Mark Teixeira To Be Guest of Peter Angelos at Today's Ravens Game?

While the Angels made their landmark offer to Mark Teixeira last week, are the Orioles are now stepping it up in the sweepstakes? It may be a case of maybe or maybe not.

Roy Firestone posted on the popular Orioles Hangout forum causing a flurry of activity last night as he reported that slugger Mark Teixeira will be a guest of Peter Angelos in his box at today's critical Ravens-Steelers game.

Thus, the Examiner had piggy-packed on the announcement as well as ESPN and apparently Comcast Sportsnet.

However, just a few minutes ago, Peter Schmuck and MASN's Roch Kubatko have seemingly debunked this rumor...

Ah, the Hot Stove season. Who really knows what's going on?


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Did It Have To Be This Way...

The other day, I had gone to get an eye exam and I had an interesting conversation with doctor about baseball – specifically, the Baltimore Orioles.

I took part of the day off, decided to dress casual that day and wore a throwback Orioles cap (the one they wore in the late 60’s/early 70’s).

Long story short, the good doctor still follows the team; however, he’s not attended a game up in Baltimore in several years not because of the losing, or the bad teams, but because of solely one reason.

Peter Angelos.

He qipped, “I like the direction the team is going, the trade for Adam Jones, George Sherrill by getting rid of Bedard; that new guy — um, McPhail –he seems to know what he’s doing, but – I will not give Peter Angelos any of my money and I will only go to games again when he dies.”

“Oh, that’s a shame,” I said. “As painful as it is to watch them lose, I just can’t do it. I guess I love baseball too much.”

He says, “I know, but I got tired of his meddling, and the way the team is run.”

I said, “Yeah, I don’t blame you.”

He followed up by saying, “Yeah, I hear he does a lot of good, giving money away and everything — perhaps that should be more important than just baseball; um, but I still won’t go up there (to the Yard).”

I’m always surprised when I hear this. It seems like the community still cares for the Oriole and people still follow it; however, when it comes to opening up their wallets or spending the time and energy to head out to the park, they won’t do it.

Again, I don’t blame people for not going out the Yard. Why should one spend their emotional and financial investment in a product, if it will fail you time and time again?

Well, in the end, the one who is paying the biggest price, aside from the fans is Peter Angelos.

In the end, it won’t matter if he made his money the old-fashioned way – a Horatio Alger story of a man of modest means who becomes a billionaire by working hard, getting an education, a profitable career (I’m not going to argue the merits of it) – who also gives back the community; however, he’ll be known for one thing.

For killing (allegedly) baseball for Oriole fans everywhere.

I’m not going to begrudge a man who has carved out the American dream for himself; however, the hatred of Angelos amongst many just tells you how important sports are in the hearts and minds of people.

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A Cooked Bird: The Orioles Turkeys of 2007…

Well, being that we are in the holiday season, and Thanksgiving is around along corner with Black Friday, where everyday sane people go all psychotic for deals on toys and stuff that they will use for a week and forget about, the Baltimore Orioles have been a source of entertainment along with a lot of pain.

That being said, I want us all here to pick the 'Oriole Turkey' of the year. Yes, being that the organization was bad once again in 2007 and brought us infamous moments such as the Mother's Day Massacre, the 30-3 game, and the national press that our players have gotten (obviously for nothing good), we might was honor infamy and general badness.

Here are my eleven choices...

***

Now, let's get started:

Our First Entry; Sam Perlozzo's Management Decisions and the Mother's Day Massacre: Yes, we all remember this day and there's no need to go over it.

Our Second Entry: Danys Baez, simply ineffective and a complete waste of money. He was just bad and now will probably miss 2008 due to elbow surgery.

Our Third Entry: Jay Gibbons. After a promising start to his career, he's forgotten how to hit. Um, steroids are supposed to make you better, aren't they?

Our Fourth Entry: The 30-3 Game. No need for the details. Furthermore, this happened on Dave Trembley's first day on the job...

Our Fifth Entry: Brian Roberts calling out the Oriole fans for not coming to Camden Yards and supporting the Orioles; Entry 5A:Peter Angelos welcoming Yankee & Red Sox fans to Baltimore...

Our Sixth Entry: Daniel Cabrera throwing at the Red Sox's Dustin Pedroia's head and nearly causing a brawl...

Our Seventh Entry: Melvin Mora for this statement: “I’m one of the best third basemen in the American League and in baseball. If you are going to move me, you have to make the team more competitive.”

Our Eighth Entry: Kevin Millar and his homerism of the Red Sox...

Our Ninth Entry: Aubrey Huff besmirching Baltimore, his love for porn stars, women, and his stupidity...

Our Tenth Entry: Our former two-head GM outfit for not realizing what we all knew -- this team is not good and is in trouble. Not to forget, spending $42 million on a BULLPEN!

Our Eleventh Entry, Just For A Cheap Pop: Peter Angelos and the Tenth Losing Season in Baltimore...

***

Ok, so here are my eleven choices. Alas, I am probably missing a few more, but you all more than free to chime in and post whatever infamous moments or people we can think of.

The floor is yours.

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Yet Another Black Eye For The Orioles -- The Maryland Stadium Authority Worker Debate...

It seems all that the news that have been mentioned recently about the Orioles in the media has been bad.

The losing, the horrific play, the Buchholz no-hitter, the 30-3 game; therefore, this post keeps up in the tradition of bearing the bad news about the Baltimore organization.

This week, there have been a series of articles in the media about the Maryland Stadium Authority and those who clean up both M&T Bank along with Oriole Park at Camden Yards once the fans have left.

Here's the skinny on the situation:

"The UWA, a human rights group founded by homeless day laborers in Baltimore, represents 800 low-wage workers who make up the pool of the 100-120 people who keep Camden Yards clean. Stadium workers--the people who clean out the bathroom stalls, sweep up the small mountains of cigarette butts and make the Camden Yards experience as pristine as promised--make poverty wages, just $7 an hour.

Work schedules for stadium workers can vary as well. Some workweeks can be well over forty hours; in other weeks, if the Orioles are on the road, the laborers don't work at all. Take-home pay varies accordingly, depending on the number of home games in a week and how long the games last. The windfall earned from a game that goes into extra innings can make a real difference in the way a family eats in a given week."

Whatever your politics are, or if you are pro-business or not, it is pretty galling that a multi-million dollar entity such as the Baltimore Orioles who play in a park paid for with public funds could not pay the workers who clean the stadiums a living wage even if it is the responsibility of a state run service.

New Flash: $7 an hour gets YOU NOWHERE in this country.

Considering that mandated pay wage for those who work in Baltimore is a minimum of $9.62 an hour and the state of Maryland in the next few weeks will require employers to pay workers $11.30 an hour, it's quite jarring what the those who clean the stadiums are being paid hourly.

However, because they are considered "temporary/seasonal" help, the workers are exempt from both city and state laws.

Sorry, I know some industries have been able to become wealthy off the backs of the poor, vulnerable and disenfranchised, but a state run entity has no business being cheap with their employees.

Especially, when the athletes on the field can make millions of dollars per year for sucking.

Get real.

However, this quote made my eyes open:

"It's interesting that the UWA will win or lose without a lick of help from Orioles owner Peter Angelos. The UWA claims that in 2004 Angelos promised to make up the difference in a living wage out of his own deep pockets. It's a promise he has failed to keep. Angelos loves to tout his credentials as a union-supporting, lifelong Democrat. He made his fortune as an attorney representing trade unions in class-action suits against the ill effects of asbestos. He further burnished his credentials as the "worker boss" when he was the only owner to publicly support the players' union in the 1994 strike.

But since 2004 he's done little for the people scraping the crud off his stadium. The Baltimore Orioles, once one of baseball's proudest franchises, has withered under his watch. What makes Marylanders smile about Angelos these days is the rumor that he is considering selling the team to a group led by Orioles icon Cal Ripken Jr. A victory for the UWA would be a victory for all Baltimore workers--and a nice slap back at Angelos, who apparently won't unload the team soon enough for either the workers of the UWA or the residents of Charm City."

From the Nation Online...

I'll keep this short, but if Angelos did agree to do this, and he either conveniently forgot or could not keep his word, he deserves all the hatred he gets. For all that he's done, purporting himself as helping out the "little man", he's now proved himself your greedy typical tycoon and it's pathetic.

I'll ask, does Peter Angelos even give a s**t about the way he's perceived?

The Idiot File: Orioles Scouting Director, Joe Jordan...

Today, I have added a member of the Orioles' organization to the Idiot File. It was something I never thought I would ever do, but I have to.

Throughout life, you are taught to never bite the hand that feeds you.

That statement rings true in relationships, and throughout corporate America. Last night, as the Orioles signed their first round pick, Matt Weiters, Orioles scouting director, Joe Jordan decided to show his excitement to the Oriole fan base and the media with these ill-advised words of thought and reflection:

This has to be the quote of the year by an team official or executive, as I have no idea if he was trying to be funny, facetious or just an a**hole, but here it is...

"They got the deal done," said an elated Orioles scouting director Joe Jordan. "You can tell the city of Baltimore that the old evil owner stepped up and took care of things tonight. We had to fight to the end."

Whoa. Ok.

I'm proud that the Baltimore Orioles signed Matt Wieters, beat Boras, and scored a major coup, and I commend the team on doing so, but it is to be expected -- isn't it?

We all want to beat our chests and cry out to the sky when we do something good, but in the manner that Mr. Jordan did it in?

Absolutely not. He sounds so ornery and so full of himself, it's not funny and very insulting to the people left who come out and support the team.

I'm sure Mr. Jordan is a well compensated and loyal Oriole employee, but honestly he sounds like an a**hole and just downright arrogant. Furthermore, he comes off as very condescending to the fans and should be reprimanded for being dumb enough to have what he said in print.

Yes, Peter Angelos might have come through in the end for the organization to secure Weiters; however, he's the subject for some much scorn because of um, the last ten or so years.

The numbers don't lie.

The Orioles have not been good and honestly, Angelos is the captain of the ship, so the blame starts at the top - sorry.

Furthermore, if memory serves me well, Mr. Jordan is the scouting director of the organization.

So, in theory, Mr. Jordan is part of the problem too, isn't he.

Mr. Jordan, in the future, look before you leap.

Markakis, Loewen, & the Relationship of the Orioles and the Washington DC Area...

Wow. I caught this after surfing around the web and various forums just right now.

...Baltimore Orioles players Adam Loewen and Nick Markakis were booed when shown on the scoreboard telescreen, while D.C. United soccer star Ben Olsen drew cheers from the crowd of 16,924....

As a resident of Maryland, an Orioles as well as a Nationals fan, I certainly understand all too well the sentiments of those in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. I can attest that those in that area who dislike the Orioles don’t necessarily hate the players, but the owner, Peter Angelos. I sometimes walk through the city with a Orioles cap on and I’ll get smart remarks like “Angelos Sucks”, “Orioles Suck” or if you’re in DC or Virginia, "why do you still have Orioles stuff on ?”

For example, if you’re an O’s fan and shout “O” during the National Anthem while at RFK, you will get a lot of heat from Washingtonians.

A quick review: Peter Angelos fought tooth and nail to prevent the Montreal Expos (who became later the Washington Nationals) from moving to Washington D.C. as the team would be encroaching on his territory. MLB only moved the team to the nation’s capital for the fact there was no other viable market that could sustain a team and have a facility up and ready to play in.

As a concession for the Expos moving to into Washington D.C., MLB set up a regional sports network, MASN, for both the Orioles and Nationals, but Peter Angelos and the Oriole would own the majority of the network permanently. Also, the Orioles now could not be sold at open market for less than $365 million, almost double the amount the team was originally purchased for.

In addition, the vast majority of fans could not see the Nationals until late 2006, as MASN and Comcast, a cable provider fought over a contract over Orioles coverage in 2007 and beyond, so Comcast refused to put MASN on their cable systems.

The experience of the cable network along with the fight to get the Expos into Washington led D.C. area to resent bitterness and hatred towards Angelos along with the Baltimore Orioles. A lot of Orioles fans who lived in Maryland, D.C. and Northern Virginia became Nationals fans, as some were former Senators fans, some wanted to root for a team in their own vicinity, as well a few did because there were not satisfied with the team under ownership with Angelos.

Was it a bit crass and immature for some angry D.C. fans to rail against Nick Markakis and Adam Loewen, two young players who have nothing to do with the Orioles and their business practices? Yes, but it is America, and sports fans have the right to voice their displeasure. I can not criticize Washington area fans for their anger, because in my mind it is in a way rightly justified and sports is an emotional thing in people’s lives.

However, as I look at things from Angelos’ view and in a corporate sense, the moves he made were smart and in a way, he needed to protect his investment. Now, I am not agreeing in the way he conducted himself, but a lot of what did made sense and with his skills as a lawyer, he surely did benefit greatly from the Expos moving into the Mid-Atlantic region although the Orioles have not been competitive and attendance has dropped greatly.

In the end though, it comes back to Markakis and Loewen were sadly the target of the ire of Peter Angelos. Did they deserve it – no; but nevertheless, the incident is representative of what the Orioles face in Washington D.C.

Fanning the Flames: MASN Criticism from Marc Fisher

A week or so ago, I talked with MASN Spokesperson, Todd Webster what MASN would be doing baseball-wise in 2006, and as well the perception amongst many, especially those in Washington that MASN was too Baltimore-centric for another blog. I had several criticisms, most especially that the baseball coverage on MASN was severely lacking this offeason

Add another critic to the fray: Washington Post writer and blogger, Marc Fisher.

In a recent post to his blog, Raw Fisher, titled The Angelos Channel: All-Baltimore, All the Time, he’s nothing short of brutal towards Baltimore Orioles’ owner, Peter Angelos.

I’m not going to bash Mr. Angelos at all anymore, but MASN needs to a do a lot more with the Orioles and Nationals baseball coverage as it does not even to compare to other networks, such as YES or NESN.

As both a Nationals and Orioles fan, I would not say Angelos would be dumb enough to try to not market MASN to Washington, but in the back of my mind, it’s almost like Washington is indeed seen as a secondary market. In my conversation with Todd Webster, I mentioned that many Washington residents were highly upset with MASN and the lack of Washington coverage.

In that sense, Fisher is right. MASN not only needs to cover the Orioles and Nationals, but also

Again, one of my main criticisms of the network to Mr. Webster was that MASN does not cover enough baseball at all, and it would be in their best interests to start emphasizing both the Orioles and the Nationals, and perhaps having separate shows for each team. I also believe that MASN should use some of the brilliant baseball minds in both cities to spark the interests of baseball fans. If there was a new show strictly about baseball on MASN, fans may feel more connected to the team, and it would be beneficial to see players and staff from both teams go on the air and talk about the season and all.

I don’t know if much of what is going with MASN is due to it being a fledgling network, or just trying to map a plan, or whatever else, but an improvement sorely with the baseball coverage, especially in terms must be made.

Well, I am going to try to be positive and see what happens before spring training and beyond, but again I see where Marc Fisher is coming from.

Is Orioles' Owner Peter Angelos Really That Bad?

In both the cities of Washington and Baltimore, there’s one man who in the world of sports who is vilified like no other.

His name is Peter Angelos, majority owner of the Baltimore Orioles and highly successful trial lawyer.

The crescendo of the immense hatred towards him came about on September 21, 2006 when an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 fans walked out in the middle of an Orioles game in Baltimore against the Detroit Tigers to protest the way he has run the team. After the event, much was made of the protest in the local and national media.

He is disliked in Maryland because simply he owns the Baltimore Orioles who have had nine consecutive losing seasons. He’s hated in Washington perhaps with more vitriol as he opposed the Montreal Expos moving to Washington D.C. because he was afraid a second team in territory that his team served would severely harm the Orioles marketability and finances.

However, Peter Angelos was compensated for the move of the Expos into Washington D.C. by Major League setting a $375 million sale price for his team (he and his group paid $173 million) and a sports network was created for him in which and the Orioles would own a majority share. The network shows both Orioles and National games.

Almost on a weekly basis, via the media, chatting with fans, or on various boards on the internet, the criticism towards Peter Angelos is like a piñata that takes a constant beating with a bat.

In light of his tenure as owner of the Orioles, most people tend to forget the work Peter Angelos has accomplished as a trial lawyer and philanthropist, especially in the state of Maryland. For the past several years, he’s been a huge backer in the development of downtown Baltimore with the acquisition or real estate and creating new properties.

An old boss of mine used to say in the workplace, “People don’t remember when you do well; they remember when you screw up.”

This is the case with Peter Angelos. Before his days as a baseball owner, he was a lawyer and with one big case which gave him the purchasing power to own a team; he acquired power with both his wealth and his ownership of the Baltimore Orioles.

The reputation of him before he got into the business of baseball was being a champion for the “little guy” as he represented workers and consumers, in which went to litigation against corporate giants like Philip Morris and Motorola.

The turning point in Angelos’ legal career came about in the mid 1980’s as he worked with labor leaders in representing employees who were affected by asbestos. With his fees from the cases, and the high profile it gave him, he was able to expand his law firm to the point where it is one of biggest law firms in the state of Maryland. As well, with the proceeds from his legal victories, he was able to purchase the Baltimore Orioles.

More importantly, Peter Aneglos became a big time player in the world of Maryland politics, especially in donations to Democrats, legislation and the development of several areas in Baltimore.

Pam Smith of the Mother Jones, Smart Journalism website asserts:

“Angelos, who led a group of investors that purchased the Baltimore Orioles in 1993 for a then-record $173 million, wields considerable financial and political clout at home. When he wants something from state lawmakers, the measures he supports are referred to simply as "Angelos bills." The state assembly gave lawyers like Angelos more time to sue by extending the statute of limitations on asbestos cases; the measure was sponsored by state Senator Norman Stone Jr., who later accepted a position with Angelos' firm. The assembly also created more judgeships to speed asbestos cases along; the bill passed after Angelos brought Orioles' superstar Cal Ripken Jr. for a photo opp with state legislators. "The idea that one person could provide all this major legislation has been amazing," House Minority Leader Robert Flanagan (R) told the Baltimore City Paper”.

Well, as you can see, owning a major sports team and having great wealth translates into incredible power, and he has used it to his advantage.

In light of owning of the Orioles, he has also served on many board and involved himself in quite a few philanthropic ventures. Peter Angelos has served the community as a member of the Baltimore City Council & serves as a member on several boards with area universities, including the prestigious Johns Hopkins University. In addition, he also serves on the boards of the University of Maryland Foundation, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Saint Josephs Hospital and the Grant-A-Wish Foundation.*

What most people don’t realize is that the Baltimore Orioles is only but a good portion of his fortune.

He owns quite a bit of property in downtown Baltimore, including four office buildings along Charles Street, and also is spear-heading a creation of a Hotel right in the vicinity of Camden Yards.

Although he is consistently beaten up for the Orioles’ performance and dwindling attendance, Peter Angelos has for the most part been a positive influence in the shaping of downtown Baltimore and will be at it for the near future.

In the end, however, to fans of the Orioles and baseball in general, the business development he’s ushered to Baltimore and his good work are sadly irrelevant; it’s the state of the team along with wins and losses. For many, Peter Angelos and Baltimore are linked with Orioles, not a skyscraper, law firm or fancy real estate project, his legacy will be determined by what shape the Orioles are if the team is sold, or if he leaves.

More on the O's "Prime Game" Pricing...

As I posted earlier on the blog, the Baltimore Orioles now have instituted “prime games” in which teams that draw fans will be more expensive than regular priced games. This year, the selected games are against the Red Sox, Yankees and Orioles’ Opening Day.

A fellow blogger from the My Baseball Bias website posted an excellent follow-up to what I wrote. It’s worth a read and I appreciate him doing so:

Link: http://mybaseballbias.com/?p=96

On a few of the Orioles’ forums out there, some fans welcome charging Boston and New York fans for the experience in Baltimore, while some are upset because in turn, Oriole fans will be charged more and there are quite a few people with families along with college students, those on a fixed income who may or may not be able to afford the price of tickets.

Do I have a problem with this? Not so much. This is an issue of supply versus demand and the Orioles are a business, and any business has the right to charge whatever they please if they can get the revenue. In addition, if you have ever been at Camden Yards during a Boston or New York series, the fans from their respective teams take over and a good majority travel to see their teams and help the Baltimore economy.

In fact, a lot of businesses cater to those crowds. In most of the games against the Yankees and Red Sox, O’s fans are outnumbered – in some cases 3 to 1 or 4 to 1. This discourages a lot of fans from coming to the park, where in some cases they are subject to abuse from the opposing teams’ fans.

However, for a lot O’s fans out there, season ticket holders generally do not have pay the prime ticket prices if they buy the tickets from the team’s office rather via the internet.

Considering the Yankees and Red Sox were the only two teams where “prime games” pricing was used, what it does say about the state of O’s fans at Camden Yards?

We are not showing up and it reflects in the attendance.

According to Baseball Bias from the research done, the fans have stayed away from Camden Yards – in droves.

- In 1997, the Orioles season total for attendance was 3,711,132
- In 2001, the Orioles season total for attendance was 3,094,841
- In 2006, the Orioles season total for attendance was 2,153,250
- In 2006, the Orioles drew almost 20,000 less fans a game than they did in 1997.

There are quite a few reasons the fans are not coming out to Camden Yards, but the whole argument begins with the product on the field.

Our fans will come back and support a superior product, when that happens. We don't have that right now, nor has it been seen in almost a decade.

Peter Angelos can blame the Washington Nationals in the drop of attendance; however Oriole attendance has been dropping since then. While there might be a small drop, due the lack of interest, anger at Peter Angelos, and the traffic situation between the two cities, both cities have more then enough people to support them.

However, when you are the laughing stock of baseball and you’ve managed to alienate your fanbase in two cities, then you have apathy.

I don’t put the onus on Peter Angelos, but on the team and it’s performance. The team has to pay better, plain and simple. With the exception of Tejada, Mora, Roberts & the rise of Markakis, the Orioles do not have a real star and I think Ripken retiring had a small role, but not nearly as large as 9 losing seasons.

However, since Peter Angelos is captain of the ship, he’ll get the blame.

Peter may not have spent the money needed to compete for a few years, but in the end, it’s the product of the field that counts. Oriole fans no doubt care for their team, but why spend your hard earned money if the entity you give to doesn't put out a competitive product.

In my mind, Camden Yards is a great baseball experience. To be honest, the Orioles will only have the fans come back, if and when we are ready to compete with the big boys. We have spent some money to build what looks like will be a respectable team on paper, now the O’s have translate it into W’s.

Link to a previous post on the Red Sox/Yankee fan attendance issue: The Explosion and Annoyance of Yankee and Red Sox fans at Oriole Park at Camden Yards

On the topic of Peter...

Read this interview with Peter Angelos from Pressbox Online. I will say no more...

http://www.pressboxonline.com/story.cfm?id=738