The Baltimore Orioles created a strange and unnecessary controversy earlier this week when they suspended fan favorite and commentator Kevin Brown.
Brown was suspended for comments he made ahead of the Orioles’ July 23 game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Brown was simply reporting on the Orioles’ longtime struggles at the Rays’ home venue of Tropicana Field, noting that they hadn’t won a series there since 2017.
The Orioles have been heavily criticized for suspending Brown, who said nothing out of line while reporting on facts. Brown’s analysis was supported by graphic shown on the television broadcast, too.
During an appearance on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines”, Prime Video NFL announcer Al Michaels ripped the Orioles for firing Brown. Michaels stated that the suspension should instead go to “the doofus that suspended Kevin Brown”.
Several announcers quickly came to the defense of Brown following the news of his suspension, including Michael Kay and Gary Cohen, the play-by-play voices of the New York Yankees and New York Mets, respectively.
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Brown’s suspension has unfortunately taken plenty of the attention off the feel-good Orioles, who entered Saturday with the best record in the American League at 71-45, two games ahead of Tampa.
Last year, the Orioles finished with their first winning season in six years (83-79). Barring a collapse of historic proportions, they’ll end a seven-year playoff drought and potentially win their first division title in nine years.
