126 replies to this topic

[Hooded Viper]

Any new owner has got to keep Elias iakd his team intact, right? I mean you would be a complete moron to get rid of them after what they built in a short period of time with no monetary assistance or, very little.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Honestly. The new owner could fire everyone. Trade everyone. And make mean jokes about my mom.

And I’d be fine.

[BobPhelan]

Any new owner has got to keep Elias iakd his team intact, right? I mean you would be a complete moron to get rid of them after what they built in a short period of time with no monetary assistance or, very little.

I would think having them in house and giving them more money to play with would be part of the appeal.

[BSLMikeLowe]

Just make the MASN app work.

 

And don't suspend Kevin Brown because he reads something off the screen you don't like.

 

And don't take away parking spots just to build a Buffalo Wild Wings.

 

And just sign the damn lease and thank the state taxpayers for the $600M.

 

I'm a simple man with simple needs.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Just make the MASN app work.

And don't suspend Kevin Brown because he reads something off the screen you don't like.

And don't take away parking spots just to build a Buffalo Wild Wings.

And just sign the damn lease and thank the state taxpayers for the $600M.

I'm a simple man with simple needs.

I know you’re being facetious here but it can’t be emphasized enough how great it will be if this team is rid of the Angelos family.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

This is the thread I’ve been waiting 20+ years for.

Almost posted the exact same thing word for word yesterday. Lets hope all of this is legit. Bottom line is it has been PAs wish that the team is sold once he is gone. Would be crappy for that wish not to be granted  and that was always my hope for why it might happen relatively soon. 

[Mike in STL]

Angelos has the smallest shoes to fill. A new owner would instantly be beloved.

I’d even give Rubenstien a pass for being a Dook guy if it means being done with the Angelos’.

[ivanbalt]

I'm not getting my hopes up for now.  This is a franchise that can't decide whether they want $600 million in taxpayer money for stadium upgrades.

[BaltBird 24]

I feel like we've heard these rumors before.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Angelos has the smallest shoes to fill. A new owner would instantly be beloved.

I’d even give Rubenstien a pass for being a Dook guy if it means being done with the Angelos’.

Pete was beloved for a time. 

[BSLChrisStoner]

I feel like we've heard these rumors before.

They've become louder these last 2 years, and this is the loudest it's been.

Seems like a decent chance it happens here.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

First time Ive ever seen a rumor from a legit news source. I mean is it even a rumor at this point. Angelos or Rubenstein could deny it at any time. Maybe that happens today I guess 

[mdrunning]

Pete was beloved for a time. 

And despite all of his faults and the fact that he's done nothing but trade on his father's name for most of his adult life, John Angelos does deserve credit for hiring Mike Elias and then mostly staying the hell out of his way. Hiring and retaining good people isn't easy in any industry, and particularly not in baseball, where the best and brightest are routinely poached from other franchises. That's not something his father likely would have or could have done.

 

That said, a new owner is the best thing that could happen to this franchise. Unlike John Angelos, who is obviously cash-poor, David Rubenstein wouldn't likely be someone who would squeeze every last penny until it screamed. Self-made billionaires do not like to own losing teams. Owing any major professional franchise is prestigious enough by itself, but owning a championship team can satisfy even the biggest of egos.

[Mike in STL]

Pete was beloved for a time. 

Did people despise Jacobs before him though? I was only 8 when PA bought the team, so all I knew about the Orioles is I wanted to be Cal Ripken one day. 

 

No one talks about Jacobs, but I feel like for years to come Angelos' will be talked about because of how bad of owner he was. With any new owner there is probably a year where they will say all the right things, people excited about a new direction and want to see what that is. Then by year two or three people see what you are, if you live up to your words, and then decide from there. IIRC Angelos was not well received at the 2131 ceremony, and he was only in his 3rd season as owner by then. Payroll wasn't an issue back then either, so it had to be something else. 

 

John is actually worse than Peter, which not many thought would be possible but here we are. John is only 56. Easily could be stuck with this guy/family for 30+ more years, which is why this beacon of hope they might actually sell has me giddy. The bar is so low here that I think anybody that takes over the team is going to earn a giant benefit of the doubt for a number of years. They would have to be a Dan Snyder level of scum to be any worse. Just don't abuse women, increase payroll up into the teens, and let the baseball people do the baseball work and all will be Gucci.

[SonicAttack]

Would the Orioles share of MASN be part of the sale?   I can see JA and Moore/Scott discussing saying "I'll give you the Camden development rights if you sell the team".  If that happens, I think I'll throw up in my mouth. 

[mdrunning]

First time Ive ever seen a rumor from a legit news source. I mean is it even a rumor at this point. Angelos or Rubenstein could deny it at any time. Maybe that happens today I guess 

My biggest question is the source of these rumors and leaks. It probably isn't David Rubenstein since he wouldn't benefit from such a thing. If it's John Angelos, that could mean that the team is indeed up for sale, and he's trying to ratchet up the price by inducing other potential buyers to throw their hats in the ring.

 

This whole thing is likely still a long way from its endgame, so I'm not believing anything until I actually see it. But a leaked story from a journalist who is obviously well connected would seem to signal that the team is legitimately up for sale and that alone is reason for optimism.

[You Play to Win the Game]

And despite all of his faults and the fact that he's done nothing but trade on his father's name for most of his adult life, John Angelos does deserve credit for hiring Mike Elias and then mostly staying the hell out of his way. Hiring and retaining good people isn't easy in any industry, and particularly not in baseball, where the best and brightest are routinely poached from other franchises. That's not something his father likely would have or could have done.

 

That said, a new owner is the best thing that could happen to this franchise. Unlike John Angelos, who is obviously cash-poor, David Rubenstein wouldn't likely be someone who would squeeze every last penny until it screamed. Self-made billionaires do not like to own losing teams. Owing any major professional franchise is prestigious enough by itself, but owning a championship team can satisfy even the biggest of egos.

Hard pass on that. To each their own I guess, but given everything we know about John Angelos, it is naive in my opinion to assume that he would've given a damn if Elias failed to achieve any success outside of lowering payroll. That was priority 1-100 for Angelos, and anyone can do that. He got lucky with Elias, but the fact is, he wouldn't have given a damn had that been his only crowning achievement. It just so happened that he Elias was incredibly competent. That was a lucky break, not an intention. It's important to remember this is 1 of 30 jobs available in that field. Angelos gets zero credit from me. The only thing I'll ever give trust fund baby credit for is if he sells the team.

 

Does anyone here honestly believe if the payroll had been what it's been since Elias has been here, and we lost 100 games each of these past 2 seasons, a change would be made? Convince me.

[mdrunning]

Hard pass on that. To each their own I guess, but given everything we know about John Angelos, it is naive in my opinion to assume that he would've given a damn if Elias failed to achieve any success outside of lowering payroll. That was priority 1-100 for Angelos, and anyone can do that. He got lucky with Elias, but the fact is, he wouldn't have given a damn had that been his only crowning achievement. It just so happened that he Elias was incredibly competent. That was a lucky break, not an intention. It's important to remember this is 1 of 30 jobs available in that field. Angelos gets zero credit from me. The only thing I'll ever give trust fund baby credit for is if he sells the team.

 

Does anyone here honestly believe if the payroll had been what it's been since Elias has been here, and we lost 100 games each of these past 2 seasons, a change would be made? Convince me.

There were numerous other people rumored to be in consideration for the Orioles GM job, so he and his brother did have to sift through the candidates in order to hire Elias. I can't remember the names of everyone who had interviewed, but several were people who had held similar positions in MLB before and likely had higher profiles than Elias.

 

Every hire involves a certain amount of luck, be it a GM, a free agent signing or a draft selection. Elias has put together a farm system that has become the envy of MLB, but we wouldn't be singing its praises if guys like Adley or Gunnar turned out to be busts. Sometimes you can do everything right and still ultimately wind up wrong. But I think what's important to note is that while Elias was the eighth such executive hired while the Angelos family has owned the team, Elias has been John's only hire for that position. That at least provides some modicum of stability, something the Orioles haven't had under Peter Angelos. Others left at the end of their tenure (Pat Gillick) because they couldn't stand Peter Angelos's meddling.

 

I agree that the Orioles' payroll reflects someone who lacks the outside means to fund his lifestyle, but I also don't believe that Elias's lukewarm approach to the trade deadline wasn't John Angelos being unwilling to foot the bill for two months salary of whomever was acquired, but rather Elias's great reluctance to part with prospects. That's how we wound up with Fuji and Flaherty for the stretch run and not Jordan Montgomery.

 

John Angelos obviously does not want to spend money (and we don't know if a new owner will be any different), but otherwise he's let Elias do things as he sees fit and the results have been very good. Again, I'm not sure if Peter Angelos could have ever let himself hire someone who was going to tear everything down and then build it back up. In this instance, John Angelos has done a good job of doing nothing more than staying the hell out of Elias's way, and for that I have to give him credit.
 

[CantonJester]

I get that the O's need to get to the post-Angelos side of times, but I'm not sure a freakin private equity firm is going to provide the greener grass. 

[You Play to Win the Game]

I get that the O's need to get to the post-Angelos side of times, but I'm not sure a freakin private equity firm is going to provide the greener grass.

Same colored grass sans Angelos is a huge win. I don’t care. Get this asshat out of here.