Welcome to the my Web site, v. XII. The blog is typically published Monday - Saturday. My primary topics tend to be the Nats, Penn State (esp. football), BeltwayLand, transportation, media, photos and more. The rest of the site gets updated as warranted and is noted on the blog.
Nats: Riggleman press conference on Comcast Sports Net at 2:30 - William World News
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Nats: Riggleman press conference on Comcast Sports Net at 2:30
Good news Washingtonians, you can watch the the Jim Riggleman press conference at 2:30 p.m. today on Comcast Sports Net Washington. Why support the Baltimore-based, Peter Angelos-owned, anti-Washington/Nats MASN when you don't have to?
Nats fall in 12th after late rain delay, rally - William World News
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Nats fall in 12th after late rain delay, rally
Another Wild Night Ends With Another Loss - The Post Nats waste surprising rally after rain delay - The Wash. Times Once again, the Nats found another disappointing way to lose. Shairon Martis gave the Nats seven innings of 2-run ball, but the offense could not get any runs across. Then, in the ninth, the Reds closer Francisco Cordero walked Elijah Dukes. With Josh Willingham at the plate, the storm came and 2 hours and 10 minutes later, play resumed with Willingham getting a free pass. Josh Bard and Anderson Hernandez singled both of them home, but Washington was done scoring for the night. In the 12th inning, Ron Villone gave up his first run as a National and the game was decided, but no before Jason Bergmann allowed another. The Nats came up dry in the bottom of the inning and another tough loss was in the books. Only 75 or 100, depending on which paper you read, stayed until the end.
If you were watching at home though, you probably missed the rally though. As DC Sports Bog reports, Cox and Comcast subscribers were switched to C-SPAN 2 following the rain delay. The game was on MASN 2 which uses the C-SPAN 2 slot. The two cable systems screwd up, but ultimately the big screwup is Peter Angelos owning the Nats TV rights. Again, if the Nats TV rights were not controlled by a Baltimore concern that voted against D.C. baseball and kept games from fans for almost two full seasons, this does not happen.
Nats on 119 loss pace; TV ratings improve - William World News
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Nats on 119 loss pace; TV ratings improve
Nationals' TV Ratings Improve - The Post The Nats ratings have improved, but they are still awful. The combination of inept play and Peter Angelos keeping them off TV for two seasons and making them the stepchild of MASN have caused this situation.
MASN continues its anti-DC, Nats ways - William World News
Monday, June 01, 2009
MASN continues its anti-DC, Nats ways
MASN may be the Nats' home network, but not on Twitter - Nationals Pride Would it surprise you to learn that MASN, the cable channel the Nats are forced to be televised by because of Bud Selig's corrupt bargain with Peter Angelos, has found another way to short the Nationals and Washington D.C. baseball fans? Of course not! The latest -- the MASN Twitter feed is overwhelmingly about the Orioles. Just another typical, anti-Washington, anti-Nationals move by the Angelos owned network.
The Lerners are on the list because they have seemed only concerned about cash flow and the team is losing. If they draft and sign Stephen Strasburg, they'll likely be off the list. I think they are coming around a bit -- later than they should have, but signing Adam Dunn and extending Ryan Zimmerman shows some hope. I think they won't be on the list next year.
Is Snyder really worse than the Cincinnati Bengals Mike Brown? Snyder runs the Redskins like a fantasy team, but he can't be that bad can he? The Redskins are at least competitive most years. Abe Pollin cracks neither side of the NBA list and Ted Leonsis is not on the NHL list, though I am a little skeptical that he is not one of the five best owners in hockey. Nobody else in sports is as open about running the team and is anybody more fan friendly?
Not surprisingly, Peter Angelos is the worst MLB owner after 11 consecutive losing seasons. Under him, the Oriole Way means cowardice, unaccountability, pettiness, scapegoating and demands for subsidies from the Nationals.
Don't buy Nats at Baltimore tickets - William World News
Monday, January 19, 2009
Don't buy Nats at Baltimore tickets
Single-game tickets to the Orioles are apparently on sale now. While it may be tempting to take in a Nationals road game 40 miles away, doing so says that you:
- agree that the Nats television rights should not belong to them
- did not think it was unfair that a vast majority of the Nats first two seasons were unavailable to most viewers
- think that MASN does a good job
- believe Peter Angelo$ was right in voting against D.C. having a team
Don't reward bad behavior, be a good Washingtonian and boycott Baltimore baseball games
Every time Peter Angelo$ broadcasts a Nats game, he loses money out the wazoo. This cheers me, and assuages my guilt when I visit Baltimore. (Which I will. Sorry.)
# posted by Hendo :
Tuesday, January 20, 2009 3:59:00 PM
Nats Striking Out on TV - The Post It seems the Nats are not too popular on television. There are many reasons for this, but let's look at the #1 reason why:
Peter Angelo$
He kept that Nats off of TV for their first two years and then put him on a substandard channel with an obvious bias against Washington. He is going to hell for what he did and is doing. Washingtonians suffer because he is a coward who cried at the threat of regional competition. May he and his franchise suffer forever.
This isn't exactly shocking news — and you're right that a couple years without being on TV at all (in most homes) got people in the habit of not tuning in.
Hardcore fans know how to find them. And where to find MASN's HD channel. And how to find which games are on MASN and which are on MASN2. But casual ones don't. But the worst team in baseball isn't likely to have many casual fans.
# posted by dl004d :
Tuesday, July 08, 2008 2:30:00 PM
That is pretty far from a murderous row isn't it? Yet, despite such an uninspiring lineup, the Nats found a way to win. Ronnie Belliard (Video -- someone get this on youtube or Redlasso!) hit a two-run shot in the 12th to walkoff with the win this series and tie the season series. I'm pretty sure the Nats lead the all-time series too, despite the fact that they have to subsidize the Orioles because Peter Angelo$ is a coward.
Why we Fight: Baltimore Orioles - William World News
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Why we Fight: Baltimore Orioles
Starting tomorrow night, the Nats face off against the hated Orioles owned by the villainous Peter Angelo$, the guy who voted against the team being here, was undeservingly given 90% of the Nationals TV rights by MLB and then kept the Nats off of TV for almost two years. Rather than rehash all the reasons that he and his franchise should be hated by every Washingtonian and probably all Baltimoreans too, I'll just point you to my newest blogger label -- Peter Angelos is a coward. Why should Washingtonians be punished because he is afraid of competition from a city over an hour away or from teams in his division?
Family obligations and a birthday party for a friend will send me to Pennsylvania this weekend, so for the first time I won't be going to a D.C. series between our home town team and the Angelo$ scum. Boo lustily for me in my absence. I will make up for it next season.
Oh and don't forget, it is Nationals Conversion Day on Sunday:
The first 10,000 fans that bring in any old MLB merchandise - hats, t-shirts, anything - can trade it in for a brand-new Nats Curly W cap courtesy of ExxonMobil.
They could not have picked a better opponent to do it against.
I agree with your overall point, but as a technicality, the two cities are not over an hour apart. The stadiums may be, however?
Attendance at Camden Yards has slipped somewhat over the years. I have a buddy who is a big-time Oriole fan and he refuses to go to another game until Angelo$ sells the team.
# posted by The Maryland Bureau Chief :
Thursday, June 26, 2008 3:15:00 PM
You are correct, two hours before a weeknight game, the two cities are probably closer to 90 minutes apart.
# posted by WFY :
Thursday, June 26, 2008 8:40:00 PM
Post a CommentNats salvage Beltways series with Sunday win - William World News
Nats Pitchers Put Away the Brooms - The Post Lannan locates top form for Nats - The Wash. Times Lannan 'trusts stuff' and gains Nats' faith - The Free Lance-Star Weather-beaten - The Sun Two rain delays, including a two-hour one before the game, could not stop the Nationals, nor could the cowardly subsidized Orioles. John Lannan gave up only one run over 7 1/3. The bullpen did not give up any runs. SS Cristian Guzman had a solo homer and Ryan Zimmerman knocked in the winning run. He is up to 25 RBI and 8 HR -- he had a good road trip.
The series went just like last year's -- Orioles won the first two, then the Nats won the third. In fact, the Nats then swept the Orioles in D.C.
Slumping Kearns Gets A Day Off - The Post Kearns on the bench - The Free Lance-Star RF Austin Kearns was benched last night. He needs to get his act together, he is playing well below hi s abilities.
THOM LOVERRO - Palmer, Sutton renew rivalry in MASN booth - The Wash. Times The combined booth -- announcers from both teams, a likely cost-cutting maneuver for MASN, was not as bad as I expected. It was very odd hearing Gary Thorne and not Bill Clement though.
The real problem was the home plate camera was crooked. Could MASN be as incompetent for Baltimore broadcasts as it is for D.C.?
THOMAS BOSWELL - Mystery Game - The Post The surprisingly solid rotation has kept the Nats afloat despite the surprisingly awful offense.
Young returns to the lineup sans Johnson - The Wash. Times Dmitri Young returned to the lineup, as a DH, last night. He went 1 for 4 and expects to be in the lineup everyday during NL games.
On Friday, I got an email from nationals.com titled "See your Nationals play at Camden Yards next week" offering me a chance to buy tickets for upcoming series in Baltimore. While Camden Yards is certainly an attractive ballpark (though the seats don't all face the field) and about 90 minutes away I will not be going. Long-time readers of the blog know what is coming -- don't go there. Not now, not next week, not ever. No Washingtonian should attend any Orioles game so long as Peter Angelo$ or his heirs own the O's and the Nationals do not control their own broadcasting rights. Giving an additional subsidy to Angelo$ would be akin to "providing aid and comfort to the enemy."
As a reminder of the problem, here is an excerpt of last year's list of grievances against Baltimore's most cowardly millionaire and his pathetic franchise:
Angelo$ was the only owner to vote against the Expos relocating to Washington.
Remember how most of us couldn't watch the Nationals regularly for two seasons? That was Angelo$ doing. Angelo$ and MLB made a corrupt bargain to put the Nats TV rights in the hands of someone who had an interest in limiting the ability of a "competitor" to succeed. Thomas Boswell accused Angelo$ of trying to "kill the baby in the crib." This cost the Nationals from getting full media exposure during the crucial first year which could have sold more tickets and contributed to the D.C. treasury.
He is duplicitous and hypocritical -- remember when he said "there are no baseball fans in Washington D.C. that's a fiction." If that is true Petey, why you "need" the TV rights. Also, take a look at his past rhetoric for use of the term "monopolists." Isn't it something how he forgets that he sought to retain his monopoly of baseball in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
The production values of Malevolent Angelo$ Sports Network -- players being named incorrectly, poor A/V fidelity, and treating the Nats like the visiting team on their own network. Malevolent Angelo$ Sports Network screwed up a Penn State telecast last season too.
He has recklessly thrown money away (see Belle, Albert; Ponson, Sidney), but now finds it more convenient to blame Washington for his inability to compete with the Yankees and Red Sox. This is the basis for his subsidy argument when in truth 15 years of bad franchise management got his team where it is now, not having another team 35 miles (and 90 minutes away on game nights) to the south.
It has been said Angelo$ wanted to by mayor of Baltimore and governor of Maryland. Clearly the people of that city and state knew better and are not falling for his "look, it stuck it Washington, so you should love me" actions. Washingtonians shouldn't have to suffer because Baltimore had to the good sense not to empower him from the ballot box.
In short, Angelo$ has wielded his disproportionate power to keep the Nats from fully realizing the potential of their market for petty, personal reasons and to keep himself from having to work hard. The Nats can not realize their full revenue potential because they have to subsidize Angelo$' mediocrity. Do you really want to reward that kind of bad behavior?
Though I can't dispute anything here, I'm still boycotting the Nats rather than the Orioles. Part of it is family history -- my mom's side of the family is from the Eastern Shore. Part of it is that I can usually keep my opinion of a team separate from my opinion of the owners, as plenty of Redskins fans might also tell you. (The number of Orioles implicated in the Mitchell Report bothers me a little bit more than Angelos.)
But the truth is I probably won't see either team this year, just as I didn't last year. And that's because the manner in which the Nats came to Washington soured my impression of MLB in general. They extorted hundreds of millions of dollars from a municipality that can't even tell its schoolkids where they're supposed to go for class. I simply can't support that.
Bottom line is that there's something unsavory about both teams. How much tolerance we have for it is sure to depend from person to person.
# posted by bdure :
Tuesday, May 13, 2008 7:57:00 AM
Neither MLB or the District distinguished themselves during the negotiation. That being said, I think it winds up working out very well for D.C. because a lot of the money coming in will be from suburban fans, money that would have been spent elsewhere. Additionally, the development going around the ballpark is quite impressive. The schools could learn a lot from the way the construction was managed (on time, on budget) and just well might. Allen Lew, the chief executive for the Sports Commission, moved onto lead the school system upgrade last year.
# posted by WFY :
Friday, May 16, 2008 12:26:00 PM
Post a CommentHey! He stole my idea that I stole from him - William World News
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Hey! He stole my idea that I stole from him
Remember this morning when I said I would pull out the the "Angelo$peak translator" to decipher what vindictive coward Peter Angelo$ really meant in that Sunarticle? Well, Mr. StanSpeak translator beat me to it and posted something himself. Jerk.
For the record, my translator was coming up with a much higher sense of entitlement, self-delusion, but self-loathing too. The translator was also picking up lecherous remarks about Anita Marks that would not have been appropriately for this blog.
Nationals Take Another Plunge - The Post Bergmann, Nationals fall apart in the fifth - The Wash. Times No panic, but Nats' ship starts to list - The Free Lance-Star Jacobs, Uggla lead Marlins' rout over Nationals - The Miami Herald Boxscore - CBS Sports The freefall that began in the fifth inning of Jason Bergmann's start against Philadelphia last week continued last night. For the second consecutive start, Bergmann couldn't get anybody out in the fifth and started giving up runs uncontrollably. Ten Marlins batted and seven of them crossed the plate. A 1-0 lead was lost and the Marlins went on to win 10-4. Reliever Joel Hanrahan gave up three runs as well. The Nats only had four hits.
For Kearns, prime should be now - The Wash. Times It is becoming increasingly unlikely that Austin Kearns will be the 40 homer 100 RBI player that some expected him to become. RFK Stadium was often sighted as a reason for his mediocre numbers, but the Nats don't play there anymore.
O's owner on Nats: 'We definitely want them to succeed' - The Sun Aren't you glad that Peter Angelo$ wants the Nats to succeed? It really means a lot to hear this big coward, who tried to kill or at least maim the Nats because he doesn't believe in Baltimore, wish us well.
A more beautiful Farragut Square - William World News
Friday, November 09, 2007
A more beautiful Farragut Square
WASHINGTON D.C. -- Normally, the arrival of a Citibank location is not cause for a shrug, much less a celebration. However, I welcome this new branch with open arms because of what it used to be -- the Orioles Store. For years it stood as a landmark to the misguided notion that Washington couldn't support Major League Baseball and the Orioles were allegedly D.C.'s team. Peter Angelo$ stubbornly kept it open for the first three seasons of the Nationals existence. He surely took a bath on it since team stores tend to be loss-leaders and having one in the wrong city is probably even less financially expedient.
While I like the idea of Angelo$ losing money, I have to think that the District was losing money by having so little sales tax revenue coming in from there. Thankfully, the reminder of that dark time has been removed form the landscape -- here's to urban renewal.
# posted by DCSportsChick :
Thursday, August 23, 2007 12:30:00 PM
I still can't believe that score. But I'd bet you Peter Angelos still finds a way to blame this on the Nats.
# posted by Fritz :
Thursday, August 23, 2007 4:14:00 PM
Post a CommentI'm not going to do your dirty work, Angelo$ - William World News
Monday, June 25, 2007
I'm not going to do your dirty work, Angelo$
I just received an email from MASN asking me to link to an Astroturf-roots Web site that advocates MASN being installed on a North Carolina cable system. While I sympathize with Carolinians who can't watch the Nats, I am not going to help MASN out.
I'm almost flattered that MASN took the time to spam me, but clearly they don't read this site because if they did, they would know I think very little of their operation and nothing of its owner, Peter Angelo$. Keeping me from watching my team for nearly two seasons won't be forgiven any time soon, nor will the condescending attitude displayed during the first Nationals vs. O's series this season.
If Angelo$ cares so much about North Carolina baseball fans he can do one of two things:
1.) Relinquish the "territory" in North Carolina
2.) Return the Nationals TV rights to the Nationals
Anything short of either of those steps will be seen as nothing but another money grab by Angelo$, whose fear of competition on the field from the Yankees and Red Sox and in the D.C.-Baltimore region led to unprecedented welfare from MLB. NC fans, like D.C. fans, are being punished because Angelo$ is a vindictive coward, so why would I try and help him?
I would like to thank the Nationals for defeating the forces of Peter Angelo$ last night to take the season series. The players may not realize the importance of what they just did, but I do. After going on and on about what a vindictive coward Angelo$ is, a season series victory and a sweep in Baltimore is pretty sweet.
Last night's game saw victory #4 for Jason Simontacchi. Although he gave up nine hits and walked four batters, the righty allowed only one run to cross the plate. Jon Rauch got his 11th hold of the season while Chad Cordero got a 1-2-3 ninth for his 10th save.
The Nats scored one run off of Oriole phenom Jeremy Guthrie, a two-out Felipe Lopez double to score Ryan Langerhans. Lopez may be mired in a terrible slump, but with two outs he is hitting .315 this season. In fact, the story of the series was the Nats scoring with two outs.
Ryan Zimmerman knocked in the winning run in the eighth, a single that Cristian Guzman scored from second on. In the ninth, Langerhans doubled home Nook Logan to give the Nats an insurance run.All the broadsheets on the Nats beat note the progression (The Post) of Matt Chicothis season (The Wash. Times). The lefty, who never pitched above AA before this season, is starting to take command of his pitches. He hadn't been aggressive (The Free Lance-Star) during the first part of the season like he was during spring training. I think his development is the most promising of 2007, so far. May it continue!
Levale Speigner may be coming around too; he started using a new grip on his pitches on Sunday when he beat Johan Santana in Minnesota.
Zimmerman is talking about Father's Day in The Wash. Examiner this week. Last Father's Day he hit a walk-off homer to beat the Yankees at RFK.
The Nats are going to be patient (The Free Lance-Star) with prospects like Esmailyn Gonzalez, who makes his Gulf Coast League debut on Tuesday.
The subhead of The Sun'sgamer today says "Swept Orioles lose fifth in a row, sink to level of lowly 29-37 neighbors." It seems to me that since the two have the same record and Nats beat them 4 out of 6 times, maybe the Nats are not the lowly ones here. Just some food for thought, hon.
Lastly, I am pleased to see that Nats fans didn't head to Camden Yards en masse, thus denying Angelo$ more Washington welfare. Good job!
During the broadcast, Bob Carpenter said the attendance for the three games in RFK was something like 83,000 vs. only 62,000 for the three games in Camden Yards. Then again, the games in D.C. were on a weekend, so perhaps it's not really fair to compare.
# posted by dl004d :
Friday, June 15, 2007 8:12:00 AM
You crack me up. "...defeating the forces of Peter Angelo$"
Nice! And so true.
# posted by DCSportsChick :
Friday, June 15, 2007 8:16:00 AM
What are you talking about dl004d? Peter Angelo$ said "there are no baseball fans in Washington D.C., that's a fiction." You are contradicting him and he is, as we all know, infallible. In fact, I don't even know how I could be talking to you since you apparently don't even exist.
Hate Angelo$ Week: Don't go there - William World News
Monday, June 11, 2007
Hate Angelo$ Week: Don't go there
Tomorrow is the renewal of the Battle of the Beltway(s) series between our beloved Washington Nationals and the hated Orioles. In case of you may be thinking of making the 90 minute drive up there, I thought I would remind you that Peter Angelo$ is a vindictive coward who has hurt the Washington Nationals and by extension the District of Columbia over the last several years.
Angelo$ was the only owner to vote against the Expos relocating to Washington.
Remember how most of us couldn't watch the Nationals regularly for two seasons? That was Angelo$ doing. Angelo$ and MLB made a corrupt bargain to put the Nats TV rights in the hands of someone who had an interest in limiting the ability of a "competitor" to succeed. Thomas Boswell accused Angelo$ of trying to "kill the baby in the crib." This cost the Nationals from getting full media exposure during the crucial first year which could have sold more tickets and contributed to the D.C. treasury.
He is duplicitous and hypocritical -- remember when he said "there are no baseball fans in Washington D.C. that's a fiction." If that is true Petey, why you "need" the TV rights. Also, take a look at his past rhetoric for use of the term "monopolists." Isn't it something how he forgets that he sought to retain his monopoly of baseball in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
The production values of Malevolent Angelo$ Sports Network -- players being named incorrectly, poor A/V fidelity, and treating the Nats like the visiting team on their own network. Malevolent Angelo$ Sports Network screwed up a Penn State telecast last season too.
He has recklessly thrown money away (see Belle, Albert; Ponson, Sidney), but now finds it more convenient to blame Washington for his inability to compete with the Yankees and Red Sox. This is the basis for his subsidy argument when in truth 15 years of bad franchise management got his team where it is now, not having another team 35 miles (and 90 minutes away on game nights) to the south.
It has been said Angelo$ wanted to by mayor of Baltimore and governor of Maryland. Clearly the people of that city and state knew better and are not falling for his "look, it stuck it Washington, so you should love me" actions. Washingtonians shouldn't have to suffer because Baltimore had to the good sense not to empower him from the ballot box.
In short, Angelo$ has wielded his disproportionate power to keep the Nats from fully realizing the potential of their market for petty, personal reasons and to keep himself from having to work hard. The Nats can not realize their full revenue potential because they have to subsidize Angelo$' mediocrity. Do you really want to reward that kind of bad behavior?
The right way and the Angelo$ way - William World News
Friday, May 18, 2007
The right way and the Angelo$ way
The two major dailies in Washington and Baltimore compare (The Post) and contrast (The Sun) the two franchises that meet this weekend at RFK Stadium.
Time has been limited for me over the last few days (condo issues are fun!), so I have not had the opportunity finish a breakdown the value of Peter Angelo$ to Washingtonians, so it will have to wait until the next series between the two teams.
Boo the Orioles, scold their fans for desecrating the National Anthem and cheer the home team this weekend. I'll do my part on Sunday.
Should HUAC be brought back to go after Peter Angelo$? - William World News
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Should HUAC be brought back to go after Peter Angelo$?
MASN's crusade against Comcast continues, this time in Shenandoah Valley. Courtesy of Federal Baseball, I saw this line from MASN flak Todd Webster :
There is something fundamentally un-American about taking away baseball, the national pastime.
So, using MASN's logic, can we could conclude that Peter Angelo$ is un-American for keeping me from being able to watch the Nationals on TV for almost two full seasons?
Yes. Peter Angelo$ is un-American, because he hijacked the National Pasttime and insists upon dictating where and who gets to see Nationals games.
He also deserves to be up on charges for ruining, and continuing to ruin, a once-proud franchise, a model for everything that used to be good in baseball.
# posted by Crash :
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 1:36:00 PM
Is MASN meeting your standards for a sports network? - William World News
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Is MASN meeting your standards for a sports network?
Here we are in season three of the Nats and unfortunately MASN, the cable network owned by Peter Angelo$, still can't deliver a Nationals game successfully.
Last night, the Nats telecast was relegated to MASN 2, the overflow network that uses CSPAN's slot on Comcast. Why wouldn't the home team be on the flagship MASN? In D.C. the Nats should be on MASN and the Orioles should be on MASN 2. The opposite makes sense in Baltimore. Duh.
I though it had it bad last night when "ghosts" from another channel (WETA, I think) were in the background of the Nats MASN 2 broadcast. It turned out others had it much worse than I did:
Now tonight, large segments of people who ACTUALLY WANT TO WATCH Kasten's shitty team are unable to because their digustingly incompetent television situation has farked everything up. I've had a bunch of emails, and now some comments. And the people at BPG are chipping in.
WHY AFTER THREE YEARS, ARE PEOPLE STILL UNABLE TO WATCH THE GODDAMN TEAM?
Someone in the previous thread called MASN and was told that the blackout was the Nationals' fault, which it clearly isn't. (more lies reported in the comments to Svrluga's blog)
Apparently last night, because of the sharing agreement between the Baltimore Orioles and Nationals broadcast slots, it was the Nationals turn to utilize the alternative station MASN2. Unfortunately MASN and DirecTV had their wires crossed somehow and MASN2 was not being broadcast on the designated channel 671 on DirecTV. Mass hysteria and panic set-in on the message boards...and I can only imagine what the poor operators at MASN and DirecTV must have experienced.
'Cause there's nothing worse than a pissed-off Washington baseball fan...34 years of being snubbed by MLB and now being raked through the coals by Peter Angelos can produce some pretty cranky characters, especially when it comes to being able to watch their team.
Well the people at MASN and DirecTV apparently found the problem around 8:30 and service commenced around the 6th inning...
Tonight's game was the first one carried on MASN-2 (channel 671 on DirecTV for me) and I couldn't record the original broadcast because, before I went to work, I went to channel 671 to record it and it read, "To be announced" (!!!!!!) In other words, there wasn't anything that I could do about it. Either DirecTV or MASN dropped the ball here, not sure which. I recorded the game overnight on MASN, just to check out Bob and Don's analysis and see a few highlights.
I'm sure the Ballpark Guys boards have less restrained opinions too.
None of this is of course surprising. Peter Angelos has shown contempt for Washington for years and MLB coddled him when the Nationals showed up. It is not unreasonable to conclude the MASN's performance is a reflection of that attitude.
Warming Imperils Md. Species - The Post Scientists Fear Loss Of Baltimore Oriole, Native Brook Trout I'm suprised Peter Angelo$ isn't blaming this on the Nats too.
I'm over at Fritz's trying to watch the Penn State vs. Minnesota game on MASN and the sound is AWFUL. Is this happening to you too? This is terrible, but it is to be expected that Peter Angelo$ would provide such poor service.
Next time Penn State is on ESPN Regional, hopefully MASN will stay away so we don't have to deal another bad Angelo$ product.
Yep, the last several weeks of Nationals games had horrible sound - barely audible. But the commercials came on loud and strong.
# posted by misschatter :
Saturday, October 07, 2006 1:07:00 PM
Be happy you didn't have to experience Lou Holtz covering the overtime period and ranting incessantly about the interference call. They should "let them play" in the last 10 seconds. Gee Lou, didn't know there was a game clock in OT.
# posted by K :
Sunday, October 08, 2006 11:15:00 AM
Comcast To Raise Rates for Nationals - The Post I probably should be upset, but I've recently developed a ho-hum attitude when it comes to the TV mess that the Nats are in. I guess because I'm tired of the mudslinging that MASN (vis-a-vis Peter Angelo$) hurls at Comcast. Am I really the only one who sees such flagrant hypocrisy in MASN/Angelo$ calling Comcast monopolistic? Note to MASN: if you want to see monopolistic, take a long, hard look at Angelo$, who for years carried a monopoly over the region, bullying and intimidating MLB to keep a team out of Washington so he could remain the only game in town.
According to statastic.com, Comcast subscribers paying the new $2 monthly fee will provide $38.4 million in annual revenue for Comcast. If Comcast were to earn the same $38.4 million that by selling subscriptions only to 150,000 likely Nats TV viewers, they would have to charge them $44 per month. That’s money they can more easily extract from by charging all 1.6 million Comcast customers in the DC area $2 each.
It gets better. Comcast extended basic TV comes with 76 channels, which for the sake of argument, provide 24 hours of programming for the local-monopoly price of about $46 per month. So 100 hours of TV on any of those channels will cost DC area residents about 8.3 cents.
Because Comcast cut a deal with MASN at the very end of the 2006 season, they will broadcast a maximum of 22 games this season. So for the seven months between September of 2006 and Major League Baseball’s opening day of April 1, 2007, Comcast will broadcast about 66 hours of Nats games for the low, low price of $14. That comes out to $21.21 per 100 hours of programming, more than 250 times the price of normal Comcast cable programming.
More details at: http://statastic.com/2006/08/14/how-comcast-is-picking-your-pocket/
# posted by Anonymous :
Monday, August 14, 2006 10:00:00 AM
Nats coming to a TV near you next month; they beat San Diego too - William World News
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Nats coming to a TV near you next month; they beat San Diego too
Comcast Will Air Nats Games, Ending Dispute - The Post The last of "the long Nationals nightmares" appears to be over. The bullheaded organzations that are Comcast and MASN have agreed to a cease fire, effective now, that will likely result in MASN being available to D.C. area Comcast subsribers on Sept. 1. An anonymous source at Comcast did tell The Post that there could be delays in arranging the channel lineup though.
It appears that the external pressure from local governments, but mostly the FCC, finally forced Comcast to deal with MASN. The Wash. Times report indicated that MASN cut their rate by 5% as well.
WWN Deputy Editor Fritz Hamme called this is a Pyrrhic victory for Washingtonians and I am inclined to agree. The high cost was the further empowerment of Peter Angelo$, owner of MASN and the AAAA franchise up I-95. Angelo$ successfully manipulated polticians and MLB to do his bidding. I found it quite distasteful that local elected officials at the city, state, and federal level were so eager to help Angelo$ get his network on TV, they should have let him do his own dirty work. He is now heavily subsidized by Washington, which says to me he believes that Baltimore is minor league town. The NFL, NBA, and even the NHL, leagues without anti-trust exemptions, would have never tolerated this kind of behavior, proving once again that Bud Selig is a national disgrace.
It appears that no one from the Nationals was involved in getting this issue resolved. Team president Stan Kasten was told by a reporter that a truce had been reached and in a nationals.com Q&A published yesterday, Mark Lerner said, "We are not in control of our own destiny. It is a very difficult situation. Hopefully, Comcast and MASN will come to a settlement in the very near future. We will not be satisfied until all of our games are on TV for our fans."
The Oriole Park boycott is still on in my eyes, even for Nationals games as long as Angelo$ controls the Nats TV rights. Angelo$ does not deserve any more welfare from Washington.
Alas, it may be too late for a Jose Guillen Easterns Motors ad though.Ortiz Given a 'Jolt,' Helps Nats to Victory - The Post The Nats defeated the Padres last night in San Diego behind six solid innings of Ramon Oritz pitching and a four-run 6th inning. The highlight, if you can call it that, was Frank Robinson chewing out Ortiz for giving up a walk to start the bottom of the 6th. Surprisingly, Ortiz actually responded and got a double play.
Speaking of FLop, anybody no good place to find LOB stats for him since he came to D.C.? I need to tally it up to settle a bet and I don't want to have to go back to every box score over the last two weeks.Hernandez's Thoughts Are With Cuba - The Post With Fidel Castro ailing or dead, haven't all of our thoughts been, "what is ¡LIVAN! thinking about all of this?"
Now if Millenium can do likewise, we'll be in business. Otherwise, I'm just waiting for FiOS to be available in my area, or move to an area that has it available, like Howard County.
# posted by Muha :
Saturday, August 05, 2006 2:34:00 PM
Nats fall to team they subsidize - William World News
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Nats fall to team they subsidize
EVIL 2 GOOD 1
A Loss That Feels Good for Patterson - The Post P John Patterson returned and it seemed like old times -- he gave up very few runs and got no support from his office. He is feeling good though (The Post).
More from DAVID STEELE of The Sun: Orioles fans turn in a fulfilling performanceArmas goes on 15-day DL - The Wash. Times So much for that more-starters-than-spots problem the rotation was about to have with Patterson's return. I am amazed Tony Armas Jr. made it this far into the season without a stop on the DL. NATIONALS NOTEBOOK - Team Signs 1 Pick, Waits On Another - The Post RHP Colton Willems, one of the Nats first round picks, signed yesterday. Still waiting to be signed is the other first round pick, OF Chris Marrero.DICK HELLER - Second season looks like a lengthy one - The Wash. Times "Just like last season, the Nats paraded under false colors for a while."Rick Snider: Nats recent schedule has distinctly American feel - The Wash. Examiner Snider reflects on playing so many of baseball's classic teams, plus Baltimore, over the last month or so.
On top of the Nationals TV rights, does Peter Angelo$ control the weather, too?
Nationals Prevail in a Washington Marathon - The Post When I went to turn on UPN 20 last night around 7:00 to watch one of the few Nats games that Peter Angelo$ allows us to watch in "his" territory, it didn't even occur to me that the rainstorm I had seen, which was violently crossing Bethesda only a few hours beforehand, would factor into the night's game. (So brilliant of me, I know.) And when I saw the rain delay announced, I thought, "Lovely! I finally get to watch a game on TV, and it rains! Does Peter Angelo$ control the weather now, too?"
Thankfully the game got underway around 9ish, and I actually did stay up into the wee hours of the morning to see Robert Fick single into right-field, allowing Marlon Byrd to score the game-winning run (around 12:40 a.m.) that felt strangley reminiscent of Wesley Snipes scoring the game-winning run at the end of Major League. 'Twas a sweet victory!
The Lerners' ugly garages - The Wash. Times Am I the only one who doesn't care where the garages are placed? Underground, above ground--one way or another, people are still gonna be able to park at the new ballpark! I think the real issue should be whether or not there's enough parking to accommodate all the fans, because I know from too much experience how hellish it is trying to find a parking spot anywhere in the District.
Cordero welcomes manager's challenge - The Wash. Times The first line says it all. Bobble-head or not; I, for my part, still haven't forgiven the Chief for that one.
Today's postings brought to you by Deputy Editor Fritz Hamme, who is heralding the glorious return of "Evil" Fritz.
Sluggish ticket sales for this weekend's series -- which may not draw more than 30,000 fans to any of the three games -- suggest fans do not see Orioles-Nationals as a rivalry yet. But the attendance figures will be huge compared with what the Orioles and Senators drew in 1971.
Since we cannot each lock Angelo$ in a room and yell at him ("I want my Nats TV!" "why are you such a cowardly businessman?!" "How is your friend Fidel doing?") until he cries, we just have to settle for loudly cheering the team he has tried to kill in the crib, and boo his team. Every time an Oriole comes to the plate, boo them. Boo their fans when they yell "OOOOOOOOOO" during the National anthem. Boo them all the time. Chant ANN-NA, ANN-NA when Birds pitcher Kris Benson is on the mound Friday night.
DCRTV.com reports that MASN/O's owner Peter Angelo$ will be on Marc Plotkin's Politics Programtomorrow at 10:30 a.m. on WTWP (107.7 FM/1500 AM). Angelo$ is there to talk about why Nats fans cannot watch their team, though I dobut he will say it is because their TV rights belong to a competitor that wants to see them fail.
The phone number is 1-877-628-WTOP. Here are some recommended talking points if you manage to get through:
Why should any Washingtonian believe you have anything close to our interests in mind? You spent years badmouthing our city and our baseball fans and were the only owner to vote against moving the Expos to Washington.
The Orioles have no references to Baltimore or Maryland on their uniforms. Is this because you lack pride in your city and state or because they don't want to be associated with a perennial loser?
Why do you insist on doing everything in bad faith?
Two years ago you said "there are no baseball fans in Washington D.C." How do you explain the Nationals outdrawing the Orioles, despite Baltimore having a vastly superior ballpark?
How come the Orioles store in downtown Washington has no Nationals merchandise?
No other Major League team controls another's television rights. Why is it ethical for the Orioles to control the Nats rights?
How is your friend Fidel Castro doing these days?
Why does MASN only have programming for Nats games and nothing else, not even a pregame show? With so little to program, why is the coverage so poor?
You insist that the Orioles be subsidized by Washington. Do you believe that Baltimore is a second rate city that needs welfare from D.C. to get by?
Is it hard going through life without balls?
Are you naive enough to believe that trying to destroy the Nationals will endear you to Baltimore fans more than building a winning team?
Which Oriole will get a DUI this year? Which one will get busted for steroids?
You refuse to go head to head with the Nationals in a free market situation. Why are you such a coward?
Why are you taking out the frustration of your failed political ambitions on Washington baseball fans?
The ugly battle over the Nats TV situation is like World War II with the Soviets and Nazis duking it out -
both sides were evil. What are you, a Soviet or a Nazi?
Will you sell the Orioles to Jeff Smulyan so he can move them to Indianapolis?
Over the years you have alienated a number of popular Orioles like Manager Davey Johnston, broadcaster Jon Miller and now Elrod Hendrick's widow. Who will run out of town next?
Are you looking forward to spending your entire afterlife with Bob Irsay, Calvin Griffith, and Bob Short?
Which bridge do you live under and how many other trolls live there with you?
You are the one of the most hated men in Baltimore and now Washington. Which city comes next?
Baltimore has been called the STD capital of the nation. Given your erratic behavior, one wonders if you suffer from syphilis -
You forgot about how Angelos continually claims that Comcast is trying to operate as a monopoly--when Angelos himself fought so hard to keep the Expos from coming here, thus preserving HIS OWN monopoly on the region. Can we say "the pot calling the kettle black"?
# posted by MC Hamme :
Thursday, April 13, 2006 4:05:00 PM
Nats TV hearing going on right now - William World News
Friday, April 07, 2006
Nats TV hearing going on right now
It is lunchtime for me and I thought I would update those of you who did not see my Metroblogging DC post on the Congressional hearing on the Nats TV situation. Not wanting to lose my lunch, I will not be watching it myself as viewing programming with either Peter Angelo$ or Jim Bowden can cause one to lose their lunch. Nausea, indigestion, and actually throwing food are several symptoms of watching the two most annoying people involved with the franchise. Any how, enough of that, here is what I had to say:
The House's Government Reform Committee is holding a hearing on the Nationals TV situation today right now. Capital Punishment points to the live webcast. Miss Chatter is going to be live-blogging on Just A Nats Fan.
Orioles extortionist owner Peter Angelo$ is expected to testify. Yesterday, Comcast made what is ultimately a PR move by suggesting the Nats TV rights be put up for auction which was naturally a non-starter because it was too good of an idea.
Hopefully, (as much it pains me to say this) the committee will go after Angelo$ more than Comcast, since he is ultimately the bigger villain.
Nats TV Feud Might Be Bound For the Hill - The Post I whole-heartedly agree with William's assessment. Hold all parties accountable--MLB/Bud Selig for caviing to Peter Angelos, Peter Angelos for shafting Nats fans, MASN for being the mouthpiece for Angelos, and Comcast for not airing the games (though I hold MLB and Angelos to blame far more than I do Comcast). In a fair world, Peter Angelos would be stripped of the Nats' TV rights, and that crying baby would leave us alone, but with MLB, who knows what's possible. It would just be nice if, for once, the fans could come away victorious.
This morning's post brought to you by Fritz Hamme.
Judge Tosses Out Comcast Suit Against Orioles - The Post The Nazis beat the Soviets in round one of the Comcast vs. MASN lawsuit. Sadly, I was right, this just what I predicted earlier this morning.
A few things I missed earlier:
A faceless crew - The Wash. Times Nobody recognizes the Nationals around town. If you are named Cristian Guzman, this is probably keeping you alive.BENJAMIN FORGERY - Stepping Up to the Plate for a Home Run Opportunity - The Post The Cityscape columnist writes about his hopes for the ballpark.
BASEBALL '05 - The Post The season preview comes out today. The lead article begs the question What Does It Take to Make Two Teams Hate Each Other? Well, I may be going out on a limb here but perhaps when one team unilaterally holds up the TV deal for the other and makes unreasonable demands all along the way, there might be a little room for some animosity. I might even root for Boston vs. Balitmore this year.WTTG Would Air Nats Games - The Post According to sources other than Jim Williams the deal in the making has Channel 5 getting a whole load of Nats games. We shall see.No deal yet between Orioles, MLB - The Wash. Times More on the proposed deal, it looks like Peter Angelo$ will make out pretty well. Boo!Army May Team Up With the Nationals - The Post Service Considering Sponsorship at RFK Could the city be getting in bed with the military industrial complex? What will the activists think?! And why not the Navy, the service Bobby Kennedy was in? Stay tuned.Chavez demoted to New Orleans - The Wash. Times CF Endy Chavez has been sent down to AAA New Orleans. There has been joy in the blogging world that the experiment to make Inning-Endy a leadoff hitter has ended -- for now. Ryan Church is now the prospective #1 batter.
Analysis from Thomas Boswell of The Post: Leadoff Man Has the Tools But Not a Clue Tony Kornheiser - - The Post Wow, Mr. Tony takes the time to honor us with a column about our team. It looks like he even put a little effort into it this time too.Clarke named Nationals PA announcer - The Wash. Times We have a p.a. announcer now. Jim Clark, a former DJ and New Orleans Saints announcer is the guy. You may have also heard him at Lake Braddock High School.
More from The Post: Nats Choose New Orleans AnnouncerCity Plans Strict Enforcement Of Parking Restrictions Near RFK - WRC-TV Why would park at RFK anyway? We have the second best subway in the country, might as well use it.RFK Stadium on schedule - nationals.com Upgraded facilities to be completed by April 3 Good news about stadium renovations. I also saw elsewhere that there are still a lot of tickets available for Sunday's exhibition, so you should buy some tickets and go.
Thanks go out to my fiancée Erica for updating the site today. Blogger has been down and I had to type everything in a text-editor and leave it for her to insert if/when Blogger started working.
One thing I did not get to do was edit and spellcheck today's update, so it may be a little off. That Kornheiser column that I meant to link to can be found here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11148-2005Mar29.html
# posted by WFY :
Wednesday, March 30, 2005 9:51:00 AM
SOMEBODY NEEDS TO GO UP TO BALTIMORE WITH SOME "NEGOTIATION BATS"
Editorial - Mr. Angelos's Foul Ball - The Post Once again, Peter Angelo$ is the subject of a Post editorial. This one is aimed at MLB though, insisting they get the Nats on TV now, lawsuit threats be damned. This is a joke. We must continue to boycott Peter Angelo$. I would say it is a LOCK that this is going to court.Angelos, Baseball Still Haggling Over TV Deal - The Post To really get an idea of what is going on, Thomas Heath talks to an advertiser who says he is hearing from Comcast and the Orioles about TV spots, both organizations claiming to be the one who will control Nationals games. Area TV may not carry opener - The Wash. Times It could happen, don't put it past Angelo$ to hold it up and steal from us our glory. He does not care that he will lose Washington completely if he does it. What a hateful man.Castilla eyes quick return - The Wash. Times Vinny Castilla is playing a couple of minor league games as part of his recovery from a hyperextended knee.
More from The Post: Castilla Ready for Live Pitching Nationals' Armas Put on Disabled List - The Post Tony Armas Jr. is going to miss at least three starts, maybe four.Slow Start for RFK Naming Rights - The Post I think the headline should be "Late Start for RFK Naming Rights." We only heard about this over the weekend, less than three weeks before the home slate opens. Maybe they should have started earlier...
There is also a photo of the field. It looks good. They are putting up green paint on the back wall, which reminds me too much of Fenway. What was wrong with the dark blue?Letters to Editor - Brevard's field of dreams - Florida Today Vierans take exception to Marc Fisher's column that amounts their um, place, as a wasteland. It turns out they love their WalFarts and trailer parks.David Brooks - Whose Team Am I On? - The Times A Times columnist is straying from his lifelong love affair with the Mets for the Nationals. Welcome aboard!The Nationals site is finally pointing to the right store again.
Orioles, Baseball Working On Deal - The Post We are 11 days 9 hours from the opener and still no TV deal. The Baltimore schedule has been announced (The Wash. Times) though.Welcome back - Training Days: Part 4 - The Wash. Examiner Another feel good article about spring training and the return of baseball to the nation's capital.Orioles say ticket sales down by 12 percent from 2004 pace - The Sun Yesterday, The Wash. Times said that they Orioles had sold 17% less tickets and Ryan Mooreslammed that paper and reporter Eric Fisher, who had been the golden boy for so long. Barry would never do that to us! There is also more whining from Baltimore how they are entitled to D.C. baseball fans. It is also interesting that the Baltimore paper comes up with a lower number than the D.C. one.400 winners for tickets - The Wash. Times I was not one of them, anybody out there get lucky?At RFK, Putting Menus In Play - The Post From yesterday's food section, a look at what Aramark will be selling at RFK this season -- not much compared to contemporary stadia. We have known that the options will be limited and cost more than other parks (it is a D.C. baseball tradition after all), so I am not disappointed. This will hurt RFK's rating when ESPN Page 2 shows up for the ballpark tour. Anybody familiar with Dominic's of New York hot dogs? At least they will have Pepsi.At the Capital's Ballpark, a Voice Vote - The Post More about the 22 people who went to Prince George's County Stadium for tryouts as P.A. announcer. It is a part time gig that you cannot live off of and has lots of nights and weekends -- but, you get to go to baseball games for free! Charlie Brotman was there as one of the judges and he will be at RFK for the first two April games too.
One other thing, why were they doing the tryouts at the home of a Baltimore minor league team? You know, the Nationals have a minor league team in the area too, maybe it would make more sense to use their facility.
I SHOULD HAVE READ THE EXAMINER TOO, WE MIGHT HAVE SOME GOOD TV NEWS
Comcast SportsNet close as Nats TV partner - The Wash. Examiner I sure hope the Jim Williams has scooped the other papers in the area, because I like what I am reading from him more.
Comcast SportsNet, the Orioles and the Nationals will be partners in a newly-formed regional cable sports network. Baring any last-minute hang-ups the deal will be signed within the next 24 hours and thus complete over six months of deal-making between Major League Baseball and Peter Angelos. (We know that last-minute hang-ups are commonplace in this deal)
This sounds like a decent deal. I wish I had time to hit The Wash. Examiner a little earlier.
I'd still prefer Angelos get no compensation at all, because he deserves nothing. But I'll accept (grudgingly) the compensation deal as long as he has no ownership of our TV rights.
# posted by MC Hamme :
Wednesday, March 23, 2005 3:38:00 PM
Angelos Talks Continue - The Post Looks like MLB is going to be spineless and let Peter Angelo$ control television for the Nationals. They want to avoid a lawsuit with him, but in reality, they just may be delaying one from the Nats owners.
More from The Sun: Orioles, MLB still working to finish compensation dealOrioles ticket sales fall in 2005 - The Wash. Times Oh, cry me a harbor. Maybe, instead of constantly whining about the Nats, the Baltimore braintrust should have been engaging their fanbase with things like alternate hats that had a "B" on them (rather than "O's"). A Maryland flag on the sleeve and Baltimore on the road uniforms would have made a lot of sense too. Play up the Baltimore/Maryland pride Petey, people love that. You cannot go to anything in Maryland where you do not see the "Maryland With Pride" logo.
Just a crazy idea, but being positive might have been more appealing to people than constant negativity. Also, bad-faith dealings with Angelo$ have ensured that many people who would have made some trips from the D.C. area to Camden Yards no longer will, count me in. I have been boycotting the O's for years because of Angelo$, but I would have gone back now that we have the Nationals. I just cannot spend any money on someone who has such contempt for me and people like me. I encourage all of you to boycott Camden Yards until Angelo$ is gone.Five Questions: Washington Nationals - The Hardball Times Expos fan Craig Bulley writes about the home team for a mass audience:
Is "Nationals" the lamest name ever in the history of baseball?
I will suggest that the answer is no, not by a long shot. He makes the obvious Devils Rays reference, along with some ancient names, like Bridegrooms. He ignores Diamondbacks and Marlins, though and they are far worse than even "Monunments," which was thrown around by some in D.C. for a while, much less Nationals. If you are going to say the Nationals is bad, you might as well throw in any names that have Sox or a color in their name too.
OK, this is a new team, I'm in the area, I'm taking an interest now. Where can I go to read about this team?
Naturally he points out The Post, but also lists blogs. WWN was the second one listed and he had this to say:
William World News. With a fresh (if jangling) approach to design, William Yurasko's site isn't all about the Nationals, but it's chock-full of Nationals content. William does an excellent job of collecting links, and I expect a lot of good stuff coming from him once the games begin.
I am still pondering what "a fresh (if jangling) approach to design" means. I am not offended, but curious. Like one of my bosses reminded me, I am not a designer. I certainly appreciate the link though.
What's the status of the new ballpark?
Craig believes it will be built and offers praise for the location.
"For a long time, I was skeptical about the ability of D.C. to get a ballpark built. No longer. I'm convinced it's happening, and D.C. fans may even end up with a gem. A gem of a park, anyway."
I will admit that I am still skeptical of it being built; big surprise right?
Anyone worth watching on this team?
He singles out Jose Vidro and I agree with him, but ¡LIVAN! belongs there too.
Why are you so darned negative?
Craig was an Expos fan, so he is understandably disappointed to lose them. I for one would have liked to start out fresh with an expansion team, but MLB was not going to that for us. I would have also preferred to have gotten the Marlins if only to rid the sport of that awful name and terrible uniforms. We have so much baseball history too that we really do not need to get excited about what happened in Quebec. Montréal is a great city and hopefully someday, a new Expos franchise will be born.
All in all, an entertaining introduction for baseball fans outside of D.C., I enjoyed the perspective from 'outside the Beltway." Thanks for the link, HT. Now, back to the myopia...Nats Take a Closer Look at Bullpen - The Post There is a lot of competition for the last bullpen spot, which offers hope for a reversal of last year's 1 - 14 start for relievers.Group Fights Losing Stadium Financing - The Post Cropp Wants Proposal Reconsidered Every time I see Linda Cropp's name in a headline or subhead, I get a little nervous -- maybe more than a little. She wants D.C. to take a closer look at the BW Realty Advisors plan.2 Outfielders Are Sent to Minors - The Post Outfielders Tyrell Godwin and Jeffrey Hammonds were sent to New Orleans, the Nats AAA team. Godwin will be back someday, Hammonds probably will not, he is done. Tony Armas Jr. got hit hard yesterday in an 8 - 2 loss to Houston, though the Nats did get two off of Andy "what was I thinking leaving the Yankees" Pettitte.Robinson wants to manage longer - The Wash. Times Another profile on Frank Robinson, you can compare it with the official MLB article on nationals.com.Ticket Brokers Having a Field Day - The Post No surprise here, opening day in D.C. was always a big deal, no matter how bad the Senators were and this is the FIRST opening day in 34 years. There is only scant mention of ebay though, which is where a lot of tickets are being sold.
Orioles Say Nationals Are Welcome to Share TV Pact - AP/The Post Things are really heating up over a television package for the Nationals. Peter Angelo$ took out a full page ad in the Sunday Post (I have not seen it yet, has anyone put it online?) to clear up some "misinformation" about what is going on. DCRTV had this to say:
Three weeks to go until opening day, and still no local TV deal for Washington's baseball Nationals. The Baltimore Orioles took out a full-page ad in Sunday's Washington Post to counter the "great deal of misinformation" that the team's owner, Peter Angelos, is trying to torpedo a local TV deal for the Nationals. "We have repeatedly advised Major League Baseball that we would welcome the Nationals to our regional sports network (Orioles Television) and are prepared to televise Nationals' games throughout our television territory." The ad added that the Orioles are "prepared to offer a fair and appropriate fee to the Nationals in the many millions of dollars annually for the telecast of their games." Orioles TV is carried by area broadcast TV stations.....
So, it sounds to me like Angelo$ is saying that it is MLB/Nats fault for no deal, because they have not excepted his terms, which is not far off from "why do you make me hit you?!" logic. How reassuring to know that Big Daddy Baltimore Boss Man knows what is good for us! I have seen what Angelo$ has done in Baltimore, I do not want to see him to it in Washington too. The Wash. Examiner'sJim Williams' has more in today's Wash. Examiner: On media - Will we get our Nats TV?.
Finally, on the field, the Nats beat Baltimore (AP/The Wash. Examiner) again in spring training, 11 - 4.Always a friendly rivalry - Florida Today I don't know if this reporter in Florida reads the wire or other Web sites, but right now the Nats and Baltimore are hardly friendly rivals with all of the obstruction to a TV deal coming out of the warehouse. This got picked up by wire services too. Closer to home, in the Falls Church News-Pressanother writer makes a similar point. So what if the players don't feel it -- they do not even live here yet!Vidro hurts elbow, sits out exhibition - The Wash. Times Jose Vidro is day to day with a hyperextended elbow?Do the Nationals Really Know the Man in Charge? - The Post
When a reporter asks him who is the best player he ever managed -- perhaps Vladimir Guerrero, or Joe Morgan or Cal Ripken? -- Robinson shakes his head and sticks his thumb into his own chest, as if to say: "Me." Indeed, you can look it up: He was player-manager in Cleveland in 1975 and '76.
That is pretty funny and to date -- true, Frank Robinson is the best player Frank Robinson ever managed. Someday, Vladimir Guerrero may surpass him, but until he does, Robby is right. I like the Gordo Cooper bravado. An Early Show of Support - The Post The Nats sold 50,000 tickets in the first six hours of single-game ticket sales. On Sunday, my fiancee contributed by giving me a pair to the exhibition game vs. the Mets!
You may have seen earlier today that I am renewing Jim Williams' call to contact the Orioles and ask Peter Angelo$ to stop obstructing a television deal for the Nationals. I just did my part, being polite of course, though I do not think the fellow on the other end appreciated the call, but he listened to me, which I appreciated.
My fellow bloggers, I ask that you also use your sites to incite others to heed this noble call. If someone out there wants to put together a script for us to use, so much the better. There must be some campaign veterans out there who can chip in.
Remember, the main number is
(410) 685-9800
They are open 8 to 5 daily. Don't forget to be nice, even though it is hard. Let me know how it goes, too.
Nats Topple O's In 1st Meeting - The Post Desmond's Three-Run Triple In Ninth Caps Exhibition Win: Nationals 9, Orioles 6 I caught bits and pieces of the game yesterday, but I missed the exciting stuff. It does not really mean anything, but I will take any victory over Peter Angelo$ that I can.
Mayor Tony Williams and Jack Evans (D, Ward-2) were in attendance, which is great except for the fact that they were at Baltimore's spring training in Ft. Lauderdale instead in Viera where the Nats train. While, I understand Ft. Lauderdale is a whole lot better than the cowtown that Viera apparently is, they need to spend their money where it helps the Nats, not Baltimore. Very odd.
Thompson, 83, expected to be removed from life support - The Sun Balto. broadcasting legend is brain dead, brother says The voice of the Orioles and Colts, Chuck Thompson is near death after a stroke. He was a great broadcaster and even worked for the Senators for five years.
Washington Nationals, Nats, Comcast Sports Net, Jim Riggleman
Facebook | 
Del.icio.us | 
Digg | 
Technorati | 
Blinklist | 
Furl | 
Newsvine | 
Reddit it!
