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  1. #1

    Pente vs the Orioles/Bader...big trouble brewing at the Hangout!



    Bigtime drama going on over at Orioles Hangout! Looks like the O's decided to cut their advertising dollars and Pente went ballistic. Now they are in a pissing match after Greg Bader posted his side, and it is getting ugly. I am on my phone now so I can't post a link. Just look at the sticky thread at the top of the page.





  2. #2
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    Re: Pente vs the Orioles/Bader...big trouble brewing at the Hangout!

    I saw this. It is freaking fantastic. Couldn't have happened to a better person.

    On a side note, I'm sure Tony is enjoying all the traffic his website is getting.
    Follow me on twitter at @dandrews66





  3. #3

    Re: Pente vs the Orioles/Bader...big trouble brewing at the Hangout!

    Quote Originally Posted by dandrews View Post
    I saw this. It is freaking fantastic. Couldn't have happened to a better person.

    On a side note, I'm sure Tony is enjoying all the traffic his website is getting.
    I am kind of torn on this one. On one hand you have the Orioles who can't be defended under any circumstance, and on the other you have a guy who is raking in money hand over fist charging people to post on a message board.

    It is hard to feel sympathy for either one.

    On a side note, WNST is a must listen tomorrow. Drew was banned for nothing at OH and Nestor has been saying this for 10 years and everyone said it was just personal, trashing the station at every turn.

    Tony even said in the thread that it looks like he was wrong and WNST was right, that alone is earth shattering stuff right there. Could you imagine if the two joined forces against the O's??? OMG would that be epic.

    Get your popcorn ready! This one is far from over.





  4. #4
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    Re: Pente vs the Orioles/Bader...big trouble brewing at the Hangout!

    I'm curious, why were the Orioles giving the Orioles Hangout $50,000 anyway?

    And what the hell does Tony need the 50 grand from the Orioles to run a damn message board anyway?

    I'm not a WNST fan (although theres a good amount of people there I actually like), and I don't get the station in PA. You'll have to let me know what they say, should be interesting.
    Follow me on twitter at @dandrews66





  5. #5
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    Re: Pente vs the Orioles/Bader...big trouble brewing at the Hangout!

    Here's the message from Greg Bader

    Dear Orioles Hangout Community:

    For approximately ten seasons, the Orioles have been actively involved in advertising on Orioles Hangout and in providing tickets and access to tickets for Hangout members through various ?Hangout Nights,? spending more than $50,000 cash and providing additional thousands of dollars in tickets over that period of time. It was made clear to us that our investment would not buy us any sort of positive coverage or kid-glove treatment, and we certainly didn?t expect or want that in return. We just wanted to support what we feel is a good outlet for Orioles fans to talk about the team.

    This offseason, as standard business practice for our company, we reevaluated all of our advertising spending to determine whether our investments were still appropriate for the 2012 season. We communicated this to Tony Pente, ultimately telling him we were likely not going to make as significant an investment in the Orioles Hangout site this season as we have in the past, although we affirmed our interest in remaining involved in the site and the Orioles Hangout community.

    Surprisingly, our decision to adjust the way in which we were going to participate this year was met with significant resistance. It was made clear to us that the Orioles? investment was going to make or break whether the Hangout continued, and we asked that not be the case. Our position was that the operators of Orioles Hangout should make a decision independent of the Orioles? advertising contribution as to whether they wished to continue to operate the site. We requested to know the fate of the site before making a decision on how we would participate. Since the Orioles do not control or operate Orioles Hangout, our investment level should not be the final decision-making factor as to whether the site continues to exist in its current form. The site should be financially viable to operate on its own, and if it was not, we were not prepared to subsidize the site?s operation. We expressed to Tony that we would certainly understand if changes needed to be made and that we would fully support?and not in any way criticize or attempt to influence?those decisions. Our choice on whether to participate as an active advertiser would not have affected our decision to continue to allow our marks to be used, to continue to support the site at a reduced compensation level and to hold Hangout Nights.

    We believe that Orioles Hangout is a great resource for Orioles fans. In particular, the message boards allow some of our very best fans to express their excitement or concern about the direction of the team both on and off the field. We clearly indicated on multiple occasions to Tony our desire to remain involved, even if the direction of the site became less Orioles-centric and more Baltimore sports-centric. We indicated that either way, some level of contribution was likely and we would want to continue Hangout Nights in some fashion. Those requests were largely ignored, and we were told that unless we matched or came close to matching last year?s level of commitment, the site would be changed, the operators would no longer work with us to squelch rumors that were patently false, and the days of the club being presented in a fair manner would be over? that essentially communication would be cut off between the site and the club.

    It is extremely disappointing to us that this is the approach that was chosen in response to a purely business decision. The Orioles have provided unprecedented access for this online community over the years and, in addition to financial support and allowing a Hangout writer to receive full media access at each home game, we have defended the site against potential Major League Baseball licensing concerns with the site?s logos and marks. We fully support the Hangout in whatever form it takes, and we hope to be a more active participant in the message boards (assuming we are permitted), especially if the staff at Hangout refuses to communicate information we provide them regarding inaccurate information being disseminated.

    Greg Bader
    Director, Communications
    Baltimore Orioles
    I believe every word of it.
    Follow me on twitter at @dandrews66





  6. #6

    Re: Pente vs the Orioles/Bader...big trouble brewing at the Hangout!

    Quote Originally Posted by dandrews View Post
    I'm curious, why were the Orioles giving the Orioles Hangout $50,000 anyway?

    And what the hell does Tony need the 50 grand from the Orioles to run a damn message board anyway?

    I'm not a WNST fan (although theres a good amount of people there I actually like), and I don't get the station in PA. You'll have to let me know what they say, should be interesting.
    Bader said 50k over the last few years, so about 17k a year. They minimally subsidized the 6 Hangout nights every year with reduced ticket prices, and the rest was advertising. The ticket subsidation could not have been much, cheap seats and not that many attendees, so the large majority of that was advertising.

    That is why Tony flipped out. Even though he is making almost all of his big revenue from plus memberships, they basically just cut his income by 15k yearly in a time where it is going to be impossible to replace. That was basically free money like all advertising, with little to do other than keep the site running to get it.

    I have to wonder if the "tone" of the site over the past year or so made them do this. We all know it used to be homer central over there, but even the die hards have changed their tune recently. The orioles have shown many times in the past to battle with media outlets who don't tow the line, and that could very well be what is happening here. Some people even eluded to that in the thread and it makes sense.

    Oh and you can listen to WNST online at their website. Drew is on from 6-10 every day (am and replay during pm) and that is who you want to try to catch. Drew was banned over there and the hangouters hate him and the station, and now all 9000 of them look like fools. I can't wait to hear what he says about all this, and what might come of it.

    The Hangouters thought they were "above the law" when it came to the O's and would always be in their good graces. This proves that no matter who you are if the Orioles deem anything you do as not in line with their propaganda, they will drop you like a bad habit.

    Nestor and Drew and WNST have been vindicated in a way that no one thought was remotely possible. I don't agree with them all the time but they came out smelling like a rose on this one, after about 7 long years of getting trashed at every turn for their criticism of the Orioles by the die hards.





  7. #7
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    Re: Pente vs the Orioles/Bader...big trouble brewing at the Hangout!

    I'm still curious as to why the Orioles were advertising to them. Thats like advertising shit to a pig. Seems like the wrong target audience to me.
    Follow me on twitter at @dandrews66





  8. #8
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    Re: Pente vs the Orioles/Bader...big trouble brewing at the Hangout!

    Quote Originally Posted by TheJoeFlaccoShow View Post
    Bader said 50k over the last few years, so about 17k a year. They minimally subsidized the 6 Hangout nights every year with reduced ticket prices, and the rest was advertising. The ticket subsidation could not have been much, cheap seats and not that many attendees, so the large majority of that was advertising.

    That is why Tony flipped out. Even though he is making almost all of his big revenue from plus memberships, they basically just cut his income by 15k yearly in a time where it is going to be impossible to replace. That was basically free money like all advertising, with little to do other than keep the site running to get it.

    I have to wonder if the "tone" of the site over the past year or so made them do this. We all know it used to be homer central over there, but even the die hards have changed their tune recently. The orioles have shown many times in the past to battle with media outlets who don't tow the line, and that could very well be what is happening here. Some people even eluded to that in the thread and it makes sense.

    Oh and you can listen to WNST online at their website. Drew is on from 6-10 every day (am and replay during pm) and that is who you want to try to catch. Drew was banned over there and the hangouters hate him and the station, and now all 9000 of them look like fools. I can't wait to hear what he says about all this, and what might come of it.

    The Hangouters thought they were "above the law" when it came to the O's and would always be in their good graces. This proves that no matter who you are if the Orioles deem anything you do as not in line with their propaganda, they will drop you like a bad habit.

    Nestor and Drew and WNST have been vindicated in a way that no one thought was remotely possible. I don't agree with them all the time but they came out smelling like a rose on this one, after about 7 long years of getting trashed at every turn for their criticism of the Orioles by the die hards.
    I dunno where you went to school, but where I went to school 50,000 over 10 years equals $5k per year.;) Just messing with ya.

    Like someone else said, there is no good guy here. Pente is a dick, and the Orioles are, well.....the Orioles. They cut funding for whatever reason, which is their right, no matter how petty it looks ($5k per year to a MLB team is like a quarter to you or I), and of course Pente acted like a spoiled brat I'm sure. OH is done.
    Never get in a fight with a pig; you both get muddy, and the pig likes it...






  9. #9
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    Re: Pente vs the Orioles/Bader...big trouble brewing at the Hangout!

    Tony Pente needs to get his ego in check. He often flys off the handle and ends up looking like an ass.

    Bader posted his side of the story. Pente then suspended Bader's account and proceeded to personally attack him. The guy is a loose cannon.





  10. #10

    Re: Pente vs the Orioles/Bader...big trouble brewing at the Hangout!

    Quote Originally Posted by TTRaven View Post
    Tony Pente needs to get his ego in check. He often flys off the handle and ends up looking like an ass.

    Bader posted his side of the story. Pente then suspended Bader's account and proceeded to personally attack him. The guy is a loose cannon.
    Heh. I have no respect for the Orioles or the way they run their shop - the Bader quote in my sig notwithstanding - but that sure as heck is no way to run a message board. Not that I've ever seen the Orioles Hangout with my own eyes.

    It *really* sounds like they deserve each other.

    As for what this means for NST, I don't think it makes one bit of difference. Various NST personnel have been saying for years, in one way or another, that the Orioles are a treasured Baltimore institution driven into the ground by greed and indifference to the Baltimore community and any public trust for the fans.

    What does this business (or otherwise) decision have to do with them? Do people still need to be persuaded that they're right about the state of the O's? You can say Nestor gets on your nerves, you can say you want Drew sometimes to take a different tone, you can say you want Glenn to stop whining, it's basically an accurate description of the state of the Orioles franchise. This nonsense about a message board is irrelevant.
    Festivus

    His definitions and arguments were so clear in his own mind that he was unable to understand how any reasonable person could honestly differ with him.





  11. #11
    Screw Pente. He is a total ass.

    A few years ago, I posted there defending Nolan Reimold on the strike zone. Those of you from the Sun forums know I attend every Baysox home game and I was giving eyewitness information. Pente ridiculed my post because I was not the baseball expert he was (ha! The guy was judging a player he had not seen from halfway across the world). I called him out on his rudeness and on assuming what baseball knowledge any poster has. I was banned and his sycophants got to make fun of me in the rest of the thread.

    Why in gods name would anyone expect the orioles to foot the bill for a forum that criticizes them? It is not punitive to cut advertising of an organization that costs them money.





  12. #12
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    Re: Pente vs the Orioles/Bader...big trouble brewing at the Hangout!

    Quote Originally Posted by TonyD79 View Post
    Screw Pente. He is a total ass.

    A few years ago, I posted there defending Nolan Reimold on the strike zone. Those of you from the Sun forums know I attend every Baysox home game and I was giving eyewitness information. Pente ridiculed my post because I was not the baseball expert he was (ha! The guy was judging a player he had not seen from halfway across the world). I called him out on his rudeness and on assuming what baseball knowledge any poster has. I was banned and his sycophants got to make fun of me in the rest of the thread.

    Why in gods name would anyone expect the orioles to foot the bill for a forum that criticizes them? It is not punitive to cut advertising of an organization that costs them money.
    You're not allowed to have your own opinion on OH. It's either follow Pente and his sheep, or you're banned. It's like a cult.

    I also think it's hilarious that he bans people for not using proper grammar. The guy can barely construct a sentence himself.





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