Al Michaels blasts Orioles over suspension of announcer Kevin Brown
The Baltimore Orioles removed television play-by-play announcer Kevin Brown from the booth for on-air comments made before a game against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 23.
Legendary announcer Al Michaels weighed in on Brown’s suspension during “Outside the Lines” with Jeremy Schaap Wednesday, and agreed that someone should have been suspended.
Just not Brown, who has worked on Orioles TV and radio broadcasts since 2019.
“When I heard and read about it Jeremy, I thought that it was either a joke or there was something much more insidious behind the suspension,” Michaels said. “And now that I realize that it had everything to do with what was said about Tampa Bay and playing the Rays. I agree, there should be a suspension here. They should suspend the doofus that suspended Kevin Brown.”
Brown highlighted Baltimore’s weak record in recent seasons against Tampa Bay, comparing it to their strong record this season. In many ways, it was a compliment to the 2023 Orioles, who sit atop the American League at 70-43.
Apparently, Orioles owner John Angelos didn’t like hearing, “The Orioles have won more games against them this season than the last two combined.” So, he took action and Brown was suspended indefinitely by MASN.
Orioles dispute any official suspension of Kevin Brown
Awful Announcing reported that Brown was suspended for the comments he made at Tropicana Field about the team’s record. Brown has appeared on radio broadcasts, as another broadcaster was being punished for reportedly not wearing Orioles attire.
The Orioles disputed that any official suspension had been given. A senior Orioles official also said, “We don’t comment on personnel matters.” They added, “We look forward to hearing Kevin’s voice soon.”
Still, multiple other outlets have confirmed Awful Announcing’s report that the Orioles suspended Brown for his comments, including The Athletic. In her report, Brittany Ghiroli noted, “Broadcasters have also been reprimanded previously for mentioning past Orioles players who are no longer with the team.”
The segment that Brown was suspended for appeared to be a planned segment, which included the use of a graphic. These weren’t off-the-cuff comments. They were planned by the entire production team.
Baltimore fans weren’t happy with the move, and made their voices heard at Camden Yards Tuesday. There, the crowd could be clearly heard chanting, “Free Kevin Brown.”
Brown will reportedly return to the booth for Baltimore’s game against the Seattle Mariners this Friday.