Orioles baseball is back, and so am I!

[Tony-OH]

Going into this season, I wasn’t sure I had much more in me when it came to Orioles Hangout. A had lost my close friend, confidant, and managing editor Michael Williams to cancer last year and the Orioles were coming off another last place 100+ loss season.

Then, this spring, I put in for my full season credentials with the Orioles, something that I had done every year since 2002 pre COVID, only to be told I would no longer be given credentials to attend games or ask questions during online press conferences. After a conversation with Jennifer Grondahl, Senior Vice President, Community Development & Communications, it was made abundantly clear while they respected what I did, they felt I no longer fit into their definition of the press.

To say it was disheartening was probably an understatement. While I was never a daily member of the press, I tried to make at to at least one game a homestand in order keep up relationships with players and coaches that I had built over the 26 years I had run Orioleshangout.com. To be told I know longer counted by the organization, even though Orioles Hangout is the longest running known website (founded in 1996) to cover a major professional team in any sport in the United States, was what I considered a final blow.

Now even prior to this, ever since Mike Elias took over, it was hard to get information about minor league player injuries, something I was typically able to get done with a simple text in previous regimes. I used this information to keep the fans informed on the website and message board as well as on my regular spot on 105.7 the fan. Now, text inquiries were met with silence only to get emails from the PR department telling me to ask questions through them, not through Matt Blood.

Disappointingly, the truth was that I no longer could get the information fans wanted from me, the team pulled my credentials (one of the few perks I got for all my time and effort), and the regular fandom of the Orioles was probably at its lowest. Page views and visits to the site were at all-time lows. Taking it all in, I finally decided I was done.

In May of this year, I put up a post asking if anyone was interested in potentially being part of or buying the site outright from me. Several people reach out and I even entertained a few conversations where we talked what the Hangout would like if I sold the site and stepped away. The one thing consistent was no one wanted me to step away fully, but in the end, I was ready to step away from the Hangout for the first time in my life.

My goal at that point was to get into someone’s hands who would love the community as much as I do and would make good stewards. In the meantime though, I still enjoyed doing the minor league scouting portion so I was still watching video and giving people my thoughts on the minor league players as well as doing analysis of Baseball Savant information on the major league Orioles.

The response to my work on the message board along with several messages by people who said they understood why I would step away, but hoped I would reconsider, got me more and more interested in the daily grind.

Then, the Orioles started to win again and people started to show up to the Hangout who we hadn’t seen in years. New members we’re signing up and the quality and quantity of the posts were starting to really flow.

But I’ll be honest, I was still bitter about how the Orioles handled me, and I’m sure my posts showed it. I was starting to get too negative about things even as the Orioles were winning. Then one day I got particularly negative over something and basically said the Orioles sapped my fandom and I was just going to look at things objectively like a non-fan.

By doing that though, I stepped away for a few days and kinda let things run its course. I went on a mini-vacation with the family and barely looked at the Hangout other then to make sure everything was up and running. Taking that step back allowed me to think over some things.

The Orioles started their run of good baseball and I wasn’t even enjoying it. Why? I’ve been a fan of the team since 1975 (about five years old). I’ve run Orioles Hangout since 1996. Hell, I was certainly the only soldier in Afghanistan and Iraq that would find an internet connection and computer and log on to talk Orioles, and this was in the 2004-2007 timeframe when they weren’t that good. Being an Orioles fan is in my DNA.

Why should I let a PR department full of people, most of whom have no understanding of what I’ve done over the years, take away something I’ve always enjoyed? Why should I let them determine my worth to Orioles fans?

So as I look at the numbers from yesterday’s trading deadline, over 17,000 visits, 150,000 page views, 1,000 of posts by amazingly smart Orioles fans who call Orioles Hangout their internet home, it dawned on me. It doesn’t matter how the Orioles as an organization feels about me or Orioles Hangout, it only matters how the fans view me and the Hangout. And no, I’m not talking about the Twitter trolls.

So you know what? I’m not going anywhere. I’ll continue to have my platform here at the Hangout and as long as 105.7 keeps calling, I’ll continue to give my thoughts weekly over air waves.

I’m going to continue to call things as I see them. When something needs to be criticized, I’ll criticize, but when something needs to be celebrated, I’ll do that as well. I’ve always prided myself on being fair and that is what I intend to do, regardless of how the latest leadership/PR of the organization feels about me or the site.

I want to thank everyone at the Hangout from the longtime members (heart and soul of the community), to the returning members, to our new members. Thank you for those of you who feel my analysis helps you be a batter informed fan and thank you to those who make me work hard to back up my answers with stats and facts. That’s what we do here at the Hangout for each other and why this is the best community, bar none, to discuss Orioles baseball.

Orioles baseball is back baby, and so am I!

[emmett16]

You just made my day….month…..year!  Thanks for all the hard work, Tony.  I’d need to get therapy if the hangout went away.  I have maybe two friends and my father who follow the Os.  I’ve never met anyone on this site and I don’t post much but it feels like a big loving  family to me.  So glad you changed your mind.  Go Os!!! 

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

Tony you're definitely good at what you do with OH, and no one else could take it over and live up to your standard. This is easily my favorite fan sports website on the internet that mostly has high level conversations among members and a stunningly low number of trolls. 

[Oriole1940]

God bless you, Tony.  Glad you reconsidered and thought the whole thing through.  Championship Oriole baseball is just around the corner, I just know it.   It is always darkest right before the dawn and that was proven in what you went through.    Take care.  Oriole1940.

[RVAOsFan]

Good to hear @Tony-OH. I lurked here for years (maybe decades?) only to create an account a couple years ago and get more active recently.  This place is a great source of knowledge and entertainment. I can’t wait to enjoy playoff runs the next several years with the group.

[thiscat41]

There aren't enough words or articulations for me to express the gratitude I feel for all that you've provided through this site for so many years. Bless you for not saying f-it when the team let you down and sticking it out for the sake of the community you helped build. Cheers, from one Tony to another

[oh-wee-ohs]

Who should we direct our encouragement of you and OH staff for credentials in the future? (I use that word "encouragement" on purpose, no harassment or "damn you's" just "please reconsider") Seriously. The most knowledgeable, direct-to-diehard place to get Orioles information should have that at the very least. I know you've had more staff on hand in the past and when you build that up again that relationship between the club and OH would be beneficial to all of us.

Appreciate what you do. I wish my other sport obsessions had a place like this. Kept me diehard and knowledgeable for the last 14 years. I'd have been long gone if I didn't have a place like this to keep me locked in and interested.

 

[waroriole]

Awesome!! I’m glad you found your interest again. And you’re right, don’t let people currently making decision impact what you love. 

[xmichaelx]

Tony thank you for this site and all you do. I have been a long time lurker since 2005 or 2006 when I was in middle school. I have always enjoyed reading the game threads  and opinions on the minors and major league team. It is great to be a small part of a community (from one who lives in NC) that has so much passion for all things Orioles.

Edited August 4, 2022 by xmichaelx

[Frobby]

This makes me really happy to hear.  I believe 100% that the next decade is going to be a great time to be an Orioles fan.  And I want to celebrate the team’s successes and bemoan their pitfalls with their most dedicated fans, the ones right here.  You’ve made that possible for 26 years, and I hope you’ll look back on the next ten and say that was the reward for the first 26.   My knowledge and love of the team has been enhanced tremendously, not only by your reporting and analysis, but the forum you’ve provided for knowledgeable, passionate fans to educate and debate each other.  So thanks for everything you’ve done, and I’m thrilled you’re going to keep doing it.  

[seak05]

[oh-wee-ohs]

And just to further show my appreciation. I haven't had cable in 8 years. And living in central VA and now NC for those 8 years, I don't get to watch the games. Blacked out. The only game I've been able to watch this year was on Apple. MLB and MASN won't let me watch. I "watch" via Gameday and the game threads. You all tell me they're exciting to watch and I believe you! The Orioles should be thanking you for keeping us fans connected. Not alienating you. Very much appreciate what you've built. 

[StatusDC]

I don't post much, but I've been lurking for years and years. This is one of the sites I visit almost daily.

Tony, you're doing an amazing job, keep up the hard work, and it'll all be worth it in the end.

Oh, and a fantastic job on the website redesign!

[Remember The Alomar]

TONY AIN'T LEAVIN'!

[Aglets]

Super thrilled to see this post and to hear you have reconsidered leaving.   I have been a member of this Orioles fandom community for well over a decade, through some very low lows and some truly amazing highs.  The amount of information available to uber fans on here is impossible to match, especially with respect to the minors.   I have learned so much over the years and have greatly enjoyed my time on here in the community.   It would leave an enormous void in my daily routine if this site were to vanish, and indeed..........that time may come.   But it is not this day!   To quote the heir of Isildur. 

 

Thanks so much Tony for all you do.  You deserve so much credit and so many accolades for how this community has grown and thrived.