WP: Nats MASN deal renegotations will have a huge impact

[KnorrForYourMoney]

He did touch on something in the AL/NL dynamic in that this city was an AL city for eons and that’s counting the 33 years in the wilderness when so many here adopted that crappy team and its fancy new park as their own. Their tentacles are still there and you can hear it when the national anthem is sung with that stupid O chant.

That and the two teams with the biggest national followings are AL.

[DCFan]

That and the two teams with the biggest national followings are AL.

Also in the NE corridor an easy drive or flight.

[hotshot]

The "O" thing is a bit much.   During the wilderness years ('92 Pirates; cancel WS, no baseball in DC, etc.), I tried to follow the Oreos  ...   from Memorial (80s) to OPCY.    It wasn't even the trip to Baltimore.    When Albert Belle hit town, I bailed.    Lucky me, the Nats came a few years later and it was off to the races.

Feel the same but gotta say, living in Annapolis, RFK Stadium was a breeze to get to and park at, compared to the horror show with Metro or "parking" at the current location.

[mitlen]

RFK was as easy an in/out a stadium that I've ever been to  ...   train and auto.     Nats' Park is rough because of only one line in the neighborhood.   I often walk to Capitol South to avoid the crowds, etc.      I try to avoid drivin' to the Park.

[HalfSmokes]

loudon to b'more I can see is too far, but folks do like opacy. Unless you get falling concrete, a fire, severe plumbing problems, you keep the turnstiles rolling and keep letting cash go to the bottom line.  That stadium has 25 more years. It'll outlast Angelos dad and son.

The turnstiles are barely going

[Dave301]

In baseball circles theirs is the gold standard despite the recent issues in that crappy city.

This may have been true when it first opened because it was the only park with a retro design, but not anymore. Parks that were built since then have the same open design, and are far superior.

[hotshot]

This may have been true when it first opened because it was the only park with a retro design, but not anymore. Parks that were built since then have the same open design, and are far superior.

Too bad ours isn't one of them.

[HalfSmokes]

Too bad ours isn't one of them.

Everyone knows wrought iron details trump sight lines

[Dave301]

Too bad ours isn't one of them.

What makes Camden Yards superior, other than that "charming" view of an abandoned warehouse?

[hotshot]

What makes Camden Yards superior, other than that "charming" view of an abandoned warehouse?

I've taken many out of town guests (all predisposed to liking Washington over Baltimore as a city) to both stadiums. I have yet to have one prefer Nats Park. It's shiny and new but ... nothing particularly "charming" or memorable about it.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

What makes Camden Yards superior, other than that "charming" view of an abandoned warehouse?

Always seemed to me there were more bathrooms and they were easier to get in and out of.  I like the look of the seating bowl - baseball colors instead of concrete passing as limestone.  concessions are a wash, I/M/O, at better price points. More stairs and escalators to get to upper levels.  Sure, there are design flaws, but the fact that the first modern stadium is has anything over the stadium that was the 15th -20th iteration of modern MLB stadiums is pretty surprising. 

Major point here is that stadium is more than functional, it is paid down, and can be milked for another 25 years.  It's not like Texas, where you have corporate larceny allowed for extracting support out of the government because, hey, what's local government do other than cave into corporate larceny?  Angelos can't demand a new stadium with a threat to move. While he and his son maybe SOBs, they are Balmorons so the team doesn't move until there's a buyer of the team.  then they move to the highest bidder.

Tying it back to MASN, maybe breaking the cash cow there will end up forcing them to sell. 

[HalfSmokes]

Always seemed to me there were more bathrooms and they were easier to get in and out of.  I like the look of the seating bowl - baseball colors instead of concrete passing as limestone.  concessions are a wash, I/M/O, at better price points. More stairs and escalators to get to upper levels.  Sure, there are design flaws, but the fact that the first modern stadium is has anything over the stadium that was the 15th -20th iteration of modern MLB stadiums is pretty surprising. 

Major point here is that stadium is more than functional, it is paid down, and can be milked for another 25 years.

Why milk it for 25 years when you can get another market (probably bigger because Baltimore) to give you something shiny and new paid for by the taxpayers?

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Why milk it for 25 years when you can get another market (probably bigger because Baltimore) to give you something shiny and new paid for by the taxpayers?

I could see someone who bought the Os  off the Angelos estate maybe doing that, but I can't see him bailing  on Baltimore. It's an ego thing right now for him, and he's got a lot of ego.  The kid, I can't tell, but I suspect he's similar.  Only way the kid is forced to sell is if the MASN cash cow and MLB revenue sharing aren't enough to cover very poor other revenues.

[Kevrock]

OPACY is a great stadium. I hadn't gone for over a decade due to an Angelos boycott, went for a bachelor party and it was a great experience.

I liked Nats Park when I went to a lot of games and I'm not sure I would have traded the gameday for OPACY over the course of a long season but OPACY is special IMO.

[HalfSmokes]

OPACY is a great stadium. I hadn't gone for over a decade due to an Angelos boycott, went for a bachelor party and it was a great experience.

I liked Nats Park when I went to a lot of games and I'm not sure I would have traded the gameday for OPACY over the course of a long season but OPACY is special IMO.

OPACY is a tourist attraction- for a single game it beats a lot of parks, nats park included, for multiple games a season, I much rather nats park. To me, it’s the same as going to see a movie in a converted theater vs a modern theater- great for a single time to experience it, but not over the long haul

[Count Walewski]

Why milk it for 25 years when you can get another market (probably bigger because Baltimore) to give you something shiny and new paid for by the taxpayers?

All of the metro areas larger than Baltimore already have one, and in some cases two, MLB teams. The Baltimore metro area has the 4th highest median salary in the United States, I'm guessing the three ahead of them (one of which is probably Washington) also all have MLB teams.

(Of course, the Orioles also have fans in other metro areas, and one of the advantages of being in the Northeast is that there are a lot of neighboring population centers where some contrarian or migrant from Baltimore might also be an O's fan)

[HalfSmokes]

All of the metro areas larger than Baltimore already have one, and in some cases two, MLB teams. The Baltimore metro area has the 4th highest median salary in the United States, I'm guessing the three ahead of them (one of which is probably Washington) also all have MLB teams.

Those stats include overlap with the Washington metro area and the Philadelphia metro- back them out and Baltimore is a smaller version of Pittsburg

[mitlen]

Those stats include overlap with the Washington metro area and the Philadelphia metro- back them out and Baltimore is a smaller version of Pittsburg

Pittsburgh   ....       FIFY

[Slateman]

I think the Lerners have to just accept that they aren't going to get any money from a TV deal until the Orioles have new ownership.

If that means they have to sell naming rights to the park, so be it.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Those stats include overlap with the Washington metro area and the Philadelphia metro- back them out and Baltimore is a smaller version of Pittsburg

Howard, Anne Arundel, and Baltimore County I'm guessing do pretty well.  Plus, it is legit to say they can draw from Montgomery.

[hotshot]

It'll be interesting (though I hope never to experience it) if the Nats ever get as bad as the Os are now, what kinds of crowds we'd see in DC. 

[HalfSmokes]

It'll be interesting (though I hope never to experience it) if the Nats ever get as bad as the Os are now, what kinds of crowds we'd see in DC. 

2010 and 2011 averaged about 24k - that’s probably about as bad as a team can get

[mitlen]

Howard, Anne Arundel, and Baltimore County I'm guessing do pretty well.  Plus, it is legit to say they can draw from Montgomery.

As far as fan base, the Pirates draw from Erie to Charleston, WV and Altoona to Youngstown.    Fan base numbers may be about the same with the Oreos but the area is greater for the Pirates.    When you have DC, Oreos, Phils, Mets and Yankees all within 5 hours, it limits your base in a place like Baltimore (IMO).    The Pirates overlap with the Indians to the North and Phillies to the east.   That's about it.     I wonder how many young people in Montgomery have transitioned to the Nats.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

It's always interesting to see the generational splits when the Birds are in town.  I wonder how many kids get coal in their stockings as a result. 

As far as fan base, the Pirates draw from Erie to Charleston, WV and Altoona to Youngstown.    Fan base numbers may be about the same with the Oreos but the area is greater for the Pirates.    When you have DC, Oreos, Phils, Mets and Yankees all within 5 hours, it limits your base in a place like Baltimore (IMO).    The Pirates overlap with the Indians to the North and Phillies to the east.   That's about it.     I wonder how many young people in Montgomery have transitioned to the Nats.

[Count Walewski]

Imagine the kinds of posts we'd see on WNFF if the Orioles moved to Montreal and adopted the Expos colors/name.