Here’s what former Orioles and those who knew Angelos had to say in remembrance of the Baltimore political activist and one of the most successful class-action attorneys in U.S. history:
Jim Palmer, former Orioles pitcher and Hall of Famer
“I always considered Peter a friend,” Palmer said on the phone Saturday. “He was the type of guy who would do things for people but didn’t want anyone else to know that he did them. He didn’t want that attention. That’s who he was.”
“If you suffered from asbestos poisoning or tobacco poisoning or lead paint poisoning, he was the knight in shining armor.”
“People have a very short memory. When he bought the team, he said the Orioles are a state treasure. Now, some people obviously didn’t like the way that he ran the ballclub. But there were a lot of good things that happened with Peter.”
“It’s the end of era. He kept the team here. One of the most beautiful ballparks. Yeah, there were ups and downs and, what, 14 losing years and all that, maybe he interfered or whatever. If I’m David Rubenstein, I have to say thank you for keeping the team here and leaving me a team that has the chance of being very good.”
Brandon Hyde, Orioles manager
“I’m just going to start off by offering my condolences to the Angelos family,” Hyde said to open his pregame news conference Saturday. “I know he meant a lot to a lot of people — the city of Baltimore, the community and baseball. I just want to offer my sincere condolences to the family.”
Chris Davis, former Orioles first baseman
“The first time I met Peter was actually in the clubhouse in 2012 when we were kind of making a run towards the end of the season trying to get into that wild-card game,” Davis said on the phone. “He said, you know, you remind me of somebody. And for anybody who’s ever met Peter, he’s not a big man, but he’s got a big presence. He’s got a big, bolstering voice. He said, ‘You remind me of somebody,’ and I said, ‘Who’s that?’ He said, ‘Babe Ruth,’ and I was like, ‘Wow, thank you.’ That’s an outstanding compliment. I thought it was cool that he made it a point to come and talk to me. It was my first full year with the team, having been traded there the year before. But I also appreciated the fact that he wanted to be in the clubhouse and be around the guys seeing as the team was doing very well.
“Over the years, obviously, I got to know him a lot better, and I would go to his office every now and then just to sit and talk with him about whatever. I just always appreciated how authentic and genuine he was. He really cared about the team. He really cared about the guys on the team. He wanted to know how the chemistry and the culture in the clubhouse was. He wanted to know if the guys got along or if we spent time together away from the field. You could tell he was a family man and that was important to him.
“He did care about the team. When you go through as many losing seasons as the Orioles did before we started winning again, it’s tough. As the owner, you’re going to take that on the chin because everyone feels like you’re the one in control. But Peter really did care about the team. It really rejuvenated him and excited him to see the team winning again from 2012 to 2016 — to see the great postseason run in 2014.
“The commitment that he and the Orioles organization made to me contractually changed my life and changed my family’s life. I always appreciated that about Peter. I think he’s a very faithful, very loyal man. I think he’s definitely going to be missed.”
David Rubenstein, whose purchase of the club is expected to soon be approved by Major League Baseball
“I offer my deepest condolences to the Angelos family on the passing of Peter Angelos. Peter made an indelible mark first in business and then in baseball. The city of Baltimore owes him a debt of gratitude for his stewardship of the Orioles across three decades and for positioning the team for great success.”
Josh Linn, a season-ticket holder who hosts an Orioles podcast
Linn said his first years as a fan in the early 2000s were rocky under Angelos’ leadership. However, the 33-year-old praised Angelos for keeping games affordable for families.
“The fact that they were so vocal about keeping games affordable when other teams in other leagues are trying to extract every last dollar out of the experience” was commendable, Linn said. “He found a balance between running a profitable business and also offering a good customer experience.”
While other teams during the 1994 Major League Baseball strike were eager to hire fill-in players or “scabs,” Angelos was one of few owners who took a pro-labor stance. His legal work on behalf of asbestos victims and his philanthropic work in Baltimore should overshadow past failures on the field, Linn said.
Overall, Linn called Angelos, “a fundamentally decent person who has a complicated legacy.”
“Sad to hear of Peter Angelos’ passing,” Ruppersberger wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “What a legend. He was a fierce competitor, usually for the underdogs and working class. He leaves an enduring legacy of philanthropy and commitment to #Baltimore and will be missed.”
Baltimore Sun reporter Cassidy Jensen contributed to this article, which will be updated.
1993: Maryland Gov. William Donald Schaefer, left, signs as Orioles general counsel and investor George P. Stamas, standing, Peter G. Angelos, and Thomas L. Clancey, Jr. look on at the announcement of the new ownership of Baltimore Orioles, Inc. beyond the right field wall outside the warehouse. (Karl Merton Ferron/staff)
Principal investor author Thomas L. Clancey, Jr., left, and Peter G. Angelos, Chairman and Managing Partner of Baltimore Orioles, Inc. look at their new digs beyond the right field foul pole outside the warehouse at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Twenty-two people are listed as investors in the partnership of Orioles owners.
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Cal Ripken chats with Orioles' owner Peter Angelos prior to the start of the ceremonies celebrating his last game. (Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun)
Lloyd Fox / Baltimore Sun
Baltimore Orioles vs. Boston Red Sox at Fort Lauderdale Stadium. Orioles owner Peter Angelos (left) talked with Manager Sam Perlozzo (right) after the game.
Gene Sweeney Jr. / Baltimore Sun
Cal Ripken, left, Peter Angelos and then-Gov. William Donald Schaefer pose for a picture after throwing out the first pitch before opening day. (Baltimore Sun File)
Kevin Richardson, Photo from Baltimore Sun Video
Orioles owner Peter Angelos, left, talks with center fielder Adam Jones during a rare visit to the clubhouse.
Jed Kirschbaum / Baltimore Sun
Peter Angelos donated $1.5 million to the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture. He listens to Beverly Cooper, vice president of the Reginald F. Lewis Foundation.
Jed Kirschbaum, Baltimore Sun
Peter Angelos, right, and Willard Hackerman greet one another before the start of ceremonies marking the groundbreaking of the John and Frances Angelos Law Center at the University of Baltimore.
Doug Kapustin / Baltimore Sun
Batlimore attorney and Orioles majority owner Peter Angelos (right) greeted Mayor Kurt Schmoke before a news conference downtown.
John Makely / Baltimore Sun
Baltimore Orioles Owner Peter Angelos presents a ceremonial check for $1 million to Dr. Jill McGovern, chair of the Babe Ruth Museum's board of directors at a news conference at Camden Station.
Baltimore Sun photo by Lloyd Fox
Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos gets a program as he heads in for Cal Ripken Jr.'s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He is with his wife, Georgia.
Michael Lutzky, Baltimore Sun
Orioles owner Peter Angelos signs ceremonial opening day baseballs.
Baltimore Sun photo by Jed Kirschbaum
Peter Angelos shakes hands with then-Gov. Martin O'Malley at a groundbreaking for the John and Frances Angelos Law Center at University of Baltimore.
Lloyd Fox / Baltimore Sun
Orioles owner Peter Angelos during opening day ceremonies at Camden Yards.
John Makely / Baltimore Sun
At the opening day of baseball for the Baltimore Orioles vs. the Oakland As, Rafael Palmeiro gives Orioles owner Peter Angelos a hug before the game.
Jed Kirschbaum, Baltimore Sun
Developer Willard Hackerman, Bob Embry and Peter Angelos await the start of ceremonies for a groundbreaking on a University of Baltimore Law School building.
Baltimore Sun photo by Lloyd Fox
Orioles' owner Peter Angelos greets Sidney Ponson in the dugout before a game.
AP photo
Major League Baseball President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Dupuy, left, and Orioles Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Peter Angelos talked in 2006 on Capitol Hill before appearing before the House Government Reform Committee hearing to discuss broadcasting Washington Nationals baseball games.
Algerina Perna / Baltimore Sun
Orioles owner Peter Angelos and Maryland's governor at the time, Parris Glendening, speak at a news conference at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
KIM HAIRSTON / Baltimore Sun
Peter Angelos, owner of the Baltimore Orioles, places a check in a Salvation Army kettle in 2006 as Stacey Van Horne, executive director of the T. Rowe Price Foundation, watches.
Peter Angelos is pictured in his Baltimore law office.
Lloyd Fox, Baltimore Sun
Peter Angelos, the owner of the Baltimore Orioles died Saturday. (Lloyd Fox/Staff)
Algerina Perna, Baltimore Sun
Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos
Andre Chung
Orioles owner, Peter Angelos, pictured with his wife, Georgia at a party at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun
New Orioles owners Peter Angelos and Tom Clancy joined Maryland Gov. William Donald Schaefer in the festivities on Opening Day at Oriole Park in 1994.
Karl Merton Ferron, Baltimore Sun
Orioles owner Peter Angelos shakes hands with an attendant as he enters the Home Plate Entrance at the reopening of the revamped Ed Smith Stadium.
Amy Davis, Baltimore Sun
From left: Sam Moskowitz, president of MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center; patient Kelly Cloman; Bill Roberts, chairman of the MedStar Health Board, and Peter Angelos at the announcement of a $2.5 million donation by Angelos.
Doug Kapustin / Baltimore Sun
Batlimore attorney and Orioles majority owner Peter Angelos chats with M.J. "Jay" Brodie, then president of the Baltimore Development Corp., following an announcement of plans for a Johns Hopkins University School of Continuing Studies downtown.
Jed Kirschbaum / Baltimore Sun
Peter Angelos shakes hands with then-Gov. Martin O'Malley at a groundbreaking for the John and Frances Angelos Law Center at University of Baltimore.
Algerina Perna / Baltimore Sun
Buck Showalter, Baltimore Orioles manager, center, attended a reception before receiving a Marylander of the Year award from The Baltimore Sun. At left is Peter Angelos. At right is Angela Showalter.
Karl Merton Ferron, The Baltimore Sun
A group headed by Peter Angelos took ownership of the Orioles less than a month after Baltimore hosted the All-Star Game for the first time since 1958.
Sun photo by Lloyd Fox
Orioles' owner Peter Angelos greets players in the dugout before the start of a game. He is shown with pitcher Sidney Ponson.
AP photo
Peter Angelos, center, owner of the Baltimore Orioles, sits in the owner's box at Fort Lauderdale Stadium in Florida in 2007 with his son, Louis, and wife, Georgia.
Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun
Orioles owners Peter Angelos and and author Tom Clancy join then-Gov. William Donald Schaefer at the festivities on opening day at Oriole Park in 1994.
