30 September 2023
It seemed like the perfect moment at the perfect time. Just after the third inning Thursday night at Camden Yards, the Orioles were up 1-0 against the Boston Red Sox and widely expected to clinch the American League East title before a jubilant crowd, when Gov. Wes Moore and Orioles Chairman/CEO John Angelos — side by side and applauding — suddenly appeared on the stadium’s video board. Beneath the two men was a statement that seemed to bring even more good baseball news.
In all caps, it said the team, the governor, the state and the Maryland Stadium authority had that very day, after three years of frustrating negotiation, “AGREED TO A DEAL THAT WILL KEEP THE ORIOLES IN BALTIMORE AND AT CAMDEN YARDS FOR AT LEAST THE NEXT 30 YEARS!!”
Neither side would discuss it that night but promised details the next morning. Unfortunately, the scoreboard claim didn’t stand up to the light of day.
At a news briefing Friday morning, where journalists were told they couldn’t quote anyone by name, state officials confirmed that no actual lease had been finalized. Instead, a memorandum of understanding — containing no legally enforceable promises — had been signed expressing a commitment to an eventual 30-year lease and various other provisions. In other words, they’d agreed to agree at some point in the future, while the clock for the expiration of the current lease on Dec. 31 keeps ticking.
Isn’t that what they’ve been doing for the past three years? What makes this any different?
Could it be that they were so swept up in Oriole Magic they felt compelled to exchange the sports-world version of promise rings? Or maybe they didn’t want the playoffs to be marred by constant speculation about whether the Orioles would really, really stay in Baltimore. We have so many questions (including these: Why not just let the team’s clinch be the big news of the day? Why make it about you?).
To be fair, everyone expressed a lot of commitment to one another during the news briefing, with senior representatives from both the state and the team saying they expect a 30-year lease deal to be struck any day now (though they acknowledged there’s an option to extend for a year or two if that doesn’t occur, as was done after the first 30-year lease expired in 2021).
In response to an editorial board question, administration officials said they chose to sign and announce an MOU because a lot of the “key parameters” are in place and “there’s been a lot of interest [in and questions about] where we are and what’s happening.” They wanted “to be able to share that news,” they said.
We’re happy they’ve started to see the value in transparency, given that both sides have been clammed up tight when it comes to lease talks. But they didn’t need an MOU to tell us what’s going on. And an MOU does not guarantee a future for the O’s in Baltimore, no matter how many times officials say it does. That’s like trying to convince your grandma that living together is as good as marriage; it’s a story full of holes.
This might all feel like nitpicking at a time when we should be celebrating. The Orioles won the AL East for the first time in nine years. On the same night, they won their 100th game of the season — the last time that happened was 1980. They’re headed for the playoffs, for crying out loud. They’ve been a joy to watch and have done our city proud. Of course we want them to stay here forever.
But what we don’t want is for Maryland’s governor to back himself into corners with taxpayer funds by publicly promising to make other promises to a privately owned organization before all of the costly and consequential specifics are worked out. Angelos has every right to do what is best for him and his investors. But Moore should do what’s best for Maryland.
So while we, too, would prefer to yell congratulations and bask in the warm glow of it all, we can’t help but feel like the lamps are gaslit.
Baltimore Sun editorial writers offer opinions and analysis on news and issues relevant to readers. They operate separately from the newsroom.
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