After Fans Protest, Orioles Stage a Rally

Orioles 4, Tigers 3

Baltimore third baseman Melvin Mora hits a game-winning, two-run double in the eighth. (Joe Giza - Reuters)

BALTIMORE, Sept. 21 -- With a cigarette dangling from his mouth, Tigers Manager Jim Leyland explained on Thursday how quickly fortunes can change for a franchise, and how those changes can be brought on simply with a different attitude. Losing teams accept defeat, Leyland said, leaving players to sulk quietly after games, making the clubhouse seem like a morgue. The losing stops, Leyland said, when players refuse to accept defeat.

For a group of approximately 1,000 Baltimore Orioles fans sitting in the upper deck in the left field stands, the losing had become quite tiresome, and to show it was no longer acceptable, they assembled to protest owner Peter Angelos's handling of the club while cheering the home team.

At 5:08 p.m. on Thursday, in the fourth inning of an eventual 4-3 Orioles win, the fans descended from the upper deck and paraded around the stadium loudly yelling "Free the Birds," a mantra aimed at Angelos. The time of departure carried significance, with 5 being Brooks Robinson's number and 8 belonging to Cal Ripken Jr.

It was not lost on many that perhaps with a new attitude, these Orioles could become a contending team like Detroit, a team that was well out of the playoff race by this time a year ago.

"They hung with their young pitching for a couple of years and took their lumps," Orioles Manager Sam Perlozzo said of the Tigers. "We're in the [same] situation with our young pitching as well."

Shortly after sprinting to the field for pregame warmups, shortstop Miguel Tejada and several players noticed the crowd in the upper deck. Tejada said he had no idea about the protest. While jogging in the outfield, Tejada waved several times to the crowd.

"When we saw the fans like that, it made me proud," Tejada said. "I hope they listen to them and bring whatever is needed to make us a contender."

Of course Tejada could relate, because he staged his own protest this offseason when he demanded a trade, a request he hoped would either cause him to be shipped to a contending team or perhaps force Baltimore to field a contending team. The Orioles have done neither.

Though the protest fell far short of the 10,000 participants the organizers had promised, there was no doubt players and team officials took notice. Angelos, in comments to the Associated Press, was not pleased.

"Whoever joins that protest has no comprehension of what it costs to run a baseball team," the owner said from his law office in Baltimore. "When you get down to facts, putting together a team that can compete in the AL East means having a payroll between $100 and $110 million. That money comes from the consumer, and I have chosen to keep ticket prices to a minimum.

"Our payroll is $75 million, and our ticket prices average $22. Some of the teams we compete against charge an average of $45," Angelos said. "We're going to have to match the competition. How to do that is a decision I will make in the future."

The Orioles' players didn't appear to object to the protest.

"It was pretty loud," said starting pitcher Kris Benson, who won his 11th game by allowing just three runs in eight innings. "I think all the players liked it. We don't mind if they come every day and do some cheering for the team."

Fans chanted the names of current and former players. They yelled out the names of former Orioles employees (announcer Jon Miller, manager Davey Johnson) who had been fired by Angelos. In the days leading up to the protest, it appeared the protest could create a hostile atmosphere, but there was no unruly behavior.

Organizer Nestor Aparicio, a local radio celebrity, said last week in a phone conversation that his purpose was to show that fans still love the team, but that they are tired of losing.

"I thought they showed a lot of passion and exuberance," Orioles Executive Vice President Mike Flanagan said. "Frankly, it reminded me a lot of the '70s and '80s when I was playing. I wish it would have continued for nine innings. We're on the same page with them."

The protesters were not in the stadium when Melvin Mora lined a double down the left field line to score the winning runs in the eighth against the Tigers, who likely are heading to the playoffs. It was the type of win that would have been appreciated by many of the fans who walked out.