Frank Robinson highlighted the offending statement in green ink, and placed it on his desk at the Oakland Coliseum.
"I'm very upset; it bothers me," Robinson said, shaking his head. "I can't use words to describe how I feel."The offending statement - a quote attributed to Giants general manager Al Rosen - appeared in a recent edition of the San Francisco Chronicle.
In a story exploring the Giants' trade prospects, Rosen noted that he made critical deals last year with San Diego and Pittsburgh, two clubs that were willing to unload veterans after falling out of contention.
Rosen then lamented that such possibilities do not exist this season, pointing specifically to the Orioles as a team with little to offer.
"Baltimore is out of it, but you aren't going to get Cal Ripken and who else would you want on that roster? Fred Lynn to sit on the bench?" Rosen said. "They don't have anybody as good as the players we have."
Robinson admitted there was "a little bit" of truth in Rosen's statement - "but not as deeply as he's saying." Mostly, the Orioles' manager was upset that a rival GM openly criticized his players.
"I have all the respect for the Giants, the talent that they have," Robinson said. "But for another GM to make statements about the players on our ballclub, I think it's ridiculous.