Plenty of folks came to bat for Orioles broadcaster Kevin Brown after the organization — more specifically, owners Peter and John Angelos — suspended the voice of the O's after he pointed out that Baltimore had won more games at Tropicana Park in 2023 than in each of the preceding two years combined.
One of the loudest voices to emerge from the crowd was Yankees play-by-play announcer Michael Kay. Speaking with Peter Rosenberg on his daily radio show, Kay blasted Orioles ownership, labeling the organization as small-time. After all, as Kay cited, the stat Brown referred to was featured on a graphic to be shown during the game.
"They should be ashamed of themselves," Kay said. "Not only was what Kevin said in the Oriole notes last night. But it was on a graphic, which means that it was planned. Which means that if you're going to be so thin-skinned to suspend Kevin Brown, then you have to suspend the entire Oriole truck ... because they're all complicit in this."
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Yankees broadcast Michael Kay went OFF on the Orioles over Kevin Brown's removal from the booth. pic.twitter.com/laPeLieVYY
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 7, 2023
Kay urged MLB commissioner Rob Manfred to speak up on Brown's behalf.
"If John Angelos didn't like that, then he's thin-skinned, he's unreasonable and he should actually be getting a call from Rob Manfred, the commissioner of baseball," Kay added. "Because it's unconscionable that you would actually suspend a really good broadcaster for no reason whatsoever."
Kay's critiques seem reasonable. The Angelos family has long been viewed as the embodiment of frugality in MLB, routinely opting to spurn paying players and personnel their fair wage in the hopes of shoring up their bottom line. That has tended to be accompanied by losing — lots and lots of it.
In that context, 2023 has been refreshing: The O's have the second-best record in baseball. They also have a cadre of talented youngsters tearing up the bigs and minor league ball. And they just got better during the trade deadline, acquiring burgeoning ace Jack Flaherty from the Cardinals.
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Still, it seems, the Angelos aren't satisfied. Hence their decision to punish Brown, who works play-by-play for the Angelos-owned MASN broadcasts. It's a frustrating look, especially considering the fact Brown's statement was in no way disparaging towards this year's team. (Nor is it wrong for a team's home broadcaster to criticize its performances).
Or, as Kay put it:
"This makes the Orioles look so small and insignificant and minor league," he said. "Can you imagine how this guy feels? ... You embarrassed the guy for no reason and, most importantly, you embarrassed yourself. What you did is disgraceful to the business."
