Oh man, it’s a sad day for baseball, especially for those who bleed orange and black. Peter Angels, the big guy behind the Baltimore Orioles, has left the building at 94. The Angels clan dropped the news late Saturday, saying Peter G. Angelos had finally hung up his cleats quietly. The dude had been on the struggle bus health-wise for a bit, and his fam threw a big thanks to the medical MVPs who made his last innings comfortable. They’re keeping the goodbye hush-hush, just as he wanted, and are nudging folks towards charity instead of sending flowers.
Back in ’93, Angelos and his crew scooped up the Orioles for a cool $173 million. He wasn’t just any owner, though. During the ’94-’95 labor mess, he straight-up refused to play ball with replacement players. Why? Because back in the day, he was all about defending union folks in court as a personal injury lawyer right in Baltimore.
Commissioner Rob Manfred had some words too: “Peter Angelos was all Baltimore, through and through. He didn’t just own the Orioles; he bled for them. And let’s not forget, the guy was a saint when it came to giving back to his city. He also played a big part in bringing the Orioles and the Cuban National Team together in ’99. Plus, he was a solid rock for me when I first got this gig. Big shoes to fill, for sure.” He sent his condolences to Peter’s wife, Georgia, their sons, John and Louis, and the whole Angelos family.
The Baltimore Sun had its take, painting Angelos as a tough cookie with a heart of gold. From humble beginnings, the guy made it big, fighting for the little guy against the big, bad asbestos companies. And boy, did he win big, banking over a billion in damages in the ’90s.
One for the history books was when Cal Ripken Jr. smashed Lou Gehrig’s record for most consecutive games played on Sept. 6, 1995. Ripken himself tipped his hat to Angelos, noting the Orioles’ six postseason runs since ’93 under his watch.
Apart from baseball, Angelos had his hands in politics, serving on the Baltimore City Council and even running for mayor back in ’67. With his health on the decline, his sons, John and Louis, took the reins of the Orioles. And just when you thought the plot couldn’t thicken, earlier this year, the Angelos fam shook hands with David Rubenstein, a Baltimore native and big shot at The Carlyle Group, to sell the Orioles for a whopping $1.7 billion. But wait, the other MLB owners still need to give it the thumbs up.
Rubenstein couldn’t help but gush about Angelos, saying, “Peter was a titan in both the boardroom and the ballpark. Baltimore’s got a lot to thank him for, not just for keeping the Orioles flying high but for setting them up for a bright future.”
