Angelos interview in PressBox

[OregonBird]

I really enjoyed the interview. It really gives me hopes for a good offseason. I am thinking the 60 mill for the LF is Lee. The ace could be Schdmit at 12 mill a year, and the 1st baseman I have no clue.

At those prices we will likely have competition from bonafide contenders. We will have to overpay a bit.

[BillySmith]

I really enjoyed the interview. It really gives me hopes for a good offseason. I am thinking the 60 mill for the LF is Lee. The ace could be Schdmit at 12 mill a year, and the 1st baseman I have no clue.

Even if he's being honest, though, we're still stuck with the old question of why anyone would want to come here. That's not going to change. I hope we're not in for an offseason of giving out Segui type contracts. That is, paying a pretty penny for players that aren't going to contribute much.

[Sports Guy]

Few things that struck me in the interview:

1) He says an ace pitcher shouldn't cost 14 million but maybe 12-13....If you are willing to go 13 million and it costs you 14 million to get your target, don't you go that extra million?

2) He talks about LF is going to cost you a 60-75 million dollar committment...I am glad he knows that.

3) He mentions that you want a first baseman to hit 20-25 homers and someone who can field the position...HELLO! You had that guy for Ponson or probably several other packages in Adrian Gonzalez and you blew it. Not to mention, you recognize that a first baseman could cost the same dollars as the LFer and here you had one who could have made the league minimum and you didn't do it!

Go get Kotchman or someone like that, save the money.

4) Sounds like he doesn't want to put Baltimore on the road jerseys solely because Hoffberger took it off and no one else has taken it off. Again, i could care less about this and don't think it should be a big deal but it is a small thing that could go a long way in the PR dept.

[TonySoprano]

"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. "

The Orioles website surveyed the fans and the large majority of them wanted "Baltimore" on the jerseys. No response to the fans.

"I might also want to designate the team as Maryland's baseball team."

That may be one reason why he hasn't changed the road jerseys. He can't decide what name to put on them.

Or the Baltimore Orioles of Maryland...

Get ready for the Maryland Orioles...

B..M.

Or the Maryland Orioles of Baltimore...

Hey the Angels do it...

M.O.B., "This thing of ours" could sue for copyright infringement. Note to self, put a call into Neil Mink.

[MCO'sFan]

Prior to 2004, how does a smaller park impact anything if they're not selling it out?

When you (or whoever) gave the attendance figures the larger park allows us to draw more than Boston can. That alone gives us an advantage when you avgerage or total attendance.

For instance while we can draw mid 40's they can only draw mid 30's.

[wildcard]

One thing is clear.

Angelos is more knowledgable about what the O's have to do to be competitive then many of the people that criticize him.

1) He understands the revenue required to compete.

2) he understands why the O's have not been able to compete.

3) He has taken action to put an RSN in place to be more competitive.

4) He used the his incumbent position in the Washington region to the best benefit possible.

5) He states in no uncertain terms the improvements on the field that are required.

6) Those that take issue with the dollars for a particular position are missing the point. He understands the magitude of the amount of money that needs to be spent.

7) It is a fair statement to say you don't think he will do it, but you can't argue with what he understands.

8) He says he is commited to spending. Isn't that what you want him to say?

Great interview. You have to respect him for put it out there on the line. Low ticket prices and all. Seems like a honest position to me.

[Sapper]

When you (or whoever) gave the attendance figures the larger park allows us to draw more than Boston can. That alone gives us an advantage when you avgerage or total attendance.

For instance while we can draw mid 40's they can only draw mid 30's.

Still, even with our larger park, if we have had more butts in the seats over the last 30 years, I hardly think that means THEIR fans are better (as Angelos seems to think). The fact remains, more of our fans walked up, bought a ticket and watched our team play than theirs.

So unless their smaller park was a serious constraint in any of those seasons (which it hasn't seemed to be until the last 2-3 years), I don't think it's reasonable to say that THEY are more rabid/loyal/better than we have been.

And as others pointed out, their collective records over the last 40-50 years has been better than ours. And they haven't gone through a stretch of losing like we have for a generation.

If Angelos wants to continue to kiss theirs and the Yankee fans butts, let him. But he has no business owning our team and trashing us yet again. F Him!

[Sapper]

One thing is clear.

Angelos is more knowledgable about what the O's have to do to be competitive then many of the people that criticize him.

1) He understands the revenue required to compete.

2) he understands why the O's have not been able to compete.

3) He has taken action to put an RSN in place to be more competitive.

4) He used the his incumbent position in the Washington region to the best benefit possible.

5) He states in no uncertain terms the improvements on the field that are required.

6) Those that take issue with the dollars for a particular position are missing the point. He understands the magitude of the amount of money that needs to be spent.

7) It is a fair statement to say you don't think he will do it, but you can't argue with what he understands.

8) He says he is commited to spending. Isn't that what you want him to say?

Great interview. You have to respect him for put it out there on the line. Low ticket prices and all. Seems like a honest position to me.

What a STUPID post. I need to go wash my brain out after reading that. Excuse me while I vomit.

[SteveA]

OK, I've managed to wade through 100+ posts in this thread since coming home from work. No some comments and questions:

1) When asked about the possibility of AAA in Scranton he says it is a possibility, but that there is also something else that might be in the works that he is not at liberty to discuss. Anyone have any idea what that might be? Seems like this is the time of year that minor league working agreements for the next season get ironed out.

2) It is fairly obvious that Zito and Schmidt are not going to be Orioles next year. Everyone remove that from your wish list.

3) We hear all these reports that supposedly come from insiders about hoe he meddles. Some of them are extremely specific, such as how he didn't want a high school shortstop and insisted no college pitching the other year. He categorically denies it. Who is lying here?

4) Things I wish would be addressed that weren't:

A. Why does our front office and manager seem to show a preference for acquiring and playing players who are past their prime or are at least on the downside of their career curve? Those guys are fine to fill roles on teams that are complete except for a few holes, but they are not building blocks for a team that has had 9 straight losing seasons.

B. His conciliatory tone towards the Ravens, and towards the Nationals, are 180 degrees different than his actions and attitudes towards them have been in the past. His history of fighting the Nats is well known, and he has gone out of his way to refuse to acknowledge the presence of the Ravens for the past 11 years. Gary Williams throws out the first ball after Maryland wins it all; the figure skater form Harford County, the swimmer from Towson, all get recognized at the park. Ravens win a Super Bowl and there is no acknowledgement from the Orioles in terms of having Billick throw out a ball or anything like that. I know this is a minor point, similar to the Baltimore on the jerseys, but when I see someone act one way and then all of a sudden verbally make nice, I know what my opinion is going to be.

C. I would have liked to have seen him asked about opening his books, even though the answer is probably predictable.

[Mark Carver]

OK, I've managed to wade through 100+ posts in this thread since coming home from work. No some comments and questions:

1) When asked about the possibility of AAA in Scranton he says it is a possibility, but that there is also something else that might be in the works that he is not at liberty to discuss. Anyone have any idea what that might be? Seems like this is the time of year that minor league working agreements for the next season get ironed out.

Norfolk VA

http://38.114.169.120/forums/showthread.php?t=38425

As per John-OH, "...the new owners of the Baysox/Keys/Shorebirds (at least they're still expected to buy those clubs at the end of the year) also have an ownership stake in the Norfolk Tides."

[SilentJames]

In all fairness, Mark Clayton and Steve McNair have thrown out first pitches since.

[Mark Carver]

In all fairness, Mark Clayton and Steve McNair have thrown out first pitches since.

And nobody in MLB opens their books either...

[PeteCanes]

I go back to the money. 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.

I don't see how this is any indication that he intends to raise payroll. The man compares the situation to a kid asking for things from freaking Santa Claus. For those of you who think he's gonna raise it to $110 million, well, lets just say I've got a helicopter with an ejector seat for sale at my house for 8 billion dollars. I've also got some inflatable dartboards for 100 bucks a pop. PM me if you are interested.

[SteveA]

In all fairness, Mark Clayton and Steve McNair have thrown out first pitches since.

Wow, I must have missed that. Thanks for the info.

[Sports Guy]

OK, I've managed to wade through 100+ posts in this thread since coming home from work. No some comments and questions:

1) When asked about the possibility of AAA in Scranton he says it is a possibility, but that there is also something else that might be in the works that he is not at liberty to discuss. Anyone have any idea what that might be? Seems like this is the time of year that minor league working agreements for the next season get ironed out.

2) It is fairly obvious that Zito and Schmidt are not going to be Orioles next year. Everyone remove that from your wish list.

3) We hear all these reports that supposedly come from insiders about hoe he meddles. Some of them are extremely specific, such as how he didn't want a high school shortstop and insisted no college pitching the other year. He categorically denies it. Who is lying here?

4) Things I wish would be addressed that weren't:

A. Why does our front office and manager seem to show a preference for acquiring and playing players who are past their prime or are at least on the downside of their career curve? Those guys are fine to fill roles on teams that are complete except for a few holes, but they are not building blocks for a team that has had 9 straight losing seasons.

B. His conciliatory tone towards the Ravens, and towards the Nationals, are 180 degrees different than his actions and attitudes towards them have been in the past. His history of fighting the Nats is well known, and he has gone out of his way to refuse to acknowledge the presence of the Ravens for the past 11 years. Gary Williams throws out the first ball after Maryland wins it all; the figure skater form Harford County, the swimmer from Towson, all get recognized at the park. Ravens win a Super Bowl and there is no acknowledgement from the Orioles in terms of having Billick throw out a ball or anything like that. I know this is a minor point, similar to the Baltimore on the jerseys, but when I see someone act one way and then all of a sudden verbally make nice, I know what my opinion is going to be.

C. I would have liked to have seen him asked about opening his books, even though the answer is probably predictable.

I think you can take Zito off of the list but maybe not Schmidt. He seems willing to go up to 13 million for a starter...Doubtful Schmidt gets more than that.