Update: Future of Orioles Hangout announcement next week

[Sports Guy]

Thanks for allowing me to jump in to the discussion. I will warn you however that I may not be able to keep up with all of the discourse on a real-time basis, but to those of you who have responded so far....

Pedro Cerrano... we have spent in excess of $50,000 over the course of the past several years and were poised to again spend some dollars advertising (as well as including tickets for Hangout Nights); however, it was not going to be at the level of last season.

Lance... this is entirely a business decision and nothing personal in the least. Until late last week, I would have classified our organization's relationship with the Hangout as strong and my personal relationship with Tony and the site as positive. I am not so sure what to make of it now, but I sure hope that we are permitted to continue to participate. But this was 100 percent a business decision to not subsidize a website we don't operate or control. If the site continues, we still want to play a role. If the site changes, depending on the content, we likely would still want to play a role.

And for those of you expressing dissatisfaction and frustration with the team's performance over the past 14 years... we hear you and feel exactly the same way. The performance is not acceptable to anyone in the organization from ownership on down. And know that many of us do check out this site on a semi-regular or regular basis to see what you are speaking about and are concerned with. Your comments and thoughts do not fall on deaf ears.

LOL...Thanks for that laugh today, it was definitely needed on this slow Monday.

[bobmc]

Whenever anyone from the organization is listening is always a good time to voice frustration. Their product sucks.

If only Frank Costanza had George's ear after he traded Jay Buhner.....

Kidding aside - thanks for the input Greg and hope it leads to a more promising relationship with the OH and a better product on the field.

[OrioleMagic]

I just hope this can be worked out.

[allstar1579]

Obviously I'll wait to hear Tony's responses but, on the surface, nothing you write here seems entirely unreasonable. If the Orioles want to reduce their amount of advertising on the site that is your prerogative. I was certain that Hangout Nights were going to be withdrawn (which would have been, putting it nicely, lousy), but that does not appear to be the case.

I figured that as well...but my issue is that what is it hurting to give us a DEEP discount on those tickets? It's not like we are taking them from other fans who want to pay full price to go, lets be real, this product is terrible and outside of opposing fans and cheap college nights when do they ever draw? They could give us those tickets for free and not be out a penny, because opportunity cost is not actual cost, and they won't sell those tickets anyway.

At this point (and being a former season ticket holder) the Orioles would have to pay ME to go to a game.

[Mr Snuffleupagus]

I figured that as well...but my issue is that what is it hurting to give us a DEEP discount on those tickets? It's not like we are taking them from other fans who want to pay full price to go, lets be real, this product is terrible and outside of opposing fans and cheap college nights when do they ever draw? They could give us those tickets for free and not be out a penny, because opportunity cost is not actual cost, and they won't sell those tickets anyway.

At this point (and being a former season ticket holder) the Orioles would have to pay ME to go to a game.

I don't see any mention of them cutting back on Hangout nights. Just advertising. I agree though, let's not full ourselves into thinking they've provided some great charity by giving out discounted seats to a Orioles/ Royals game. Until the beer is free, they'll be doing just fine on Hangout nights.

[Sports Guy]

I don't see any mention of them cutting back on Hangout nights. Just advertising. I agree though, let's not full ourselves into thinking they've provided some great charity by giving out discounted seats to a Orioles/ Royals game. Until the beer is free, they'll be doing just fine on Hangout nights.

While I agree with AS's point, the Orioles are a business and I wouldn't expect them to give us or anyone else stuff for free.

They also aren't obligated to discount tickets for this site.

That being said, the Orioles are completely out of touch with their fans and have been for some time.

It was obvious when i worked down there and its obvious that this trend continues.

There are a lot of good people down there...I personally never met Greg but he was always very well liked and respected and I appreciate him coming on here and sharing their side.

That being said, no one cares what your reasoning is...All people care about is how PA has taken one of the best organizations in all of MLB and made them a laughing stock. They are the worst franchise in the sport and are the furthest away from contention than any of the teams in pro sports....So, until the Orioles do things properly, any little thing like this will be thrown back in their faces....and they deserve every little bit of it.

Of course, you would figure that they would figure this out and try to change how they operate but we all know that's not going to happen.

[Dipper9]

Thanks for allowing me to jump in to the discussion. I will warn you however that I may not be able to keep up with all of the discourse on a real-time basis, but to those of you who have responded so far....

Pedro Cerrano... we have spent in excess of $50,000 over the course of the past several years and were poised to again spend some dollars advertising (as well as including tickets for Hangout Nights); however, it was not going to be at the level of last season.

Lance... this is entirely a business decision and nothing personal in the least. Until late last week, I would have classified our organization's relationship with the Hangout as strong and my personal relationship with Tony and the site as positive. I am not so sure what to make of it now, but I sure hope that we are permitted to continue to participate. But this was 100 percent a business decision to not subsidize a website we don't operate or control. If the site continues, we still want to play a role. If the site changes, depending on the content, we likely would still want to play a role.

And for those of you expressing dissatisfaction and frustration with the team's performance over the past 14 years... we hear you and feel exactly the same way. The performance is not acceptable to anyone in the organization from ownership on down. And know that many of us do check out this site on a semi-regular or regular basis to see what you are speaking about and are concerned with. Your comments and thoughts do not fall on deaf ears.

Thanks for posting your comments on this situation. It is appreciated.

I have to agree with SportsGuy though...I somehow doubt Mr. Angelos goes to bed angry every night like most of us on here do. We live and die by this team. For some of us, our morning attitude is based on how the Birds did the night before. For you all its a business. For us, as fans, we give our hard earned money to root on the Orioles, and we have done so irregardless of their record. We just want to see some real honest to goodness effort put into fielding a winning team, and from where we sit, that effort has not matched what other teams in the division are doing.

But anyway, I don't mean to derail the thread, and we do appreciate your comments.

[srh523]

The sooner they figure out it is more then just a business the sooner they get back to winning..... by the way the successful "businesses" in the MLB havent had 14 straight losing seasons.

[Tony-OH]

Since Greg decided to make a pre-emptive strike, I will gladly respond, but unfortunately it won't be until tonight. I was hoping to keep the actual business side out of this, but since he has decided to make it known, I will be happy to respond. Greg is very good at presenting his view of the situation but as you can all guess, actually bringing up financial terms in a public forum is unprofessional and tells you a lot about his character. He will do anything to protect an organization that he works for. That's his job so please take that into consideration when reading his propaganda.

[Barnaby Graves]

by the way the successful "businesses" in the MLB havent had 14 straight losing seasons.

Well I guess it depends what you mean by successful, because the Royals and Pirates are certainly making a lot of money off of being terrible.

I realize that budgeting doesn't really work this way but it's upsetting that the franchise wastes millions and millions on guys like Gregg and Baez and suddenly it's a crafty business decision to not support the Hangout.

[Sports Guy]

Since Greg decided to make a pre-emptive strike, I will gladly respond, but unfortunately it won't be until tonight. I was hoping to keep the actual business side out of this, but since he has decided to make it known, I will be happy to respond. Greg is very good at presenting his view of the situation but as you can all guess, actually bringing up financial terms in a public forum is unprofessional and tells you a lot about his character. He will do anything to protect an organization that he works for. That's his job so please take that into consideration when reading his propaganda.

This is gettin good fellas!

[Barnaby Graves]

Since Greg decided to make a pre-emptive strike, I will gladly respond, but unfortunately it won't be until tonight. I was hoping to keep the actual business side out of this, but since he has decided to make it known, I will be happy to respond. Greg is very good at presenting his view of the situation but as you can all guess, actually bringing up financial terms in a public forum is unprofessional and tells you a lot about his character. He will do anything to protect an organization that he works for. That's his job so please take that into consideration when reading his propaganda.

Whoa, wow. Sounds like some bridges have been burned.

Looking forward to your response tonight.

[stockpile]

Thanks for allowing me to jump in to the discussion. I will warn you however that I may not be able to keep up with all of the discourse on a real-time basis, but to those of you who have responded so far....

Pedro Cerrano... we have spent in excess of $50,000 over the course of the past several years and were poised to again spend some dollars advertising (as well as including tickets for Hangout Nights); however, it was not going to be at the level of last season.

Lance... this is entirely a business decision and nothing personal in the least. Until late last week, I would have classified our organization's relationship with the Hangout as strong and my personal relationship with Tony and the site as positive. I am not so sure what to make of it now, but I sure hope that we are permitted to continue to participate. But this was 100 percent a business decision to not subsidize a website we don't operate or control. If the site continues, we still want to play a role. If the site changes, depending on the content, we likely would still want to play a role.

And for those of you expressing dissatisfaction and frustration with the team's performance over the past 14 years... we hear you and feel exactly the same way. The performance is not acceptable to anyone in the organization from ownership on down. And know that many of us do check out this site on a semi-regular or regular basis to see what you are speaking about and are concerned with. Your comments and thoughts do not fall on deaf ears.

Greg,

Your response and explanation is greatly appreciated. It's always nice to hear both sides, but moreover, it's nice to see someone in the Orioles front office take the time to interact with the (dwindling) fanbase.

I completely understand that the Orioles are a business, and must make sound, sometimes tough decisions with regards to expenses, just like any other business. However, I would hope that when looking at the numbers, the "powers that be" make a decision based on more than just the mathematics of the situation. Many times over the years, ownership has made promises regarding the on field performance.... Lines such as "I know you have heard this before, but this time, it will literarly come true" and promising to be "right in the faces" of the Red Sox and Yankees ring in our minds as nothing but lip service at best, outright lies at worst. As you are well aware, the unacceptable product over the past 14 years has rendered the Orioles' fanbase largely apathetic. Quite honestly, it looks like we're in for another summer of playing out a 15th straight losing season (despite a promise from Mr. Duquette to the contrary - we've heard it before), so I don't see how that will improve the situation.

With all that said, I would hope that the "powers that be" look a little deeper than the numbers when considering their level of support for the Hangout. If the Orioles' product simply sold itself, I could more easily accept a "business decision" to cut funding to a fan site such as this. However, the Orioles' product does a better job of selling Washington Nationals fandom or looking forward to Ravens' camp than it does selling the Orioles' name. Therefore, throwing a bone to one of the last groups of hardcore Orioles fans that still cares enough to follow every move of this franchise should be seen as a lot more valuable to the franchise than making a quick budget cut. Keep in mind, this last remaining group of fans DOES follow everything Orioles, so we are also well aware of the "payroll flexibility" that Mr. Duquette has created. That, combined with the above makes it A LOT harder for us fans to accept this as simply a "business decision" that must be made.

Again, thank you for your response. In no way are any of the harsh words directed toward you personally! I don't think it's any stretch to say that Orioles' fans feel kicked in the teeth repeatedly by this organization, and the collective response to this decision is a result of that accumulated frustration and anger. Hopefully, you can convey that to others in the warehouse. Again, thank you for your side of things.

[PrivateO]

Yikes.

*popcorneatinggif*

[Jules]

Since Greg decided to make a pre-emptive strike, I will gladly respond, but unfortunately it won't be until tonight. I was hoping to keep the actual business side out of this, but since he has decided to make it known, I will be happy to respond. Greg is very good at presenting his view of the situation but as you can all guess, actually bringing up financial terms in a public forum is unprofessional and tells you a lot about his character. He will do anything to protect an organization that he works for. That's his job so please take that into consideration when reading his propaganda.

Reading his posts made me (again) realize how childish and poorly run this organization is. Why would he come here- after never posting before in 6 years of having a membership- just to disclose financial tranctions between the OH and the Orioles?

I am so disgusted with this team and franchise. Not a single decent trade, signing, or anything this year. They seriously considered Manny Ramirez! Our GM must still think its 2003 with some of his signings. How many guys can we sign that have been out of baseball for several years...who does that?

But yet, you're going to come onto a diehard message board and disclose the financial terms and discuss negotiations? Ridiculous