BALTIMORE — The Orioles don’t seem to care what you think.
On Wednesday, the team — meaning CEO and Chairman John Angelos and whoever he might have asked for input — decided to decline the option in its lease with the Maryland Stadium Authority that would have extended the agreement by five years. That choice, which leaves 11 months on the current deal that has existed since Camden Yards opened in 1992, does nothing to back Angelos’ claims about his intent to keep the team in Baltimore nor calm fans concerned about another professional sports team leaving the city.
In truth, beyond a few extra months of worry, it’s a decision that might not matter. A source with knowledge of the situation told The Baltimore Sun the team hopes to have a long-term lease by Major League Baseball’s All-Star break in July. But there’s nothing that would have prevented the Orioles from picking up the option and agreeing to a new deal in the coming months. Just last month, the neighboring Ravens, who became Baltimore’s National League Football team 12 years after the Colts left in the middle of the night in March 1984, secured a long-term lease with five years left on their previous deal with the MSA.
