Old Sun article on me and the Hangout from 2004

[Tony-OH]

 I happened to run across this article John Eisenberg wrote about me and the Hangout while I was deployed to Afghanistan. I remember this well because he had told me it was going to run on the front page of the sports section on Christmas Day, but the unfortunate sudden death of Johnny Oates bumped it to page two. 

I'm sure some of you like weams, Frobby and a few others that have been around that long remember this, but thought some of you that are newer to the Hangout might enjoy this blast from the past.

Although the baseball dreams I had after the Army never fully came through, at least the Hangout is still going strong 14 years later.

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2004-12-25-0412250192-story.html

 

[Frobby]

Did you ever imagine at Christmas 2004 that we’d still be in Afghanistan in 2018?    I’m not trying to start any kind of political debate, it’s just kind of amazing how intractable that place is.

[dorfmac]

13 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Did you ever imagine at Christmas 2004 that we’d still be in Afghanistan in 2018?    I’m not trying to start any kind of political debate, it’s just kind of amazing how intractable that place is.

Amazing, but not unique, unfortunately.

[scOtt]

16 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Did you ever imagine at Christmas 2004 that we’d still be in Afghanistan in 2018?    I’m not trying to start any kind of political debate, it’s just kind of amazing how intractable that place is.

Never conquered in their thousands of year history.

 

Tony, I remember when you first posted that article. When it was new.

[Tony-OH]

2 hours ago, Frobby said:

Did you ever imagine at Christmas 2004 that we’d still be in Afghanistan in 2018?    I’m not trying to start any kind of political debate, it’s just kind of amazing how intractable that place is.

Nope. I honestly thought our rotation was key because it allowed for the first true elections. I thought perhaps in five year we'd be out of there. I was clearly wrong.

[Tony-OH]

2 hours ago, scOtt said:

Never conquered in their thousands of year history.

 

Tony, I remember when you first posted that article. When it was new.

Yes sir, you are definitely one of those people who have been around since then. In fact, I think you go back to our Rivals days, right?

As for Afghanistan, it's not they are being conquered by anyone. We were never there to conquer them, but rather to give them a stable government that would fight extremists. 

[clapdiddy]

I do remember this article.  I'm not a huge poster, but have been around that long.  It doesn't seem like it's been THAT long, though!  

Thank you for your service, Tony!

[jrobb21613]

Thank you Tony not only for your service but for the hangout! My father and I have been avid followers for quite sometime. The hangout is definetly our go to for all things Orioles!!!

[scOtt]

8 hours ago, Tony-OH said:

Yes sir, you are definitely one of those people who have been around since then. In fact, I think you go back to our Rivals days, right?

As for Afghanistan, it's not they are being conquered by anyone. We were never there to conquer them, but rather to give them a stable government that would fight extremists. 

Barely! I joined the Rivals board but my version of Netscape 2.0 couldn't keep up.

[scOtt]

8 hours ago, Tony-OH said:

Yes sir, you are definitely one of those people who have been around since then. In fact, I think you go back to our Rivals days, right?

As for Afghanistan, it's not they are being conquered by anyone. We were never there to conquer them, but rather to give them a stable government that would fight extremists. 

Kinda what I meant. We aren't there to conquer, like the Russians tried... like countless others tried. Combination of the people and I guess the landscape, terrain, kept them independent to this day.

[Jammer7]

Been with you since about 1997. Before Rivals, I think...? I had AOL dial up.

Tony, it’s been a pleasure to be a part of this community over the years. Happy New Year! May 2019 bring all on here good fortune and health.

[Tony-OH]

1 hour ago, Jammer7 said:

Been with you since about 1997. Before Rivals, I think...? I had AOL dial up.

Tony, it’s been a pleasure to be a part of this community over the years. Happy New Year! May 2019 bring all on here good fortune and health.

Wow, if you go back to 1997 you may be one of the longest Hangouters! Thanks for being a part of our community for that long! We've come a long way! 

[Jammer7]

1 hour ago, Tony-OH said:

Wow, if you go back to 1997 you may be one of the longest Hangouters! Thanks for being a part of our community for that long! We've come a long way! 

The Hangout has always been a place where respect for each other is expected. There has been some excellent informative posters such as: you, Luke, Drungo, Frobby and several others that escape me at the moment. A lot of baseball knowledge from differing perspectives. There has been our share of insiders, some may have been legit, but some certainly were not. I will always remember Sportsguy and Bigbird as guys who seemed to know some things. I know there have been others, like Sano’s agent and many more. Player’s family members, like those of David Hernandez and Parker Bridwell come to mind. 

Who was the fella that used to write for you way back? He was a retired police officer, did some minor league stuff. Richard Legendre was another name from the old days. 

Personally, I found my way back to the game I loved as a child by coaching kids since 2006. I’ve had the good fortune to meet many MLB players, coaches, executives and staff along the way. The one thing they all tell me is that they are truly blessed and lucky to be where they are today. And I believe nearly all of them mean it. From Brian Roberts to Dave Trembley to Pat Corales to Ryan Klesko to Bryce Harper to John Hart to Bob Boone to the beer vendors in Sarasota. All have great stories of how good fortune smiled upon them. I’ve coached and worked with several kids who have bright college and/or professional futures. What I have learned is that humility really is important. And to give thanks along the way.

Tony, you’ve been through a lot over the years. From deployments and the many changes over the years, you have seen it through. And we are lucky to have this site to hangout. Thanks to you, Weams, Paul Folk, Luke, Tony Soprano and to all those posters who make this site a great place to be.

[Palmoripken]

Tony, it's pretty cool that you started around '96 which was the first year I really remember following the O's on a daily basis. I was 9 that year and I remember how exciting it was that we got Davey Johnson to manage, Gillick to be GM, and Alomar was an exciting FA signing as was Surhoff. I still have my 1996 O's Media Guide from that year and numerous others from the past last 22 years. As O's fans in recent years, we've seen more tougher times than good times but I'm excited about this new era.