Orioles baseball is back, and so am I!

[Baltimorecuse]

Your efforts are appreciated.

[Knockbals]

Another longtime (15 years!) lurker here.  Just stepped out of the shadows for a moment to say "thank you" Tony. 

[WarehouseChatter]

I’ve been visiting OH for a long, long time.  I don’t post as often as some, but OH is my daily (hourly if not more often) go to website. You have created an incredible environment of knowledgeable and caring people who, despite losing seasons, make Orioles baseball fun.  Thank you for what you do!

[LookinUp]

I sometimes get ribbed for being too supportive of what the Elias regime does (I usually give them the benefit of the doubt, but Odor is bothering me), but one of the things that makes OH better is your ability to look at a nice stat line by an 18 year old and evaluate whether it’s a really interesting profile for the future not.

Some of the other analysts tend to be a little fanboyish, so while I’m always interested in good results at low levels or over small samples, I don’t know what I don’t know.

Even with the depth of this farm now, it’s most interesting for me to know what guys have to work on than it is to know what’s in the box score. Kjerstad needing to elevate the ball more is a perfect example.

I feel like I get that perspective here more than anywhere else. I also suspect the Os value critical evaluations of themselves less than uncritical evaluations, so maybe the lack of credentials is a feather in your cap!

[StottyByNature]

This is great to hear.  I found the OH when I was in college and have been reading it for, my goodness, almost two decades.  I moved away from Baltimore in 2010 and this place has become my reconnection with home.  I so appreciate what you do, and if it helps, the first place I go to for O's information/discussion is the OH and not any of those credentialed publications.  The depth of knowledge and quality of conversation here is second to none.

[Flash- bd]

9 hours ago, Tony-OH said:

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!

Frankly there is no one who offers more insight on the internet on the Orioles minor league system than you, so it's baffling why the PR department don't respect your work as a journalist--I'm guessing it has something to do with the fact that in the end it's a small number of people who follow the minor league system so closely and value that kind of information and they are mainly worried about opinions on the big league team, some of which of yours they may not have liked (no idea, just speculating).

I totally understand it must be frustrating but I wouldn't hold it against the actual baseball decision makers of the club. I highly, highly doubt they have any input on that front. 

It's too bad you can't get to know Elias or some of the people actually making baseball decisions at the club, as I'm sure the conversations would be interesting and enlightening for the fans. But such is life...

Really glad to hear you've come around, both on the disillusionment side with the site and the Orioles in general and with the regime (despite the PR branch's unfortunate decision). 

Quite frankly, this forum is invaluable to me, especially your work and insight on the minors, I can't really conceive of following the Orioles now, as I have done for the last 10+ years living overseas, without this site, it would really be rather impossible and my connection to the club would dissipate a good deal. So thank you for all your hard work and for this community, and while we can no longer thank him, RIP Weams and bless him for all he did with you for this community over the years. 

Edited August 4, 2022 by Flash- bd

[InsideCoroner]

This site means a heck of a lot to me. I'm far away from Baltimore, living in a place where nobody knows baseball (let alone loves it), and so the OH has served as an oasis of sorts. To celebrate with like-minded people when the team plays well, to commiserate when they're playing poorly, and (like everyone else) to play armchair GM. No matter how crazy the world is -- and it's pretty crazy -- I can always check in and escape the madness. I am glad you recognize the appreciation -- not from the front office, unfortunately, but from all of us who rely on this site as a direct, vital companion to the team itself. 

I really like the site re-design, and I love that you have gotten your mojo back. As my friend Owen21 once said, "Give that fan... a cognac."  

[Too Tall]

I'm still in the "minors" as a poster and that's where I belong compared to most on this site. Visit daily. Post sometimes. Start the morning with OH. Always has the latest Oriole's news. How you aren't viewed as eligible for credentials is beyond me. There is more, better, and less biased info here than anywhere else. Full Spectrum Orioles!

Thanks for the years and keeping this "ride" going that we all so enjoy. So glad you got your Mo JO back! God Bless!

[joelala]

10 hours ago, Tony-OH said:

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!

Mazel! Thanks for all you do and it takes a big man to introspect like this and talk about it so candidly. We appreciate the platform you provide and all the scouting and admin work you do to keep it up and running. Welcome back!

[Sports Guy]

Cue Michael Corleone!

[Moose Milligan]

Glad to see you or the OH isn't going anywhere anytime soon!

[foxfield]

Tony, this is fantastic news for the Baltimore Orioles and of course everyone here at OH.  Thank you sir!!!

[Tony-OH]

8 hours ago, terpfan101 said:

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

@Tony-OH WOW I was only 11 in 96 and while I’d attend games with my dad I had no idea about OH until mid 2000s . That fact is amazing! Congrats! 
 

Also when is the 105.7 segment you referred to?

I'm on every Wednesday during baseball season with Bob and Vinny on 105.7 the fan at 12:30 on Wednesdays.

[drjohnnyfeva]

Thank goodness.  Best place for info and conversation on the O's by far.  You've always done a great job with this place, Tony.  Glad that it's going to continue!

[Jagwar]

Tony, thanks for your honesty, transparency and integrity. I can't imagine a better experience for O's fans who want to stay informed, communicate and collaborate. I know my dad loved reading (lurking) OH content before his passing in 2015. It was something that strengthened the bond between the two of us, and I will always be grateful for that.