Future of Orioles Hangout

[sevastras]

I blame Lew Ford for all of this and JTrea

I second the motion for one of those affiliate things for Amazon.  It seems as though my wife gets boxes every day from them and you might as well get paid a little bit from her ordering.

[Frobby]

Thanks for the insight into what’s been eating at you, Tony.     I’m kind of amazed at the way the team’s media relations folks have been giving you the cold shoulder. I’d hope that with the new hires announced in October on the business side, maybe there will be some clearer thinking about the value of this site to team marketing.    It seems to me the OH is pretty visible due to your frequent radio appearances, and I’d think they’d be generally aware of the more highly trafficked sites that cover the team.    

[MDtransplant757]

I completely understand your choice to shutter the site if you want. It's your life, and who am I to tell you how to live it? One thing I have to thank you for is giving me the opportunity to learn more about the game I love. I've learned so much from you, guys like corn and Luke, and this site has even inspired me to go for a career in scouting and player development. I would have never known I would have wanted to in terms of prospects, grading tools, etc that I do now without this website. I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for that, Tony. 

[Just Regular]

It's hard to imagine modern Orioles fandom without this place.  I suspect there aren't more than a hundred or two homo sapiens who are engaged with the team enough to happily discuss Cory Sedlock or Gray Fenter any given Tuesday, and they're all here.  Both in the pre-Buck trough and now, the community here helps keep me going, providing the lion share of the enjoyment of today's Orioles experience.   I'm thankful to Tony for building that.

It made the Machado run sweeter and like so many of you, I share the willingness to help get it to the Rutschman run anyway I can.  Whatever future success the team might have wouldn't mean nearly so much to me without having the Oriole Hangout family to share it with.

[spiritof66]

14 hours ago, Pushmonkey said:

I blame Cito Gaston. 

Nah. Cito does suck, but I think it's pretty clear where the blame really lies: the Orioles pick up Lew Ford, and just seven years later the Hangout is in jeopardy.

Tony, I echo what so many others have said about my deep appreciation for the (almost) free fun, education and companionship the Hangout has provided over the past years (over 15 of them, in my case), and about my willingness to pay more in subscription fees and/or occasional patronage contributions if that will help. The service you provide may be even more valuable to those of us who aren't in the Baltimore area and don't regularly encounter friends, co-workers, neighbors and strangers who care about and want to talk about the Orioles.

I hesitate to make any suggestions because it might seem like I think I have some insight into the issues you are wrestling with, and I sure don't. That said, I wonder whether the following might help.

• As you've mentioned, lots of information on the Hangout that used to be hard to come by now is accessible from other sources. For me, the core of the Hangout -- stuff that I can't find (or don't know how to find) elsewhere and would miss terribly -- are the Orioles-related fora (in case Miss Gilmore, my high school Latin teacher, is reading this), including the game threads and minor league forum, and the reports on prospects in the system. I wonder whether it would help to eliminate or freeze the rest of the site, and maybe cut back on the MiL reportring.
• Unless I'm missing something, the Orioles ought to appreciate that, given the current state of the team, anything that helps preserve a connection between the team and its dwindling fan base -- even if it doesn't sell any or many tickets right now -- is important. If that's right, the Orioles should have an interest in keeping the Hangout and its discussions about the team going, and not being cooperative with you is beyond stupid. There ought to be a way to get that message across to those at the highest levels of the Orioles in the event that hasn't already happened.

However this comes out, thanks for everything. I don't know how to figure out what the Hangout has been worth to me, but I hope a hot dog and a beer at a future Hangout night will cover it.

[ChosenOne21]

I'm sorry to hear about how the team has treated you, Tony. You deserve better.

Like others have said, it's your life and you do you, but I hope you will continue to run this site, or at least participate in the discussions here if someone else takes over.

I've been on this site daily for at least 15 years, and I wouldn't be nearly as big an Orioles fan without it. I don't post much, but I read pretty much everything.

I just became a plus member. It's long overdue and the least I owe you for all the content you've provided over the years.

For those who can't afford to be plus, consider whitelisting the website from your ad-blocker. I run an add blocker, but whitelist sites like this one run by small, passionate creators and it makes all the difference sometimes

[AZRon]

1 hour ago, spiritof66 said:

....Unless I'm missing something, the Orioles ought to appreciate that, given the current state of the team, anything that helps preserve a connection between the team and its dwindling fan base -- even if it doesn't sell any or many tickets right now -- is important. If that's right, the Orioles should have an interest in keeping the Hangout and its discussions about the team going, and not being cooperative with you is beyond stupid. There ought to be a way to get that message across to those at the highest levels of the Orioles in the event that hasn't already happened....

How about a "letter", signed by all participants here, directed to the appropriate executive in the O's organization (with copies to Mike Elias and any other relevant high-level decision-maker) detailing the rationale for the Orioles organization recognition and support of the Orioles Hangout?

I'm confident that there is sufficient talent among the readers and posters of OH to formulate a successful appeal. 

[MDtransplant757]

48 minutes ago, AZRon said:

How about a "letter", signed by all participants here, directed to the appropriate executive in the O's organization (with copies to Mike Elias and any other relevant high-level decision-maker) detailing the rationale for the Orioles organization recognition and support of the Orioles Hangout?

I'm confident that there is sufficient talent among the readers and posters of OH to formulate a successful appeal. 

I think you're onto something here

[TonySoprano]

I see people stepping up with their wallets, and that's all well and good, but Tony said a couple times this isn't about money.

T can correct me if I'm wrong, but it's more about a 25 year dream, a dream for a scouting job in baseball.  That's what I'm reading in you posts.  Baseball is moving away from old school scouts like Tony.   Calls aren't getting returned, no thank you's, even if done politely, don't hurt any less.   

My unsolicited advice to Tony is this.  If you still enjoy scouting, have at it, but realize your audience is this board alone.  That's the harsh message the Orioles have given you.  If they don't appreciate you, then say, "SCREW YOU, your loss" and walk away. 

Make baseball a hobby not a second career.  If that hobby means managing a message board, fine.  If it means not dealing with that headache and relaxing watching the games, do that.  Get on your cycle and go for more rides.

You already have a solid career, put your focus on that.   Focus on the job that pays the bills, puts a roof over your head and food on the table, and provides for your retirement.

BTW, 50? Hah!  Been there, done that at the beginning of this decade.   If that milestone is making you reevaluate your life, you would hardly be alone.  

[fansince1988]

This site is, and has been, the number one fan site for Orioles baseball. It would be a huge loss for Orioles fans, and it would make the team one giant leap closer to complete irrelevancy for me.

[Diehard_O's_Fan]

On November 1st, I finally got married for the first time in my life. I am 34. Now that I am married, my priorities have changed and I won't be following the Orioles as much as I used to. I can totally understand Tony why you would want to shut the site down and reshift your focus some place else. There are more important things in life than baseball.

[Can_of_corn]

5 minutes ago, Diehard_O's_Fan said:

On November 1st, I finally got married for the first time in my life. I am 34. Now that I am married, my priorities have changed and I won't be following the Orioles as much as I used to. I can totally understand Tony why you would want to shut the site down and reshift your focus some place else. There are more important things in life than baseball.

Going to change the name to Somewhathard_O's_Fan?

[Diehard_O's_Fan]

It is comments like that why I won't miss this message board.

[NCRaven]

Just now, Diehard_O's_Fan said:

It is comments like that why I won't miss this message board.

Jeez.  Came off as a lighthearted joke to me.

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, NCRaven said:

Jeez.  Came off as a lighthearted joke to me.

No pleasing everyone.