Baltimore mayor says Orioles stadium lease not among his 99 problems
BALTIMORE -- Mayor Brandon Scott said during a press conference at Baltimore City Hall on Wednesday that he is not concerned that the Orioles have yet to extend their lease at Camden Yards.
"I have 99 problems and the Orioles are not one of them," he said. "I have no level of concern about that."
The response mirrored the lyrics of a song made famous by the husband of Beyonce Knowles-Carter, Jay-Z. The song is about money and women.
At the time of his quick quip about Baltimore's baseball team, Scott was fielding questions about the investigation into the mass shooting at Brooklyn Homes, which killed two people and injured 28 more, when a reporter threw him a curveball about the lease.
The baseball team's lease with the Maryland Stadium Authority is set to end on December 31, 2023.
Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened in 1992, and the Orioles even had a celebration for the three decades the team spent at the park.
Orioles chose not to agree to a one-time, five-year extension before the Feb. 1 deadline.
Treasurer Dereck Davis, who is one of three members of the Maryland Board of Public Works, recently expressed his concerns about how the negotiations are taking a long period of time, particularly since they aren't over something as involved as building a new stadium.
"If there's something going on, we need to know," Davis said. "There's too much foot-dragging on this, and what I've learned in 30 years is the longer nothing's been said, the longer it takes. I'm saying this for the explicit purpose so it gets out there, and folks have to start answering what's taking so long."
Earlier this year, John Angelos emphatically reassured reporters that the Orioles will not leave Baltimore.