Letters to the Editor about the Orioles

[Nevermore]

I got my Saturday edition of the Sun and found these in the "Letters to the Editor" section. Just some opinions I read. I thought that some of you might find these interesting.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/readersrespond/bs-ed-orioles-20151007-story.html

To borrow a phrase from the late Yogi Berra, I'm afraid the Baltimore Orioles are headed for "deja vu all over again" ("Dan Duquette, Buck Showalter vow to work together to make Orioles better," Oct. 5).

Oh, yes, they did tease us with a few years of stellar baseball under the tutelage of their wizard of a manager, Buck Showalter. If not for his baseball acumen, the Orioles possibly would not have achieved the success they had in 2013 and 2014.

Part of the problem is that General Manager Dan Duquette has morphed into a scrap-heap dealer, finding has-beens and castoff players to plug a leaking dike. Sure, his ultra-conservative style worked in some instances, such as with acquiring Steve Pearce, a guy whose playing style would have made Cal Ripken Sr. smile.

But for every Steve Pearce, there seem to be three or four Travis Snyders. Mr. Duquette's GM style is a direct reflection his boss, the tight-fisted Peter G. Angelos. He seems to have become an albatross in the front office, especially after his off-season dalliance with the Toronto Blue Jays.

This off season looms as a very critical juncture for the O's, as four current players, Matt Weiters, Wei-Yin Chen, Darren O'Day and Chris Davis prepare to test the free agent market. Only a moron would think the organization could keep all four of these players. That is not going to happen.

But here's a scary hypothetical: What if the organization were to lose all four of these current valued players?

If that were to occur, you can bet the farm that the dike will most assuredly burst, and once again the Orioles will regress to accepting mediocrity as the norm ? while in their hearts Orioles fans will know all the while that such a scenario could have been avoided.

Patrick R. Lynch, Nottingham

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/readersrespond/bs-ed-orioles-letter-20151007-story.html

As a long time Orioles fan I implore team owner Peter Angelos to take stock of where his franchise is and what it will or won't become in the future ("Dan Duquette, Buck Showalter vow to work together to make Orioles better," Oct. 5).

Mr. Angelos bought the team more than 20 years ago for a record $173 million. Forbes recently valued the team at being worth just over $1 billion. He is personally ranked among our nation's billionaires. There is no doubt that the team has been a financial success. However, he has been reluctant to pull the trigger in recent years to put his team in a position to be a contender over the long run.

The cliche that "you have to spend money to make money" is certainly true in Major League Baseball. The teams that consistently draw well at the gate know they have to build from both within and outside their organizations and are willing to spend what's needed to do that.

Winning breeds more income. During Mr. Angelos' tenure as owner his teams consistently drew more than 3 million fans from 1992 through 2001, topping out at 3.7 million in 1997. That was the second straight year the O's went to the American League championship series.

Then the losing started ? and continued for 14 straight seasons. Attendance bottomed out at 1.7 million in 2010. The last three years have seen the winning return and the fans as well.

If Mr. Angelos really wants to win a World Series and be a contender for years to come, now is the time for him to open his checkbook wide. He owes it to the millions of fans who have regarded his as the caretaker of "their" team.

Sign the important players (Chris Davis, Darren O'Day, etc.) and add additional help from outside and it will certainly make it easier to re-sign the Manny Machados and Jonathan Schoops when they become free agents. If a player can get equal money from more than one team, he's certainly going to factor in the chances of getting a World Series ring when decision time arrives.

There was nothing better than sitting at Camden Yards last October among the sea of orange as the O's won the division and advanced to the ALCS. The electricity was in the air. People smiled and laughed and wore their colors proudly. Those same people and their successors are looking to Mr. Angelos to make that possible for many years to come, and they are hoping he is up to that challenge.

Dave Leonard, Ellicott City

[Can_of_corn]

Thanks for reminding me why I don't pay for the honor of reading the Sun.

[El Gordo]

Oh boy. Something new and different. An off season where a certain cadre of fans carp endlessly about what a cheapskate PA for not ponying up for a big splash FA, and how we will never win without a big splash FA, and how DD is just a shill for PA's cheapness, and how we really have the money for many big splashes. And maybe even a WOW. I cant wait.:rolleyestf:

[mdbdotcom]

More members of the Why You Should Be Miserable club.

[OFFNY]

o

Between 1965 and 1984, Jerold Hoffberger and Edward Bennett Williams were even cheaper than Angelos has been throughout his tenure as team owner.

Peter still doesn't get it.

Stop paying the Orioles players like they are a mid-market team.

Be ultra-cheap, and the Orioles will return to the glory days of the mid-60's through the early-to-mid 80's.

It all came unglued when the Orioles finally loosened up their pocket strings and gave free agent Fred Lynn a lot of money (for that time) and 5 years, just prior to the 1985 season.

[abbott]

More members of the Why You Should Be Miserable club.

Exactly. Don't these people realize the Orioles are a religion and Peter Angelos is the spiritual leader whose motives are beyond question, literally. He is benevolence personified. If you don't unquestionably accept The Orioles, you are not a fan.

[neveradoubt]

Oh boy. Something new and different. An off season where a certain cadre of fans carp endlessly about what a cheapskate PA for not ponying up for a big splash FA, and how we will never win without a big splash FA, and how DD is just a shill for PA's cheapness, and how we really have the money for many big splashes. And maybe even a WOW. I cant wait.:rolleyestf:

And, mostly posters like you who defend Ownership at every turn

[OFFNY]

abbott said:

 

Exactly. Don't these people realize the Orioles are a religion and Peter Angelos is the spiritual leader whose motives are beyond question, literally. He is benevolence personified. If you don't unquestionably accept The Orioles, you are not a fan.

 

o

 

You show me the OH posters who "unquestionably accept the Orioles," and do nothing but defend Peter Angelos all of the time.

I can't think of any.

Rather, I see (for the most part) posters (such a VA Tech, Tony Soprano, Drungo Hazewood, Frobby etc.) that are relatively fair in balancing their criticisms of the front office and defending the front office, and posters who will almost always attack the front office under any circumstances (and who not so coincidentally, almost always show up when the Orioles are playing badly.)

Occasionally, Weams will go overboard in his Orioles homerism ...... but even he will not continue to unquestionably defend the front office when others point out their shortcomings (of which they certainly do have.)

 

o

[backwardsk]

If I were to take the time to write a letter to the editor, I'd try to get Snider's name correct.

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[weams]

I can't speak for everyone but it isn't about defending or condemning ownership for me. It is about looking at what appears to be rational and then making a plan based on that rationality. I will ask you or anyone willing to answer a few simple questions:

- what good will it do to wring our hands continuously over the fact that the Orioles aren't going to spend $150M plus on payroll in 2016? I have no issue with either letter. They are reasonably well written and courteous, but now what? Do we actually think PGA is going to adjust his budget based on appeals in The Sun?

- how much spend is enough for anyone in the "spend more" category before your satisfied? A number, not some generalized "whatever it takes". We are adults. Set a number for a budget and we will make a team.

- The Orioles budget this year placed them between 13th and 17th in spending. An analysis of our market would place us between 15th and 22nd. In all honesty, where should we rank in spending in the majors compared to the other 29 teams? Again, a number, not a generalization.

- if the number that you set requires more revenue to get there, are you willing to pay it?

If someone will just actually say a number, I will do the heavy lifting to see what it would take to get there and assemble a roster. I can't actually get someone to quote a number. They just want to say more or whatever it takes to retain the players they want. Those are the answers of children.

Finally, someone citing equity in a franchise as money available to spend is like you buying a house for $200K, living in it for 30 years, having it currently appraise for $500K, and a friend saying you should be willing to lend them $100K without an issue since you have a $300K profit. It is just paper, not cash, and it doesn't count for anything until the asset is either sold or refinanced to "get" the equity. That refinance thing is the primary driver for personal bankruptcies over the past 15 years. Banks were doing it willy-nilly and people were spending it, but they were so leveraged that when home prices fell or when an emergency arose, the people weren't solvent. It is a very bad idea to take money out of paper profits from real estate or a business to any significant degree.

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I've told you before. I am not willing to pay it. I like that people can come enjoy the Orioles for 6 or 8 bucks.

[weams]

If I were to take the time to write a letter to the editor, I'd try to get Snider's name correct.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Snider hit Arrieta.

[DrinkinWithFermi]

If I were to take the time to write a letter to the editor, I'd try to get Snider's name correct.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Winner, winner

Chicken dinner

[eddie83]

The thing I just don't get is the Dan Duquette is cheap argument. Do people believe if Brian Cashman was our GM that we would spend more? Or if DD was the Yankees GM they would tighten the budget? If people think Angelos can or should spend more then don't drag DD into the conversation. That doesn't mean that DD didn't have to answer for his moves, he does.

[ArtVanDelay]

If I were to take the time to write a letter to the editor, I'd try to get Snider's name correct.

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And Wieters.

[weams]

Patrick R. Lynch, Nottingham

Is a serial Letter to the Editor writer. This is not his only cause.