Whenever I hear sports broadcasters talk about having more freedom because they aren't associated with the teams they are covering -- as in today's column -- it reminds me of politics. It's like the whole Washington "outsider" thing. Nobody wants to be seen as connected to the Washington structure, even as they campaign to run the thing.

In somewhat the same way, broadcasters say they can be more honest because they have no business relationship with the Orioles or Ravens. No, they can be -- in the slogan of ESPN 1300 --  "uncensored" (which can only lead us to believe the station was "censored" when it carried the Ravens).

Maybe there is something to this. Jon Miller's departure from Baltimore would be held up as Exhibit A. On the other hand, no one who listens to Joe Angel call the Orioles on the radio should believe he's talking about the games through a rose-colored microphone. On the whole, as I said in a post the other day, no station in town logically would turn down the chance to carry one of our two major pro teams. So this whole "freedom" tag could be just a matter of spin.

And that takes us right back to politics.