bring your kids ages 9 and under for free PA GE major sporting events that should happen in baltimore 244 05.18 BEN MCDONALD’S authenticity has made him a fan-favorite for years, however, his transition from player to commentator was anything but seamless BY KEVIN ECK > Page 16 photography > courtesy of the baltimore orioles of the baltimore photography > courtesy VISIT BUYATOYOTA.COM FOR GREAT DEALS! buyatoyota.com UPCOMING PROMOTIONS AT ORIOLE PARK may 31- vs. May vs. 15-16 June 3 MAY 16 JUNE 1 FRIDAY FIREWORKS & MUSIC FIELD TRIP DAY POSTGAME, ALL FANS PRESENTED BY WJZ-TV PRE-REGISTERED STUDENTS STUDENT NIGHT ALL STUDENTS, SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY JUNE 2 THE SANDLOT MOVIE NIGHT May POSTGAME, ALL FANS SPECIAL TICKET PACKAGES AVAILABLE vs. 28-30 JUNE 3 MAY 28 KIDS RUN THE BASES PRESENTED BY WEIS MARKETS ORIOLES MEMORIAL DAY T-SHIRT POSTGAME, ALL KIDS AGES 4-14 ALL FANS MAY 30 ORIOLES COOLER BACKPACK June vs. PRESENTED BY VISIT SARASOTA FIRST 20,000 FANS 15 & OVER 11-13 JUNE 12 DYLAN BUNDY BOBBLEHEAD FIRST 25,000 FANS 15 & OVER bring your kids ages 9 and under for free Issue 244 • 5.15.18 - table of contents - COVER STORY Ben’s Second Act......................................................16 Ben McDonald’s authenticity has made him a fan-favorite for years, however, his transition from player to commentator was anything but seamless By Kevin Eck play, FEATURE STORIES meet stay Sports Business w/ Baltimore Business Journal...... 08 Maryland Gaming w/ Bill Ordine ............................12 Ravens Report w/ Bo Smolka.................................... 13 Orioles Report w/ Rich Dubroff.............................. 21 Varsity Report w/ Wick Eisenberg............................ 29 COLUMNS > One Fan’s Opinion .................................................05 Stan “The Fan” Charles > Connolly’s Corner ...............................................23 Dan Connolly > The Reality Check ................................................33 Glenn Clark LIVE! 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Orioles’ Past Struggles However, the overall play of the team in 1987 (67-95) led to the elder Ripken’s quick dismissal after just six games (0-6) in 1988. Foreshadow Current Affairs 3600 Clipper Mill Road That led to the hiring of Frank Robinson, - Suite 300 - who weathered the last 15 games of that 0-21 winning percentage. Baltimore, MD 21211 Stan “The Fan” Charles start. Robinson’s style and tactical expertise Phone: (410) 366-7272 This year, the Orioles continued to lose led to a quick turn-around in the famed 1989 F ax: (410) 366-7220 in May, including a disastrous West Coast nder executive vice presi- Why Not season, when the O’s battled for the - PressBoxOnline.com - trip May 1-6 in which they went 0-6, and as dent of baseball opera- American League East down to the wire be- a result, their winning percentage contin- tions Dan Duquette and fore losing out to Toronto. Founder And Publisher ued to dip. manager Buck Showalter Today, the skipper is a well respected and You can certainly point to a handful of Stan Charles U the Orioles have had a steady hand who single-handedly overhauled excuses for the poor start -- closer Zach nice run. But that run is what had become a chronic losing culture. senior editorial adviser Britton’s rehab from a ruptured Achilles, finished. It may not end Before Showalter, overall lapses in profes- Bill Ordine slugger Mark Trumbo starting the season gracefully for Duquette or sionalism and the lack of attention to detail on the disabled list and second baseman Managing Editor Showalter -- or both -- but whatever brand of marked 14 straight losing years in baseball Jonathan Schoop’s oblique injury. You Orioles magic the team displayed since 2012 purgatory from 1998 to 2011. Under Showalter, Kaitlyn Wilson can also bemoan the fact that had the O’s has evaporated. such effort was not suffered without conse- signed right-hander Alex Cobb in mid-Feb- Assistant Editor On May 1, the Orioles record stood at a pu- quences and the club played .500 or better for ruary, they wouldn’t have experienced the trid 8-20, which reminded me that it’s the 30th five seasons in a row from 2012-2016 and went Luke Jackson pain of losing each of his first four starts anniversary of the team’s 0-21 start to the 1988 to the playoffs three times. Vice President of digital Services while he was rushed back to MLB action season. Yet, despite Showalter’s steadfast efforts, after only 21 days of preparation. Jennifer Nelson I stressed the importance of a strong fin- the culture of a champion was not quite The problem with that kind of thinking, ish to the 2017 season during my postgame achieved, as the team lacked that one extra manager of digital programming though, is how to end it. The reality is that talks on Facebook last year, even if trying to player or failed to make that one extra expen- Glenn Clark a team with an awful lot of warts was again hide the disappointment of a failed opportu- diture that could have taken the 2014 club, treated with band-aids during the offseason. Vice President, Sales and Marketing nity to reach the postseason. But the Orioles which won the AL East, over the top in 2015 While a comparison of 1987-1988 Orioles staggered to a 4-19 record to end the year. or 2016. John Coulson and the 2017-2018 Orioles reveal obvious So, at the point where this season be- Now, the culture Showalter nurtured Account executives came almost assuredly lost, I added up similarities, there are differences. -- something that can be quite fragile -- has Julie Sawyer the 8-20 start of 2018 with the 4-19 finish of Cal Ripken Sr., the 1987 manager, was come undone. 2017. That’s a .235 winning percentage. It regarded as a good and loyal soldier, hav- My crystal ball may be hazy on the ulti- Hugh Collie stunned me. ing been a minor league manager and big mate conclusion of Duquette and Showal- Art Director I suspected that a horrid finish to one league coach within an Orioles organization ter’s Orioles careers. But I feel secure in say- season might be a prologue to how the next that was the envy of baseball. Not only was he ing that for two men -- who probably have Brad Meerholz season will start. As it turns out, the Ori- an accomplished baseball man, but he hap- had more success together in Baltimore Senior Graphic Designer oles lost 28 of their final 38 games in 1987, pened to be the father of one of the best play- than anywhere else -- it’s a shame that the Kimberly Shilling including a September stretch in which ers on the team, Cal Jr. fact that they could not forge a winning cul- they lost 17 of 18. I calculated the team’s That resume led then-owner Edward Ben- ture between themselves will be what did in Office Manager winning percentage using the 10-28 finish nett Williams to follow the lead of general them as well as the Orioles team they cared Leah Lancaster and 0-21 start. That, my friends, is a .204 manager Hank Peters and hire Cal Sr. as so much about. • Staff Photographer Kenya Allen “inside PressBox” Dave Laishley, senior producer RIOLE Matt Stovall, producer/videographer COVERAGE Intern O S Evan Raigrodski RIOLE O COVERAGE S > Scott Rifkin FOLLOW THE ORIOLES ALL SEASON AT PRESSBOXONLINE.COM/BASEBALL > Bradford Mills > Stan Charles ard of > John Coulson Bo Directors > Andrew Levine PressBox is published monthly by Word Smith Media Ventures, LLC, 3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 300, Baltimore, Maryland 21211 (410-366-7272). Copyright 2016 by Word Smith Media Ventures, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the publisher. PressBox is a free publication distributed every month on the 15th in FOLLOW THE ORIOLES ALL SEASON AT PRESSBOXONLINE.COM/BASEBALL the Baltimore metropolitan area. Printed by Engle Printing & Publishing Company, EngleOnline.com @PRESSBOXONLINE | PRESSBOXSPORTS | | MAY 2018 | 5 affected by LCH. Dachille joked he “kind else.” One of the secrets to Dachille’s of won the reverse lottery,” but it was a success as a producer is his personality, relief to him that he finally figured out which teems with positivity. Now, doc- FRONT ROW why his body was failing him. tors, nurses and technicians see that “It was very frustrating,” Dachille same personality as Dachille works to said.