Is Cal a former Oriole or Yankee?

[sjoslyn]

There's been some subtleties as well; at his Statue ceremony, why wouldn't he wear an orange tie? He chose a blue tie. Same with the broadcast against the rangers. My best bud who's a die hard Mets fan even noticed. His reasoning even lead him to say Keith Hernandez will still be a homer for the Mets and he's not really proud of it. Kinda disappointed in my childhood idol.

[jonesing4pie]

I don't think Cal has any idea what he's done to his image.

Cal is a very nice guy. Cal obviously is a very intelligent baseball player. He has always come off as a pretty good businessman as well. But his performance in the booth has done two things to his image IMO.

1) Globally: he doesn't sound that intelligent. His questions and comments lack depth and make him sound unintelligent. He also lacks charisma to make up for it. He is far inferior to Smoltz in terms of breaking the game down. While he can improve this, he has definitely come off as a guy who isn't as intelligent as the general public thought.

2) Locally, he has alienated himself from a number of Orioles fans. I didn't expect him to be a big homer in the booth but he seems to be buddies with every Yankee and distant from every Oriole. Additionally, he really does sound more excited about the Yankees win tonight than he had at almost any point in his career.

[Uli2001]

On the botched double play the Yankees could not turn in (in the middle innings), Ripken said it was "a shame."

There is something wrong with this fellow. Either he hates Angelos so much for not selling him the team he is rooting against them, or he is just a no-class Yankees sycophant.

[zweem]

Where do you get the nice guy part from?

Those who I know that know him, or had dealings with him, would hardly call him a nice guy.

[Dark Helmet]

On the botched double play the Yankees could not turn in (in the middle innings), Ripken said it was "a shame."

There is something wrong with this fellow. Either he hates Angelos so much for not selling him the team he is rooting against them, or he is just a no-class Yankees sycophant.

Cal is about Cal. Its always been that way. Hes not Cal, the hometown hero anymore. He knows being another Yankee talking head, is the path to being a national broadcaster. He's basically sold his soul. He may aswell stay up in NY after this series. I could care less if he ever "graces" us with his presence anywhere near Camden Yards again.

[sangar]

Give us a link. It would be great to see outsiders opinions on this.

Didn't see this the other night. Here is the link to tonight's game thread on the Angels board. They are giving it to Ripken pretty good.

http://www.angelswin.com/forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=69543&posts=50&start=1

[Dark Helmet]

Where do you get the nice guy part from?

Those who I know that know him, or had dealings with him, would hardly call him a nice guy.

Exactly. I live in Aberdeen, and half or more of the people here cant stand him. Hes an arrogant blowhard, that knows when the camera is on him.

[24fps]

I don't think Cal has any idea what he's done to his image.

I think you're right, but we're all pretty biased around here. It will be interesting to see the reaction from non-Orioles fans over time; whether they pick up on the incongruity of it all. I switched from TBS to ESPN several times throughout the game, and Cal really has a long ways to go.

[sangar]

Of course, not everyone sees it this way.

From a Yankee board:

"I like Ripken and obviously have a ton of respect for him but I don’t understand how TBS can put him on the O’s series. I don’t blame him for being biased to a team he really cares about. I blame TBS."

"Yeah not Ripken’s fault and I do not blame him one bit to be rooting for the O’s. Totally correct in what was TBS thinking?"

"It’s just too obvious. I always thought Smoltz was a bit anti-Yankee (probably is just me) but he’s not terrible and the only connection is those old battles he had with the Yanks. It would be like having Mickey Mantle broadcast the Yanks."

"These 3effing losers are actively cheering for the Orioles. “Unfortunately for Baltimore” “Should have scored more” These guys are pathetic wastes of space"

"These effign scumbag pieces of crap broadcasting this game. These 3 criminals dont belong on this earth."

[jjnono]

During the game against Texas, I looked past what I perceived as an anti-Oriole bent because I thought Cal was deliberately trying to avoid the potentially obvious claims of homerism. But after the first two games against New York, something else is up. Cal rarely has a kind word for any Oriole achievement and gushes at ordinary Yankee plays. It's gone past the avoidance of impartiality and into some new territory where Cal simply plays up to the national need to fawn over the Yankees. Tonight I watched with the sound down and the stereo on. It was vastly more pleasant.

[barnanimal]

I think the "****face" bat really belonged to Cal.

[allquixotic]

Normally, I'd blow off threads like this. But I'm right on board with this one, especially after tonight. "Cal is about Cal" is the comment that resonates with me the most. Next time I swing by OPACY to take in a game, I'm spitting on his statue. I can't believe he duped us into thinking that he really cared about the Orioles as a team for all those years. Now it's pretty clear that he just did it for the money and personal glory, and is now doing whatever it takes to reach his next level of money making and personal glory, wherever that leads him (even if it's with the Yankees). Man, what an anus (am I allowed to use physiologically-correct body part terminology here?).

[Palmoripken]

This was the first game I really watched with the audio on with him doing the game. I was at the first game and for most of the second game I was at a bar that had the game silent. Watched the Texas gamer and shrugged it off as him just trying too hard to be impartial. After tonight though, I really and I hate saying this as someone who admires him but man he sounded like a guy who played his career for the Yankees. It was that bad.

[The Wedge]

Roch, on his FB after posting about a talk he had with Cal pregame and people started chiming in:

"Only an idiot would think Cal is rooting for the Yankees in this series."

[PeteU]

Normally, I'd blow off threads like this. But I'm right on board with this one, especially after tonight. "Cal is about Cal" is the comment that resonates with me the most. Next time I swing by OPACY to take in a game, I'm spitting on his statue. I can't believe he duped us into thinking that he really cared about the Orioles as a team for all those years. Now it's pretty clear that he just did it for the money and personal glory, and is now doing whatever it takes to reach his next level of money making and personal glory, wherever that leads him (even if it's with the Yankees). Man, what an anus (am I allowed to use physiologically-correct body part terminology here?).

Drama queen much? Seriously.

I'll agree he's overcompensating way too much not to come off as a homer, but you seriously want to believe a guy who's been associated with the organization in some form or fashion literally from the day he was born is some sort of fraud?