cable bill.
5. “Give them a chance! They just hired Dan Duquette…”
On a personal level, I’m looking forward to Duquette shooting some morbid videos at his desk (like the ones MacFail made famous) on the tail-end of the many losing streaks the 2012 Orioles will undoubtedly endure. If you see the Saturday Night Live skit quality of his interviews and laughs (I always see a Dan Aykroyd awkwardness…)
4. “It’s disrespectful to Nick Markakis, Matt Wieters and Brian Roberts to complain. The players are trying hard. You’re not a REAL fan if you complain…”
Just so you know, the club has lied to all three of these guys repeatedly as well about trying to improve the team. They always say they’re going to be active in free agency. They always talk about adding to the farm base. Grow the arms, buy the bats? Remember that? The truth is the players who have talent on the team deserve better than to wake up the day after the Super Bowl and see Jeremy Guthrie traded away for a bag of baseballs.
3. “Manny Machado and Dylan Bundy are coming soon…”
The kids on the farm? When has this organization EVER consistently produced talent from the farm system? It’s like these clowns have no clue. This is the Orioles’ broadcast team’s favorite crutch – telling us to go to Delmarva to watch the next phenom.
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2. “Look, the Orioles were losing LONG before Angelos came to town. So don’t blame Peter. They didn’t win under Jacobs and EBW’s money didn’t help them after 1983…”
Angelos inherited crowds of 3.6 million per year, Cal Ripken and a beautiful stadium that was the toast of baseball. Any references to the team before 1993 is just a stupid, meaningless argument. But I still hear people make this one…
And the No. 1, Stupid Things Orioles Fans Say is…
1. “New York and Boston spend too much money…”
The Orioles play in the “always tough” American League East. It was Andy MacFail’s favorite crutch and “go to” line. We can’t compete with the Yankees and the Red Sox. They generate too much revenue. We need a television network.
When I approached Andy MacFail at the University of Baltimore appearance last year, it was the one question that would level the playing field for his favorite excuse. Here’s how the coward chose to answer it and speak to the fans and a very legitimate question:
Angelos spoke at length in 2006 with Pressbox and guaranteed the fans that when the MASN money came, it would be spent to improve the team.
This team has become an annuity for Angelos and his heirs…to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars of siphoned revenues from your pockets.
Either you think that’s unfair or you don’t.
But, trust me, the Orioles aren’t your “local friends” or “community minded.”
