Fan Disconnect - The Problem with the Orioles

(photo from the baltimore sun)


I’d gotten the idea to write this article after hearing Orioles Hangout’s own Tony Pente chat about the state of the Orioles on a local sports talk radio here in Baltimore one afternoon.

Well, it got me thinking as an Orioles fan, what exactly has changed from the rocking days and nights of Oriole Park at Camden Yards in the mid to late 1990’s to this present day? Why does there seem to be disconnect between the Baltimore Orioles franchise, the fan base and community at large?

Is the “Oriole Way” gone & perhaps for good? The ties that bind the past and present between the Oriole and fans seem to be non-existent.

These days, the only people I can give my tickets away are to Yankee or Red Sox fans.

What was once a prime destination of D.C. and Marylanders for baseball has become a waste of time.

Most nights for the past couple of years in Baltimore (except for Red Sox and Yankee games), whether there were promotions for free stuff, or even heavily discounted tickets and specials, the fans stayed away. This past season, the Orioles only drew 2.1 million people, and that is 1.6 million less than in 1997, when the team drew 3.7 million fans.

This year we had a fan protest led by Nestor Aparacio, owner of WNST, a small sports talk radio station in Baltimore along with endless criticism on part of the media and many observers in the world of baseball.

How has a franchise which was once the epitome of baseball teams fallen so far?

First off, much of the apathy starts at the top with Peter Angelos, the Orioles owner. Much of the resentment of the team is shouldered on Mr. Angelos, as some fans put it bluntly, “destroyed the Baltimore Orioles”.

Mr. Angelos has been seen as a man who cannot make up his mind, as well someone who is meddlesome. It has been reported that he tries to have input in player negotiations and deals, which leaves the perception that all decisions do not through the people that were hired – but through him and him only.

As well, with the teams’ performance on the field as a result, the man at the top is the easiest to blame. Right now, amongst fans, he’s so disliked that clamors of Cal Ripken possibly buying the team brings a layer of hope.

In fact, most fans and the media are convinced that the Orioles will and only improve when the team is sold.

The second reason is that with the exception of a few players, Orioles fans have no one to connect or relate to. In my mind, with the exception of Brian Roberts (who is in and out of the community doing various work, to Melvin Mora, who lives in the area, the superstar shortstop Miguel Tejada, fans have no one to really cheer for and be the public face of the team.

The attitude dampened amongst fans shortly in 2005, after sluggers Rafael Palmeiro and Sammy Sosa were dragged into the steroid debate; as well, a year after that, Tejada, Roberts and Gibbons were thrown into the mix by Jason Grimsley.

One of my fellow bloggers and a few friends have opined Ripken may have had a role in declining attendance via his retirement. When Ripken played in Baltimore, even when the team was bad, but there was a chance he’d do something or make history, and more importantly, he was a Maryland guy, and one who was the epitome of baseball and professionalism. I’ve heard stories of him staying hours after he finished a game to sign autographs and interact with the fans. With the exception of Brian Roberts and a few others, most players get into their SUV’s and roll our of the stadium parking lot.

I’ll say since Ripken’s retirement, the buzz at the park has been gone.

Personally, a way to excite the fans is for the players to be more accessible, either via batting practice, willing to sign autographs and perhaps go or beyond what their obligations are.

Third, the team seems not openly embrace it’s history at all, and this was evidently clear with the Orioles not having any role with the 1966 World Series Anniversary at all, as an event was held at a local university in Baltimore by the Babe Ruth Museum. I found very few mentions of that event in the 2006 season, even though it was a watershed moment in the team’s history.

In addition, the teams needs to bring back many of the old players, whether it’s in a town hall fashion, or at the Sports Legends Museum, or at the park one evening to reconnect those fans who saw the great events of the past and the currents to young to remember “The Oriole Way”.

Also an issue of contention with some fans is that “Baltimore” is not on the road jersey. Tony Pente mentioned this as a cause for some fans, and even Press Box tried to push it as well. The Orioles are Baltimore’s team now, and it maybe will bit of a service to fans to put the name of the city on the road jersey.

For me, I love the old 60’s road jerseys, and yes, it would bring back some nostalgia. I even have one at home of Brooks Robinson.

However, I think that’s an ancillary issue.

The Orioles need to stop blaming the Washington Nationals for the attendance issues, as they are not leaving and I personally think living in between the two cities, each city can support their team. I am sure there was some effect of the Nationals coming into the area in terms of some season ticket and luxury box sales, but what ultimately brings fans to the park is the product.

However, many fans who live in Washington D.C. and south the city do not consider the Orioles to be relevant anymore. I could say in living near that city and going to quite a few Nationals games is that is indeed the case. Most fans who followed the Orioles have adopted the Nationals as their team and new generations of fans who could have been Orioles fans will never be.

In addition, many fans are upset at Peter Angelos blocking a movie initially to move the Expos into Washington, and TV rights issue with Comcast that alienated even more fans, locking a vast majority of Nationals’ viewers out of seeing their team.

Camden Yards may be pretty and an awesome baseball experience, but fans cannot sit through 9 nine years of losing and feel the team does not care for the welfare of the fans.

Times change, people change, but the past does not. However, the future can be changed.

Perhaps with the moves the Orioles have made, the fan base will return if team can be competitive. The players need to show the fans they care, and in turn, so do the fans.

I had an ex-girlfriend tell me, "you see the world with blinders on". Perhaps I do, I feel the same way about my team and how I feel about them. In the end, with the negative, you can always see a positive, and even though the Orioles have had rough time, in the end, as long as the fans care and the players try there's always hope.