Baltimore Orioles television play-by-play announcer Kevin Brown is expected to "return soon" after reportedly being removed from the MASN broadcast for comments he made during a pregame show. Brown is expected to be back on the mic come Friday, Aug. 11, according to The Athletic.
Brown's supposed offense occurred on July 23, when he stated that the Orioles had already won more games at Tropicana Field (home of the Tampa Bay Rays) than they had in the previous three seasons combined. Lest that sound like a joke, you can watch the entirety of Brown's comments below:
Here's the clip of Kevin Brown's pregame comments on the Orioles' recent record against the Rays ahead of a series finale on July 23. Sources tell AA these comments led to Brown's current indefinite suspension from Orioles' broadcasts. pic.twitter.com/csURU04fJU
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 7, 2023
Bear in mind, the Orioles' public relations staff had included that note in their pregame media package, and MASN's graphics department had worked up a display showing the same information. Yet Brown's stating of the facts -- with little additional commentary -- drew ire from ownership, who believed "it made them look cheap," again per The Athletic's reporting.
The Orioles, who own MASN, have since issued a statement to Awful Announcing stating: "we don't comment on personal matters" and "we look forward to hearing Kevin's voice soon."
Orioles fans, by the way, expressed their annoyance with ownership on Tuesday night, chanting "free Kevin Brown" during Baltimore's game against the Houston Astros.
A “Free Kevin Brown” chant grows voice in the seventh inning at Camden Yards pic.twitter.com/1ghipT1k4O
— Andy Kostka (@afkostka) August 9, 2023
The Orioles have the second-lowest payroll in Major League Baseball, according to Cot's Contracts. They've authored an impressive turnaround, canyoneering from the basement to the penthouse in the American League East, but there's no sense pretending they did it thanks to assistance from ownership. Rather, the Orioles have not ranked higher than 27th in payroll since the 2017 season, before they traded Manny Machado.
The Orioles instead embraced "failing efficiently." From 2018-21, they lost 67% of their games — or a 53-win pace over a 162-game regular season. They also consistently fielded barebone payrolls. The Orioles front office did draft and develop well, no doubt, and they unearthed several gems at the big-league level, including All-Star closer Félix Bautista.
The Angelos family has owned the Orioles since 1993, when Peter purchased the franchise for $173 million. A lawsuit filed last year by Peter's son Louis revealed that Peter has been "disabled" since 2017, with Peter's other son John allegedly taking a greater role in day-to-day operations.
