Orioles Owner PETER ANGELOS bought the team exactly 20 years ago on Friday, and as the Orioles are "no longer the dregs" of the AL East, the "vitriol that seemed to follow Angelos in his adopted city seems to be slowly dissipating," according to Connolly & Walker of the Baltimore SUN. The team remains an "integral part of the city," but the Angelos family's "sparkling public reputation as saviors has been tarnished" over the years "by personnel conflicts, public discourse and, more than anything, a downward spiral of losing that lasted 14 desolate seasons." Orioles 2B BRIAN ROBERTS said, "I think everything changes when you win. ... I think the Angeloses took a lot of heat for what happened, what was going on and, any time you own a company and things aren't going right, I think that's part of the territory." Angelos has "donated millions to local, state and national non-profits and built one of the most formidable personal-injury law firms in the world." Yet his legacy is "tied firmly to the Orioles, their successes and failures." Orioles VP/Baseball Operations BRADY ANDERSON said, "It's sort of sad what it says about society where you can get judged critically based on a team's won-loss record. Personally, I think that's a shame. ... He is a great person." Connolly & Walker note Angelos "continues to maintain a low profile when it comes to his ballclub," as he "often attends several games a week, but watches from his suite, rarely interacting with fans or his players." Despite the "successes of the last two seasons, many fans and observers still view Angelos' legacy as mixed." They "cannot forget all the losing seasons, all the free agents left unsigned, all the smart baseball people who departed in frustration" (Baltimore SUN, 8/2).
