Two sports stories in a row! What’s come over me? Pete Angelos.
Explaining why his Os didn’t get Carlos Delgaldo in the free agent sweepstakes, Angelos said it was to protect the fans.
“Disappointed? I’m not,” Orioles owner Peter Angelos said. “We made a bid that was appropriate for the circumstances. Others want to pay more, that’s their decision. We are not obliged to serve our fans by squandering millions of dollars they will ultimately pay for through increased ticket prices and concession prices.
“We have a duty to be careful how to spend our money because the fans will ultimately pay for it. You reach a certain level when you feel you made the best offer. I thought we went as far as we could go, within reason. And perhaps further than we should have. The owners that are throwing tens of millions of dollars around are making a disservice to baseball fans.”
As if he’s doing all this to be a servant of the fans. What a crock! I’m reminded of an O’s 7:00 game last summer for which I had tickets. I couldn’t leave Newport News until around 3:00. Most of the drive was in a pouring rain. Consequently, the drive took four hours. I was meeting a friend who took three hours to drive to Camden Yards from Loudoun County. The weather forecast was calling for heavy rain all night. I repeatedly talked to people in the ticket office who said the game was not postponed. Angelos wouldn’t call the game. It was with the Giants and was due to draw a big crowd to see Barry Bonds. No, Angelos waited until about 8:00 to call the game — after he collected non-refundable parking fees and had an hour to sell dinner to the folks that did show up.
And now he let Delgado get away in the name of the fans. I’ll never attend another O’s game, and I hope Angelos rots in the cellar of the Eastern Division for a long time.