Orioles announcer Kevin Brown addresses commentary before returning to the broadcast booth
Baltimore Orioles announcer Kevin Brown made his commentary for the first time on Friday, just hours before he was due to return to the booth.
Brown was suspended by the Orioles after he delicately admitted that the team hadn’t been very good in recent seasons on his broadcast last month. This led to an outcry over the Orioles’ leadership and widespread endorsement of the Browns. Fans at Camden Yards even erupted in “Free Kevin Brown!” They chant during a game on Tuesday.
On Friday, before the Browns returned for the team’s game against the Seattle Mariners, Brown insisted he had a good relationship with the Orioles’ front office.
Brown wrote, in part: “Unfortunately, recent media reports have mischaracterized my relationship with my adopted hometown Orioles.” “The truth is I have a great relationship with the organisation, and our ownership and front office have fully supported me since 2019 when I first came on board.
“I’m asking everyone to ignore the distracting noise of the past few days. I’ve worked closely with O’s Senior Vice President Greg Bader for the past four years, and John Angelos has a strong dialogue based on mutual respect. We’re all good here at Birdland!”
Brown didn’t say much about the comment specifically, other than that he never wanted to “be part of the story.”
Brown first made the said comments during a July 23 pregame segment prior to the Orioles’ game against the Tampa Bay Rays. He did not criticize the team, management, or CEO John Angelos, but noted that the Orioles have not been very good against the Rays in recent years.
“It’s been a minute,” Brown said of the Orioles finding success on the road against the Rays. “The Orioles split two players with the Rays in June. They’ve lost the last 15 series here at Tropicana Field. You have to go back to when our teammate Brad Brush got the win at the end of the series.” On June 25, 2017 – the last time the Orioles won a series here in St. Pete.
“He actually went 3-2 in Trop this year after winning three of his 18 in the previous three years combined.”
The Orioles suspended him, and he has not called a game since July 26. The team reportedly suspended him in part because they believed his comments made the club look cheap. The Orioles only released a brief statement saying they “do not comment on personnel matters,” and that they “look forward to hearing from Kevin soon.”
The comment sparked a lot of reaction, including from broadcasters and others in sports. Then on Tuesday, fans at Camden Yards erupted to support the Browns during their game against the New York Mets.
While the situation hasn’t been great for anyone involved, Brown appears ready to move on. Will have the opportunity to do on Friday night only.
