Last Friday night, I took the train up to Baltimore to see my beloved Red Sox take on the Baltimore Orioles. The announced attendance that night was 46,000. Of those 46,000, probably all but 27 were Red Sox fans.
How could a team with a successful history, wonderful stadium and decent ticket prices not draw well? What happened to a team that once set records for attendance and sold out every game? I think there are a number of reasons.
Peter Angelos: People, such as myself, may hate George Steinbrenner and believe him to be pure evil, but at least he spends money on his team well. Angelos spends it only when pushed to spend it, and when he knows that he'll drive all the fans away.
Not only that but he also has managed to peeve two cities, Baltimore AND Washington. When the arrival of the Nationals to D.C. was announced, he tried everything he could to stop the move, acting like a petulant child holding his breath to get what he wants.
Mr. Angelos, I can tell you from whenever I've traveled up to Baltimore, I've never seen any O's fans on the train. Your fan base in D.C. is much smaller than you believed.
Rafael Palmerio: In perhaps the best televised lie since "I did not have sexual relations with that woman," Palmerio told a Congressional commission - pointed at them in fact - and told them that he never used steroids.
Oops. I guess that's how one goes from a singles hitter to a home-run hitter in the latter part of his career. The sad part of his story is that he still has not taken responsibility for his actions. Instead he tries to blame it on other people, like Miguel Tejada, for giving him the steroids without knowing.
This guy was so desperate not to be caught that I'm surprised he didn't blame his positive test on Viagra. What a miserable, self-centered old man. I'm glad the O's sent him home, and hopefully this will be the last we here from him.
Jeffery Maier: Never in baseball has a 12-year-old set a franchise back like he did. The punk kid from New York, who skipped school to go to the game, reached over the fence to bring a ball into the stands, which the ump called a home run.
The Orioles went on to lose the series 4-1. They got to the playoffs again in '97, but never looked a serious threat, and haven't been back since.
Meanwhile, that series catapulted the Yanks to four world championships, making life miserable for all those who root for teams in the American League East (except the 12 Devil Rays fans who have other issues). Good job Jeff.
One final note on the Orioles: Every time I've been to Camden Yards, they show some footage of Cal Ripken breaking the consecutive game streak. I understand it's an emotional event, one that will never be forgotten, but it's more symbolic to the current situation in Baltimore. They still have to show Cal because they've got nothing else to feel good about.
It's amazing how one of the best franchises in baseball can be so systematically destroyed by a greedy owner, poor player decisions and a fan base sick of losing.
Oh wait, that's how many teams in baseball are run. It's time to kick some of these owners out and restore teams like the Orioles to where they're supposed to be - just after my Red Sox in the standings.
