PETER ANGELOS: THE THORN IN BASEBALL'S SIDE
Orioles Owner Peter Angelos has "taken center stage in
baseball's labor battle with his refusal to use replacement
players -- even under the threat of having his franchise revoked"
(Thom Loverro, WASHINGTON TIMES, 1/23). SPORTS ILLUSTRATED's Tim
Kurkjian profiled Angelos on ABC's "Wide World of Sports."
Angelos, on the fielding of replacement players: "We are
convinced that 90% or more of our fans would demand a refund of
their money. So that in itself tells you that this threat, and
that's exactly what it is. This rattling of the sabre by the
owners -- 'if we can't work something out we'll use replacement
players' -- is an empty threat because the parties that will be
injured the most if we resort to so-called replacement players
will be the owners of the franchises" (ABC, 1/21). In New York,
Claire Smith profiles Angelos: "He single-handedly fights on,
establishing himself as the proverbial thorn and the potential
worst nightmare of the game's top authorities" (N.Y. TIMES,
1/22). Mike Lupica: "His stand against replacement baseball is
proper, and he comes up looking like a hero at a time when
baseball needs at least one hero" ("SportsReporters," ESPN,
1/22). Angelos will speak with AL President Gene Budig about the
league's contention that he must field a replacement team
(WASHINGTON POST, 1/22).
O'S FANS: More than 6,000 attended the Orioles' winter
carnival at Camden Yards and bought 30,000 tickets to regular
season games. The turnout almost doubled attendance from last
year's carnival (Jim Henneman, Baltimore SUN, 1/22). Orioles
spokesperson Charles Steinberg: "What strike? Enthusiasm is
rampant" (USA TODAY, 1/23).
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