If you’ve lived in Baltimore for the last decade or so, you’re well aware that the words Orioles and “good public relations” don’t often collide in the same sentence.
They’ve fought with so many different entities over the years, the scoreboard blew up from overuse.
So, when an issue arises like the one did today, where the NFL leaked the news of a potential roadblock to the Ravens’ season opener in Baltimore, it’s easy for everyone in town to just gang up on the baseball team and say, “There they go again.”
Except this time, for sure, this is not an Orioles problem.
Nor should the Orioles be responsible for fixing it.
In case you’ve been in a cave today, the Ravens – by virtue of winning the Super Bowl – are slated to open the 2013 season at home on Thursday, September 5. But, the Orioles are playing at home that night against the Chicago White Sox. And because of a scheduling quirk in which Chicago only comes to Baltimore once in the baseball season, it’s nearly impossible to just give the Orioles “the day off” on September 5 without disrupting the baseball team’s schedule and/or allowing the Ravens to play their home opener without any competition at all on that day.
But somehow, today, it’s the Orioles’ fault that the Ravens might not be able to play at home on September 5.
I’m well versed in how screwed up the baseball team has been over the years, trust me, but they’re not in the wrong on this one. Not in the least.
For starters, the NFL just assumes it’s now their divine right to open the regular season on Thursday night prior to opening weekend and, in only a way their bravado could tolerate, the league also just assumes everyone in the country should just be OK with it.
They just figure the masses will move mountain and earth for the NFL, even when it gets in the way of a baseball schedule that has been out for the better part of eight months now.
The Orioles, I’ll remind you, have known they were playing on September 5 since LAST October when the schedule was finalized and published.
The Ravens didn’t know they were playing on September 5 until this past February 4 when they beat the 49′ers in New Orleans.
Tell me again how it’s the Orioles responsibility to fix this mess?
You can say, “They should just do it to be good neighbors”. And, admittedly, if they DO go out of their way to accomodate the Ravens and the NFL, they would be doing so only to be reasonable co-tenants of the downtown sports landscape.
But, in no way, shape or form should the Orioles be forced to move their Thursday night game against the White Sox.
The manager, for certain, would tell you that scheduling in the baseball season is always a by-product of the weather gods and what not, but in September, with only a handful of games remaining on the schedule, any smart baseball executive would want the schedule to go along as smoothly as possible, particularly if the team is involved in the pennant race. Asking the Orioles to play a doubleheader or an 11:30 am game after a night game just to help the football team play a game on a Thursday night is unreasonable and shouldn’t be accepted by Buck Showalter and the folks at Camden Yards.
Here’s something to SERIOUSLY ask yourself: What the hell is so important about the Thursday night game, anyway? I mean, honestly, what’s the big deal. It would be totally understandable if by not allowing the Ravens to play on Thursday you were actually taking away a home game and they wound up playing nine on the road and seven at home in 2013. But, no matter when they play their opener, they’re still playing eight home and eight away. They might start the season in Denver. So what? They have to go play there anyway, right?
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March 18th, 2013 at 6:18 pm
it doesn’t matter who is right or wrong. the orioles and mostly peter angelos will be blamed for this happening. I love both teams but the ravens,the city and the fans deserve to have the opening game here in Baltimore. it is a big deal. the orioles need to make this happen. all the goodwill they built last season will be lost unless they win like they did last season but that’s very unlikely. (DF: “The Orioles need to make this happen…” Hilarious. What if the White Sox say “no”? They have to approve it too.)
March 18th, 2013 at 7:18 pm
another blogger said that since the o’s were scheduled first, that they get the rights to the parking lots.
do you have to show an orioles ticket to park in those parking lots?
because if it comes down to a competition, the lots will be packed with ravens fans and OPACY will be crickets. so i say they just play the game
March 18th, 2013 at 7:22 pm
o yea, also, it would be horrible to play denver first game of the year. steelers we can beat first game, denver would be hellacious because the team chemistry is going to be way off
March 18th, 2013 at 7:56 pm
ok drew,if the orioles cant fix this,then I should have included the white sox and MLB. it will be hilarious if the ravens get blown out in Denver to open the season,while Camden yards is 25% full that same night. (DF: So what if they get blown out to open the season? That’s not the Orioles or the White Sox fault. They don’t have to open the season in Denver. The league would just want it that way for their own greed and TV purposes. Let the Ravens open in Cleveland or Miami. You people are hilarious. Somehow if the Ravens can’t beat Denver on opening night that’s the Orioles fault? Lord…)
March 18th, 2013 at 8:00 pm
but I do agree with drew about playing the game on wednsday night.i’m not jewish but I don’t see why that would be a problem.
March 18th, 2013 at 10:00 pm
Is there some legal reason, some city ordinance, etc. that says the two teams can’t play at the same time downtown? I’m being serious.
See, the Orioles and MLB have “right of way” here I suppose. Their schedule came out first. Maybe the White Sox will balk, or did? They probably will, or did. Who knows. Nobody with the Orioles has commented yet, or tried to explain their / MLB’s position. Your good friend Greg Bader basically gave The Sun a useful “no comment”.
And with that, again, the P.R. battle is lost on Eutaw Street immediately. Regardless of whether they’re “right” or not, the ground swell local public opinion is not on their side. No explanation from the Orioles on the record… “Well, we asked the White Sox to come in and play early and they’ve declined”. Nope, just a no comment.
You know P.R. Drew. That’s where they lose. Every single time.
And again, if there’s no “Court of Law” enforceable reason that they can’t play on the same night… what the hell? Why not?
We all know an Orioles Thursday night game in September, after the kids are back in school, against a team nobody here cares about from a “rival” standpoint… and one that doesn’t bring their own large following… will sell maybe 25K in tickets, and maybe 17,000 actually show up. Maybe. Even if the O’s are in the playoff hunt again (a big IF), look at their September schedule. Bet the farm that either that game, or a mid-week affair against the Blue Jays, will be the smallest crowd of the month.
We also know that from a “gate” standpoint, the Orioles would likely draw a larger crowd if they COULD make it a noon-ish start and tie it in to the Ravens kick-off. The cross-over promotion is endless. A fly-over from the A-10s. Maybe have Ray Ray throw out the first pitch. Invite the Ravens to put the Lombardi Trophy on display in a case and let fans take pictures. Offer some incentive for discounted tickets or concessions to anyone wearing Orioles and Ravens gear together. Let some former Orioles and Ravens sign autographs. Advertise the hell out of it, they might actually come close to filling the place at noon instead of being at 33% capacity at 7:05. The goodwill and good P.R. that could come from just “being a good neighbor” is something the Orioles could always use more of. No, they don’t have to do any of it. Fine, but then they lose the P.R. battle. And how they don’t see that… it’s beyond me. Fair or not, they lose. Just whining about losing the unfair battle becomes nothing more than whining to the vast majority of the public. And throwing out a “No Comment”, or not taking time to explain their side of the situation… well… they lose.
If some combination of the Orioles, the White Sox, and MLB / the union can’t make a once-in-a-decade adjustment, then just go on and play the NFL game the same night. Want to get nasty, make sure the blimp cameras zoom in on Oriole Park around the 7th inning.
Ravens ticket holders will fill up the lots well before the Orioles ticket holders do. We all might even get to take advantage of Orioles game parking prices instead of Ravens game parking prices. Honestly, unless there’s something that legally prevents it from happening… if I’m Bisciotti and Goodell / the NFL, I think I choose to just go head-to-head and be done with it.
March 18th, 2013 at 10:04 pm
Football is America’s Game now not baseball. That IS the Orioles problem. When the big boy on the block wants your lunch money you give it up or take a hit. They either dont care or forget that they have Baltimore on their jerseys too. The ones who get screwed in the end are the fans.
Baltimore fans deserve a day long city-wide celebration kicking off the new season. The free concert alone will bring thousands downtown… But instead a few hundred will be treated to Tilman vs Floyd…umm that is unless it rains… than they can find a way to move the game.
March 19th, 2013 at 6:17 am
I agree with your Drew. The NFL need to man up and move the game to Wednesday night. This is not the Orioles problem
March 19th, 2013 at 8:08 am
This is about one thing for me: Respect and embarassing Pittsburgh, Boston, and our other rivals by forcing them and the rest of the country to watch us party on TV on a Thursday.
For YEARS I’ve had to suffer watching those cities party on that night. Now I wants mines. I want Taylor Swift and Maroon 5 and whatever Pop Stars the NFL brings in to play out Power Plant and force these other fan bases to choke on the Ravens. I love the Orioles, but nothing is sweeter than throwing it in the face of the Steelers fans.
March 19th, 2013 at 9:31 am
What a courageous article. To go against the editorial policy of the station shows guts. The NFL leaked the story and was using propaganda to rally the community against the Orioles. Anyone who can’t see this… is just blind. The O’s are an easy target, Angelos is an easy target, but the Ravens(and the NFL) are just innocent? Makes me laugh how the sheeple fell for this canard.
The league has told the fans that we “deserve” the Kickoff game.
Good Job Drew and I applaud you for your courage.
March 19th, 2013 at 9:40 am
November 1, 2009
South Philly Sports Complex:
Eagles-Giants 1:00 Start
Game 4 World Series Phils-Aholes 8:20 Start
What a great day that was !!!
Hope Balmer gets the same on 9/5 and being an O’s Fan I may just play hooky and get to that early afternoon game
March 19th, 2013 at 10:14 am
Just play the damn game on Thursday and let the chips fall were they may.
March 19th, 2013 at 3:57 pm
Great article Drew and I support your view 100%
March 19th, 2013 at 6:42 pm
Play on Wednesday. End of story.
March 19th, 2013 at 6:45 pm
Good news is that this will not be a problem in 2014 after the Ravens go 5-11.
March 19th, 2013 at 6:47 pm
Somebody needs to resolve this and ‘Free the Birds’ from this conflict
March 20th, 2013 at 9:21 am
“For every problem under the sun, there is a solution or there is none. If there be one, try and find it; if there be none, never mind it”! Like the “clowns” in Washington, both sides are playing the “blame game” instead of trying to turn a “lemon” into……lemonade! Arguably, neither side is to blame – circumstances were dictated by fate. Stop blaming each other and resolve it! Frankly, I’d like to see Baltimore show-cased by having BOTH games played on Thursday, with the “O’s playing at noon followed by the Ravens at night! But, obviously, that makes too much sense…….
March 24th, 2013 at 2:35 pm
There is not enough took.for both teams fans. Even if they do a noon pitch, there is no end time to baseball because all we know it could go 20 innings and plus with o’s fans leaving and ravens fans coming in, traffic would be hell. I am a fan of both the O’s and Ravens and really could care less if the Ravens opened on the road because it just one game. I can wait one more week for the home opener
March 24th, 2013 at 2:38 pm
*parking for both teams fans