The Swamp

A lot fewer internal "reply all" condolence emails this AM here than when the 5th cousin of someone here passes away.

To be clear, he was a terror and frightening and I watched attorneys with 50 years of experience shrivel up in his presence. That those were his employees was NOT to his credit. But, he also waived attorneys fees when I represented my mom when she was a passenger in a car hit by a drunk driver, so that was nice of him. The first time I was around him he was dog cussing someone on the phone (I later figured out one of the attorneys here) in a manner that was far far far more vicious than anything I ever saw on Succession. And I know he was doing that because he was shouting so loudly that anyone anywhere on the 22nd floor could hear it. He was also old school racist and anti-semitic and all the other things you might imagine. Age and generation not a good excuse for that, by the way. But the Donald Sterling thing made more sense to me in hindsight.

Also, in 2016, I was in his office when he was talking to Phil Castellini and they were commiserating on how unfair MLB is to small market clubs, so I had a pretty good idea how fucked I was as a Reds fan for the foreseeable future (and still am, frankly).

Also, was up in his office after Machado's knee had buckled at the end of whatever season that was and Peter said too bad because no way would anyone ever pay him now...

Was weird being here from 2010-2018 before Peter had whatever health issue finally took him from showing up here 6 days a week, rode the elevator with Showalter a few times. I missed the chance to make a joke about cotton uniforms. In hindsight, glad I didn't, I am sure he's had to hear that reference a million times.

tennbengal wrote: ↑Mon Mar 25, 2024 8:21 am To be clear, he was a terror and frightening and I watched attorneys with 50 years of experience shrivel up in his presence. That those were his employees was NOT to his credit. But, he also waived attorneys fees when I represented my mom when she was a passenger in a car his by a drunk driver, so that was nice of him. The first time I was around him he was dog cussing someone on the phone (I later figured out one of the attorneys here) in a manner that was far far far more vicious than anything I ever saw on Succession. And I know he was doing that because he was shouting so loudly that anyone anywhere on the 22nd floor could hear it. He was also old school racist and anti-semitic and all the other things you might imagine. Age and generation not a good excuse for that, by the way. But the Donald Sterling thing made more sense to me in hindsight.

Also, in 2016, I was in his office when he was talking to Phil Castellini and they were commiserating on how unfair MLB is to small market clubs, so I had a pretty good idea how fucked I was as a Reds fan for the foreseeable future (and still am, frankly).

Also, was up in his office after Machado's knee had buckled at the end of whatever season that was and Peter said too bad because no way would anyone ever pay him now...

Was weird being here from 2010-2018 before Peter had whatever health issue finally took from showing up here 6 days a week, rode the elevator with Showalter a few times. I missed the chance to make a joke about cotton uniforms. In hindsight, glad I didn't, I am sure he's had to hear that reference a million times.

Sorry for your loss?

It's great to have that insight, TB.

Pretty sure I will never be around another public figure billionaire rest of my life in this manner, so, I guess I will always have the oddity of that to reflect on.

Certainly not my favorite owner in sports, but when my uncle who was a “big time” lawyer in Baltimore fell ill toward the end of his life and his partners sort of booted him out of his firm, Peter Angelos employed him for years and let him work a schedule that allowed him to recover.

When he got better, my uncle and I went to a game and sat in our family’s season tickets that are behind home plate. An Angelos minion was sent down to invite my uncle and I up to the owner’s box to watch the game. My uncle politely refused as he wanted to sit with us and not talk shop. He didn’t want to impose. The minion returned 10 minutes later with another invitation and a request that he not be sent back with another rejection of his invitation.

We went up and watched a few innings before we went back downstairs. Angelos said hello to my uncle and gave me a quick nod hello.

He was also very generous to my aunt when my uncle did finally pass away. Acted as an honorary pall bearer if I remember correctly.

So for that, I have nothing bad to say about Peter Angelos the human.

I guess those are good reminders that most humans are complex people, good and bad, full of contradictions.

bfj wrote: ↑Mon Mar 25, 2024 1:57 pm Certainly not my favorite owner in sports, but when my uncle who was a “big time” lawyer in Baltimore fell ill toward the end of his life and his partners sort of booted him out of his firm, Peter Angelos employed him for years and let him work a schedule that allowed him to recover.

When he got better, my uncle and I went to a game and sat in our family’s season tickets that are behind home plate. An Angelos minion was sent down to invite my uncle and I up to the owner’s box to watch the game. My uncle politely refused as he wanted to sit with us and not talk shop. He didn’t want to impose. The minion returned 10 minutes later with another invitation and a request that he not be sent back with another rejection of his invitation.

We went up and watched a few innings before we went back downstairs. Angelos said hello to my uncle and gave me a quick nod hello.

He was also very generous to my aunt when my uncle did finally pass away. Acted as an honorary pall bearer if I remember correctly.

So for that, I have nothing bad to say about Peter Angelos the human.

Aye. See under my note about him waiving attorneys fees for my representing my mom to settle her case. He could be generous. And loyal. And a lot of other things.

tennbengal wrote: ↑Mon Mar 25, 2024 2:16 pm

bfj wrote: ↑Mon Mar 25, 2024 1:57 pm Certainly not my favorite owner in sports, but when my uncle who was a “big time” lawyer in Baltimore fell ill toward the end of his life and his partners sort of booted him out of his firm, Peter Angelos employed him for years and let him work a schedule that allowed him to recover.

When he got better, my uncle and I went to a game and sat in our family’s season tickets that are behind home plate. An Angelos minion was sent down to invite my uncle and I up to the owner’s box to watch the game. My uncle politely refused as he wanted to sit with us and not talk shop. He didn’t want to impose. The minion returned 10 minutes later with another invitation and a request that he not be sent back with another rejection of his invitation.

We went up and watched a few innings before we went back downstairs. Angelos said hello to my uncle and gave me a quick nod hello.

He was also very generous to my aunt when my uncle did finally pass away. Acted as an honorary pall bearer if I remember correctly.

So for that, I have nothing bad to say about Peter Angelos the human.

Aye. See under my note about him waiving attorneys fees for my representing my mom to settle her case. He could be generous. And loyal. And a lot of other things.

I did, which is why I added this story. For the most part, the Orioles' subreddit was very subdued and respectful. That surprised me. FB was another story. Calling him a terrorist was a bit much, I thought.

bfj wrote: ↑Mon Mar 25, 2024 2:18 pm

tennbengal wrote: ↑Mon Mar 25, 2024 2:16 pm

bfj wrote: ↑Mon Mar 25, 2024 1:57 pm Certainly not my favorite owner in sports, but when my uncle who was a “big time” lawyer in Baltimore fell ill toward the end of his life and his partners sort of booted him out of his firm, Peter Angelos employed him for years and let him work a schedule that allowed him to recover.

When he got better, my uncle and I went to a game and sat in our family’s season tickets that are behind home plate. An Angelos minion was sent down to invite my uncle and I up to the owner’s box to watch the game. My uncle politely refused as he wanted to sit with us and not talk shop. He didn’t want to impose. The minion returned 10 minutes later with another invitation and a request that he not be sent back with another rejection of his invitation.

We went up and watched a few innings before we went back downstairs. Angelos said hello to my uncle and gave me a quick nod hello.

He was also very generous to my aunt when my uncle did finally pass away. Acted as an honorary pall bearer if I remember correctly.

So for that, I have nothing bad to say about Peter Angelos the human.

Aye. See under my note about him waiving attorneys fees for my representing my mom to settle her case. He could be generous. And loyal. And a lot of other things.

I did, which is why I added this story. For the most part, the Orioles' subreddit was very subdued and respectful. That surprised me. FB was another story. Calling him a terrorist was a bit much, I thought.

Depends if that person was ever on the receiving end of one of his tirades I suppose...

What I want to know is how can you get that angry at people and still make it to 94. Do some people just not have blood pressure fluctuations?

Rex wrote: ↑Mon Mar 25, 2024 2:47 pm What I want to know is how can you get that angry at people and still make it to 94. Do some people just not have blood pressure fluctuations?

The Greeks seem to be a long lived but angry people (my sample size being...mostly PGA)

The whole publicly a dick but secretly generous sounds a lot like the stories you’d hear of Steinbrenner.

Politics is so full of people that have a public persona that has nothing to do with who they are behind closed doors that this topic is somewhat triggering.*

* - I hate this word.

Good genes, man.

mister d wrote: ↑Mon Mar 25, 2024 3:00 pm The whole publicly a dick but secretly generous sounds a lot like the stories you’d hear of Steinbrenner.

Better than the reverse.