Big announcement on the future of Orioles Hangout

[interloper]

2 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

My mom (no jokes from you old timers) has a seriously hard time understanding what BLM means.  There's the official organization, run by Marxists and anti-capitalists who seem pretty radical...and then there are the people who support the idea of what BLM means, that a group of people who've had it pretty rough in this country for a long time want to be treated equally.  Not surprisingly, my mother who is a super-right winger, wants to focus on the Marxists and anti-capitalism aspect and assume that those people are the majority of the BLM movement.  Also not surprisingly, people are going to bring their preconceived notions to BLM and see what they want to see and refuse any evidence to the contrary.  People's perceptions are their realities. 

Personally, I don't really care who kneels, who stands, who makes social justice statements and whatever else.  Speaking as a middle aged white guy, I've never experienced any racism so I can't begin to imagine what some go through in this country.  But I recognize that others have different experiences and want to share them and address things that trouble them.  That doesn't bother me and I don't view it as an infringement on my life.

For me, it really comes down to how I treat people on a daily basis, I do my best to assume that anyone I come across in life is doing the best they can that day, no matter who they are.  That said, I'm not going to go to a rally, I'm not going to plant a sign in my front yard or put a sticker on my car.  I don't really feel the need to let people know where I stand on things because....well, I don't think anyone cares.  Sending out a tweet, an Instagram post, a bumper sticker, whatever...it's peeing in the ocean.

What happens in the few minutes before the game doesn't effect my enjoyment of someone like Trey Mancini hitting a home run, obsessing over draft picks and trades and hoping that this franchise can get back to respectability.  Baseball hasn't been ruined for me, just like the NFL wasn't ruined for me when Kaepernick took a knee.  Baseball hasn't had a lot of social/political agendas in the past 30 years which isn't surprising given the increasing demographics of the players and the fans.  

In my rambling here, I can't help but think of Adam Jones.  Admittedly, I haven't kept up with him on social media over the past few months ever since he announced he was going to play in Japan.  Jones was the last black star we had and one of a handful of black stars MLB has had over the past 20 years.  He is fiercely proud of who he is, he can be outspoken and I would imagine that he'd be taking a knee tomorrow night in Boston (where he was the target of racial epithets a few years ago) if he were still on the team.  And I wouldn't be upset with him for it.  I feel like it'd be disingenuous to root for a guy like that but say he crossed a line when he wanted to address injustice.  Would Adam Jones kneeling make him anti-police, anti capitalist?  Not to me.  

Anyway, I sincerely hope it's not the end of the OH.  Like many of the other posters here, this is where I come when I want to get away from everything else.  This board has been run very well over the years and I think it can continue to be a place where politics are left outside and we can talk sports.

 

 

 

 

Perfectly stated. Just perfect.

[Philip]

42 minutes ago, backwardsk said:

Bonds is a big 2A guy.  But also a Bernie Bro.   Go figure.  I kid, I kid.

But seriously though, I think Bonds’ reputation is shaped by the guys who covered him and didn’t like him.  You don’t hear bad things said about him from teammates.  I hated him when he played, but in hindsight, wished I was able  to enjoy his greatness.  Though I’m petty enough to be happy he’s ringless.

On the contrary, I’ve heard bad things about him quoted by teammates but that’s not the point. The point is that my feeling about him is not based on his politics. I’m pretty conservative but I could not care less if he is not. But I’m very happy not knowing at all.

[Just Regular]

It stinks seeing a good soul so anguished on this Opening Day, that traditional bastion of hope.  The army of steamrollers erasing and rebuilding will go on and on.  As a citizen, I watch The Big Sort sorting with concern, and making institutions like this one where folks can cross the street, even if just to share this Orange and Black laundry tie that binds, feel to me increasingly valuable.

To thine own self be true is as basic as the Golden Rule, and I'll understand and respect any choice made, but it'd be a damn shame to see something as good as this go down on account of this.

 

[Enjoy Terror]

20 minutes ago, interloper said:

I don't see why Tony's personal issue with the MLB should affect everyone else. But it's his site and his right.

Naturally if you run the website and no longer find that baseball is of interest, then  I think that’s quite a big issue to confront.

[interloper]

The idea that kneeling has anything to do with the flag or the troops is something entirely fabricated by those who misunderstand the meaning of the protest. It's never been about disrespect to the country, it's about bringing awareness to injustice and to express one's disappointment that it's happening in this country, under this flag. 

It's about wanting to be the country we're supposed to be, about being better. It's positive! But somehow people took it to mean dis-allegiance. Of course not. 

[Philip]

Please don’t let politics ruin this site. The other sites are full of it, or are inane.

This is literally the last Oriole site I know of where I can come and talk about the Orioles. If this place gets shut down, I’ll probably be done with baseball, because talking about baseball with others is what keeps the interest going.

so shut up about politics please.

the MLB is doing a very foolish thing and I wish they wouldn’t, but at least we can avoid it here.

[Hank Scorpio]

29 minutes ago, interloper said:

 

Exactly. 

Just another white dude thinking he understands BLM better than the people actually suffering from the systemic racism. Please do explain how you're an expert on black lives and what the movement means Tony. I've seen enough unprovoked police brutality in the last 4 months to make me physically sick. I also have to laugh at people continuing to believe in some ANTIFA bogeyman that Fox news continues to push. Please. We lead the world in school shootings and COVID cases but god forbid we have a couple people throw a brick through a window. 

Wanting to rid the site of politics is in itself political, obviously. It's also just impossible unless you wanna bring out the ban hammer en masse. It's a historic time in our country so the best course is to let things breathe here. We were talking baseball just fine.

Whatever. Do whatever you have to do to. There's certainly more to worry about than the fate of this website. 

#BLM

Regarding OH, I agree and I hope for lots of peeps sake, the website persists. But I totally understand Tony’s apprehension. This is in your face politics from sports, and that is a stain. It would be the same thing regardless which way it leaned.

Here’s my thing.... and believe this. My voice matters too. Just because someone doesn’t support #BLM doesn’t mean they don’t believe that black lives matter. 

#BLM is a political party. MLB is openly politicizing the sport. That is an atrocity. 

[interloper]

2 minutes ago, Enjoy Terror said:

Naturally if you run the website and no longer find that baseball is of interest, then  I think that’s quite a big issue to confront.

Sure. But there are other options than simply shutting it down IMO. Sell it or leave it to someone else to run. 

[interloper]

1 minute ago, Philip said:

Please don’t let politics ruin this site. The other sites are full of it, or are inane.

This is literally the last Oriole site I know of where I can come and talk about the Orioles. If this place gets shut down, I’ll probably be done with baseball, because talking about baseball with others is what keeps the interest going.

so shut up about politics please.

the MLB is doing a very foolish thing and I wish they wouldn’t, but at least we can avoid it here.

Do you not see how this is quite obviously a political statement? 

[ChuckS]

Tony's site and course he's free to do what he wants with it. 

Myself and I think most others here, don't see what baseball is doing as a hugely political thing.  I had to actually do some google research after the OP because I didn't really know what he was referring to.  I think in this instance, Tony may be letting his personal political beliefs turn this into a bigger deal than it is. 

I'd be pretty disappointed if the hangout ended over something like this. 

 

[interloper]

1 minute ago, Hank Scorpio said:

Regarding OH, I agree and I hope for lots of peeps sake, the website persists. But I totally understand Tony’s apprehension. This is in your face politics from sports, and that is a stain. It would be the same thing regardless which way it leaned.

Here’s my thing.... and believe this. My voice matters too. Just because someone doesn’t support #BLM doesn’t mean they don’t believe that black lives matter. 

#BLM is a political party. MLB is openly politicizing the sport. That is an atrocity. 

False!

[Hank Scorpio]

Just now, interloper said:

False!

https://blacklivesmatter.com/what-we-believe/
 

Enraged by the death of Trayvon Martin and the subsequent acquittal of his killer, George Zimmerman, and inspired by the 31-day takeover of the Florida State Capitol by POWER U and the Dream Defenders, we took to the streets. A year later, we set out together on the Black Lives Matter Freedom Ride to Ferguson, in search of justice for Mike Brown and all of those who have been torn apart by state-sanctioned violence and anti-Black racism. Forever changed, we returned home and began building the infrastructure for the Black Lives Matter Global Network, which, even in its infancy, has become a political home for many.

[interloper]

When the F16s fly over the stadium and we sing patriotic songs in the 7th inning, that's politics. That's nationalism. It's just the kind of politics most people don't find disagreeable. 

Sports HAVE ALWAYS been politicized folks. 

[interloper]

Just now, Hank Scorpio said:

https://blacklivesmatter.com/what-we-believe/
 

Enraged by the death of Trayvon Martin and the subsequent acquittal of his killer, George Zimmerman, and inspired by the 31-day takeover of the Florida State Capitol by POWER U and the Dream Defenders, we took to the streets. A year later, we set out together on the Black Lives Matter Freedom Ride to Ferguson, in search of justice for Mike Brown and all of those who have been torn apart by state-sanctioned violence and anti-Black racism. Forever changed, we returned home and began building the infrastructure for the Black Lives Matter Global Network, which, even in its infancy, has become a political home for many.

That's different than the civil rights movement that has largely overtaken whatever this is.

[MDK02]

I long for the days without social media, it does so much more bad than good for the country/world. During a presidential election year, things get feisty but when you throw social media in the mix, it makes it all the worse.. its been dividing the country since its birth.

I was/am considering just sitting out this year for all sports just cause it doesn’t feel legit and it’s nice to just get away from any reminders of the crazy world we live in. 
 

All that said, I check in on the board through out the day just to see what’s going on. I would absolutely miss it.