When in doubt, blame the media- or blame what the media has become.  As a member of the media, I’m naturally on the defensive when it comes to this subject, but let’s take an aspect of media criticism that has come up in Baltimore recently. 

I do a radio show on 105.7 The Fan, which is the flagship station of the Orioles.  There are some in our town who are of the opinion that what is said on that radio station is “censored” so as not to allow criticism of the Orioles.  There are callers to my show (and other shows in town) and e-mailers who have made the suggestion that the flagship radio station is “soft” on the O’s.  Stan Charles, editor of the “Press Box” magazine, opined in a recent edition that the O’s media partners engage in “happy talk” that is insulting to fans.

Before I take any of these accusations too personally, I guess I should consider than any reference to O’s “media partners” would include not just 105.7 The Fan, but also MASN television and masnsports.com.  That being said, when Stan Charles says the “media partners” are insulting the fans, I would think the least he should do is cite specific outlets and voices.  Is it MASN, 105.7 The Fan?  And who exactly is saying what?   All of us in the media (Stan included) should be able to defend themselves when accused, but who’s being accused and what did they say?  Specifics, please.

Now, to those who claim 105.7 The Fan goes easy in its criticism of the Orioles:  I can only speak for myself and my show.  If you’ve ever tuned in, you know that I call it like I see it and though we may not always see things the same- I’m not one to gloss over or sugar coat my commentary.  If I don’t like someone or something, I’ll say so.  For instance, I’ve said many times that I don’t think Felix Pie is a Major League talent.  He appears to be a good athlete, but not a top-level baseball player.  Team President Andy MacPhail knows Pie better than I, so I’ll defer to his judgment on the player’s talent, but I’m on record as saying he looks out of place in the Majors. I’ve questoned why manager Dave Trembley rests certain players when he does, and I’m completely unaccepting of ANY player who fails to run hard to first base on a ground out. 

What some may be unaccepting of is that MacPhail has been up front about the rebuilding that he is attempting and his admission that there will be some pain in the process of trying to turn the team around (ie- the O’s are likely to lose more than they win while bringing up young players who could eventually make the club better).  After 11 losing seasons, it’s understandable that a fan may be unaccepting of the “no pain, no gain” scenario.  Wthout apologizing for it, I see the plan, understand it and express my patience for it.  Is that “happy talk”?  Is that “soft”?   More pointedly, if you are opposed to such a plan- what is your solution?  We can discuss and do so openly on my radio show:  call me at 410 481-1057 Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm and we’ll talk.

Regarding the bigger picture of whether ANY team’s “media partners” might take it easier on the team they carry:  in a broad sense that’s likely.  But, what are your expectations?  Do you see the YES Network or NESN crushing the Yankees or Red Sox?  Do you expect WBAL radio to bury the Ravens if things go bad?  It boils down to this (for the intelligent sports fan), you know the lay of the land and you know who you trust.  Take each voice that you hear on an individual basis and truly listen to what they say.  You may tune in with a pre-conceived notiion that an entity goes easy on a team, but what do you really hear when you really listen?  Have you heard Dave Johnson on Orioles pre and post-game shows?  He is vehement in his criticisms.  Have you heard Jim Palmer call out Oriole players for some of their deficiencies?  He does, and does so with the credibility of being a Hall of Famer.  Are there others who may be less inclined to criticize?  Probably so- but listen to each voice before making blanket statements and opinions about the subject.  Those who paint with that broad brush (and fail to identify specifics) are justbeing lazy in their opinions.  But that’s just my opinion.

Posted on Sunday, June 14th, 2009 at 12:54 pm.
Categories: Mark's Blog.
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