Angelos interview in PressBox

[FellsPointOsFan]

I'm shocked this hasn't been posted already...

Don't know how long this has been available, but the new Baltimore sports weekly Press Box has an interview with Angelos posted on their website.

Here's the "money quote," so to speak:

...the key to all this, to get off the losing years and so on, is more money invested on the field. And obviously, with that becoming available, that's exactly what we're going to do.

Here's the link...

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

[Sports Guy]

That is OBVIOUSLY want they are going to do? LOL....When will he learn?

See my tag line. vvvvvvvvvvv

[FellsPointOsFan]

That is OBVIOUSLY want they are going to do? LOL....When will he learn?

See my tag line. vvvvvvvvvvv

I know! I guess maybe one of these years, like a broken clock, it will become true.

[Sports Guy]

I know! I guess maybe one of these years, like a broken clock, it will become true.

I don't understand why he has to talk in absolutes so much.

Just say we plan on spending money this offseason and hope to accomplish things and get us where we need to be.

Don't talk like it willd efinitely happen and if and when it doesn't, you look foolish AGAIN!

Maybe Wild Bill is PA??

[Andy_Dufresne]

angelos said

For example, I was at a meeting in Milwaukee and everyone was talking about the most recent deal the Astros made giving [pitcher Roy] Oswalt $73 million for five years, $14.5 million a year. (chuckle) That is lunacy. He's going to pitch every fifth day. A good ballplayer and all that, but $14.5.million a year…now come on.

You can Kiss Zito and Schmidt good bye.

Right now with that $75 million payroll, you need an ace to go with your four young pitchers. You need a left-fielder who can hit 30-35 home runs and --we're talking as if this is Christmas and we were talking to Santa Claus. You'd probably want a first baseman to hit 20-25 home runs and can field the position and some bullpen help. You add those components to this ballclub, you'd have one hell of an interesting ball club.

So, we're not that far away, but what's that going to cost you? I'll tell you, the left fielder -- with what happened with Oswalt -- is going to cost you a $60-75 million commitment. First base, you're talking about similar dollars. Ace pitcher, I don't think you have to go to $14 million, but you're in the $12-13 range. I wouldn't also include the money for the bullpen. And you also have that guy Jim Hoey, who is 6'5, who can throw the ball 100 mph. He just needs a little seasoning and I think Leo Mazzone will take care of that. And that's where you are and from $75 million, we've just jumped up to about $110 million.

[bgfield]

This bothers me:

Is that really a fair system, where some teams virtually have no chance to compete? Is there anything MLB can do?

There is revenue sharing, there is a restriction on debt that can be incurred, there have been numerous recent innovations lessening that disparity. We haven't reached that point yet. It's just that kind of game.

For example, I was at a meeting in Milwaukee and everyone was talking about the most recent deal the Astros made giving [pitcher Roy] Oswalt $73 million for five years, $14.5 million a year. (chuckle) That is lunacy. He's going to pitch every fifth day. A good ballplayer and all that, but $14.5.million a year…now come on.

What does that result in? That results in those $45, $46 and $47 average ticket prices. I don't want to raise ticket prices. I want the game to be accessible. But nobody wants to talk about that, they want to talk about those nine losing seasons... The Clancys, the Geppis and all the rest of the people who joined me in buying this ballclub don't want to raise the ticket prices either.

What you end up with if you don't raise ticket prices is a payroll that is respectable at $75 million, but not enough to compete with the boys who have the $45-$47 ticket average and are putting out $130-$140-million dollar payrolls. You become the loser and they become the winner. They become the admired and you are the castigated. That's baseball; I'm not complaining.

While I admire the fact that Angelos doesn't want to raise ticket prices to a point where fans can't go to ballgames as often as they'd like, I don't like that he tries to use that excuse to justify not spending.

I agree that $14.5 million a year to pitch every fifth day is ludicrous, but that's baseball. Pete says he doesn't like to lose (which I do believe) but he can't go on believing he can win by making bargain signings. If in 2008 we're a starting pitcher away from contending then Pete had damn well better open up his pocket book and toss all the money he has at said pitcher.

[ChrisP]

angelos said

You can Kiss Zito and Schmidt good bye.

Yup, not that anyone thought we had a chance.

[SilentJames]

That was actually a pretty interesting interview. The best PA interview I ever read.

My admiration of Press Box just shot up thorugh the roof.

They asked him ACTUAL QUESTIONS, and didn't let him take the easy way out.

Major rep for Press Box

[Witchy_Chick]

Thanks for the link. It's given me several moments of hysterical laughter the past 5 minutes or so. My favorites:

It's great tradition and having a team in Washington is a good thing.

It wasn't such a good thing when he b!tching and dragging his feet about a team being re-located to Washington. But now that he (and the Orioles) own part of the Nats' TV revenue, it's a "good thing."

We were concerned it would cause us severe economic problems . . . it already has caused us a certain loss of fan support. And we have lost fan support from the losing seasons.

I love how he tacks on the "losing seasons" as an after-thought cause for poor attendance.

For example, I was at a meeting in Milwaukee and everyone was talking about the most recent deal the Astros made giving [pitcher Roy] Oswalt $73 million for five years, $14.5 million a year. (chuckle) That is lunacy. He's going to pitch every fifth day. A good ballplayer and all that, but $14.5.million a year…now come on.

We won't be bidding on Zito or Schmidt or the Japanese dude, folks. That's too much money to give a guy who only plays every 5 days.

My most disappointing moment was in '97, when it looked like we were going to the World Series. We had gone to the playoffs two years in a row…and Mike Mussina pitched the best game I've ever seen pitched and we lost 1-0 because our guys couldn't bring two runs in during the whole game. We must have had 25 guys on second base, and we never got one of them in to at least tie that game. I don't know how we lost that game.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.....

Now, I have heard some of them mention that this MASN development might really generate some real funds which would permit the Orioles to spend more money. That's a pretty strong acknowledgment that the key to all this, to get off the losing years and so on, is more money invested on the field. And obviously, with that becoming available, that's exactly what we're going to do. We're going to do that because we are hometown and we are sensitive to what the public is thinking. I know a lot of Baltimore fans, and, just personally, I want them to feel like I am responding to their wishes.

I suppose, this time, it will literally come true. I'll believe it when I see it.

Witchy

[SilentJames]

The low ticket prices are nice, but do you lose more fans by keeping ticket prices low and fielding a loser or raising ticket prices and increase your chances of fielding a winner? Like it or not, you've got to keep up with the Jones's.

I liked the interview but he still has the same attitude of not overspending for a player.

One thing I would propose is sort of a two for one deal. If you own a Ravens PSL, you can get a 15 game plan at a 15% discount - a 30 game plan at a 30% discount. You could work something out with the ravens going the other way.

Lets help out the people that WANT to root for both teams but Baltimoreans aren't New Yorkers as far as money goes.

[JTrea81]

This is a great article and it gives insight into Angelos - of course unless he is lying through his teeth

A few tidbits worth mentioning:

He mentions not getting Teixeira as being unlucky - the fact that he mentions his name makes me think the minute he is available the O's are going after him.

He mentioned Hoey as well and thinks Mazzone can make him an integral part of the 'pen.

Also this little tidbit on baseball economics:

the left fielder -- with what happened with Oswalt -- is going to cost you a $60-75 million commitment. First base, you're talking about similar dollars. Ace pitcher, I don't think you have to go to $14 million, but you're in the $12-13 range. I wouldn't also include the money for the bullpen. And that's where you are and from $75 million, we've just jumped up to about $110 million.

This is the most telling comment though:

I am a busy lawyer, I don't have time. I don't go over there. There's an office over there I haven't seen in the last five years."

Do the front office people call me? They call me if they want to commit some substantial sum for a given player. It's a question of dollars and cents. And they have free latitude to make the selections they think appropriate; the only restraint that I would impose is: "What's it going to cost?"

That's a heck of a restraint...

[bgfield]

I liked the interview but he still has the same attitude of not overspending for a player.

He reminds me of any old person. My grandfather goes nuts over the gas bill, water bill, all bills. When he heard my brother had to spend $800 on surgery for his dog's torn ACL, he said he should have just let the dog die (not that it was a life threatening issue).

Gee, you think my Grandfather could run the O's?

[BillySmith]

I don't remember him talking about money quite this candidly before. He basically is saying you don't have to spend 100 million to contend. He referenced the Twins and A's and luck. But he also says he intends to spend because the fans equate a turnaround with spending more. And he's a homer, sensitive to the fans desires, and will spend the money: an ace, a leftfielder, a first baseman, and some bullpen help. A payroll of 110 million, he says.

Crazy shtuff.

[JTrea81]

Also worth mentioniing is this tidbit about the "Orioles" name:

It wouldn't take anything in particular. It would be a decision really to revamp the uniform to some extent. And we would have to address that, and that may very well be done. I don't really have a problem with that. I might also want to designate the team as Maryland's baseball team. I have had complaints from Marylanders living outside the Baltimore Metro area, complaining we always talk about Baltimore…so maybe a combination might work.

Get ready for the Maryland Orioles...

[BillySmith]

This article puts a damper on any thoughts of overpaying to "convince" a free agent to come here.

I wonder who PA thinks this "ace" is that we are going after?

Seems like he wants a good defense, 20-25 homer guy at first. Sorry, Jay.

Will Soriano take 12-13 year?