Sports Radio Service


		Amaury Pi Gonzalez named to Hall of Fame ballot By Ralph A Gora November 2, 2007

	Amaury Pi Gonzalez, long time Spanish broadcaster for four Major League teams which includes the Oakland A's, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners and now the Los Angeles Angels, has been placed on the Hall of Fame ballot for the broadcaster's wing on the Ford C Frick wing as a nominee. Gonzalez said that he was honored to get the mention and that to vote fans can go to www.baseballhalloffame.org and they can find all the announcers who are on the ballot and Giants broadcaster Jon Miller and Mike Krukow are also on the ballot, and it's a great honor for those broadcasters who get the nomination. Gonzalez said that he was glad that his name was entered again for third try at the Hall. Gonzalez was nominated on one ballot when Bill King the famous late A's broadcaster was nominated. King was one of the best broadcasters ever in professional sports in the Bay Area as Gonzalez said. Gonzalez was honored because King was the best all around for his talent to cover basketball, football and baseball. In basketball, King was the greatest announcer that Gonzalez ever heard and in baseball, he was extremely good, and with the Raiders he was synonymous with the Raiders phrase "a commitment to excellence". King was an excellent broadcaster and Gonzalez was honored to have been on the same ballot for the Ford C Frick nomination in the last bid sharing it with King for the Hall. If elected then what? If Gonzalez was elected to the Hall of Fame, he said it would be a dream come true and he said humbly that he didn't think he deserved it yet. Gonzalez said he's been in the business for 30 years and it's been a tough business. He also said just to have his name on the Hall of Fame ballot for MLB next to the other broadcasters who have done it longer than Amaury and. Two of which are Amaury's best friends who are Hispanic broadcasters, Rafael Fela Ramirez from the Florida Marlins whose 84 years old and is still broadcasting in Spanish in Miami and Jamie Jarrin who is in the Ford C Frick wing of the MLB Hall of Fame. Jarrin is a Dodgers Spanish announcer and whose been broadcasting the Dodgers for 48 years which brings a young Jamie back to Brooklyn before the club came to Los Angeles in 1958. For Gonzalez he says it’s a privilege to have been able to work with both broadcasters in international broadcasting and some day Gonzalez says if he wins getting the nod to the baseball hall of fame Gonzalez said it would be like frosting on the cake in his long Spanish broadcast career to be elected to the Hall. What makes this balloting fun is that Gonzalez's broadcast partner Jose Mota has also been named to the Ford C Frick ballot, one of Manny Mota kids who’s not really a kid but 42 years old but is still a kid to Manny Sr. Gonzalez told Jose's dad that he raised Jose well and that Jose is very knowledgeable and a good broadcaster and he's completely bi-lingual. Jose has broadcasted 50 solo games for the Angels Spanish radio network, Jose also went to TV and did English TV with broadcaster Steve Physioc and broadcaster Rex Hudler, and Gonzalez handed the radio in Spanish by himself. Mota is the complete bi lingual broadcaster, you don’t see many like that at the Major League level and even in any sports, and Gonzalez says in Los Angeles it’s the number one radio market in the country and Gonzalez considers himself lucky to be there. Speaking of the Hall of Fame Gonzalez said that Barry Bonds the former Giant outfielder was brooding about the ball sent to the Hall with an asterisk on it and sarcastically said that he felt so sorry for Bonds. "That's the epitome of arrogance he might not even be in the Hall of Fame." Gonzalez said here is a person who with the World Series concluding and in the radio broadcasts they did not mention his name in one instance. Hank Aaron was seated in Fenway Park and in Colorado and in the minds of the American people, he's the real home run leader, it’s not Barry Bonds Gonzalez said. Gonzalez says mathematically Bonds has hit more home runs than anybody but he's not accepted by the people of this country which is really a shame because Bonds is a great athlete but the problem with Bonds according to Gonzalez is "one is his arrogance, the way he treats other people." said Gonzalez So if Bonds goes to the Hall of Fame or not he will be know for the asterisk ball in the Hall of Fame. The only place Bonds gets a standing ovation is in San Francisco. Most other places could care less for him, Gonzalez told Sportstalk. Ralph A Gora does voice overs for Sportstalk on 1690 KFSG.