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Sports

Orioles ‘will never leave’ Baltimore, chairman and CEO says

In the midst of a lawsuit among members of the Angelos family, Orioles chairman and CEO John Angelos issued a statement Monday morning asserting that the club “will never leave” Baltimore.Louis Angelos, the brother of John, brought a lawsuit against his brother Thursday alleging he was trying to seize control of the team and the rest of his father’s holdings. The suit also named their mother, Georgia Angelos, as a defendant.AdvertisementThe lawsuit included the insinuation from Louis Angelos that John Angelos would consider moving the team to Tennessee if he gained full control. John Angelos lives there with his wife, a country music singer-songwriter who owns a Nashville-based entertainment company.But in Monday’s statement, John Angelos reiterated his stance that the Orioles will remain in Baltimore “as long as Fort McHenry is standing watch over the Inner Harbor.”Advertisement”Since I was appointed Chairman and CEO according to my parents’ expressed wishes, and voted as the control person for the team by the 30 Major League Clubs, I have taken significant steps to ensure that our beloved franchise’s future remains in Charm City,” Angelos wrote in the statement that dropped the morning after thousands of Paul McCartney fans attended only the second full-fledged concert in Camden Yards’ history.”Just two months ago we celebrated the Maryland General Assembly passing a bill promising to put $1.2 billion into reinvesting and reimagining the Camden Yards Sports Complex, which includes Oriole Park, ensuring the team will continue to play right here in downtown Baltimore for generations to come. Maryland is committed to keeping our team in this great state, and I am equally committed to keeping the Orioles at the heart of our state,” the statement reads.The timing is key. The Orioles’ lease of Camden Yards includes a clause that prevents the organization from departing, and the stadium was built to replace Memorial Stadium with the goal of preventing another professional franchise from departing, such as the Baltimore Colts in 1984.But the lease with the Maryland Stadium Authority for the state-owned ballpark expires at the end of next year, and despite lengthy negotiations, there has yet to be an extension. There has only been one MLB relocation in the last 50 years — when the Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals. A potential change in ownership and relocation requires approval from three-quarters of MLB team owners.”As stewards of ‘The Ballpark That Forever Changed Baseball,’ we will continue to strengthen our community, generate another $10 billion in economic impact for the City of Baltimore and State of Maryland, and welcome another 70 million people to downtown Baltimore over the next 30 years and beyond,” John Angelos wrote. “There is nothing uncertain about the future of the Baltimore Orioles.“I want to assure our Orioles players and coaches, our dedicated front office Senior Leadership Team and staff, and our devoted fans, trusted partners, elected, civic, and non-profit leaders, and our entire community, that the Orioles will never leave. From 33rd Street to Camden Yards, the Birds of Baltimore, the iconic team of Brooks, Earl, Jim, Frank, Cal, and Eddie, will forever remain in the only city that our family and our partnership group has called, or will ever call, home – the finest city and birthplace of our national anthem of which we are enduringly proud and to which we are forever committed.”

Sports

Rory McIlroy wins the Canadian Open — and gets in a dig to Greg Norman and the LIV Golf Invitational

TORONTO — Rory McIlroy won the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday and gave the PGA Tour a strong response to the start of the Saudi-funded LIV Golf Invitational, closing with an 8-under 62 to win a wild race to the finish with Justin Thomas and Tony Finau.McIlroy had his first title defense on the PGA Tour, even if he had to wait for it. He won golf’s fourth-oldest national open in 2019 at Hamilton Golf & Country Club, only for the the COVID-19 pandemic to cancel the next two editions.AdvertisementThomas pushed him to the end at St. George’s Golf & Country Club, and the tournament effectively ended on the 17th hole. McIlroy and Thomas were tied and in the rough. McIlroy hit a wedge that rolled out to tap-in range, while Thomas missed a 10-foot par putt, a two-shot swing. Thomas closed with a pair of bogeys and still shot 64.McIlroy finished at 19-under 261 for a two-stroke victory.Advertisement“I feel like it’s getting tougher and tougher to win on the PGA Tour,” McIlroy said. “Just look at the two guys that I played with today. I went out with a lead and had to shoot 8-under par to get the job done. So the depth of talent on this tour is really, really impressive. And going up against guys like J.T. and Tony and coming out on top, that’s something to feel really good about.”Finau holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the 18th for a 64 to finish second alone.Rory McIlroy hoists the trophy after winning the Canadian Open in Toronto on June 12, 2022. (Frank Gunn/AP)“Rory played great,” Finau said. “He closed it out and hat’s off to him on a week like this. That’s fantastic playing on the weekend. I played great, he just played a couple shots better.”Thomas was third at 14 under. Justin Rose matched the tournament- and course-record with a 60 — with three eagles and three bogeys — to tie for fourth with Sam Burns (65) at 14 under.A week before the U.S. Open, the Canadian crowd was enormous having been kept away since 2019, and thousands surrounded the 18th green as the threesome of McIlroy, Thomas and Finau finished.“It was really cool to be a part of and just really happy to get the win today and obviously sets me up well going into next week in Boston,” McIlroy said. “But right now I just want to enjoy this and focus on this.”McIlroy has been one of the strongest opponents of the LIV Golf series and spoke out against the money being paid to players like Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson. Greg Norman, who runs the LIV Golf, said in a story in the Washington Post that McIlroy had been “brainwashed” by the PGA Tour.McIlroy won for the second time this season, adding to his October win in Las Vegas in the CJ Cup. He won for the 21st time on the PGA Tour.Advertisement“This is a day I’ll remember for a long, long time,” McIlroy said soon after the victory. “Twenty-one PGA Tour wins, one more than somebody else.”It was a dig at Norman, who had 20 career tour wins.McIlory repeated the jab later in the his main interview session when his victory total and accomplishments were noted in his introduction, saying: “And one more than Norman.”“I had extra motivation of what’s going on across the pond,” McIlroy said. “The guy that’s spearheading that tour has 20 wins on the PGA Tour and I was tied with him and I wanted to get one ahead of him. And I did. So, that was really cool for me, just a little sense of pride on that one.”Rose was 11 under with three holes to play. He bogeyed the 16th, hit to 2 feet on 17 for birdie, then went over the green on 18 and missed an 18-foot par putt. Carl Pettersson also shot 60 at St. George’s in his 2010 victory.“I’m totally disappointed, because you know what’s at stake, for sure,” Rose said. “I never shot 59 before, so it would have been a lovely footnote on the week.”AdvertisementHe regretted hitting an 8-iron instead of a 9-iron on 18 with 159 yards to the pin..“I don’t know how much was in my control or not, but we were right in between two clubs and I went the wrong way on a decision and paid the price for it,” he said.Corey Conners was the top Canadian, shooting a 62 to finish sixth at 12 under.“Felt like the last few days I played really solidly,” Conners said. “Just last few weeks even, just hadn’t maximized the game, hadn’t got as much out of the game as I wanted. Definitely, nice to have low round today. Played really well. Definitely, felt it coming.”