TAMC

I am missing a key number. I expect the new group to not NEED the team to be a significant income source as the Angelos family apparently did over the past few years. However I also do not expect the new owners to operate at a loss over any significant time. Maybe a year here and there if the team is really going all out for a WS win, but not as a standard practice. Folks with this kind of money got it by being good investors and good investors don't like long term losses. Since I don't know what the team's (and MASN's) net profits have been recently, it is hard to guess what the potential is for increasing payroll while still maintaining at least a modest profit for the ownership group. We'll all find out together I guess.

I voted no, but I have to say it depends on the team's overall strategy. There is little doubt in my mind that next year's team would be much better if a real upgrade to the starting pitching were made. Such an addition would add to the team strength not only with the wins that pitcher might add but also in the usage patterns for the bullpen and the effect on the schedule of every minor league Oriole pitcher as a level of urgency is possibly removed from their development cycle. It also would increase the probability of Orioles success in playoff games for the next year or two. Probably other benefits also that I can't think of right now. However, if we consider the team success over the next 5 years or so, it is less clear to me that getting a better starting pitcher for the next year or two would be more important than sustaining a steady prospect acquisition and development pipeline in terms of sustained success. I suspect that only the Orioles management really has the information to judge the impact of a particular trade on the long term sustainability of the major league team. I guess that what I am saying is that I want them to focus on ensuring sustained excellence over the longer term rather than focusing on a potential WS victory in the next year or two. To me, maintaining that focus is the top priority this offseason and for any offseason to come. Having said that, I understand that for some winning a WS is the pinnacle of success and, given the uncertainties of the game, going all out to take advantage of an opportunity is worth any subsequent ills (although I suspect that trades we would consider this year would not cause a major rebuild or anything more than a team that had a few additional weaknesses for a few seasons). I guess where I'm coming from is that I would rather see a very competitive team over a multi year time frame that one WS victory.

I understand that we are all having fun with an off-the-wall rumor, but given the saga about Leonsis wanting to buy the Nationals to add programming for Monumental (after dealing with MASN somehow), this article about possible new money for buying or increasing the funding of professional teams might be of interest. Note that only certain types of investment groups can be part owners. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/11/08/wizards-capitals-qatar-ted-leonsis/

I sometimes park at the Transfiguration Catholic Community on West Hamburg St. It is a short walk to the stadium and when I drove by there this weekend they were asking for a $10 dollar contribution.

The two 410 kiosks are a great value. Every item on a limited menu is $4.10. The hot dogs are equivalent or better than the expensive ones elsewhere. One of the kiosks is near Gate D between home and first and the other one is between home and third somewhere -- both on the "outside" of the concourse. Canned drinks (sodas) are also $4.10 there. They do sell beer but not for $4.10

As ever, the subtle lawyer. If we don't score any more runs the other team will eventually score one no matter how good the bullpen is.

Not disagreeing, but to add another viewpoint, we live near Dulles airport and our travel time to a game (we have a 29 game package and usually go to a few others) is wildly variable even on a Saturday. We tend to aim at arrival closer to 1 hour before the game than 30 minutes before to allow time for unexpected travel time. If things work out as they often do during the week that we arrive more than an hour before game time, it is kind of a drag to sit in the car until the gates open.

My family and I went to every Fanfest for many years, both in Camden Yards and the Convention Center. We would love to go again if they had it. The kids (and later grandkids) enjoyed the various stuff like hitting, games, etc. they were able to have in the Convention Center and I always enjoyed the panels with minor league players, team officials, and some major league players. Frankly, my fun did not depend on seeing stars or the team record -- time enough for that when the season starts. I just enjoyed hearing folks talk about baseball in the middle of the winter. That said, I skipped a few more recent events at Camden Yards, not because I am disappointed in the team, but because depending on the season of the year it is REALLY hot or cold (and/or wet) when they use the seating bowl and field for these events. If they had it I would come again.

I worked for a railroad when I was in college. The dynamic between the railroad management and other employees was so toxic that they actually searched for ways to poke the other side in the eye. The attitude build up for decades in that case and we may be seeing the same thing playing out in MLB. It almost seems that even the money is secondary to "scoring" against the other side. Two over-competitive sides -- uber-rich folks and top flight athletes.

Just FYI, I get the 403 error occasionally on Windows 10 using Chrome when I use the link at the bottom of the entries to go to a numbered page or use next. If I close the error page and then repeat, it always (so far) just goes to the correct page without an error. Never had it do it twice.

my IP 100.36.17.205 Attempted to go to next page 403 ERROR The request could not be satisfied. Request blocked. We can't connect to the server for this app or website at this time. There might be too much traffic or a configuration error. Try again later, or contact the app or website owner. If you provide content to customers through CloudFront, you can find steps to troubleshoot and help prevent this error by reviewing the CloudFront documentation. Generated by cloudfront (CloudFront) Request ID: EYEIvJURGLlt042bHs3A9UqhlDJm9nXesRLS05ZcljbJ5D7-KoHK9A== Hope this is what you need.

I've been to the home opener and was there for the rainout with the Mariners. Mask is required everywhere and all the time unless you are in your "pod" and eating/drinking. Only supposed to eat or drink at your seat. Can order on your phone, but you have to go pick it up at the concession stand. Many but not all concessions are open. I have the feeling that some prices are higher than before but I don't really remember. $6.50 for regular hot dog and $8 or 8.50 for the larger hot dog. Sausage $9.00 I think. I didn't see kids prices but I wasn't really looking. Still some kinks to work out on phone apps at parking and gate -- slower than one would think. OOPs Meant to be replying to Frobby re game experience. Maybe someone could move it?

Well, if you noticed, I quoted the statement that 29 game packages were keeping their normal seats. My irritation with the O's is not about the seating change. Actually, I was somewhat surprised that we were so close to our usual seats. One of our friends with a 29 game package was moved from 16 to 8. I will say that I have followed the O's and had season tickets since the early 90's and watched some good teams and a lot more bad ones. The reason is that we enjoyed the game experience compared to watching on TV. Some of the restrictions they have placed on things carried into the stadium -- no water, no snacks, for example, that do not seem COVID-related to me -- substantially change the game day experience for me and significantly increase the potential cost especially on a hot day when you need a drink. As I said, we'll see how all that goes this year biefore we do anything. In the meantime, a mild statement of dissatisfaction on a board that someone from the O's might read is not deserving of a snarky comment.

I have the 29 game plan and we were moved to same row one section farther from home, e.g., about 20+ seats worse. We have had our plan for many years in the same seats, but were told take it or leave it. We'll see how this works out, but we may well "leave it" after this year.

When I played football in high school we played each year in a town in a very sandy area whose football field was sand with occasional sand burrs to hold the soil together. The high school fields there have greatly improved but they are probably still jerks.

In this hypothetical, I probably wouldn't pay much. I do pay a lot more normally -- both MASN and 29-game ticket package, but it is hard to be enthusiastic this year for some reason -- not just a bad team because I watched and attended faithfully through all the bad years. Is it Covid-19? Who knows.

Or something that would last as long as the drive to get there.

Having grown up in West Texas and having lived both there and on the East Coast as an adult, mileage is the wrong measure. Where I grew up, 50 miles is a 45 minute drive without much stress. Around the DC beltway, 45 minutes gets maybe 10 miles at rush hour. Our commute to Orioles games is between 2-3 stressful hours for about 50 miles. We do it 30+ times per year, but that would be the equivalent of 150 miles in Texas.

Well, I did re-up in spite of expressing some irritation the other day. I have watched and participated in a lot of baseball, both as an Oriole season ticket holder for more than 20 years and while working with the local youth baseball league as a coach and official. A lot of it was not winning baseball. I don't really care that we have traded two players I enjoyed because I also enjoyed watching some promising young players get a chance -- even when they didn't always look as good as I had hoped. Nonetheless, I did seriously consider taking my entertainment dollars elsewhere. Furthermore, I would not have come back. It is a multi-hour hassle getting to a game in Washington/Baltimore traffic and there needs to be some feeling that the team appreciates the long term fans. Some of the recent changes in Fan Fest, the Dugout Club, etc. (with each change something of a surprise) has not felt like appreciation. Being told by the fan rep that all that is just the way it is also does not seem like appreciation for my business. I like the changes to the baseball side of things, even though there may not be a winning team for a few years, because I see hope for the future under what I consider to be a more intelligent approach to sustaining a winning team. I believe, with no proof, that the organization seriously overspent for several years to maintain a hope of winning playoff games and thereby starved other elements of the organization. I believe, with no proof, that the current efforts to reduce spending on the major league team is necessary to rebuild the infrastructure, including the ability to adequately evaluate and train young players. I buy all that and I really can enjoy seeing less talented players giving everything they have to win a game, even if they are somewhat lacking in talent. However, I am irritated by some recent changes to things I enjoyed with little official explanation of why the changes were made. Wins are not unimportant to me , I would rather see a win than a loss when I fight beltway traffic to get there. That said, I am willing to watch losses if I am given a little more information about the reallocation of resources. I am willing to see things like Fan Fest cancelled if someone would say why it is not economically feasible given the need to re-allocate resources. I can deal with a lot of negatives if there is any attempt to explain why they are necessary. If that is whining to others, then so be it. Many on OH have ideas of why and I always like to hear those ideas, but I hear a vast silence from official sources. Feeding the mushrooms (season ticket holders and other loyal fans) a little bit of information could make up for a lot.

On the other hand, showing disdain for fans, especially season ticket holders, might change the number in the elevator. Was it smart to not pay Villar? Maybe. Was it smart to cancel FanFest (that has been a family tradition for us for many years)? Maybe. Is it smart to change the Dugout Club? Maybe. Does all that have a cumulative effect on my desire to fork out a lot of dollars for season tickets (as I have for more than 20 years, including last year)? You bet it does. We have not renewed. Maybe we will and maybe we won't. I guarantee that if they make me mad enough to make me cancel my season tickets, I will never be back no matter how many wins and World Series they may win.

Probably showing my ignorance, but as long as we're setting up a computerized system, shouldn't the strike zone be 3 dimensional, so we know whether the pitch passed over a portion of the plate and/or through the required vertical zone? This is technically feasible, I think, but might require a lot more cameras/computing requirements. The one on TV seems to be a vertical plane located at some point over the plate.

As a long time season ticket holder who has paid a lot of money over the years to watch an often miserable team, fanfest was one event I could look forward to with pleasure. My family and I attend and enjoy it. We don't care about autographs, but always enjoy the sessions where the GM and Manager can be optimistic, some players appear, etc. To me, it makes up for a little rebuilding pain. I will be very disappointed if they don't have it. I know a lot of what is said is too optimistic, but it's nice to see people on a nearby stage instead of a bunch of uniforms at a distance.

No, I really don't care about either particularly. I am just saying that with the bad team we had, some of the things that statistics reject as being of minimal worth (and correctly I think) have some value to paying fans who want to remain loyal even in down years. I send the Orioles my money even in bad years because I am a fan. It would be nice if they would look for relatively cheap opportunities to make the losing less depressing while we all wait for the long term plan to pay off.

I understand that, in terms of runs eventually scored, the steals by Villar and others had little value. As a person who paid for quite a number of tickets over the course of a really bad season, I enjoyed them. I believe the team will someday wonder what happened to all the loyal fans if they don't do at least something to keep losing teams interesting while the assets build up in the minors.

When the Olympics were in Atlanta, a ticket buyer from New Mexico was directed to foreign sales.