Walk into any bar in Baltimore and randomly shout the name “Angelos”. Chances are someone within earshot will have some introspective thoughts about the property family most of the Orioles. Like Steinbrenner in The Bronx or Buss in Los Angeles. The patriarch of the Angelos family, Peter, is 93 years old. The team’s CEO, son John Angelos, is also the president and chief executive officer of the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), which broadcasts Team O’s matches locally. John Angelos’ brother, Louis, sued John and their mother, Georgia Angelos, to control Orioles last June.
What does Angelos think of a press conference?
For the first time since the lawsuit was filed, John Angelos appeared before reporters on Monday, also Martin Luther King Jr. Day. His rare public appearance was with Baltimore’s mayor, Brandon Scott, as the group pledged $5 million to the CollegeBound Foundation, a nonprofit that helps Baltimore’s youth earn college degrees. . And with Orioles’ lease with the Maryland Stadium Authority Expires at the end of this yearyes lots of questions for the family to answer publicly. Join The Athletic’s Dan Connolly, a fixture in the Orioles pulse for about 20 years, and someone the Angelos family should know like the back of a hand if they’re reading the news about their beloved team.
At a press conference where John Angelos chose the date and time, he would be an idiot if he didn’t know the questions about the team were coming. Showing your face at an event designed to tout something in front of reporters and television cameras is never pure public relations in the world of professional sports. After all, the Angelos family’s tenure atop Orioles will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year. So uncertain when there will be the next opportunity, if any, to ask John about his work situation, Connolly poses a long, but fair, question about the Angelos family and oriole long-term future in Baltimore. Connolly also questioned Scott about how he feels about organizing charity events like Orioles’ donation with the upcoming team sale.
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What happened next was a pure deflection from Angelos, as if his preparation to answer questions from the media had all failed. He invoked MLK and said the questions were inappropriate at a press conference he called. Reporters never choose the dates or times of media availability. Beat writers are at the will of the teams they cover. When they make players, coaches, and team leaders available is wholeheartedly up to the representatives of the school or franchise. Connolly didn’t curse, make any personal attack, or even take a stern tone with Angelos. He stated facts and asked a series of questions diehard baseball fans would love to know the answer to. Connolly serves his readership and being their eyes, ears, and megaphone is part of his job.
The Orioles have been mired in bad baseball for decades
Connolly states an Speaker of Orioles confirmed Media members cover the ceremony and the team will ask Angelos questions at the end of the event. This is not a paparazzi situation or an informal or inappropriate setting to hold those in power accountable. Chairs were set up for the media before Angelos and Scott spoke. If Angelos went on a rampage and decided to try to set an example for Connolly for asking him a detailed question during his first media appearance Not attached to bringing a musical legend to Camden Yards for more than four years, it was less successful than Walter Mondale’s 1984 presidential campaign.
I won’t share most of Angelos’ response. The full video is included above for your viewing pleasure. And to be honest, each four-minute vomiting word sounds more distant from reality. Calling someone “out of touch” in the context of Angelos use it beyond comprehension. The team’s 2022 rollout of the farm system and turnaround, without a fact-checker, doesn’t distract from how he tried to name MLK and say the sentences Connolly’s question was not appropriate for that day. Though Angelos knew he would have to answer questions on a federal holiday.
It’s just another day for someone in power trying to shirk accountability for their actions or believe they’re above the mainstream of life. Talk about misbehaving. And Scott never received a word. The best part of Angelos’ answer about being “very transparent” was the suggestion to show reporters Orioles’ financial and governance decisions. That would be a complete reversal from the way the organization was run. Baltimore’s sports media will eat it. I doubt Angelos still in line with that decree. And as expected, that would be a far cry from his outspoken prediction. It will be much more Similar from Orioleswho has won two playoff series since 1998.
