The Baltimore Orioles are the darlings of baseball due to their impressive young roster and push for a spot in the postseason. However, the thin skin of ownership is causing problems.
It comes back to a statistic that Orioles’ announcer Kevin Brown read off during a game on July 23. He noted that the Orioles had already won more games against the Rays than they had in the past two years combined. While this could be taken as celebrating the Orioles’ progress, owner John Angelos reportedly did not feel that was the case. Brown was shifted to radio for the next series, then has inexplicably been off the airwaves since, apparently suspended for those remarks.
Baltimore Orioles find way to ruin positivity
For their part, the Orioles are claiming that Brown was not suspended. Instead, they are saying that it is a matter of “a rotating cast of personalities” that is taken into account. The Baltimore Banner did note that there have been 22 different versions of the broadcast team this year so there is some veneer of viability to that statement.
The problem is that the Orioles past actions do not back up their claims. They decided not to renew Jon Miller’s contract after the 1996 season because of Peter Angelos. He had issues with Miller being critical at times and wanted far more of a homer in the booth. The apple likely does not fall far from the tree here.
It should not be a surprise that other announcers are jumping to Brown’s defense. Mets’ announcer Gary Cohen made his feelings quite clear. The Orioles, perhaps due to the backlash, are planning on bringing Brown back on Friday. Their decision, seemingly made due to the negative publicity, does nothing to change the thin skinned reputation of ownership.
The Baltimore Orioles found a way to ruin the positivity around their season. At least they are bringing Kevin Brown back.
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