Baltimore Sun Sportswriter Craps On Washington

[Senators2005]

Baltimore Inner Harbor

[2k6nats]

This is the response I e-mailed to Rick:

Before I write anything else, I would like to say that I am from Vermont, therefore I am not just a guy from Washington that is upset.

This is in response to that horribly biased, unfactual article you wrote in the Baltimore Sun on Friday.  Instead of blasting you upfront, which I probably should, let's disect your article.

"Have you noticed what has been happening to D.C. sports? From league to league, sport to sport, they've become the nation's lumpy punching bag. They're the small kid who doesn't wash behind his ears and smells like old mustard, the one every other kid picks on at recess. Even the girls are giving D.C. noogies."

That is just not what a professional sportswriter is supposed to write.  I'm sorry, but you really crossed the line there.

"The Wizards have qualified for the playoffs but are in the midst of a free fall. They're losing games at only a slightly higher rate than they're losing players. With no Gilbert Arenas and no Caron Butler in the lineup, the Wizards might as well be playing in the NBA Development League."

Thank you for at least mentioning the fact that the Wizards made the playoffs.  The only reason they will probably crumble in the playoffs is because of injuries.  Are injuries a team's fault?  No.  Instead of ripping the Wizards, why don't you just watch Baltimore's NBA team?  Oh, that's right, there isn't one.

"The capital's hockey team -- the "Capitals" -- wrapped up its season with a loss last weekend. The Capitals finished with the second-fewest points in the Eastern Conference and the third-fewest wins in the NHL. (They did have the fourth-most penalty minutes in their conference, however!)"

The Capitals are in a rebuilding phase, a phase that a team goes through to make themselves contenders.  Every team has to do it at one point or another.  And when the Capitals do come around, they will have the superstar Alex Ovechkin.  Who does the Baltimore NHL team?  Again, I forgot, there isn't one.

"Even D.C.'s soccer team -- called D.C. United, I'm told -- is winless. In fact, it has scored only a single goal all season! (Though, in its defense, United has played only one game.)"

Now, I'm not a big soccer fan, but apparently neither are you.  To score a goal in a MLS soccer game is a great feat, especially on Opening Day.  Every team loses, and DC United are no exception.  This, therefore, is below the belt to rip a team for losing a game.  By the way, there is no Baltimore MLS team.

"No team's problems are as impressive as the Nationals', though. Usually you don't want to make ridiculous baseball predictions in mid-April, but it's pretty clear the Nationals have the potential to be the worst team. Ever. Ever ever. They make the '62 Mets look like a touring All-Star team."

Now, you've been probably wondering why a guy from Vermont is responding to a Baltimore article.  Well, I'm a Nationals fan.  And your comments crossed the line several times.  Now, let's look at your team, the Baltimore Orioles.  They have had ten losing seasons in a row, and will continue to sign stop-gaps.  The Baltimore Orioles will not make it to the playoffs for a long, long time.  As for the Nationals, they have played two full seasons, and already once finished with a .500 record.  Now, they are rebuilding, and will spend money soon, as their owner, Ted Lerner, is the richest owner in baseball.  The Nationals are drafting well, and strengthening their farm system.  This is a very complicated process, one that Peter Angelos is undoubtedly too lazy to put into action.

I hope you took the time to read my response, and hopefully you will make better choices about what you write, and what you don't.

[ncg1983]

I actually laughed a lot when i read this article.  it doesn't make me mad in any sense, its just good entertainment.  a lot of what he says is true, our teams are all in a funk right now, nobody can deny that.  that being said, we have 5 professional teams and bmore has 2.  bmore is known as a dirty, unsafe, blue collar city... it is no match for a city like DC.  if this article were by a ny times or boston globe writer, i might be a little pissed, but this is just a way for that guy to get our attention, and get more publicity for himself ie get a bigger raise next year.  no need to let it bother you.

[GburgNatsFan]

That's funny. You used a picture of the Anacostia waterfront and suggested it was the Baltimore Inner harbor.

(See? Another difference between us and them: DCers laugh at themselves.)

Baltimore Inner Harbor

(Image removed from quote.)

[UMDNats]

Because Baltimore can talk.

Mediocrity in baseball to bad play and bad play with a recent good year in football.

At least we have an NHL team and an NBA team.

[nats2playoffs]

Before Rick Maese, Baltimore Sun Sportwriter, criticizes the current state of Washington baseball, he can hand over 90% of the Orioles TV revenue to the Nationals.  See how much better the Orios can be without their standard MLB revenue source.

HEY RICK...

...Asswipe!

[NatMan]

Because Baltimore can talk.

Mediocrity in baseball to bad play and bad play with a recent good year in football.

At least we have an NHL team and an NBA team.

Hey lets not forget they still have the Baltimore Blast!!! Let the good times roll.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

D.C. teams take losing to new levels
Baltimore fans need only look south for a more painful sports scene
Rick Maese; Baltimore Sun Sportwriter
April 12, 2007, 5:41 PM EDT
LINK: http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/other/bal-sp.maese0412,0,3399776.column?coll=bal-sports-headlines

I know it's difficult to be a sports fan some days. From the cheap seats, the frustration can easily drip off your furrowed brow into a giant puddle of helplessness.

The owner refuses to pay the big contract. The general manager won't make the big trade. The player can't make the big play. It's all one big headache, right?

There's only one real solution: Find someone who has it worse and revel in his pain. And, trust me, for this little self-esteem boost, Baltimore has the best seats possible. Any sports fan here who can find fulfillment from someone else's frustration need only poke his head out onto the Beltway and look south.

Suggested new motto for Washington: "We put the amateurism back into professional sports."

Have you noticed what has been happening to D.C. sports? From league to league, sport to sport, they've become the nation's lumpy punching bag. They're the small kid who doesn't wash behind his ears and smells like old mustard, the one every other kid picks on at recess. Even the girls are giving D.C. noogies.

Your TiVo might be set to automatically fast-forward through Washington highlights, so here's a quick nickel tour through the futility:

You'll recall that the Redskins finished last season 5-11, good for a cozy spot in the cellar of the NFC East.

The Wizards have qualified for the playoffs but are in the midst of a free fall. They're losing games at only a slightly higher rate than they're losing players. With no Gilbert Arenas and no Caron Butler in the lineup, the Wizards might as well be playing in the NBA Development League.

In fact, the Wizards' biggest competition comes from a team playing a different sport. Entering tonight's game, the Wizards' losing streak was in a neck-and-neck race with the Nationals', both teams knotted at six. This is high sporting drama in the district these days!

The capital's hockey team -- the "Capitals" -- wrapped up its season with a loss last weekend. The Capitals finished with the second-fewest points in the Eastern Conference and the third-fewest wins in the NHL. (They did have the fourth-most penalty minutes in their conference, however!)

Even D.C.'s soccer team -- called D.C. United, I'm told -- is winless. In fact, it has scored only a single goal all season! (Though, in its defense, United has played only one game.)

It doesn't matter the sport, if you see Washington on the schedule, you can rest your star player, spend the entire afternoon at the golf course and make early dinner reservations.

Personally, I like D.C. It has nice museums and a nice zoo and a lot of people who wear nice suits. So I feel a bit bad pointing out the struggles of its sports teams. But the fact is, there's more losing taking place 40 miles down the road than anywhere else in the country.

No team's problems are as impressive as the Nationals', though. Usually you don't want to make ridiculous baseball predictions in mid-April, but it's pretty clear the Nationals have the potential to be the worst team. Ever. Ever ever. They make the '62 Mets look like a touring All-Star team.

Actually, it's a pretty exciting prospect. While the analysts all gaze skeptically in Barry Bonds' direction these next few months, I think the Nats' run at the history books will stand as one of game's most intriguing storylines. Can they win 40 games? Or as everyone is wondering right now: Can they win two?

Already, there's a blog that promises to document just how bad the Nats will be. Natsbad.blogspot.com's modest mission statement is: "Your 2007 Washington Nationals: Potential to be the worst team in the history of baseball. Let's follow their ineptitude together!" Right now, the site features a running counter, so you can stay up-to-date on the team's losses, Dmitri Young's errors and Cristian Guzman's missed games.

Entering tonight's game, the 1-8 Nats had 11 errors (tops in the majors) and also the game's worst fielding percentage. Plus, they have a team batting average of .239 and an ERA of 6.15.

The right side of their infield -- Young and Ronnie Belliard -- looks like a WWF tag-team from the 1980s, two guys that'd be paired together and had zero chance against the Hart Foundation.

While the idea here is to take the misery suffered by Washingtonians and channel that into something that boosts your own self-esteem, a part of you still has to feel bad for their plight, right? Sure, they lived through 13,000 Washington Generals' losses (including an impressive 2,495 in a row, which makes you think the Wizards will probably be OK), but that was just one team.

They're losers across the board right now. The only ones happy about sports in D.C. are psychologists and pharmacists, who see dollar signs whenever "WAS" rolls across ESPN's ticker.

So Philly, Seattle, Milwaukee, Tampa and even Baltimore, you may think you know suffering, but pro teams in Washington are rewriting the book. This year, you don't need to rely solely on The New Republic to digest the damage wrought in our nation's capital. It has seeped onto the sports pages, too.

That's hilarious...our own local enclave of the 3rd world can be really amusing with the schadenfreude.  I've been to 60+ 3rd world countries (some in the middle of civil wars), and ALL of them were nicer/safer/prettier than Bal'mer, let alone those landfills with names like "Dundalk."

But I still have a soft spot that goes back to little league for the Orioles, even if they play in a depressed pit of meth, Oxycontin, and vinyl siding ;-)

But that may change

And I only am going there because he dared to say squat about DC United, who have won more championships in a decade than all Baltimore sports teams combined ever will in the history of the world...but I digress.

   

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

dude, that's not Anacostia, that's Georgetown!  Can't you see Sequoia??

That's funny. You used a picture of the Anacostia waterfront and suggested it was the Baltimore Inner harbor.

(See? Another difference between us and them: DCers laugh at themselves.)

[PC]

What exactly was the point of this column now?

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

do it for the kittens

What exactly was the point of this column now?

[CharmCityCrab]

I found this article really uncalled for and counterproductive.  I think the fact that this guy finds it funny to trash an entire city and revile in the poor fortunes of their sports teams in a major newspaper column is offensive to our common humanity.  I don't doubt that this was meant in a humorous way, but the affect of the thing is to reinforce bad blood that exists on both sides of people who live right next to each other geographically.  I'm just glad this guy doesn't write for a newspaper in Northern Ireland or Israel/Palestine where this sort of thing could spark physical damage.  Here, it just might increase dislike and insults, but, really, isn't that bad enough?  What happened to the idea of building people up and bringing them together?  Instead, this just brings more bad feeling and rejection into a world that already has way too much of it.  What a jerk.  And shame on the Sun for printing this garbage.

To me, humor isn't really a defense.  Not only because it isn't funny, but because humor that belittles is still belittlement.  And it's still wrong.  Even if it's funny (And this wasn't even that).

[spidernat]

I found this article really uncalled for and counterproductive.  I think the fact that this guy finds it funny to trash an entire city and revile in the poor fortunes of their sports teams in a major newspaper column is offensive to our common humanity.  I don't doubt that this was meant in a humorous way, but the affect of the thing is to reinforce bad blood that exists on both sides of people who live right next to each other geographically.  I'm just glad this guy doesn't write for a newspaper in Northern Ireland or Israel/Palestine where this sort of thing could spark physical damage.  Here, it just might increase dislike and insults, but, really, isn't that bad enough?  What happened to the idea of building people up and bringing them together?  Instead, this just brings more bad feeling and rejection into a world that already has way too much of it.  What a jerk.  And shame on the Sun for printing this garbage.

To me, humor isn't really a defense.  Not only because it isn't funny, but because humor that belittles is still belittlement.  And it's still wrong.  Even if it's funny (And this wasn't even that).

Are you sure you didn't write this column CCC?

[shoeshineboy]

I found this article really uncalled for and counterproductive.  I think the fact that this guy finds it funny to trash an entire city and revile in the poor fortunes of their sports teams in a major newspaper column is offensive to our common humanity.  I don't doubt that this was meant in a humorous way, but the affect of the thing is to reinforce bad blood that exists on both sides of people who live right next to each other geographically.  I'm just glad this guy doesn't write for a newspaper in Northern Ireland or Israel/Palestine where this sort of thing could spark physical damage.  Here, it just might increase dislike and insults, but, really, isn't that bad enough?  What happened to the idea of building people up and bringing them together?  Instead, this just brings more bad feeling and rejection into a world that already has way too much of it.  What a jerk.  And shame on the Sun for printing this garbage.

To me, humor isn't really a defense.  Not only because it isn't funny, but because humor that belittles is still belittlement.  And it's still wrong.  Even if it's funny (And this wasn't even that).

Agreed. While an obvious attempt at humor, it was a poor one, because the sentiments and arguments he expressed are some of the attitudes that breed the worst behaviors in our society.

[2k6nats]

Well, this article brings up the subject of rivalries.  Do we want things like this happening, or do we want a "clean" rivalry?

[shoeshineboy]

Well, this article brings up the subject of rivalries.  Do we want things like this happening, or do we want a "clean" rivalry?

I want no rivalry, because it doesn't exist. The two teams are in different leagues and shouldn't be playing each other. Inter-league play is bad enough, but being forced to play all these games against a non-rival for the purposes of propping up Angelos is a disgrace.

[Nat of the Living Dead]

I want no rivalry, because it doesn't exist. The two teams are in different leagues and shouldn't be playing each other. Inter-league play is bad enough, but being forced to play all these games against a non-rival for the purposes of propping up Angelos is a disgrace.

Agreed.

And after reading this article I was thinking of throwing this guy an e-mail myself but then I stopped myself.  I learned from schooling and self-education that clowns like this guy completely get off on whatever flaming the public gives him.  It gives him a sense of power and feeling he actually knows what he is talking about.  The best way to get to this journalist is simply ignore him.

Besides, even if I did reply to his sad, little article, it would be like Einstein trying to talk physics with a chimp.  This journalist is one of the worst I've seen yet.

[shoeshineboy]

I learned from schooling and self-education that clowns like this guy completely get off on whatever flaming the public gives him.  It gives him a sense of power and feeling he actually knows what he is talking about. 

As it turned out, that was my experience. This guy got off so much on the response that he created a blog entry called "When Washingtonians Attack" where he further demonstrated his ignorance of both cities.

As a lead in to a selection of email responses, he wrote the following (emphasis added):

When I first arrived in Baltimore nearly two years ago, I was warned: "Washingtonians have somewhat of an inferiority complex when it comes to Baltimore. Beware." I took this with a grain of salt because I?ve known many people from our nation?s beautiful capitol and they were all friendly and self-confident folks.

But this morning, I was hit with something altogether different. I don?t know how this makes you feel, Charm City, but it?s probably not wise to poke a hurting D.C. sports fan. Clearly they?re having difficulty expressing their frustrations and channeling their anger in this time of trouble.

[WshNats]

you know another thought about this article is, "when was the last time the O's won anything?" 1983....and what 9 straight losing seasons hmm.....

maybe this beat writer should cast stones in his own back yard before he casts them toward our teams......and the Ravens...wow 1 championship and that was 7 yrs ago, since then what 3 playoff berths with just 1 win...wow.....they're a championship team too....

[KnorrForYourMoney]

http://freethebirds.net/sept_21_rally_pictures.htm

[Senators2005]

Baltimore are full of penis envy, "wanna-be a real city" cry-babies...   
Here's a photo-shop that some Baltimoron at the SUN spent all day making.  And it sits proudly on the Baltimore Sun Sports page in it's own photo album for "DC Sports".     And they call that a reputable newspaper?!?   



He also posted our hate mail yesterday...


When Washingtonians attack
By Rick Maese; Baltimore Sun
LINK: http://blogs.baltimoresun.com/sports_custom_maese/2007/04/when_washington.html

When I first arrived in Baltimore nearly two years ago, I was warned: "Washingtonians have somewhat of an inferiority complex when it comes to Baltimore. Beware." I took this with a grain of salt because I?ve known many people from our nation?s beautiful capitol and they were all friendly and self-confident folks.

But this morning, I was hit with something altogether different. I don?t know how this makes you feel, Charm City, but it?s probably not wise to poke a hurting D.C. sports fan. Clearly they?re having difficulty expressing their frustrations and channeling their anger in this time of trouble.

In this morning?s Sun, I meekly and humbly pointed out the D.C. teams are struggling a bit. "Don?t worry," I told my editors, "D.C. fans are friendly and self-confident [as previously stated in this blog post] and they can chuckle at themselves." Below are some responses. They range from denial to anger to major self-image problems. Hang in there, D.C. I?ve met many Baltimore fans who?ve struggled through worse! Keep your chin up. You?ll come out of this OK!

(More knee-jerk responses on Dan Steinberg's D.C. Sports Bog.)

From Mike:
You also take shots at the Nationals and Capitals, two teams that are openly rebuilding and understand how it takes some hard times to get to the good ones. Yes, they are bad teams now, but I personally think they are taking a good approach. At least I hope so. I am an O's fan so I don't want to bash them, but they annoy me more than the Nationals because they fool their fans into thinking they are trying to build a contender and then blow it every year.

Different sports, but I would rather have Snyder over Angelos any day.

Finanlly, you bash the United for no reason at all. They are competetive every year and have won a couple championships.

From [Couldn?t Bother To Include His Name]:
Your column is pathetic. The thing is, nobody even cares about Baltimore in D.C. It's a second-class, low-rate city that has a major self-esteem problem. How sad that all you can do there is try to make yourselves feel better by picking a time when D.C. sports are temporarily down. The Nationals, remind you, finished with a better record than the Orioles last year. How bad is that? The Nationals have something the Orioles and their few remaining fans don't - Hope.

From Dave:
Most celebrated team in the MLS. Did well in CONCACAF. Most devoted fans in MLS.

Agree with the rest of the teams.

From Chris:
In conclusion, next time your herpes flair up and you need to collectively boost the self-esteem of Stink Town, please look somewhere else. D.C. sports might not be at their pinnacle at the moment, but there are a lot worse places to be a sports fan. Like Baltimore.

From Earl:
SInce moving here (Northern Virginia) after college in 1981, I have had to endure the drooning on of "what a great sports town D.C. is." As a lifelong Orioles, Colts, now Ravens fan, I can't tell you how happy the demise of all the local teams makes me feel.

Washington has never supported a baseball team and after the Orioles joined the American League in '54, never once finished above the Orioles.

From MXB:

Yeah, that's all well and good. but when it comes to baltimore...

1) your NBA team left town

2) your NFL team left town

3) your MLB team would have left town if the D.C. suburbs hadn't been gangstered into building Camden Yards

4) your current NFL team was stolen. See above for stadium acquisition method.

From Elkan:
Nice try, but here in Philly both the Sixers, who didn't make the playoffs, and Flyers, who finished way last, had longer losing streaks this winter at the same time. And the promising Phillies are off to a horrible start.

From Eric:
Rick..As a lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan.....I had to bust out in laughter over that article..Despite the Cowboys record of 1-3 vs the Redskins in 05 & 06..The Cowboys are in better shape thanks to young players, while the Redskins get free agent has-beens..hence their futility..The Wizards should be the Gizards because they play more like chickens....& the Capitals ought to be the Crapitals & they've proven that for 33 years...the Nationals? the Crashionals -- their season has crashed & burned (1st in war, 1st in peace & last in the N.L. East)

From "Is Brian Billick In the Hall of Fame":

To all you "hons" up 'ere in East Balmoor:

Get a grip. You're still pissed because the Bullets and Colts left that crime ridden, STD filled, crack alley of a broken down city.

From Fran:
Maese, you have no room to talk. At least we have NHL and NBA franchises that play in a relatively new arena - built and paid for by the team's owner, not the city or state. All you have is a 45 year old civic dump that is so far out of date it makes RFK Stadium look new. It was old in 1966 when NHL Commissioner Clarence Campbell, looking to expand the NHL, took one look at that ridiculous stage and inadequate seating and headed straight for St. Louis. You ridicule the Nationals - when your baseball team is headed for its 10th straight losing season, playing in a jewel of a ballpark that has lost 40% of its attendance over that time span? Owned by a lawyer that never met a disagreement he didn't want to ligitate, like to hold petty grievances, and has driven some of the best baseball minds straight out of town, the Orioles will never win consistently with Peter the Great as owner.

From Ed:
Funny how you put down sports in D.C....By the way you forgot to mention Terps, which is also in the D.C. area..

Last time I looked Balto has a stolen football team and a baseball team that refuses to put the word "Baltimore" on their jerseys....Sorry, but pretty lausy piece of writing, your article today.

From Mike:
Thanks for reminding me just how bad I have it. One thing you forgot to mention in your article is that although I am a Washington fan in every sport, there is one that I remain loyal to Baltimore. The Orioles. Not only do I have to suffer with the Redskins, Wizards, Caps, and DC United (although they have the most championships in the MLS so they aren't so bad), I also have to suffer with the pitiful 9 year losing streak of MY Baltimore Orioles.

From Matt:
What you failed to mention in your column is that the Nationals' management has made it clear that they would clean house with the intention of being competitive in three years. It's not their fault that MLB let this franchise rot for 10 years (most of the blame lies with Peter "Napoleon" Angelos). Let's see if you're still reveling in DC's misery, about five years from today, when the Nationals become a first class organization.

From Abell:
If you really want to kick someone while they're down, it would be a good idea to do so when your home teams were 'up' at the time. How is your NBA team doing this season, are they on tap for their 3rd consecutive playoff appearance, no? Why not?

Oh yeah, you don't have one. They left Baltimore 30+ years ago. Well at least you can take solace that your NHL franchise is keeping the local fans happy and making a run at the cup again this year. Dang. You don't have one of those either, my bad.

From Mark:
You're article proves only that the old adage is true, that misery loves company...at least we still have ALL of these teams!

From Matthew:
He also fails to point out the stars in DC that fans pay to watch. Arenas is one of the best players in NBA and Ovechkin is one of the best players in the NHL. Guess what? Ray Lewis is not immortal and Cal Ripken retired years ago....who is the next young star in Baltimore? Please get outta here with this crap.

[Senators2005]

This just in:

Unfortunately...Senators2005 in a fit of fury, snuck his way into the White House last night and pushed the button.  Fox 5 just obtained this photo taken of Baltimore just moments ago...

[attachment deleted by admin]

[shoeshineboy]

Here's a photo-shop that some Baltimoron at the SUN spent all day making. 

Yeah, I remember seeing that the other day. I don't recall anyone wearing a paper bag on his head, so I wouldn't be surprised if the bag-head picture was pulled from the archives for another team. Pretty sad.

[Nat of the Living Dead]

Jesus those jackals are so desperate for attention they will print almost anything.  I guess it is kind of sad that the Victoria Secret insert of the paper gets more attention than any B-More sports team.

[2k6nats]

Interesting how he only posted responses that were angry, and not very well-written.

What a jerk.  I hope he gets fired (which he should, journalists aren't supposed to stir up this kind of stuff)