I no longer watch Baltimore Orioles’ baseball games. I now only watch innings, and if I do I watch maybe two or three. I prefer to watch innings because frankly color commentator and Hall-of-Fame Oriole pitcher Jim Palmer along with play-by-play announcer Kevin Brown talk too much unlike deceased legendary radio and television announcer Vin Scully of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who broadcasted from 1950 to 2016.
As Richard Goldstein wrote in his obituary of Scully on August 2, 2022, “He narrated a succession of big events of baseball history, and knew when to remain quiet.” The constant conversations in the Orioles’ booth distract from my enjoyment of the game, especially when there is a third color commentator in the booth.
However, I do not mind the occasional guest like Cal Ripken Jr.
I have a feeling that there are a lot of other Baltimore fans with similar sentiments. Plus, the Orioles’ owner David Rubenstein, and general manager Mike Elias fired popular coach Brandon Hyde on May 17 despite having made the playoffs the previous two seasons. I thought that his firing reeked of ingratitude considering that most of Hyde’s starting pitchers were injured.
Lately, I only have been watching the Orioles if they are winning against the opposing team or if the score is close, which is less than 50% of the time. Their present record is a desultory 37-48 as of July 2. I strongly suspect that they will win no more than 70 games this season so I am not too excited about the remainder of their games through the end of September let alone the postseason.
I am also so tired of not being able to watch baseball games, which are broadcast exclusively on Roku TV, Apple Plus TV, Netflix, or some other pay-per-view channel, which I have no subscriptions, and am not willing to pay for.
I pay enough money ($139.00 per month) to subscribe to the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN and MASN2) on local cable monopoly Cox Communications to watch the Orioles.
Unfortunately, the Orioles have repeatedly lost too many first-string players, especially pitchers, this season on the injured reserve list, and six of their starting pictures are most likely out for much or the remainder of the season such as Grayson Rodriguez (lat strain/elbow inflammation, 60-day IL), Kyle Bradish (Tommy John surgery, 60-day IL), Cody Poteet (shoulder inflammation, 60-day IL), Albert Suárez (subscapularis strain, 60-day IL) and Tyler Wells (UCL repair surgery, 60-day IL). Additionally, John Means is on the injured reserve list with Tommy John surgery and is not expected to return until late 2025 or early 2026
Plus, why should I watch a bunch of millionaires after playing two or three seasons, whose starting pay is $760,000 in 2025, to play a boys’ game when I can spend my time doing more productive and entertaining activities like watching Fox News, PBS, reading a book or watching more exciting television like NCAA or NFL football?
Thank God the NFL preseason football season will soon start in less than four weeks along with the 17-game regular season including Sunday and Monday Night Football. That includes the postseason slew of college bowl games and the NFL divisional playoffs from mid-December through most of January. And then there is Super Bowl LX on February 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, California played at the home stadium of the San Francisco 49ers.
In addition, college football begins a full week before Labor Day this year with the Aer Lingus College Football Classic between Iowa State and Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland on Saturday, August 23 at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN.
The Orioles have become so predictably boring at times this season along with too much chatter in the booth. I cannot wait until the NFL preseason football season begins in late July.
Robert L. Maronic