This whole “Mark Teixeira will be attending the Ravens game today as a guest of Peter Angelos” rumor has taken on a whole strange life of its own in the modern day news cycle. Here’s the deal: Roy Firestone (or someone impersonating him) wrote on a message board that Teixeira would be a guest of Angelos at the game and would be taking a physical on Monday. Several message boards picked up on it. ESPN reported it this morning on “Sports Center” when Hannah Storm read it. I then fired off a WNST.net text to about 4,000 people about “many media outlets are reporting” the story.
Alas, to the rescue comes the team’s official website, MASNsports.com and Roch Kubatko, who are refuting any existence of Teixeira in their box or that an invite ever existed. It’s pure fiction, the Angelos family tells their employee, Kubatko.
Now this would be believable if the Orioles had the reputation for telling the truth. But they don’t have that to fall back on.
So your guess is as good as ours as to whether this is real or imaginary. Teixeira could certainly be home this week and wanting to see the Ravens play the biggest regular season game of their existence. And he might be in a sky box somewhere doing it. He can clearly afford the warm seats. And maybe he will drop by the MASN box, but I have a feeling Peter Angelos doesn’t wear purple underwear on Sundays. (Fill in your own the Emperor and clothes joke of choice here…) I’ve never been told by anyone that he’s ever shown his face at a Ravens game.
The whole story was kind of strange and if it was going down how it leaked. And what would Scott Boras’ role be in this if he’s negotiating the contract?
My take: the Orioles wouldn’t be smart enough or savvy enough or friendly enough to bother inviting Teixeira to a game and buying him a crab cake as a “courting” gesture to sign him. That would be a BRILLIANT thing to do but they’re denying that it’s happening.
This whole “Teixeira to the Orioles” soap opera has been great entertainment this week as a side dish to the entree: Ravens and Steelers at 4:15 today.
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Who knows how the Teixeira thing will play out? Only he and Scott Boras know what he really wants to do with his life. It’s not about money. I can’t imagine that it’s about geography or childhood emotions. I have a feeling it’ll come down to his happiness and a chance to a win a title.
Maybe being in Baltimore today and wearing some purple will inspire him to resurrect the Orioles franchise. Or at least “sign up” to attempt to do it. (Again, I can’t imagine anyone sensible — let alone Boras — would advise him to sign here to play in this organization. But childhood feelings are strong. It’s why WE still love the Orioles, right?)
Whatever happens with Teixeira and the team and city he chooses, I hope he leaves the game today happy at 7:15…with a Ravens victory. But we don’t even know if he’s going to the game at all.
I’ll be in Section 513 if he wants to give me the exclusive. I’ll buy him a beer!
