BALTIMORE—David Rubenstein’s first public appearance as the new control person with the Orioles began with Maryland Governor Wes Moore speaking about Tuesday’s tragic collapse of the Key Bridge.
Rubenstein began by stressing his Baltimore ties. He was born and educated in Baltimore and received a strong education in Baltimore City public schools.
“My parents are buried here, and I will be buried here,” Rubenstein said. “I want to say to Baltimore: ‘This is a new day, a new chapter.’ We had some challenges in the past but we’re looking forward.”
Rubenstein was 4 when the Orioles came to Baltimore in 1954.
“The purchase price was $2.2 million. My partners and I are paying a little bit more than that ($1.75 billion), inflation being what it is,” Rubenstein said. “We’re proud of every penny we’re paying because it’s worth every paying because we have an incredible franchise with an incredible group of young players with the best general manager in baseball, the best manager in baseball, and I hope the best fans in baseball.”
Rubenstein is hoping for bigger things.
“What I hope to do is make sure this is not the high-water mark,” he said. “Today is an easy day to say, ‘Everything is great,’ and hopefully we’ll win Opening Day … I want the high-water mark to be in the fall, when we go to the World Series.”
In a brief question period, Rubenstein said that he’d like to get an All-Star Game in Baltimore. The first available year is 2027.
“It will take a while. It’s something we’re obviously interested in,” Rubenstein said. “We hope by that time the stadium will be rehabilitated a bit. Therefore, we’d like to show it off, so once we have the rehabilitated Camden Yards, I think it would be a great time to then show it off. I want to make sure we have it completed, though.”
The Orioles haven’t announced a timetable for spending the $600 million in state funds that became available once they signed their new lease.
Rubenstein said that he hoped to have an agreement with the state for developing the area around the stadium by the end of the year.
Former Chairman and CEO John Angelos reportedly negotiated an agreement with T. Rowe Price for naming rights to the stadium before his family sold the team to Rubenstein.
“There have been proposals for that,” Rubenstein said. “No decision is imminent. I am familiar with the proposal that came forward. It’s something we’ll take a look at, but nothing is going to happen immediately. I have been in touch with those people that would like to do the naming, and I just have to follow up after we get the Opening Day things behind us.”