O's Are (Quietly) For Sale

[Darksouleyez]

i'd be the 3rd person to drop a grand if this was true. If they sold ownership i am willing to bet that the first few weeks the stadium would be sold out and rockin'.

[Terpsfan82]

That's why I'm trying not to get my hopes up. I don't see Angelos giving MASN up easily, and I wouldn't expect Bisciotti to buy the team without it. But the estate tax is an interesting wrinkle I hadn't considered.

This. Plus, the only way Angelos gives up that MASN money is if someone pries it from his dead fingers. I also think he's jealous of Bisciotti, and any business dealings between the two would be disingenuous on his part.

[Terpsfan82]

I'd be interested in watching baseball again if I knew there was an owner committed to winning.

The first he would do is hire competent baseball people and let them do their job. Which means the entire scouting department would be fired.

[The Excellector]

When Peter Angelos first became the Owner of the Baltimore Orioles, he spent plenty of money trying to field a quality team. During the mid-late nineties, it was the Yankees and Orioles, not Yankees and Red Sox, that were spending the big money, sort of speak. I get the sense that Angelos, being a relatively new baseball owner, felt that he had to field such a team to make money.

Eventually, Angelos found a way to make money without spending close to 200 million on player payroll. That something was MASN. Any prospective owner will insist on MASN and the day Angelos gives it up is the day that we should really be concerned with his health.

[dandrews]

Its going to happen eventually. You see rumors like this pop up every 6 months or so. Where there is smoke, there is fire.

Plus, there is known to be interest in Angelos purchasing a horse racing track and adding slot machines to it. There are bylaws in the MLB that prevent any owner of a team from taking part in anything else gambling related. That me he has to choose.

[NCRAVEN]

When Peter Angelos first became the Owner of the Baltimore Orioles, he spent plenty of money trying to field a quality team. During the mid-late nineties, it was the Yankees and Orioles, not Yankees and Red Sox, that were spending the big money, sort of speak. I get the sense that Angelos, being a relatively new baseball owner, felt that he had to field such a team to make money.

Eventually, Angelos found a way to make money without spending close to 200 million on player payroll. That something was MASN. Any prospective owner will insist on MASN and the day Angelos gives it up is the day that we should really be concerned with his health.

Not sure concerned is the right word.

[bmorebirds_24]

Not sure concerned is the right word.

How right you are, my friend.

I was born in 83 and growing up there was no Baltimore football for me. But there was the Baltimore Orioles. I say every year I give up on this team and every year, here I sit trying to point at every positive this team may have. I'm laughed at by people that ask how can you still root for them.

As long as PA owns the team I am hoping for two things and that's him to sell or his death. I could careless about him or his life. He ruined my favorite childhood sport and that was Baltimore Orioles baseball. There was nothing like opening day, or rooting for the O's.

PA don't give a shit about the fans and how we feel. He couldn't carry big Steve's jock. Look at the way these two franchises are ran. So different but yet have two great fan bases.

So if Peter you read this or someone who knows Pete reads this and wants to relay a message to him, its that I hope he either sells the team or is found dead. Don't like how harsh I am then oh well. PA ruined Baltimore baseball and is wasting a beautiful stadium all by himself.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[HoustonRaven]

We've asked Steve about owning the Orioles a couple of times when he's been on the Ravens Rap with us. He has emphatically stated he has no interest and points to the economics of baseball and the inability to effectively compete given the uneven (financial) playing field as being too out of whack for his liking. Besides, given the way Angelos treated Bisciotti's Ravens staff during the MASN dealings, the ONLY way that this kind of conversation has any lift off is if MASN is on the table. Then that becomes a great venue for Bisciotti and the Ravens. I could also see Ripken being in the mix.

All that said, you have to wonder why potential estate taxes that inspired Art Modell to sell to Bisciotti wouldn't be a factor with Angelos and his sons. But I've never professed to being close to a tax accountant or an estate planner.

All great points.

The suggestion that it was Bisciotti was my interpretation of the news. Everyone should listen and draw their own conclusions.

That said, these guys have been more right than wrong when they drop nuggets like this. It may not be Bisciotti, but given their track record, I'd put money on that someone is indeed negotiating with Angelos about buying the team and that MASN is the sticking point.

[TL24x7]

All great points.

The suggestion that it was Bisciotti was my interpretation of the news. Everyone should listen and draw their own conclusions.

That said, these guys have been more right than wrong when they drop nuggets like this. It may not be Bisciotti, but given their track record, I'd put money on that someone is indeed negotiating with Angelos about buying the team and that MASN is the sticking point.

Without MASN my guess is that the franchise's value is at its lowest point in decades. I wonder if the estate taxes change if Angelos simply passes on his stake in MASN as opposed to that of the team. Just at WAG (wild assed guess)...

HR, I know you dig the Junkies and I trust your judgment there.

[blacknpurplepain]

Dude, I would pee my pants if that happened.

Good for Bisciotti. I hope he succeeds in purchasing the Orioles. He might not know a whole lot about baseball, but he knows how to manage a successful franchise and he wouldn't be afraid to go out and get guys to make the team better.

Top tier players don't want to play for the orioles. When you have the top first baseman choose the Yankees over his hometown team then something is wrong

[The Excellector]

Top tier players don't want to play for the orioles. When you have the top first baseman choose the Yankees over his hometown team then something is wrong

To be fair, there is a legit reason as to why those players do not want to play in Baltimore.

[wickedsolo]

Top tier players don't want to play for the orioles. When you have the top first baseman choose the Yankees over his hometown team then something is wrong

A lot of that has to do with the $$$.

No way Baltimore pays Texiara what the Yankees would.

[Raven Rick]

Not calling BS on this, but things that are too good to be true usually are. I would love for it to happen but I am curious to know what would prompt Angelos to sell now and how something like this could go on "quietly".

Some posts have suggested that selling the team could save estate taxes. Estate taxes are calculated on the fair market value of all assets owned on your date of death. So if you own an $X million sports franchise or $X million in cash, your estate tax doesn't change. But if your estate won't have enough cash to pay the state taxes, you may want to sell assets before your death rather than leaving it to your heirs to deal with selling assets, especially something complicated like selling a sports franchise. Also, there has been talk about eliminating the lower capital gains tax rates, so there could be an advantage in selling a significantly appreciated asset like a sports franchise that's been held for a long time before the capital gains tax rates increase. So there are some potential reasons for PA to consider selling the Orioles now.

[PrimeTime37]

I hope the Junks are right...I also wish I could listen to them on the radio still, they're a much better morning show than anything we get here.

[Yards]

PLEASE PLEASE let this be true!!!!

[festivus]

A lot of that has to do with the $$$.

No way Baltimore pays Texiara what the Yankees would.

That may be, but it's because they won't spend, not because they don't have money.

I don't see this happening. The Orioles are a gold mine for Angelos, a license to print @#$!ing money, and even if there was some credibility to this story, taking it at face value Angelos is apparently saying he won't sell the part of the goose that's laying the golden eggs.

[HoustonRaven]

I hope the Junks are right...I also wish I could listen to them on the radio still, they're a much better morning show than anything we get here.

Agreed.

Thank God for Podcasts!

[Brtnder81]

this would instantly raise the attendance 10k per game easily

[Galen Sevinne]

I seem to remember a rumor last winter sometime about Angelos in the process of selling the Orioles and that it would take around 2 years to complete the deal for whatever reason. I think it was Roy Firestone who reported it basing it on credible sources. It was a local group that included Ripken. If that was a true story we would be into the second year now so that story and this one might mean something.

Each year I have checked out more and more with baseball and the O's. I was probably more an orioles fan than either a Balt. Colts or even the Ravens (that is a tough one really its been so long). Last year I was just about 100% checked out. I might have watched 9 innings all year. I am done with the baseball until something changes with the ownership. The nice thing prior to last year for me was scalping an upperdeck ticket for about $10 and sitting in the lower deck. I'm done though at this point. Angelos could care less about putting a team out there.

[TL24x7]

this would instantly raise the attendance 10k per game easily

Sadly pushing the crowds to roughly 15,000/game (NYY, BOS & Opening Day) excluded.