Rosenthal: Round 2
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports (who I consider a friend in the business) has written his rebuttal to the comments of Peter Angelos and Cal Ripken who both deny parts of Rosenthal's report of April 16 in which he cites sources claiming a rift between Ripken and the owner. Ken stands by his story and proceeds to take some serious shots at Angelos. You can read it in its entirety:
In my opinion, Ken has taken a dangerous step away from his objective reporting to voice a clear disdain for Angelos. It's a point of view usually taken by a columnist, not a reporter. I appreciate Ken's passion for his opinion, but in voicing it in the manner that he does- he has damaged the objectivity of any future reporting he does on the Orioles. There seems to be a war of words going on here and that battle field is a dangerous place for a reporter (while it's fertile ground for a columnist).
Ken's follow-up piece does bring up an intriguing subject: the presence (or lack of presence) of Oriole alumni. Rosenthal asks "why isn't Ripken already working for the Orioles?... It's damning that Ripken, Brooks (Robinson) and Frank Robinson are nowhere to be found at Camden Yards."
There's merit to the question, but the answers actually require more insight than the shoot-from-the-hip ease of firing off the question. First, Cal has been on a personal and professional baseball/business mission in his post-playing career that has him deeply involved in his own ventures. He is just recently set forth a timeline that has him eyeing a Major League job in 2 years (after his son graduates from high school). Cal Ripken is careful, calculated and meticulous in his business dealings. He's planning 2 years from now to be involved. He's not a knee-jerk, "hire me now" guy. That's why Cal is not working for the Orioles now- yet according to Angelos, Cal certainly will be welcomed when ready.
I've not heard any recent chatter regarding Frank Robinson and what desire he may or may not have to be part of the organization now. I recall speaking with Frank back in 1996 when Davey Johnson was hired as manager and Frank made it obvious that he felt he should be manager or GM. But that was 14 years ago. As far as Brooks Robinson. he's told me (and others) that the Orioles have offered him a full-time position with the club, but he's declined because he has other things to do and other places to be (like Calfornia). There may be some tension between the current ownership and Brooks, but again- Brooks has said he's declined offers to be at the ballpark full-time.
The next question to consider: what would be expected of someone like Brooks, Frank, or Cal in the current set-up that includes an experienced team president and a full staff of uniformed coaches? Should they occassionally stop by and offer hitting and fielding tips? Give the guys a pep talk? Manager Dave Trembley has asked that the former players stop by and he has an open door to them. Jim Palmer is a regular presence around the team and freely offers his Hall of Fame pitching advice. Same with Rick Dempsey. Paul Blair has said that he would like to work with the outfielders. He's at the ballpark often, but the club does have John Shelby (a hired coach) who works full-time with the outfielders. Do we expect Brooks and Frank to show up like Wal-Mart greeters at the gates of Camden Yards. Seriously, there's a cry to have them on board, but I ask again: to do what? Eddie Murray will be around some this year to do some broadcasting- yet he's told me that in his time as a hitting coach with the Indians and Dodgers, many of the players didn't know or care who he was.
These great former players all have something to offer, but let's not get carried away with the issue. It's an easy subject to bring up and complain about, but when you really look at the issue- you see it's not as easy as just bringing them in with un-specified roles that conflict with employees with specific jobs. Cal Ripken is carefully crafting a post-playing career with his involvement as a baseball businessman and I trust he'll be a welcomed and important addition to the Orioles leadership when he's ready. But I'm hesitant to suggest than anyone former Oriole who played well automatically fits well into Andy MacPhail's carefully crafted plan to turn the franchise around.
