It's worth repeating--it's all about the fun when it comes to Our Washington Nationals--both ON and OFF the field of play for Sohna and I. And yesterday--in the bright sunshine of Baltimore's Inner Harbor--Our Racing Presidents and My Best Friend Screech!! posted up in an attempt to turn Baltimoreans over to the Washingtonian Side. A Public Relations Stunt to promote this weekend's Inter-League Series against The Baltimore Orioles.
Any way you look at it--that's having fun--especially when The Oriole Bird shows up and gets dismayed over SCREEEEECH!! feeling the love from the kids--children wearing Orioles Caps!! That's a good picture my friend.
And how about those signs carried by The Rushmores?Teddy: "I'll race The Oriole Bird and Beat Him!!"
Tom: "Old Bay Stinks!!" (The Food Seasoning Spice Made In Baltimore)
Abe: "Honestly, The Nats Will Sweep Baltimore Hun!!"
And GW: "I Can Not Tell A Lie--The Nats Will Win!!"
Screech & The Presidents were booed by some. But who cares? It's part of the fun.
Sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy the potential rivalry--the proximity for cross promotion. One day--Our Washington Nationals and The Baltimore Orioles will both be competing for the title. And when that moment comes--Baltimore and Washington will face off like not seen in these Mid-Atlantic States for years. But until that day arrives--it's good to see both The Baltimore Orioles and Our Washington Nationals jointly sponsoring a public event.
As much as I don't like Peter Angelos--The Owner of The Orioles--and all he did to hinder The Montreal Expos move to Washington--at some point--you just have to get past it. And yeah--I dislike the MASN contract as much as you. "It is what it is," as Team President Stan Kasten told me once. "Let's move on."And The African Queen and I shall.
Just look at the other two team regions in the sport.
The Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants are good for baseball--even after The A's move farther south on The Bay.
The proximity of The Los Angeles Dodgers & The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim is worth their Freeway rivalry.
The Chicago Cubs & Chicago White Sox divide a city like few others.
And The New York Yankees and New York Mets have built passion among the boroughs like no two teams in the game. There will probably never be anything like New York in baseball.
A feeling that is long off between Our Washington Nationals and The Baltimore Orioles. But a relationship that, over time, could build into a premiere event in this game. Unquestionably, it's going to take years and IMPORTANT GAMES to build such a rich and vibrant rivalry.
Over 36 years ago, The Baltimore Orioles used to CRUSH My Washington Senators of The American League. The times have now changed and Washington's Team has even changed Major Leagues. But, such a passion between two cities--can only help both These Franchises and The Great Game grow--in the near and long term future.
Just look at those kids in these photos. They are having a good time. They don't care about Peter Angelos. They don't care about a TV Contract. They are young--impressionable--and they are enjoying baseball in a different way. The past is history and it's time to enjoy the fun possibilities between Our Washington Nationals and The Baltimore Orioles--like these kids yesterday afternoon at The Inner Harbor in Baltimore.
Baltimore had Brooks, Frank & Cal. Washington had The Big Train, Josh, The Capital Punisher (My Favorite Player of All Time!!) and even their Frank (briefly), but here in DC, it's all just starting new again. One Day--EVERYONE who follows baseball will recognize Washington's Rich Baseball History. At one time, an important Original American League Franchise existed here and hopefully soon--a top flight National League Team will re-appear . And when that day comes--Baltimore & Washington can share a welcomed regional rivalry--like those today in The Bay Area, Southern California, Chicago and New York.
But for now--as Abe proclaimed yesterday in Baltimore's Inner Harbor--Let's Sweep The Birds at Camden Yards--this weekend.
Go Nats!!
PS--Looking for love in Baltimore, The Presidents handed out George Washington & Teddy Roosevelt Bobbleheads to fans.
I certainly won't be going up there because I feel that I would be condoning what Angelo$ has done. He voted against the team and took away the TV rights, keeping me and thousands of Washingtonians from watching our team for the first two seasons. Boswell suggested that Angelo$ was trying to "kill the Nats in the crib." Now that we can watch them on TV, we see that his network, MASN, is subpar.
ReplyDeleteSince Angelo$ was so convinced that Baltimore was not a major league market capable of supporting itself, he should have sold the franchise, not whined his way into a lifetime subsidy. Shame on him for being a coward (and worse), shame on Bud Selig for not calling his bluff.
It is really too bad too, because I would have been willing to take trips up there to see the Nats and Yankees, but Angelo$ wanted to be spoiled child instead of a honorable man.
WFY--I agree with what you have to say about Mr. Angelos. He ruined a great franchise and did everything possible to leave Washington without a team. But Sohna and I like the opportunity to see the other teams--not coming to Nationals Park each season. We enjoy the games and everything surrounding them. We have just decided to ignore Mr. Angelos. One day--he will sell--and a new generation of fans will come on board that will not care about the past. That day will be a good day--too.
ReplyDeleteMy questions is, do you root for the Redskins? Because if that answer is yes, you should have no beef with Angelos, less you want to be a hypocrite. The Skins tried for YEARS to keep Baltimore from getting a new NFL team after the Colts left.
ReplyDeleteI hate Angelos as much as the next guy, but he had every right to try to keep a team out of what was his market. Its called Capitalism, trying to make money. A team in D.C. would prevent him from making money. This isn't socialist Europe or communist Russia.
Don't get me wrong, I think its good that the Nats are here. I'm sure, as you said, it will build into a rivalry over the years.
homertuck: I'm not a Redskins fan, but I do not recall JKC voting against the Ravens moving to Baltimore nor demanding compensation in the form of broadcast rights or something similar. In fact, from The Post story on the Browns moving to Baltimore I found this quote:
ReplyDeleteWashington Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke, who has opposed placing a team in Baltimore, congratulated Modell and wished him luck. {See related story, Page B1.}
At the same time, Cooke reported progress in his negotiations to build his own stadium in Maryland. In a conversation today before the Baltimore announcement, Cooke said, Glendening gave him assurances that the cost of on-site and off-site improvements in Landover "will be handled."
Obviously this was not the same as him sending flowers and teddy bears saying welcome to the region, but I'm pretty sure JKC let it go. That is much different and less heinous than what Angelo$ has done.
D.C. and Baltimore are separate markets anyway. If the Nats were required to subsidize Angelo$, I'd make the 90 minute drive to Camden Yards at least twice a year.
Homertruk: The NFL should have never let The Colts leave for Indianapolis. They were beloved in Baltimore. Just like MLB was shortsided allowing The Senators to leave town over the needs of a carpetbagger owner after 1971. But, they both happened and both cities deserve to have their NFL & MLB Teams--like they enjoy now. Nothing wrong with it. Mr. Angelos has always attempted to divide--even upsetting his own fans. That unfortunately will be an issue until the day he no longer owns The Orioles. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteLet's Go O's!!!
ReplyDeleteLike the team, hate the owner is really the gist of all this: most D.C. fans have three sets of memories of the Orioles as it pertains to baseball in Washington: 1. older folks like me recall powerful team coming in and cleaning Senators' clocks with Boog Powell, the Robinson boys, tremendous starters and relievers; 2. middle-aged and somewhat younger fans recalling going to Memorial and then fantastic new Camden Yards to see an exciting team with super-quality guys highlighted by Cal Jr. and the Streak; and 3. new Nats fans and members of the groups 1 & 2 who resent Angelos and view the O's from afar as a team in the doldrums who fill their park only with Yankee and Red Sox fans when they are in town. I think that were Angelos not the little man he is, we would all go up to Camden twice a year, and enjoy it. This, if it is a rivalry, is a very friendly one, as most have at least a few very fond memories of watching a classy team in a great park when D.C. was red-lined by MLB...
ReplyDeleteTrust in Boog's B-B-Q. All Good.
I have dual citizenship in DC and Bmore so I root for both teams. Although, if the Nats keep talkin' that ish about Old Bay I'm going to go running back to Peter Angelos.
ReplyDelete"I'll never mess around on you again, Peter.."
scary thought.