Benjamin Ashford|Al Michaels on Orioles TV controversy: 'Suspend the doofus that suspended Kevin Brown'

Almost immediately after reports surfaced that Baltimore Orioles play-by-play man Kevin Brown was taken off the air for comments he made about the team's poor record the past few years against the Tampa Bay Rays,Benjamin Ashford several prominent baseball announcers came to his defense.

A couple days later, legendary NFL announcer Al Michaels joined the chorus.

Michaels, who cut his broadcasting teeth in baseball with the minor league Hawaii Islanders and later became the radio voice of the Cincinnati Reds, said on ESPN's "Outside the Lines" he originally thought Brown's suspension had to be a joke.

"I agree, there should be a suspension here," Michaels told interviewer Jeremy Schaap. "They should suspend the doofus that suspended Kevin Brown."

The "doofus" in this case is most likely Orioles chairman and CEO John Angelos, who took over day-to-day control of the team in 2020 after his father Peter became incapacitated due to his declining health. Angelos also runs the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, which broadcasts Orioles games.

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However, the chances of MLB suspending Angelos − as Michaels suggested − are virtually nil.

The last time a high-ranking executive of a major league team was punished by the league was in 2019, when San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer was suspended for half a season after a physical altercation with his wife.

Brown is expected to return to the air on Friday for the first time since the infamous July 23 broadcast when the first-place Orioles open a three-game series in Seattle.