Did you happen to catch Ch. 13?s interview with Orioles? owner Peter Angelos last week? It was interesting, though not as enlightening as it might have been. More on that later.
In the introduction to the piece, anchorwoman Denise Koch said “Once credited with keeping the Orioles in Baltimore?” I?m not sure why anyone would say that, but I still hear it all the time.
When the group headed by Angelos bought the team in 1993, it was already ensconced at Oriole Park, at the front end of a long lease with no buyoutclause. The Orioles weren?t going anywhere, especially since they were already filling the joint night after night. In a front page story in The Sun some years back, the Orioles? owner is quoted as saying that if he had not bought the team, they?d “be in Ohio by now.” That was presumably a reference to Bill DeWitt, an Ohioan with a long pedigree in baseball who submitted his own bid for the Orioles before joining the Angelos group. DeWitt?s time as part of the Orioles? ownership was brief, as he sold his piece of the action fairly quickly, but he?d be the first to tell you had no designs on taking them to Columbus, Zanesville or Chagrin Falls. Peter Angelos had as much to do with keeping the Orioles in Baltimore as he did the Colts leaving town, which is to say nothing.
Koch, in her first question to the Orioles? owner, described him as “the most hated owner in baseball.” First of all, “hate” is a pretty strong word. Ugly and mean. I?d be surprised if any dyed-in-the-wool Orioles fan truly hates Peter Angelos. Besides, I would think that George Steinbrenner ? born on the same day as Angelos, July 4 ? has had the whole “owner hatred” thing locked up for a number of years. And keep your eye on Royals? owner David Glass, who is gaining ground rapidly.
No, “hate” is the wrong word. “Disappointing” is more like it. Because the 1996 and 1997 seasons were so encouraging, fans naturally expected the team would build on them and remain a contender. It didn?t happen. And, despite Mr. Angelos? contention that he didn?t fire broadcaster Jon Miller or skipper Davey Johnson, that?s the perception people have.
I respect 99 percent of Peter Angelos? politics ? we really only differ on one issue ? but it?s hard to respect his baseball acumen, or rather lack thereof. When he bought the club, some joked about his two sons using their fantasy baseball expertise to run the team. In retrospect, that might have been an improvement. Perhaps they should be more involvedwith the everyday operations now rather than later.
As for my earlier comment that the interview could have been more enlightening: I don?t understand why this assignment went to Denise Koch. She?s a terrific news anchor, but this really should have been handled by sports director Mark Viviano.
Viv knows the game as well as any reporter in town, and would have known what game-specific follow-up questions to ask. Unless having a non-sports person was part of the negotiation to get the interview in the first place.
Listen to Phil Wood every Saturday at 11 a.m. on ESPN Radio 1300.
