Baseball back in DC!
 

For those of you who are Baseball fans and from the DC area, it's official . Baseball is back in DC!

[url]http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58220-2004Sep28.html[/url]

holy shit...

can we rename them to the senators though? that's what i really want :)

This was a long, long time coming.

So is this good news? Baseball in DC? I know there are many who don’t care, either because they don’t care about baseball or because they figure the Orioles is enough. While I’ve never known what it’s like to have any team in this area but Baltimore I’ve embraced the Orioles as the home team. Still, as a fan of the game I don’t think having another team in the area will hurt. Especially considering that it’s a National League team. And a stadium in the Southwest Waterfront is just what that part of town needs. I might be a bit biased because I love harbors and waterfronts but I think cities should always maximize that feature. Nothing better than being by the waterr. They could really do some great things down there. They already have some nightlife there, and they’re building condos down there as well. With a new stadium in place they should be able to add some shops and restaurants as well. It could do for that area what MCI Center did for Chinatown.

So the big question is will this affect the Orioles? First of all nothing has affected the Orioles more than Angelos himself these past few years. He probably saw the writing on the wall before last season, which is why he went heavy on the free agent signings. Initially I thought this would hurt the Orioles to an extent but I didn't care, I just wanted another team here. But now I think that the negative impact will be little to none. A team in the District is going to attract a whole new core of fans that simply chose not to drive all the way out to Baltimore. Also, the DC area attracts nearly 25 million tourists a year, and it's one of the wealthiest metropolitan areas in the nation. All those factors will allow this area to support two teams.

It's not at all uncommon for there to be two teams in a major market-Yankees/Mets, Giants/As, Angels/Dodgers, White Sox/Cubs. All these teams have been to the postseason the past few years and this year at least four of them will make it again. And if you look at the financial reports of the teams in California-you only do this if you're a baseball freak and did a marketing presentation in B-School about baseball- then you'd see that the attendance of the four Cali teams is above the major league average. Of course it helps to have winning teams and Barry Bonds. But that's the point. If the Orioles remain committed to building a winning team and keep some superstars-Tejada, for example-another team in the area wouldn't be a problem. And the Baltimore/Washington area is larger than the Bay Area.

The big issue really isn't game day attendance it's control of the tv and radio market, even though technically DC and Baltimore are two separate media markets. But with the deal the MLB has apparently worked out Angelos will get a regional network for the Orioles, plus he's getting a guaranteed minimum revenue for the team each year. Angelos really has nothing to complain about.

If anything, a baseball team would have a negative impact on teams in the immediate DC area. The Capitals are even further screwed than they were already. And the Redskins and Wizards could lose some major corporate sponsors and luxury box owners, who might choose to invest their money in the hot new franchis instead. The Redskins have a lot of sponsorship deals and luxury box deals due to expire at the end of the season, beyond the obvious I'm sure Snyder considered the business ramifications of hiring Gibbs just before these deals were to expire and baseball came to town.

Technically the Texas Rangers own the rights to the name Washington Senators, but I'm sure something could be worked out. Although, some people on the inside have indicated they might like a completely new name to signal a new era of baseball in the nation's capital.

I apologize in advance for a highly regionalized, non-Redskins post

It'll be interesting to have baseball right in my backyard. I have been an Orioles fan for pretty much my whole life, but I might have two teams to cheer for in the near future. I can still remember my parents telling me about the senators games. I think it'll kind of be like switching colleges for me. While you're at one school you cheer for one team, and while you're at another school you cheer for that team, but you don't forget about your old team either.

Congrats guys! The Stl Cardinals have always been my team, but I'm defintley gonna be following this team as well.

i never liked the orioles, my grand dad used to LOVE baseball, back before it slowed down so much (we're talking 1940s-1980s or so), and he loved the senators...

personally after seeing how angelos acts, i can't believe it... i mean... MD supports TWO major NFL teams at the same time and both are doing great.

the orioles i believe, are only in batlimore because the senators ownership said that they had no problems with that... come on :P

anyways, i really rather they be called the senators again.

The 3 leading names for the team are the Senators, the Grays (I like this one), and the Monuments (corny). For those of you who are interested in voting for a name, just go to the website [url]http://www.baseballindc.com[/url].

I personally like the Grays because it has a great history behind it. Many believe it was the best baseball team ever assembled except that it was a Negro league team. The african-american population in DC is huge, and with that name it would attract a lot of fans. Obviously, DC already has a history with baseball with the Senators, but I think it's time for a change.

As far Angelos goes, Smootsmack hit it right on the nail. Angelos knew the time was coming, and he tried to assemble a winning team. All of a sudden Angelos was spending money on high priced free agents, something he had never done before. The only thing he forgot was to get some pitching, which is what the Orioles lack.

I myself am a NY Yankees fan. Even though I grew up in the DC area, I lived in NYC for a couple of years and after going to a couple of games at Yankee Stadium, I immediately became fan. I was never really a baseball fan until then. I do watch the Orioles, and follow them somewhat but I've never really rooted for them. I personally do not like Angelos either.

I'm looking forward to opening day next April. I'll be there in RFK stadium rooting for my Washington DC Grays, Senators, or the name I dislike the most....the Monuments (I only live 15 minutes away from RFK!). I'm really excited about baseball being back in my backyard.

I read on FOX sports that they cant be the Senators because the Rangers have the right for them when they moved in 1970. But I would not think it would be too hard to switch them back. I am sure it will all be about money about a million or so.

The Monuments is just plain stupid.

I'd like to hear what Crazy Canuck has to say about all this, being from Montreal

I do have a lot to say but I'm too angry right now to post (due to Expos moving AND that Dallas game).

I'll say for now - congratulations to everyone in DC. Take care of my boys!

PS - I'm giving serious thought to relocating to DC. Seems to make sense.

I am absolutely excited about the Expos moving to DC. Growing up in DC, we were always told the O's were our team but they never really took with me especially when Angelos became the owner. Living in San Diego for a few years now, I have become a diehard Padre fan but all my Padres hats are going away because the Washington Senators/Grays/Whatever are my team. I am moving back to DC next year and am looking forward to season tickets to their games in RFK and eventually their new stadium on the river.

[QUOTE=CrazyCanuck]I do have a lot to say but I'm too angry right now to post (due to Expos moving AND that Dallas game).

I'll say for now - congratulations to everyone in DC. Take care of my boys!

PS - I'm giving serious thought to relocating to DC. Seems to make sense.[/QUOTE]

Haha, funny stuff. Yeah come on down, even w/ our hellish property values you still get a couple good things (mostly the Skins and the soon to be Ex-Expos)
:httr:

washington grays sounds kinda funky though :( the history is cool, but the name doesn't mesh well... monuments is beyond stupid, hate that.

whatever, step 1 is complete and for right now, that's good enough for me.

What exactly does Grays mean? I'm not too crazy about that name. True, it was a very successful team in DC, but they're not originally from DC. They were relocated from Pittsburgh. Would rather have the name of a team that orginiated in DC. I'd prefer a brand new name entirely

Not sure exactly what it means, but it does have a great history.

Check this out...

[url]http://www.negroleaguebaseball.com/teams/Homestead_Grays.html[/url]

if you want a new name, it just better not be the monuments... that just makes me want to break stuff ;)

How about the Lobbyists? They've got all the real power.

[QUOTE=smootsmack]What exactly does Grays mean? I'm not too crazy about that name. True, it was a very successful team in DC, but they're not originally from DC. They were relocated from Pittsburgh. Would rather have the name of a team that orginiated in DC. I'd prefer a brand new name entirely[/QUOTE]


I totally agree on this one, I'm all for history, but the name Grays is boring and more importantly, the Homestead Grays were based in Pittsburgh, and only used DC as their home away from home when the Pirates were using Forbes Field. I don't like this choice at all.

I would go with Senators or Nationals or even Federals. Something to connect the team with the city. I prefer Senators with the history though.

Exactly, DC for the Grays is like what Puerto Rico was for the Expos. Just a home away from home

I like Federals. And go with the same colors and logo they used in the USFL

I grew up in Washington watching the Orioles and Cal Ripken,Jr. was a still is a God in Maryland. But I always wanted to see a baseball team in D.C.

One thing I know about D.C. is if this team wants the great turnouts at RFK it must reflect the identity of the people in the Metropolitan area. The reality is most African-American youth are not interested in Baseball because of the recreational centers that have closed do to cutbacks. The recreation center was the centerpiece for the youth in my neighborhood and it produced players like Brian Leftwich. The Grays name has a history and tradition but I would like to see more done by the MLB to recruit more youth from the inner cities to play baseball as much as the NFL and NBA recruit them to play for them. The reality is that's not going to happen in the next 5 to 10 years.

[QUOTE=smootsmack]Exactly, DC for the Grays is like what Puerto Rico was for the Expos. Just a home away from home

I like Federals. And go with the same colors and logo they used in the USFL[/QUOTE

I don't see your point. Elaborate for me.

[QUOTE=RFKRat]I totally agree on this one, I'm all for history, but the name Grays is boring and more importantly, the Homestead Grays were based in Pittsburgh, and only used DC as their home away from home when the Pirates were using Forbes Field. I don't like this choice at all.

I would go with Senators or Nationals or even Federals. Something to connect the team with the city. I prefer Senators with the history though.[/QUOTE]

Senators doesn't sound any better. Senators is definitely not going to work. This name reflects a time of exclusion.

One thing that makes the Redskins one of the most successful and unique franchises in the league is because of the racial make-up of it's fans. If you've looked at old films of the Giants, Eagles and Cowboys fans you see
very few Black or Hispanic people at the games. But check out the films of the Washington Redskins and you see the people who reflect the nations capitol.

The baseball team must reflect the people they want to represent. The Redskins have laid the foundation for outreach programs for the youth and the baseball team will have to follow.

Baseball is already a struggling sport, I don't know if the DC/Baltimore area can handle two teams. I bet after the novelty wears off we have an empty 400mil dollar stadium and a bunch of people wondering why the hell we let Baseball in.

[QUOTE=Daseal]Baseball is already a struggling sport, I don't know if the DC/Baltimore area can handle two teams. I bet after the novelty wears off we have an empty 400mil dollar stadium and a bunch of people wondering why the hell we let Baseball in.[/QUOTE]

I agree. I think they want to use D.C. as a dumping ground because no other city wanted a mediocre team.

Baseball has seen a resurgence this season. It's attendance average is the third-highest ever. TV ratings are up.

The Homestead Grays never completely moved to Washington, DC. They kept Homestead, Pennsylvania as their official home but played some games in DC's Griffith Stadium-similar to the Expos keeping Montreal as their official home but playing some games in Puerto Rico. I'll root for the team no matter what the name.

The Redskins might have had a lot of Black and Hispanic fans, but they were the last team to integrate in the NFL. Just like the Senators were the last to integrate in baseball.

Here's a little something on the Washington Federals:
[url]http://www.remembertheusfl.8m.com/washington.html[/url]

who cares what the name is? baseball SUCKS!!!

way to troll the thread wolfeskin :P if that's all you can add, please don't bother posting in the thread.

selig extorted the city.. and he wouldn't have given it to us, but the team offered nearly 4 times as much money as the next highest city, so they didn't think they'd be able to get anyone else to bid it up any more... and after 400 million from taxes etc, there's going to be a 200-300mill$ surcharge on buying the team (worth about 100mill), which is beyond crappy right now (since the league got to decide how much the expos could spend on salaries, AND the old owner took lots of personnel and all the scouting information with him to the marlins...)

its a bad deal three ways from sunday (gotta bribe mr. orioles too), but we got a team now... hopefully it works out... sucks that the owner very well may live in vegas and operate the ownership from there though...

hey that guy,the name of this site is THE WARPATH(redskins discussion for the knowlegeable fan) some members were discussing baseball,i had to put my short but sweet little messege on there to try to wake them up from the nightmare they were in. just trying to help,sorry

Hey Wolfeskins, the name of this forum is "The Parking lot" meaning we talk about things that are off-topic and football. I hate baseball as much as the next guy, but let them have their discussion.

The only reason worth watching baseball is to watch the Yankees lose!

thank ou captain obvious, this site is called the warpath... next time you wanna talk about a tv show or something i'll let you know what i think about all your outside interests... :P

defending that troll is pretty silly, next time please just don't waste your time.

damn,i thought i could joke around a little bit with you guys,guess not.

I'm glad to see baseball in DC, now I can actually see the Braves in person since I have no plans of going to Atlanta anytime soon.

It shouldn't be that hard to get the Senators name back though. I mean when Cleveland got it's new team it got the Browns name back without problem from the Ravens.

So they went with the Nationals. I guess I like the name. The logo is pretty cool too. Heres the site.

[url]http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/index.jsp?c_id=was[/url]

[QUOTE=Redskins_P]So they went with the Nationals. I guess I like the name. The logo is pretty cool too. Heres the site.

[url="http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/index.jsp?c_id=was"]http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/index.jsp?c_id=was[/url][/QUOTE]
I like it, the name and the logo

[QUOTE=Mattyk72]I like it, the name and the logo[/QUOTE]

Yeah I like it too, but doesn't look like an All-Star logo?