The return of Kevin Brown

[banks703]

14 minutes ago, OrangeTurtle said:

How many broadcasts came out and spoke in support of him? Trust me, he would have been FINE with his future career prospects and forward-looking people would take him on, ESPECIALLY, for not bowing down and taking it as a slick hire. 

He's not hurting for work, I can assure you of that. 

Even if he just quit and didn't say anything at all, I'd have huge respect for him. But..

Trust you? You speak for all of the owners around the league?

I think it’s laughable to suggest this because you don’t know the 29 other owners of the major league teams.

Just because his fellow broadcasters came to his defense doesn’t mean that employers (the other owners) would hire him should he have chosen to air this dirty laundry.

One thing that I can assure you is that Kevin Brown doesn’t need your respect. 

Edited August 11, 2023 by banks703

[SilentJames]

2 hours ago, glenn__davis said:

I think Brown probably said the wrong thing to some yes-man of Angelos.  Something that the rest of us would think is pretty innocent but that some insecure man from a different generation thought was "disrespectful" from Brown.  So he decided to "put him in his place" with the suspension and made up the phony clip as an excuse (because I maintain there's no way anyone could take offense to that clip).

My conspiracy theory is that Pete himself saw the game and in a addled and infirmed mind demanded he be fired but had to be talked down. 

[OrangeTurtle]

1 minute ago, banks703 said:

Trust you? You speak for all of the owners around the league?

I think it’s laughable to suggest this because you don’t know the 29 other owners of the major league teams.

Just because his fellow broadcasters came to his defense doesn’t mean that employers (the other owners) would hire him should he have chosen to air this dirty laundry.

One thing that I can assure you is that Kevin Brown doesn’t need your respect. 

This is very fair. I am speaking with no internal knowledge to that degree. I can't say with certainty on that, I admit that. I was mostly saying that he already does other work for other entities, but you're exactly right.

Good post.

 

[Jim'sKid26]

Welcome back, KB!  You have been missed.

[Going Underground]

1 hour ago, banks703 said:

Part of my work includes both an HR component and vendor management so the reviewing, negotiating, extending, approving, signing, revising, etc. of contracts, employment agreements, etc. are within my domain. 

The covenant to not compete is very much enforceable, even in the state of Maryland and even though the FTC proposed a rule to ban them altogether. Low-wage earners have protection in the state of Maryland (this would be like your kid being hired at Burgar King for $10/hour and being asked to sign a N-C that would prevent them from going to work for McDonald's).

To enforce a non-compete, there is a determination of reasonableness and geography but ultimately the responsibility is on the employer to prove that a N-C was/is necessary to protect the interests of the business.

In KB/the Orioles case, it could be reasonably determined that Kevin Brown leaving the Orioles for the Nats would impact the Baltimore Orioles as a company. The product on the field is only one component of the Baltimore Orioles as a business/brand. It could be reasonably enforceable.

Most likely though, whatever contract KB has with the O's, there is likely language in it that allows him to freely seek employment upon the completion/expiration/termination (all different) of his agreement with the team. I'd bet that while he is under contract with the Orioles, he is not allowed to broadcast games for any other org in MLB. That is probably a pretty standard agreement for someone in his position/role. But I can't think that his agent would allow him to agree to something that would prevent him from employment with another team upon the conclusion of his deal with the O's. We know that he's done CFB and NCAA Softball games, etc. which is likely allowable via terms in his contract with the O's. So, I would believe that during the current terms of his deal with the team, he is stuck but once the agreement ends (regardless of how and unless he signs a N-C that specifically prohibits him from employment with another team), he's free to work for any other team. 

Very nice post. I know you were making a point but no way he leaves for the Nats.

[banks703]

8 minutes ago, OrangeTurtle said:

This is very fair. I am speaking with no internal knowledge to that degree. I can't say with certainty on that, I admit that. I was mostly saying that he already does other work for other entities, but you're exactly right.

Good post.

 

I’d love to believe that he could say FU to JA, tell his story and find another job without an issue but I can’t. SHOULD he be able to defend himself? Absolutely but the unfortunately the world doesn’t work that way and in truth, there isn’t much for him to defend. If the sources are true, the public has come to his defense plenty. It’s already out in the open enough without him having to make it worse. Could he? Certainly. Should he? I’d say no. He’s under contract and he’s professionally performing the remainder of said contract. I would think that would go further with his next employer than to air out dirty laundry. I won’t judge him for choosing the high road, even if it makes him seem less than to some. I don’t see it that way. 

MLB isn’t quite the boys club that the NFL is but there is loyalty among the owners. The truth is, we also don’t completely know the truth. We’ve had good folks like Roy give us the intel that he has and I choose to believe Roy but maybe there’s an underlying thing that even Roy’s source is unaware of or can’t share. KB wins more by continuing to be the consummate professional. 

Also, I didn’t mean to come off aggressive toward you. That’s not the tone I was communicating in my head. I reread my post and it’s kind of rude. Sorry bout that. 

[banks703]

7 minutes ago, Going Underground said:

Very nice post. I know you were making a point but no way he leaves for the Nats.

Buddy, I hate the gnats almost as much as the Jays..but not quite as much as the Sawx or Janks. 

[Birds08]

3 hours ago, Sports Guy said:

A non compete actually doesn’t hold up in the state of MD but I’m not sure if that would hold up if you cross state lines.

Non competes are barely enforceable anywhere anymore unless he made a boatload of money selling a company which obviously is not this scenario

[OrangeTurtle]

4 minutes ago, banks703 said:

I’d love to believe that he could say FU to JA, tell his story and find another job without an issue but I can’t. SHOULD he be able to defend himself? Absolutely but the unfortunately the world doesn’t work that way and in truth, there isn’t much for him to defend. If the sources are true, the public has come to his defense plenty. It’s already out in the open enough without him having to make it worse. Could he? Certainly. Should he? I’d say no. He’s under contract and he’s professionally performing the remainder of said contract. I would think that would go further with his next employer than to air out dirty laundry. I won’t judge him for choosing the high road, even if it makes him seem less than to some. I don’t see it that way. 

MLB isn’t quite the boys club that the NFL is but there is loyalty among the owners. The truth is, we also don’t completely know the truth. We’ve had good folks like Roy give us the intel that he has and I choose to believe Roy but maybe there’s an underlying thing that even Roy’s source is unaware of or can’t share. KB wins more by continuing to be the consummate professional. 

Also, I didn’t mean to come off aggressive toward you. That’s not the tone I was communicating in my head. I reread my post and it’s kind of rude. Sorry bout that. 

Dude, not at all; don't fret about it. You were very fair and I agree with your post above. I didn't mean to be aggressive towards you either, if it came off that way. 

I'd upvote or whatever, but I burned all of them on Moose because I have an irrational irritation with Kevin as a broadcaster, but I admit I'm in the minority and people have different tastes. 

Thanks for the kind words.

[Birds08]

I also struggle to see how him leaving for another team could be perceived as competition. He announces baseball games 

[OrangeTurtle]

Just now, Birds08 said:

I also struggle to see how him leaving for another team could be perceived as competition. He announces baseball games 

Yeah, I'm not a lawyer, so I'll defer to the expert that already posted, but I agree with what Moose laid out.

I don't think it's 100% equivocal. The ultimate point is that it is used as a scare tactic and this (to me) doesn't fit with what a non-compete clause constitutes. But, I obviously don't know if that's right.

[Chavez Ravine]

 

4 minutes ago, Birds08 said:

I also struggle to see how him leaving for another team could be perceived as competition. He announces baseball games 

Plus according to the Supreme Court baseball clubs don’t engage in interstate commerce.

Edited August 11, 2023 by Chavez Ravine

[NashLumber]

4 hours ago, Roy Firestone said:

He'll be back at the microphone tonight in Seattle after his "NON"-suspension (what else would you call it?).

I hope Kevin paid his debt to society and learned that crime does not pay.

His horrific crime of reciting facts (and all flattering ones) about the Orioles will not be tolerated in a civilized society.

Hopefully he has rehabilitated himself.

He seems happy to be back. Clever pseudonym while in JA Jail. 
 

I see he’s got that OPACY giveaway shirt from Recidivist Night. 
 

[banks703]

3 minutes ago, NashLumber said:

He seems happy to be back. Clever pseudonym while in JA Jail. 
 

I see he’s got that OPACY giveaway shirt from Recidivist Night. 
 

I don’t know if it’s just the mustache but I’m getting major Dean Kremer vibes from this old school Nick Cage pic. 

[banks703]

5 minutes ago, OrangeTurtle said:

Yeah, I'm not a lawyer, so I'll defer to the expert that already posted, but I agree with what Moose laid out.

I don't think it's 100% equivocal. The ultimate point is that it is used as a scare tactic and this (to me) doesn't fit with what a non-compete clause constitutes. But, I obviously don't know if that's right.

The responsibility is on the employer to prove that a non-compete is necessary to protect the interest of the business. I agree that in this situation, it’s unlikely that it would benefit the O’s in court (unless he foolishly signed something that legitimately prohibits him from taking employment from another major league team, which I can’t believe he would do).

They are enforceable, yes but also yes they are used a lot simply to deter whatever behavior they are aimed at deterring. The situation gets much messier for KB than it does the Orioles if it escalated to a court case.