MLB stabs D.C. in the eye with choice of Nats owners
... or maybe not, but how is one to know?
from 
JoeUser Forums
JoeUser Forums
After early reports swirled out of Channel 9, WUSA-TV in the D.C. market last week that Bud Selig and his cronies, I mean buddies, in MLB had apparently picked an owner for the Washington Nationals, the rumors were quickly denied and the report was trashed as the worst kind of ill-informed journalism.
According to news today in both of the big area newspapers, it seems that the earlier report was true, and MLB has choosen the ownership group that was merely rumored last week.
If the reports are true, then MLB has apparently taken to stabbing the D.C. city council right in the eye, about as hard as they can. Apparently the new ownership group will be the Lerner group -- a group primarily comprised of "rich white folks" that made their money in real estate and running malls and shopping areas.
I don't know that much about the Lerners, but I've heard comments by some local reporters that the Lerners are known as tight and tough negotiators. If that is the case, it's a bad sign for how they may deal with the D.C. city council in getting the partnered stadiium built. Strike one.
Strike two would be that many people in the D.C. city council openly claim to never even have met the Lerners. They are somewhat reclusive and not known as having been involved that heavily in bringing baseball to D.C. They seem to be swooping in and taking advantage of the sweat equity built up the Malek and Zients groups that preceeded them long ago in efforts to bring MLB back to D.C.
Strike three, or perhaps foul one, would be that the Lerners haven't been in the media telling fans of the team anything about what they'd do with the team. No discussion of possible budgets for the team, no word on what direction they'd like to take the team in, nada.
If this is really the choice, and it would clearly seem so now, then baseball fans in D.C. could be due for another heartbreak. I hope that isn't the case, and I sincerely hope that the addition of one of the former baseball guys from the Atlanta Braves helps make for a great franchise and great future history in D.C., but I'll have to say that right now the situation isn't as happy as I would have hoped.
According to news today in both of the big area newspapers, it seems that the earlier report was true, and MLB has choosen the ownership group that was merely rumored last week.
If the reports are true, then MLB has apparently taken to stabbing the D.C. city council right in the eye, about as hard as they can. Apparently the new ownership group will be the Lerner group -- a group primarily comprised of "rich white folks" that made their money in real estate and running malls and shopping areas.
I don't know that much about the Lerners, but I've heard comments by some local reporters that the Lerners are known as tight and tough negotiators. If that is the case, it's a bad sign for how they may deal with the D.C. city council in getting the partnered stadiium built. Strike one.
Strike two would be that many people in the D.C. city council openly claim to never even have met the Lerners. They are somewhat reclusive and not known as having been involved that heavily in bringing baseball to D.C. They seem to be swooping in and taking advantage of the sweat equity built up the Malek and Zients groups that preceeded them long ago in efforts to bring MLB back to D.C.
Strike three, or perhaps foul one, would be that the Lerners haven't been in the media telling fans of the team anything about what they'd do with the team. No discussion of possible budgets for the team, no word on what direction they'd like to take the team in, nada.
If this is really the choice, and it would clearly seem so now, then baseball fans in D.C. could be due for another heartbreak. I hope that isn't the case, and I sincerely hope that the addition of one of the former baseball guys from the Atlanta Braves helps make for a great franchise and great future history in D.C., but I'll have to say that right now the situation isn't as happy as I would have hoped.
