As a lifelong Orioles fan, I want to apologize to the New York Yankee's for the way we treated them the other day. The Yankees paid for the AL East division fair and square. It just isn't right for us to go around beating a team that spends so much more than anyone else. Let alone, not alowing them to beat the snot out of us and follow with prancing and prominading. We need to cease this disrespectful behavior and when Tex clobbers homer after glorious homer we should say "wow", not "boo". Words can hurt. The Yankees have spent good hard money year after year for the world championship, and to not let them win every game is no different than stealing. Clearly Tex would have played for us if we paid for the world series. After all, this set-up has the backing of the comissioner. So start playing fair Orioles! Remember who bought this division. Try surrendering and give the Yankees the love and honor they have purchased. OK?

I think this does the exact opposite from putting the story to rest. I think it pours fuel on the fire. If the Orioles have always been his favorite team, it's even more of a slap in the face that he didn't sign with them. If he had been a Yankee fan his whole life, that make it easier to understand why he'd want to play for them.

Teixeira's problem is he keeps talking out of both sides of his mouth. He should find one story and stick with it. Sounds like a politician.

Oh, and ask Mussina about all the rings he won in NY.

This makes perfect sense. I can totally relate! The Ravens are my favorite team but Big Ben is my favorite player. Whenever the Steelers come to town, I always put on my Big Ben jersey and cheer for the Steelers. But do I love the Ravens!

Whatever... does it matter who he rooted for as a kid? No. Does it matter what his reason for signing with NY was? No.

The Yankees as an organization have the most storied history, the most championships, the most money, and the least respect for the GAME of baseball out of all 30 clubs. It's the perfect place for Tex, since he apparently is already fully awash in the sense of entitlement that comes from playing for the evil empire.

And his comments about "In a perfect world, I'd be an Oriole..." just showed what an arrogant prick he is (or has become since signing in NY... who knows). Hey Tex, If the O's had won 28 World Series in a row since you were born, what makes you think they would want *you* on their team?

I hope his NYY career ends the same way his hero Don Mattingly's did ... with 0 World Series rings.

Haha major props to the guy who said the line about Big Ben. That was perfect.

This town is a horrible baseball town. All these so called Oriole's fans that never seem to make it to the games every day. I just love the comments about New York buying teams. Of course they do, that what your supposed to do. you get the best players to come play for you. Who's fault is it that players don't want to play here. Who would want to play a home game in front of about 12,000 fans a night? You can't even sign a hometown boy who grew up a fan. This town sucks! time to call Mayflower and go to a city that will support this team.

BS. He just wants the fans to stop booing him. Hopefully, it only will get worse.

he was shallow when he attended st joe and he still is why the big uproar anyone that knows him will tell you he is about mark and only mark

JohnJ is most likely going to be a big O's frontrunner once they turn it around. I'd prefer you guys stay under your rock.

Ok, a little booing, big deal.!! But this attitude of Baltimore hating makes the city look like the fat ugly spoiled girl who hates every guy that didnt invite her to the prom. Yankee fans come down here because they love the ballpark and inner harbor. Ever hear of being a gracious host? If you ever talked to a yankee fan, you'd probaly find out that they're on your side about the O's not competing. To quote a NY fan, "This park, this city, these prices, you gotta be an idiot not to put a contender on the field"

Hey John J,

How much have the Yankees spent since their last WS Title?

The way the national media distorts the Teixeira thing reminds me of how they always gloss over the Colts' move, leaving out 90% of the crap the city was put through while pompously pondering why we crab-munchin' rubes can't just get over it. This jackass strung us along for months, making us believe the Orioles had a chance to get him. Then, at the end, after the Yankees fawned over him not at all, he takes the money. Then he says, "oh, I've always loved the Yankees!"

If he had just gone to the Bronx and said "how much you got?", you wouldn't have heard much out of Baltimore fans. We understand the concept of money. Good luck, Bart Scott. We just don't appriciate being used as leverage, especially not by a jerk who's from this area and knows what our teams and our town mean to us.

I hereby put the curse of Glen Davis on you, Teixeira. Watch out for batted balls.

I Think tex should run backwards to first when he bats, if he can backpedal THAT fast. The word D'OH comes to mind.

My hat is off to you, Rick. How you were able to make out anything Tex said while he had both of his feet in his mouth is truely remarkable.

Mark, do me a favor: quit ur flip-floppin'

Hey Tex does us all a favor and shut up about whose your so-called "favorite" team, no one buys the act we know your talking out of your ass.

This Texiera stuff is getting out of control. Let's get over it-I would almost rather read another steroid story than another Tex gets booed story.

i know they say you shouldn't wish injury on a player, but here goes... nothing serious or invasive... maybe a strained oblique? or shin splints? or an ear infection... In the end, I would settle for a month long pulled groin...

Something that leads him to an inevitable .260 24 86, a $20MM Yankee type season

A true fan roots for the name on the front of the jersey, not the back.

I love Ray Lewis, but had he signed with Dallas or New York this offseason, I would not have showed up to future Ravens games cheering the 'Boys or Jets on. In the same way, if you're an Oriole fan, you don't root for the Yankees because you like Mattingly.

I think the whole thing is a non-issue, but I think his explanation was pretty lame.

JohnJ. For the record, after about a dozen years of 90+ loses last year was the first year we didnt put 2.25 million in the seats. If you check your data (baseballreference.com), the last season the yankees had a 95 loss year (1990) they drew 2,006,436 fans (about 24,000 per game). The O's continued to put 2.5 million in the seats through a decade of losing. I wonder what the yankees would draw with 13 years of 90+ loses. You New York guys are very good at telling everyone just how great you are.

The economy is in the tank, our President is bowing to Saudi Kings, and NAMBLA has a website. All OK.

But for gods sake don't lower yourself to booing a hometown guy that signed with towns rival for more money.

all i can say is, its about damn time os fans grew some balls and stood up for their city/team. i went to games last year and i thought i was at a golfing expo. everyone sat on their hands and you could hear a pin drop throughout the game. i make a little noise ragging on opposing team players and cheering for the os and people look at me like im crazy.

thats not the baseball i remember from memorial stadium all the way to the opening game of camdem yards.
hopefully the real fans keep this up and we can take back our stadium and actually root for the home team again.

it actually works guys. you can throw guys off their game by ragging on them. and on the other side of the coin, you can motivate home team players by cheering for them. they feed off your energy. crazy isnt it?

lets keep bringing baseball back to baltimore, despite the horrible owner that is peter angelos whose has keep our team down for a decade.

I think there's another fraud in New York. We don't care who Tex rooted for as a kid, and if he really was a true Oriole fan, he wouldn't even consider putting a Yankee hat even remotely close to his head. The truth is that people in Maryland are a proud bunch, and what he did won't be soon forgotten. I honestly hope he has a miserable career in New York. I'll be booing hm for the duration of his contract.

If Tex keeps going O-for, he'll be
answering to the Yankee boos. O's
fans have more patience.

Why is it so outrageous to boo someone who spurned their hometown team? The people complaining are complete wimps, Teixeira is a grown man first of all. Second, he used his "hometown" team to drive up offers from the Red Sox and Yankees (our most hated rivals.) He could have lived like a king with a 7 year $140 million contract with the Orioles and been a local hero...People feel sorry for him while he gets to be a greedy basta*d and a sell-out to the state of Maryland. Get real.

Of course I would have loved to see Tex sign with the Os and I even believe his Mattingly store but the Os cannot compete financially with the Yankees. I would have booed him if I was there too but can anyone honestly say that they would leave $30 million on the table.

If you would your crazy, I love the Os but it's not $30 million worth of love.

He listened to his wife. She didn't want to live in Baltimore. He was kind enough to offer her an opinion and he accepted it. At least our winning percentage is better than theirs. He still has more money than me though. I don't always listen to my wife at least.

Lets here it for the Tex Curse!! He signs in NY because he wants a WS ring like Moose, but, the 09' O's with a scrappy bunch of guys, like the Bosox had, win the World Series and Tex regrets his signing!

When Tex signed w/ the Evil Empire, I blamed the O's because I was upset, for that, I apologize, Mark's true colors have shown through.

Go O's, I will be home in May to root for ya's!!!!

Ed in Alaksa

People! Get it straight please! The Orioles initial offer was 7 YEARS / $140M. INITIAL OFFER! Boras never came back with a counter. The Orioles would have raised it if Boras was truly interested. The master plan is always to get Boras the highest commission on salary and endorsements PERIOD! MT sold his soul, now let's see how he lives with it.

Gee, it's a good thing that Job didn't listen to his wife. Poor Tex.

Tex would have gotten much more in endorsements over his lifetime had he come to the Os and led the turn around.

He would retire a Baltimore hero. He would have been revered like Brooks Robinson.

In NY he can win a couple championships in his career and still be just another player. He will go down in history as the 100th hired gun in a long list of mercenaries. A disposable cog in an machine built on entitlement.

I'm glad he invested it all with Bernie Madoff.

I like this drama. Oriole fans are passionate again!

so essentially he was an orioles fan and a yankees fan but only when they were in town. that's unreal. what kind of a person does that? that type of person is called a douche.

i will never stop booing tex.

One word.

SWEEP.

I can't stand it when people treat an entire city like a breathing human being. Bad City! Bad! That was 48K people, all making an independent decision to boo. Sure, mob mentality plays into it, but it was harmless. And fun. What is the alternative? Politely clap for the gentleman? Good City! Bottom line, it was releasing frustration. I was there, and for one day I felt like baseball was back, booing and all. To cite Trembley and Roberts, there was nothing wrong with it. It happens in any city given simialr circumstances.

Personally, I think Tex is a good guy, but even if you like a guy on the other team, you don't discard your "favorite" team and start sporting the other team's gear.

That's weak, man.

I wanted to watch the Texiera press conference from January to see what he REALLY said about his life-long love for the Yankees, but I couldn't make it far enough through to find out. Maybe your stomach is stronger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94BgTvuprsM

SUCK IT UP Teixeira

Look at some players who took LESS to sign with their own home town team or their "dream" team.

Being that Severna Park is so close to Annapolis and DC, looks like Tex is a great student of politics. He gets an "A" for the flip-flop. To say he was a huge Yankee fan, only to retract that by saying, he was only a Yankee fan when NY was in town? He is definitely old enough to remember the great Orioles teams of the 80's? He may recall a pretty good first baseman name Eddie Murray? Who I think Mattingly is qualified for jock strap transportation. Good luck Tex. I do think its ironic, the year Moose retires, Tex can continue the NY curse!!! I hope Tex endures 10 years of futility in NY!!!!

Hey Mark if you think you've heard boos in your home town,wait until you struggle in New York.Ask your buddy A-Rod.He knows all about it.In 2 years you will want to write a check to get out of there.

I am 45 years old and I have been a Baltimore Fan all my life. That is how I was raised. My father died last August and he would have been crushed to know that a Baltimore kid would never want to play for the Orioles or any local team. Their have been a few players who spurned this town like John Elway and Mike Musina that was booed out of the stadium. No one was booed worse then Elway but I think what Texiera did was worse. A hometown boy that could have been special by saving the once proud franchise and instead he took his extra millions and became just another Yankee like Musina. I was there opening day and I booed him everytime I saw him. I did that for you dad because I know my dad would have booed him for letting his city down.

here's hoping that the recent frenzy of O's fans isnt just an opening-week-of-baseball-season-hey-let's-boo-Tex fad. For once in it's history, let's turn Camden Yards into a honest to gosh home field advantage BALLpark, not the amusement park it has been. Get rid of the pre-at-bat song for each player, who stands just away from the plate until his personal anthem is over. How embarrasssing! Fans---pay attention to the game itself, instead of using it as a nice diversional background while you sip your scotch and huff on your over-priced stogies while being "seen"...can you still smoke out on the promenade anymore? Start clapping or cheering on your own, instead of waiting for the Idiot-Tron to coax you out of your stupor! It's been a nice place for the corporate types, and short attention span weenies--it's a damned baseball game!! Get into it--learn how to score it! Create an actual homefield advantage for the Birds!!! Yankee fans don't have a problem letting you know who THEY'RE rooting for,,you gotta give em credit for that. But let's run em out(figuratively speaking). Shout em down---used to be that way on 33rd St....

Scott Boras is the cancerous tumor of MLB and him and the Yankees are the symbol of all that is wrong with MLB until a more REAL type of revenue sharing is enacted along the lines of the NFL.

Teixeira's story is lame, and so is the guy who posted he roots for the Ravens except when Ben Toothlessburger is in town. That's what you call a "fair weather fan" or really, to be truthful, a NON-FAN! Get outta town. If you did that in New York, you'd get mugged and beaten to death in the subway or parking lot at Yankee Stadium.

And this notion that booing Tex makes Baltimore look bad is just plain insane. I once saw Yankees fans try to trip up The Oriole Bird walking down the concourse steps! When I was in NYC wearing my Ravens jersey after the Ravens beat the Giants, a New Yorker took a swing at me out of the clear blue and punched me at Madison Square Garden. Sorry, New York may have money & prestige and the media on its side, but Baltimore fans have class. So we booed and made national news, big deal. In NYC, they routinely throw D batteries at opposing team outfield players and it doesn't even make any news at all! HAha!

As far as how people around Baltimore will always feel, Mark Teixeira will go down as a baseball player only his mother and close friends in Baltimore could love, and THAT'S the way IT SHOULD BE. Anyone who thinks it should be otherwise probably isn't from this city or an Orioles fan and their opinions should thus be discounted.

Face it, Tex is a traitor, he would have gotten the same money practically wherever he went give or take half a mil. For awhile, The Nationals had the most money on the table and he didn't sign there either. Scott Boras always snubs the Orioles because he didn't make a name for HIMSELF by signing players to the Orioles and Nats, duh! Boras knows he makes NATIONAL NEWS when he signs a player to the Dodgers or Yankees. Teixeira only went to New York because of the prestige and because of Scott Boras. Therefor, I'll always enjoy booing him and I think the reaction of the fans to him fired up The Orioles for a change. This is one of the first times I've not seen Yankees fans take charge of Oriole Park and that's a good thing.

***** GO ORIOLES *****

***** YANKEES SUCK! *****

You can't be a true O's fan and a Yankee fan at the same time. It's like being bi-sexual...there's no such thing. Either you perform fellatio or you don't.

You're not an Orioles fan if you wear a Yankees hat or root for the Yankees at any time, under any circumstance. He was a traitor then, and he's a traitor now.

Tex was never, EVER going to go to B'more. No matter what we offered. He said as much in his first presser after the signing. He and his husband made up their mind almost two weeks before he signed, and before anyone knew the NYY were a player for him. Douxiera is just trying to make nice with his hometown, and he sounds like and ass.

Although Mussina did leave the O's to go to the Yankees, I don't put him in the same category as Tex. Mussina spent ten awesome years with the O's. The O's didn't come anywhere close to the offer that the Yanks put on the table for Mussina...and Mussina deserved to have an offense that could get him 20 wins. Mussina owed us nothing. Tex is a whole 'nother story. We weren't asking for a significant home-town discount.

What we should be booing as well, is the fact that we're playing the hated Yankees and our catcher is wearing a chest protector with a huge letter "Y" on it. Am I the only one seeing this?

I think what the media misses is most O's fans aren't mad he went to NY for the money. The poster who cited Bart Scott made a great point - we get that as sports fans.

But don't LIE to us about how you were such a fan as a kid and in a perfect world, blah, blah, blah, when you instructed your agent to not even return our phone calls. Andy said as much at FanFest - he'd call Boars and "What about Tex?" and the answer from Boars would be "What about Pudge? Any interest?"

Tex LIED about his childhood allegiances as an excuse for taking the money. Like most crimes, the coverup is worse than the original offense. Just say it was for the money, Mark. We can understand that.

For you Yankee fans dissing Oriole attendance, you might want to check your own attendance in the 80's when your city of 11 million struggled to put 20,000 people in the stands.

Lets face it, counting the luxury tax your payroll is nearly $300MM and you haven't won anything in nearly 10 years. Your payroll is double everyone else and 4-5 times above the average. Its like you are a 6th grader and can't win the 2nd grade spelling bee when you have all the talent!

I agree totally with the comments. The Orioles should not be beating the yankees this bad, why isnt someone stopping this? If the Orioles can beat the yankees then they are in deep trouble according to Colin Coward (sic) because the O's dont matter!!! HA HA HA

Why is everyone taking their anger out on Teixeira? If you had the chance to take a job that paid 20 percent more than your second-best offer, wouldn't you take it? Direct your anger and your boos to Peter Angelos; for not taking the money he offered Teixeira and putting that money to put together a better rotation. Mark Hendrikson and Adam Eaton is the best Peter could buy? You've got to be kidding me....

Who cares about Tex the clown? Like the other turncoat, Mercenary Mike Mussina, he also will not get a Ring with the Yankees.

TRAITOR! PERIOD.

it's sports... boo people u despise, cheer for those u like. act like your to good for your home town u deserve to be disowned. act like your to good for your home town to go to the enemy you deserved to be booed out of town. regardless of the money. it was his choice and i respect that, but as a fan and a son of b-more (essex represent) if mark t. was on fire i wouldn't p*** on him. if that attitude makes me look bad, oh well like i said i'm from essex.

The Yankees need to worry about beating the Redsox and stop trying to buy everything in site. Also Tex , hmmm... He is overrated to me , not as good as the media say he is just hype. One last thing, I like the Redsox as my favorite team, but you can bet any amount of money when they play the Orioles guest who i'm rooting for..... You got it the Orioles . I don't buy that oh I like the player stuff , it's either you like the team or you don't ask any true Raven's or Oriole's fan's . Ask for the Yankess fan's the only reason you come to watch your team lose is so that you don't pay about $20 for a hot dog .lol!!!

SOUR GRAPES! If Tex signed with the O's you wouldn't care if he rooted for the Yankees, Steelers or the drug pushing murderers! What do all of these have in common? They all own Baltimore!
Yankees took Mussina, then they took Tex, next they will take Weiters. Enjoy him while he's on rental.

Look at Teixeira's situation this way: if he were playing for the O's, he would be soaking up $25 million a year in payroll for the next 8 years.

I suggest that MacPhail can make better use of the Orioles' limited bankroll. May Teixeira keep The Mussina Curse alive.

I think Tex is getting a harder time than he deserves. I Hate (with a capital H) the Yankees, but I completely relate to the Mattingly thing.

When I was a kid, I loved Don Mattingly, and I even dressed up like him for Halloween one year. I was young enough that I didn't understand why I couldn't root for him and the Yanks when they weren't playing the Orioles. Besides, it was the '80s and the Yankees were perenially awful. As I got older and wiser, I grew to hate the Yankees, like any good O's fan should, but I completely understand how Tex could have been a Mattingly fan - I was too!

Additionally, the Orioles offer wasn't competitve. The Yankees offered him a lot more money and a better chance to win. As much as I hate to admit it, they're the better organization right now. I appreciate loyalty, but you have to remember that it's just the game of baseball, not good vs. evil, even though we sometimes make it out to be.

give me a friggin break! first you can't believe anything he says anyway. Second, a true Oriole fan never, ever, wears Yankee gear except to your son or daughters t-ball game if they happened to unluckily been selected to such a team.

Would a Maryland fan ever wear duke gear to a home terp game becuase their "favorite" player was Danny Hurley? I rest my case. Tell him to shut his pie hole next time, good riddance!!

Hypocrite Jim,

You obviously didn't follow the story line over the last two years, the stuff coming out of Tex's mouth. Go do some research. In addition, he never intended to let the O's counter offer, nor give a home team discount as he said he would last year. The O's were set to counter, but never given the opportunity. Did you miss the part where Tex said he wanted to be a Yankee way before he bacame a free agent? He is getting everything he desereves from "true" diehard Oriole fans. May he never get to the series in my lifetime.

Mussina at least had a good reason to leave at the time. But I am also happy he never got a ring.

Teixeira = Elway. Nuff said.

As one of the other posters aluded to, Boras TOLD the Orioles not to even bother making another offer. So the "$30M" less (which was also spread out over 8 years instead of 7), is/was not the final story.

Whatever, I'm happy with Huff putting up the same numbers for one-fifth the cost.

I never understand why they boo.

Think about it, there's a reason a player like Tex who puts up fantastic numbers and is in his prime has played for 4 teams (Rangers, Braves, Angels, Yanks) in 2 years... PERSONALITY!

Agree with the guy who said Tex was about himself at St. Joe. I seen it.

There is no reason for this. A grown man way more talented and accomplished and sadly, revered, has made a career decision likely to net him more wins and sure to net him more cash. We had Tejada, and we didn't win with him. If we were a club with an established Rotation and Pen, and a more respectable lineup, Tex could put us over put the top. But why would the man want to take less money to play for a club that still wouldn't be .500 with him? He's in NY, and its our club's management's fault. We were paying Albert Belle ten+ million to sit at home for years. We signed Sosa. We've developed a number of true talents to count on one hand, in as many years. We are starting to put together young guys, the new catcher, forget his name, BROB, Markakis, A.Jones and a couple pitchers, and a few AAA guys. Why throw the money it takes to keep them at one player. We're not in a positition to do both, or even a position to win with Tex. Many of you would do the exact same thing. He wouldn't fill the stands with a .460 record, but watch when/if were competitive, the stands will fill up. I will be there.

And how about these last two games?

When will the crybaby "fans" like Marco stop using the excuse that the Yankees are buying their championships? Pretty sure they haven't won one since 2000. Correct me if I'm wrong. Thanks.

Let me get thist straight, just because you lived in an area as a kid you are supposed to be loyal to the area your whole life? Wow - that is sad. Get out and enjoy the world - there's more to life then living and working in Baltimore your whole life.

And who cares who he rooted for as a kid? Once you're in the big leagues it becomes a business decision - not an emotional one. And lets face it - Angelos has proven he isn't a great guy to work for.

And to the poster who said the O's offer was comparable to the Yankees - it wasn't. They were $40 M off. Let me repeat that for you - the difference was 40 MILLION DOLLARS!!!!! I don't know anyone who would take a $40 M discount anywhere. And to anyone who disagrees - would you leave your current employer if their main competitor offered you 25 to 30% more then you currently earn? I bet you would - especially in this economy.

And finally - the national media isn't condeming Baltimore for booing Tex. There's nothing wrong with that (as a matter of fact, everyone was proud of Baltimore fans for showing up and showing some emotion for once). The point of contetention were the signs that read "Severna Park Hates You". That's just low class. This isn't Philly - and anyone who hates another person over a game is a low class moron who needs to re-evaluate their position in life.

Wow, it was good to hear that there was life at Camden Yards. Maybe Memorial Stadium isn't dead after all. It's nice to see the O's winning and playing hard too. It's been much too long.

Lets Look At This Logically
Lets set the record straight. It is our god given right to hate the Yankees. Trembly told us so

LETS LOOK AT THIS LOGICALLY, but this time REALLY logically...

#1: Angelos is not making decisions anymore, he's signing checks, soon he'll be spoon fed by a nurse for christ sake!

#2: The Orioles never had an opportunity to counter-offer the Yankees, so we'll NEVER KNOW whether they would have matched that offer or NOT because of SCOTT BORAS and Mark Teixeira, who collaboratively decided NOT to accept counter-offers from either the NATIONALS or the ORIOLES!

#3: If you grew up here and you want to be a Yankee, then you deserve whatever hatred befalls you and then some.

#4: Yes, Severna Park hates Mark Teixeira, the truth hurts. Should the truth be hidden?
How is that sign worse than Yankee fans attempting to trip up the Oriole Bird or throwing D batteries at outfielders? Please, amuse me with an answer to that one.

#5: Logically is an idiot who knows nothing about this and is obviously a transplanted resident. The funny thing is a YANKEE FAN would understand this outrage! HAha!

#6: Maybe you should re-evaluate YOUR position in life since you have no grasp of the facts on this and have obviously not read up on this story before making an idiot of yourself.

LASTLY, THE FANS HAVE SPOKEN, THE POLLS ARE IN, TEIXEIRA IS TO BE HATED BY ORIOLE FANS FOREVER. LET HIM SPEND HIS MONEY IN NY.
(And hopefully rarely visit Maryland)

THANK YOU.

To Joe Fab:

Answer to #1 - It all starts at the top, and Angelos is no picnic to work for. Ask Pat Gillick, Davey Johnson, etc.

Answer to #2 - It goes straight to my point that he never wanted to play for the O's. He didn't solicit their bid either - McPhail sought out Boras. Their failure to respond was their way of saying "Thanks, but no thanks".

Answer to #3- A person can choose to root for whatever team they want to. Just because you live in or around Baltimore doesn't mean you have to root for the O's and Ravens. Nor should anyone be berated by a loser fan like yourself for not liking the home town team.

Answer to #4- Don't lower yourself to someone else's low standards. Does it make it right to hold up a sign saying you hate them and then use a lame excuse like "well their fans throw batteries"? The answer is no. And didn't your mother and father ever tell you two wrongs never make a right? Take the high road and don't be a classless jerk. Leave that to the fans in Philly, Oakland, Boston, etc. Lets keep the image of the Baltimore fan in high regards.

Answer to #5- Does it matter if I'm a transplanted resident or not? I fail to see how that has any relevance in this. And let the record show I've lived in this area for 22 years. It's a great place to live, however there are a lot of great places across the US. To each their own - and I guess Tex and his wife want to live in the NY area.

Answer to #6- Look, I can understand booing a guy from the opposition. Or even "hating" the uniform they put on. But I cannot and will not condone hating any one person because they play for that team. You need to realize that hating another person because they choose to play for the opposition is ridiculous. You should save that anger for the politicians and wall street fat cats who are running our country into the ground - not for some first basemen who decided to play for the Yankees. Get your priorities straight.

JoeFab - you sound more like the un-intelligent idiot then Logically.

Hey JoeFab - the O's and Nats bids were coming in 30 to 40 million dollars less then the Yanks and Red Sox. Now tell me, is playing for the home town team worth 30 to 40 million less? Oh yea, they also wanted him for 8 years - not the 7 that the Yanks and Sox were offering. So in essense the contract wasn't even in the same ball park as the Yanks & Sox. You'd be a flaming moron to take that kind of offer seriously (which you obviously are - especially w/a name like JoeFab).

"Baseball is like life Ray" - Being filthy rich is the ultimate goal in our world. We see it with sport salaries in particular. At some point an intelligent person would take a step back and ask themselves, "how much money do I really need?" On the bottom rung of the food chain a 20% increase in pay makes a big difference. But when your making 6 million a year or so does the couple million a year more really matter. Oh, I know, they have to provide for there family for the future and they may have a career ending injury, but lets get real. Everyone on this blog would probably feel like they and there family were set for life if you cashed in say 10 or 12 million in the last 5 years or so. I respect an athlete making a team choice because he wants to win. But this is not the case. As per Gary Thorne during the O's broadcast last night, Mark said straight up that money was deciding factor and he was going for the highest contract. I know I'm an old timer at 49 and "the old ways are gone pops", but baseball is NOT a business as stated so regularly (Anita Marks included) unless you let it be. It is BASEBALL. It does no good to anyone, produces no product, builds nothing, heals knowone. It is meant to be a form of escape and enjoyment. As for Tex, he just didnt handle it right and he'll have to live with it. He should have made it clear from the start of free agency that he wanted the AL East and was selling himself to the highest bidder. No preferences, no hometown alligences. Then, when you sign, dont make public comments about any of the other bidders, dont even mention them. And dont say you where a big fan of your hometowns most hated rival (for us anyway) while you were growing up. Save it for later like a Joe Buck interview or something. You know your hometown had it's hopes up. For Gods sake dont poke the bear! Man, TO would at least know that. Just stand up there and shed a few tears and say how torn you were as a kid between your hometown team and the Yankees (See his qoute from yesterday about being an O's fan except when the yanks come to town). - The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again.

DING DING DING DING DING...

First off... If I'm such an idiot, how come I guessed correctly out of the clear blue without any advance knowledge that LOGICALLY was a "transplanted" resident with no ties to the area and no natural fan of The Orioles? HAha! Now THATS what I call a "GOTCHA" moment and why I touched a nerve, hehe.

#1: Angelos is ancient history and it appears had nothing to do with these negotiations, do you have a McPhail story? If not, get outta town!

#2: The Orioles and Nationals never had an opportunity to counter-offer the Yankees because Scott Boras and Tex all along WANTED to sign with the Yankees, DUH! Read the newspaper, damnit. People need to stop posting stupid useless money comparisons that make no sense. Tex didn't want a counter offer from either team. He WANTED to play for The Yankees. HE SAID SO HIMSELF!

#3: If you equate tripping the Oriole Bird or throwing D batteries or punching a person with an opposing team jersey to holding up a somewhat mean but humorous sign or booing, then your mother taught you far less than mine did, that's for sure.

#4: Anyone who has to debate the meaning of the word "hatred" in a forum like this has too much time on their hands. I'll leave it at this... "Fan hatred" is different from REAL HATRED. I'm sure plenty of people who "hate" Mark Teixeira, if had the opportunity to meet him, might not in fact HATE him, myself included. It's not a personal thing, its a FAN THING. Please understand the difference, no one wishes the man harm here. DUH!

#5: Why do intellectuals educated beyond the ability to tie their own shoe laces post in SPORTS FORUMS? Don't you have better things to do LOGICALLY, like saving seal pups or world peace? :-)

ONE LAST THING...

BALTIMORE SPORTS FANS ARE PROBABLY SOME OF THE MOST COURTEOUS, OVERLY-COURTEOUS ACTUALLY (DARE I SAY IT) FANS IN THE WORLD!

WE'RE NOT CALLED CHARM CITY FOR NOTHING.

THIS WHOLE BOOING TEIXEIRA THING IS NOT A NEGATIVE ON BALTIMORE, ONLY ON TEIXEIRA.

I'LL BE HAPPY TO LET THE MAN BE A YANKEE AND ALL OF US WILL JUST BOO HIM AND LET HIM LIVE WITH HIS DECISION.

IT IS SAD THOUGH THAT MARK TEIXEIRA WILL NEVER BE A HERO TO KIDS IN HIS OWN HOMETOWN, BUT INSTEAD BE REVILED AND BOOED. BUT THAT'S HIS AND SCOT BORAS'S DECISION, NOT THE ORIOLES.

Simply stated - don't lie to me. Tell me the truth and face whatever the outcome happens to be. Anyone who felt slighted by the traitor would be more willing to deal with his decision if he was honest about it. I wish him nothing but a decade of disappointment in pinstripes or any other color save for the Orange & Black.

Who gives a darn about the O's and their fans hating Teix? They got lucky for two games and then realized they were playing above their heads. So they regressed to the norm today and were beaten down by a superior Yankee team. And how'd you all like the Teix homer to tie the game today? GO YANKEES!!!!!

Y A N K E E S

S U C K!

END OF STORY !!!

LETS GO YANKEES!!!!! WE STARTED SLOW, BUT WE'RE WELL ON OUR WAY TO CHAMPIONSHIP NUMBER 27!

OH, & ONE OTHER THING - O's SUCK!!!! 12 LOSING YEARS IN ROW SUCKERS!!!!!

Been a fan since I was 5 years old.. once an o's fan.. always an o's fan.. I dont care if he signed for money.. thats his thing.. so be it.. but when you disrespect my city and my team.. thats what happens..

and try to make up a lie with a lie? oh dang.. stick with the original lie tex.. you suck up!

O's fan 1973 - present
Terps fan 1980 - present
Colts fan 1974 - 1984 (RIP)
Stallions fan 1994-1996
Stars fan ? CFL CHAMPS
RAVENS fan 1996 - present
GO BALTIMORE!

Orioles suck da ball sauce. You all look like a bunch of little school girls crying over a made up scandal you guys think exists. Get over it, figure out it's your teams front office you should be wasting your bad breath on. Add a who to that boo, and go cry in your empty stadium.