. The Reds snapped a run of seven straight losses to the Padres and a streak of nine straight losses in San Diego. Jon Gray allowed four runs on eight hits with one walk and two strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander lasted five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with no walks and six strikeouts. Keegan Thompson (1-2) was charged with three runs on four hits in one-third of an inning to take the loss.

☆ The Oakland A’s Say They’re Leaving for Las Vegas
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Lindsey Adler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Oakland Athletics believe that a new ballpark in Las Vegas could be ready for use by the 2027 season. Photo: Jed Jacobsohn/Associated PressThe Oakland A’s long and colorful residency in Oakland has generated dynastic World Series champions, some of baseball’s biggest personalities and a revolutionary roster-building strategy known as Moneyball. What it has mostly lacked, however, is what the team feels is the combination of fan and government support that would make it a business success, too. So the team said Thursday it has decided to leave the Bay Area for Las Vegas as soon as the end of the 2024 season—with Major League Baseball’s blessing.

☆ Oakland Athletics signal impending move to Las Vegas with agreement to purchase land near strip, per reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Homero De La Fuente | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Oakland Athletics have signed a binding purchase agreement for land near the Las Vegas Strip, where the team plans to construct a Major League ballpark, according to reports from the Las Vegas Review-Journal and The Athletic, citing Athletics team president Dave Kaval. A general view of play between the Oakland Athletics and the Texas Rangers at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on August 6, 2020. Lachlan Cunningham/Getty ImagesMLB commissioner Rob Manfred expressed his support on the Athletics’ plans to relocate to Las Vegas. “Welcoming the A’s to Las Vegas would be great news for Southern Nevada as well as our entire state,” Lombardo said in a statement to the Review-Journal. “The prospect of bringing new jobs, more economic development and a historic MLB franchise to Las Vegas is exciting on many levels.

☆ Athletics acquire land for Las Vegas ballpark
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Athletics president Dave Kaval said the team was pushing ahead with plans for a new stadium in Las Vegas after the process to build a waterfront ballpark in Oakland stalled. "We have a pact in Las Vegas that we think can work and has the support from the league, so we are really putting all our focus in Las Vegas and the efforts there." MLB is the latest major sport league eager to get in on the Las Vegas action. "In 2021, given the continued lack of progress, MLB instructed the A's to explore a parallel path plan with Las Vegas. "We support the A’s turning their focus on Las Vegas and look forward to them bringing finality to this process by the end of the year."

☆ Oakland Athletics Say They Will Move to Las Vegas by 2027
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Benjamin Hoffman | Andrew Das | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Oakland Athletics have reached an agreement to acquire land near the Las Vegas Strip and said Wednesday that they hoped to be playing games in a new, billion-dollar retractable roof stadium on the site by 2027. The agreement on the 49-acre site in Nevada, which the team’s president, Dave Kaval, confirmed to The Las Vegas Review-Journal on Wednesday night, will seemingly end years of tense negotiations for a new stadium in the Bay Area, an investment the team said it needed to remain financially viable and competitive with its peers in Major League Baseball. “It’s obviously a very big milestone for us,” Kaval said of the potential move to Las Vegas, which would be the first relocation of a major league franchise in two decades. “We spent almost two years working in Las Vegas to try to determine a location that works for a long-term home. To identify a site and have a purchase agreement is a big step.”

☆ MLB roundup: Ryan Mountcastle's 9 RBIs propel Orioles to win
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

Austin Hays also homered and went 4-for-5 as the Orioles won for the second night in a row. Kyle Schwarber hit a solo home run and Bryson Stott added two hits and two RBIs for Philadelphia. Guardians starter Hunter Gaddis (0-1) allowed eight runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and two walks in three-plus innings. Blue Jays 9, Tigers 3Alejandro Kirk hit a three-run home run and had four RBIs as Toronto won its home opener, beating Detroit. Detroit right-hander Matt Manning (1-1) allowed four runs on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts in six innings.

☆ MLB roundup: Rays crush A's, run opening win streak to 9
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

The Rays' matched the 2003 Kansas City Royals for the hottest streak to start a season in baseball's wild-card era. The Rays' plus-57 run differential through nine games is the largest ever in MLB since 1900. Padres starter Seth Lugo (2-0) gave up one run on five hits and four walks with five strikeouts over six innings to earn the win. Chicago starter Michael Kopech (0-2) gave up one run and two hits in six innings, with three walks and five strikeouts. Rangers starter Jon Gray (1-1) allowed Edwin Rios' two-run homer in the second inning.

☆ MLB roundup: Rays improve to 8-0 with rout of A's
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

Springs scattered three hits, struck out seven and walked three while logging seven innings. The Astros rallied in the ninth on Jeremy Pena's two-run homer against Jovani Moran. Adam Duvall blasted a two-run homer and a pair of doubles while scoring three times. Pete Alonso and Eduardo Escobar each hit two-run homers for the Mets, who have won five of six games against the Marlins. Perdomo had three RBIs and two hits as Arizona racked up season highs for runs and hits (17).

☆ MLB roundup: Rays beat A's to stay undefeated
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

Stroman has allowed two runs and 17 hits over 32 innings while winning each of his last five home starts. Ji Hwan Bae, Ke'Bryan Hayes and Connor Joe each had an RBI double, and Oneil Cruz and Jason Delay hit RBI singles for the Pirates. Pittsburgh starter Rich Hill allowed seven runs and eight hits in four innings. Alex Cobb (0-1) was the hard-luck loser for the Giants after holding the Royals to two runs on seven hits in seven innings. Kershaw (1-1) took the loss after allowing four runs on seven hits in six innings.

[1/3] Las Vegas Grand Prix, Inc. CEO Renee Wilm and Terry Miller of Miller Project Management give a tour of the Las Vegas Grand Prix paddock construction site, in Paradise, Nevada, U.S., March 3, 2023. "We think this is going to the biggest sports and entertainment event of the year," Renee Wilm, the CEO of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, told Reuters. "There is no better way for Las Vegas to draw the attention of our international customers than through Formula One," Steve Hill, CEO of Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, told Reuters. JUST THE BEGINNINGAnd the Las Vegas sports bonanza won't stop at the F1 finish line. Reporting by Rory Carroll in Las Vegas Editing by Christian RadnedgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Want to watch MLB games? Making sense of the confusing TV and streaming landscape
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Home base planFor the baseball fan looking to watch as many games as possible, a traditional pay TV service is still the go-to place. Discovery' s TBS, as well as Fox Corp. 's broadcast and pay TV networks, take up a decent chunk of the schedule. However, as more options are introduced, regional sports networks are getting fewer games and fans have to pay more to watch all games. With a higher rate of consumers dropping pay TV bundles and opting for streaming services, many networks have created direct-to-consumer streaming app options. Few offset the pay TV losses, but at least provide an option for fans wanting to stream.

☆ Spring training roundup: A's yield inside-the-park HR, rally past Angels
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Taylor Ward scored an inside-the-park home run for the Angels in the first inning. Ward's liner to center got past a diving Esteury Ruiz, and the A's were slow to chase it down. Jake Cave hit his third homer of spring training for Philadelphia, while Pirates veteran Andrew McCutchen hit his first of the spring, a two-run shot. Washington got a two-run homer from Victor Robles and outhit St. Louis 15-6. The Giants had 16 hits, hanging six hits and six runs on Dodgers starter Noah Syndergaard (1-2) over 4 1/3 innings.

☆ Cubans signed with MLB teams will for first time play on national team at World Classic
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

HAVANA — Cubans signed with Major League Baseball organizations and other foreign clubs will for the first time join domestic stars on the national team that will play in the World Baseball Classic, officials announced Wednesday evening. The Cuban Baseball Federation long defended the idea of amateurism and punished those who left the island to seek their fortunes in professional baseball. But that changed when a program on state television announced the roster of 30 players for Cuba’s national team that will play in the international tournament that begins March 8 in Taiwan. To arrange participation of the MLB players, Cuba had to get special permission from the United States because Washington maintains sanctions on Cuba. Under the agreement, those players are barred from coming to Cuba to work with the team.

☆ The 2022 Baseball Trivia Extravaganza
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Tyler Kepner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

In baseball, the Holliday season started in July, when the Baltimore Orioles took a high school infielder named Jackson Holliday with the first pick in the amateur draft. He played like a happy Holliday, reaching base in nearly half of his 90 plate appearances in the minor leagues. He also played for Tony La Russa, who once managed a fellow named Steve Christmas. Matt Holliday played his last game in 2018, the same year Gift Ngoepe — the first major league player from Africa — played his. And here is our annual gift to you: a baseball quiz put together with care, in hopes that your answers soon will be there.

☆ Former Major League Baseball pitcher T.J. House comes out as gay
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Former Major League Baseball player T.J. House came out as gay and announced his engagement to his partner, Ryan Neitzel, in an emotional social media post Thursday. He said he felt like he could not be himself around many people, because of conversations he heard from others and in church. “It’s hard listening to people talk about you without them knowing that the words they are saying are directed at you,” he said. “This is a great day for the league and baseball,” Bean, who is now the league’s senior vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, told Outsports. It allows Ryan Neitzel and I to come together and create something beautiful.

☆ Major League Baseball strikes sponsorship deal with CBD maker Charlotte's Web
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The league is teaming up with Charlotte's Web Holdings Inc., a maker of CBD products, in an exclusive multi-year partnership. Charlotte's Web makes CBD products like gummies and topical sprays. Charlotte's Web will become the "Official CBD of Major League Baseball." The agreement between MLB and Charlotte's Web came after a "rigorous approval process," the league said in a release. Although the Food and Drug Administration has not certified CBD products, their popularity has grown exponentially.

☆ Former Los Angeles Angels executive sentenced to 22 years in overdose death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dennis-Romero-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Dennis Romero | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

A former Los Angeles Angels baseball executive was sentenced to 22 years in prison Tuesday after he was convicted of providing fentanyl-laced pills that contributed to the death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs. "We are very grateful to everyone who worked so hard to investigate and prosecute Eric Kay," Skaggs' family said in a statement. Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs throws during the second inning of the game against the Oakland Athletics on June 6, 2019, in Anaheim, Calif. Mark J. Terrill / AP fileCody L. Cofer, Kay's attorney, said the former Major League Baseball executive will appeal. They said the executive dealt pills, including the "blue boys" that contributed to Skaggs' death, to multiple players at Angel Stadium. "One fentanyl pill can kill," the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Chad E. Meacham, said in a statement.

☆ 'Moneyball' manager Billy Beane says Warren Buffett's investing lessons apply to baseball too - and Seth Klarman agrees
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"Moneyball" star Billy Beane said Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger's lessons apply to baseball. Author Michael Lewis profiled Beane in "Moneyball," and Brad Pitt played the baseball executive in the movie adaptation of the book. "It's about finding value in athletes, in baseball players — but those principles apply across areas," the billionaire investor and Baupost Group CEO said. Klarman has been heralded as "the next Warren Buffett," including by the Berkshire chief himself. Read more: Table tennis champion Ariel Hsing has been friends with Warren Buffett for more than a decade.

☆ Mariners RHP Luis Castillo agrees to 5-year extension
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sep 20, 2022; Oakland, California, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo (21) pitches the ball against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY SportsSeptember 24 - The Seattle Mariners and right-hander Luis Castillo have agreed on a five-year contract extension. The Mariners said the new deal will begin in 2023 and will run through the 2027 season. He is 3-2 with a 2.83 ERA and 64 strikeouts through nine starts with the Mariners and is 7-6 with a 2.85 ERA overall this season. A two-time All-Star (2019, 2022), Castillo is 47-55 with a 3.57 ERA in 146 career starts with the Reds (2017-22) and Mariners.

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