BALTIMORE — A while ago, Orioles fan Jack Short and Astros fan Deen Mousavi planned to drive all the way up here from Raleigh, North Carolina.
On Tuesday, they brought with them a sign reading 'Free Kevin Brown' - leaving no doubt how they feel about the suspension of O's play-by-play announcer.
The Orioles began a big series against the defending World Champion Houston Astros Tuesday night. But folks around the country are talking about the team for something else: their TV play-by-play man is suspended right now.
Fans going to the game told WMAR their thoughts Tuesday.
"I was like, what did he say? What did he say wrong? Then I watched it again, and I was like, 'he didn't say anything wrong,'" said Mousavi, an Astros fan.
"I was waiting for the whole clip just for him to say something that would ruin his career, and that moment never came," said Short.
Brown was suspended for pregame comments about the O's record in Tampa, back in late July a source confirmed to WMAR sports reporter Shawn Stepner. Over a graphic, Brown shared statistics about the team's unfavorable past performance at the Rays ballpark, but also mentioned they're doing much better this year.
Fans going to the ballpark were puzzled by the call to keep him out of the booth.
"He was just telling the truth by statistics," said Frank Gorman, an Orioles fan.
"I didn't think they were bad. I thought they were realistic. I mean, we hadn't played well against this team, and now we are. I'm excited about that," said Raymond Short, an Orioles fan.
The suspesnion captured national headlines, ahead of a huge series for the team.
As of Tuesday, the team is a handful of games ahead, in first place in the division, nearly 30 games above .500.
Fans say they hope this controversy doesn't take away from the great baseball they've been watching.
You don't want to ruin the vibes, don't want to ruin a good thing," Joe Hess, an Orioles fan. "I'm hoping they can move past this, hoping it inspires the team on the field to keep playing."
