Markakis takes out a two page ad in the Baltimore Sun

[StottyByNature]

Great letter by Nick. We all have those years in our life that we "grew up" and for Nick that was in Baltimore. I am glad his experience was meaningful and that he has nothing but good feelings toward the organization as he leaves. I really like what he said about Buck.

I will always be a Nick Markakis fan. Good luck!

[BMann]

The O's paid Markakis $66.232 million. They just offered him an additional $40 million. He chose to leave for an extra $4 million.

There's nothing inherently wrong with a thank you note, and I'm fine with overlooking the obvious hypocrisies and "business" decisions embedded therein, but the above post is way overboard, IMO.

I don't know Markakis personally, and I assume you don't either, so I don't think either of us can definitively state that "he chose to leave for an extra $4 million," as though it is a 100% proven fact. I'm sure there was more than one factor in his decision to leave, including a desire to go back home. And he's not the first Oriole who appears to have been "slighted" by the team, leading to his departure. I'm not talking about purely $$, as it seems the Braves wined-and-dined Markakis and made him feel truly wanted. Maybe the O's, after having "paid Markakis $66.232 million" felt such a gesture would be completely unnecessary. But maybe, all other things being equal, it had an effect. Who knows?

On the other hand, I'm feeling cynical this morning, so while the two-page letter is nice and all, it seems to be kind of "the thing to do" these days when beloved athletes leave a city, so color me unimpressed. If ya loved us, the O's and the town so much, you very easily could've stayed, Nick.

[LookitsPuck]

Class act. All the way. Was my favourite active Oriole. Good luck in Atlanta.

[LookitsPuck]

The O's paid Markakis $66.232 million. They just offered him an additional $40 million. He chose to leave for an extra $4 million.

There's nothing inherently wrong with a thank you note, and I'm fine with overlooking the obvious hypocrisies and "business" decisions embedded therein, but the above post is way overboard, IMO.

I think you're missing reports that they *originally* offered him a 4 year/$40 deal, but changed it to a 3 year after conversing with the Orioles medical staff. I wouldn't be shocked if he felt offended by a 3 year deal versus a 4 year considering he's really been a bastion for health (aside from a freak injury thrown by known other than CC Sabathia). And I don't blame him one bit.

[MrOrange82]

I don't know Markakis personally, and I assume you don't either, so I don't think either of us can definitively state that "he chose to leave for an extra $4 million," as though it is a 100% proven fact. I'm sure there was more than one factor in his decision to leave, including a desire to go back home. And he's not the first Oriole who appears to have been "slighted" by the team, leading to his departure. I'm not talking about purely $$, as it seems the Braves wined-and-dined Markakis and made him feel truly wanted. Maybe the O's, after having "paid Markakis $66.232 million" felt such a gesture would be completely unnecessary. But maybe, all other things being equal, it had an effect. Who knows?

On the other hand, I'm feeling cynical this morning, so while the two-page letter is nice and all, it seems to be kind of "the thing to do" these days when beloved athletes leave a city, so color me unimpressed. If ya loved us, the O's and the town so much, you very easily could've stayed, Nick.

The bolded is fair, and we can't say anything with 100% certainty, but it certainly appeared to me, based on the available reports, that the decision was largely money driven. And I think the O's (and their fans) did plenty to make Nick feel "wanted" in Baltimore over the years. As you said, if he'd wanted to stay, he could have.

[MrOrange82]

I think you're missing reports that they *originally* offered him a 4 year/$40 deal, but changed it to a 3 year after conversing with the Orioles medical staff. I wouldn't be shocked if he felt offended by a 3 year deal versus a 4 year considering he's really been a bastion for health (aside from a freak injury thrown by known other than CC Sabathia). And I don't blame him one bit.

They may have tried to negotiate down to three years, and that probably impacted negotiations seriously, but they were reported to have a 4/40 deal on the table when he chose to sign with the Braves.

[LoyalBirdFan]

And thanks to 33rdst for the negative rep (back atcha, boss). Because voicing a contrary opinion is just...awful.

You state that Nick left soley because of 4 million dollars. You don't state that as an opinion, you state it as a fact. It's not a fact.

Under the circumstances, you would have been better off not posting in this thread (and I shouldn't have responded). I hope Nick and his family withdraw all support for Baltimore soley based on your moronic post and attitude.

You are obviously a much better man than Nick is.

[Frobby]

Specifically the last line. Because...no, we should not in any way feel obligated to say "thank you." We said "thank you" by purchasing tickets, jerseys, bobbleheads, and the like, and by cheering raucously for Markakis (and the Orioles), for years. He chose to leave town despite being offered a (more than) fair contract that equaled Atlanta's in years and just barely fell short in dollars. If I'm going to thank Nick for anything at this point, it's not locking the O's into another bad, long term contract.

I totally disagree with you. I think it is appropriate for Nick to thank the fans who supported him, as he did, but it's also appropriate to thank him for the way he conducted himself as an Oriole. Yeah, he was highly paid. There are a lot of highly paid guys out there who act like selfish jerks, who put themselves ahead of their team, etc. So this thank you is for how Nick conducted himself, not for his performance.

Another point: generally in life, it never hurts to say thank you, even for routine acts that should be expected. The world is a better place when people express appreciation for each other.

[Guest rochester]

Nice letter - whether he wrote it or not doesn't matter to me. Class act.

Now, I just have to get over the self-flagellation of reading all posts - I feel like a rubbernecker, a voyeur looking at a bad car wreck. This is a fairly benign thread that was all about the person (not baseball) and some still clamor for attention. Say what you will and be as contrary as you want when the subject is stats, etc. but is it really necessary to slam an individual when, well frankly, you don't have a clue about what took place? Sometimes restraint is a good thing - it may even help credibility.

[InsideCoroner]

Another point: generally in life, it never hurts to say thank you, even for routine acts that should be expected. The world is a better place when people express appreciation for each other.

I don't fully understand whatever happened to common courtesy. It may not be dead, entirely, but it's at least been hospitalized for exhaustion.

[mdbdotcom]

For those who would like to send Nick a "Thank You" card for all he did in Baltimore and how he carried himself, you can send it here:

Atlanta Braves

Turner Field

755 Hank Aaron Drive

Atlanta, GA 30315

I'm sure he will be touched to receive mail from O's fans.

[MrOrange82]

Another point: generally in life, it never hurts to say thank you, even for routine acts that should be expected. The world is a better place when people express appreciation for each other.

O's fans have accumulated more than enough good will/karma in re: thank-yous, as I indicated above. And if the thank you you're discussing was really just for a letter (i.e., a small, everyday, ordinary gesture that any polite person, regardless of financial means, should be expected to make), rather than for Nick's performance/tenure as an Oriole, then shouldn't our response be a relatively sedate "thanks," rather than paragraphs-long outpourings of emotion?

I said in my first post that there's nothing inherently wrong with a thank you note. I said I thought the reaction to that note was overboard. IMO, that still holds true.

[Guest]

Most players do this when they were in a city for this long. Very nice Nick.

[MrOrange82]

There's a time and place for everything. You chose to make this thread about you and your cynical perspective. I negative "repped" you because IMO you chose the low road. You could have seen the post for what it was, a heartfelt expression of gratitude, and let it slide. You chose not to. I won't be responding to any comments you make regarding this. This thread should be about Nick's gesture, not your cynicism.

It's a message board. This pretty much is the time and place for everything O's-related. Not just for those sentiments you agree with.

[33rdst]

And thanks to 33rdst for the negative rep (back atcha, boss). Because voicing a contrary opinion is just...awful.

You state that Nick left soley because of 4 million dollars. You don't state that as an opinion, you state it as a fact. It's not a fact.

Under the circumstances, you would have been better off not posting in this thread (and I shouldn't have responded). I hope Nick and his family withdraw all support for Baltimore soley based on your moronic post and attitude.

You are obviously a much better man than Nick is.

There's a time and place for everything. You chose to make this thread about you and your cynical perspective. I negative "repped" you because IMO you chose the low road. You could have seen the post for what it was, a heartfelt expression of gratitude, and let it slide. You chose not to. I won't be responding to any comments you make regarding this. This thread should be about Nick's gesture, not your cynicism.