Letters to the editor

Blame Mr. Angelos

With regard to your story about declining ticket sales for the Baltimore Orioles (“Orioles ticket sales fall in 2005,” Page 1, Wednesday): Club officials are blaming it mainly on the arrival of the Washington Nationals. What a load of pine tar.

I live in Baltimore. I was born and raised here. And I’m one of the many who haven’t purchased any Orioles tickets for the 2005 season. It has nothing to do with the Washington Nationals. It has to do with the facts that the team stinks, the ticket prices are too high, the cost of a hot dog is too high, and the cost of parking is too high.

The fact that the team has added a temperamental has-been slugger, Sammy Sosa, who is tainted by the steroid scandal, further dissuades me from plunking down my hard-earned money for an afternoon or evening at Camden Yards.

I grew up when the Orioles were managed by Earl Weaver and had players such as Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Boog Powell and Jim Palmer. That was before Peter Angelos bought the club and ruined it.

Rather than blame Washington’s new team for slumping ticket sales, Mr. Angelos ought to look at how he has systematically destroyed this once-great baseball organization.

Physician, heal thyself. Better yet, sell.

CHUCK MUTH

Baltimore

Debating missile defense

I wanted to take this opportunity to address some of the outrageous comments Peter Huessy made in his Tuesday Op-Ed column, “Defending missile defense.”

From the perspective of missile defense proponents, Mr. Huessy repeatedly refers to “our critics” in his commentary when referring to members of Congress who have raised legitimate concerns about the Bush administration’s approach to missile defense.

Story Continues →