Orioles officials have "long been tight-lipped about the ownership chain of command," and the lack of a clear hierarchy below Chair & CEO Peter Angelos has "contributed to some confusion within the organization," according to a front-page piece by Encina & Schmuck of the BALTIMORE SUN. The 15-34 Orioles are in the "middle of an awful start," Angelos is "battling health problems and it’s fair to wonder who’s running the show." The long answer is a "bit complicated, but the short one" is that while Angelos remains the boss, his two sons have taken on "increasing ownership responsibilities over the past decade and now are involved in just about every aspect of the organization." Sources said that there are a "lot of decisions to be made between now and the end of the next offseason," and it is "unclear to a lot of people outside the management inner circle, and even inside it ... who exactly will be making them." Sources said that in recent months, Orioles Exec VP John Angelos has "taken more control of the business aspects of the team" with Louis Angelos "overseeing the baseball operations." Orioles VP/Baseball Operations Brady Anderson "views the relationship between John and Louis as a partnership, with both having fairly equal input in the baseball team’s operation." John and Louis both were "heavily involved in moving the club’s spring training home" to Sarasota from Ft. Lauderdale in '10. In the coming years, they will "likely have to work together on a new lease at Camden Yards," since the original one is set to end after the '21 season -- although the team has the "option to extend the lease for five more years" (BALTIMORE SUN, 5/23).
WHO CALLS THE SHOTS? MLB Network's Ken Rosenthal said of the Orioles and factors effecting a potential trade of 3B Manny Machado, "We know it is in an unsettled place. We do not know who, exactly, has the authority, the power, who, exactly, would be making this trade, so there are a lot of things to get through here before he actually moves" ("The Rundown," MLBN, 5/22).
