This is a hot topic since the Orioles are SO close. Something that will be fought pretty hard by Peter Angelos.
I know...the Orioles are about the only thing keeping baseball from DC. It kind of sucks that such a crappy organization may keep thousands and thousands of people in the DC area from getting to see a baseball game without having to drive sixty miles. Seriously, how many people are going to drive that far to see the boring Orioles play anyway? Angelos is just an *******. Yeah, the Orioles might be hurt a little bit if a team were to come to DC, but it would be better for the MLB as a whole.
Not to derail the topic, but I remember when he first bought the O's - I was a big fan then (Cal Ripken Jr.) and he spent a lot of money on the team. We got Rafeil Palmerio and made the playoffs and a new stadium, everything looked great. Then Belle is a huge bust and Ripken/Mussina/Palmerio are gone. The O's are in shambles right now... I don't know who to blame. Seems like the owner let all of the good players go and brought in a few crips to replace them. The farm system looks good and they were a .500 team prior to the last 50 games of this year, so there is hope. Back on Topic - The Expos moving to DC might bring a little life to the Orioles. It would be competition, the owners would be forced to put a better product on the field and maybe they could have some sort of rivalry that would boost attendence. I for one never liked baseball being out of the US, even if it is Canada. I still don't forgive the Blue Jays for beating the Phillies back in 1993.
It was half a decade ago...and where have they been since then? In the toilet, that's where. The owner bailed just a couple of years after the Series run...wanna know why? The team is bordering on bankruptcy and they can't seem to sell tickets. The "smart" moves of spending loads of money to buy rings cost that franchise its (at least) near term future. Certainly you're not suggesting that this become the business model for MLB teams.
Excellent! Here’s another connection for you. The Flames will have 5 Americans on the team this year, including two of our better players, Craig Conroy and Chris Drury, and last year’s Hobey Baker Award winner, Jordan Leopold. Oh, one more thing if you’re going to be a proper Flames fan. Your second favourite team has to be whoever is playing the Edmonton Oilers. j/k I guess I could also say that they play in the Saddledome, which should appeal to a Texan.
He bailed the very next year...not a couple. He won it...then dismantled it because he couldn't support it but wanted to show that - given the money to get the players, they could win the World Series. And maybe he wasn't "long term" smart, but most owners don't get in this for the money and I would suspect that this was the owner's request. He wanted a ring and to say he'd done it. How many owners can say that and what's that worth when it comes to shop talk. To him this was the "cheapest" way to get a ring. Blow it all one year instead of a little at a time. And I think if he hadn't dismantled it so much, he could have still had his ring and fielded a decent group on the field that would have had people coming back to keep the team from financial ruin. But to him - his task was complete and the "game" was over. And maybe this is a case of why you shouldn't do it if you care long term or what it's really about - baseball. But in the case of the Yankees, Braves, Cards, D-Backs, the post season regular$ with a fan base that will support it, it's worth it - to the owners and the fans. Reality.
I don't understand the perception that money = playoffs. Where are the Mets, Dodgers, Red Sox, and Mariners? Why are Oakland and Minny in? Why did Houston reach so many times in the past decade?
From Vancouver...and my team is the VANCOUVER CANUCKS!!! woohooo. The #1 team for the last half of last season or somethin like that (sucks that they got matched up with detroit in the first round)...but THIS is the year!
What do the last 7 World Series champs have in common? M - O - N - E - Y 1995 Atlanta Braves 1996 New York Yankees 1997 Florida Marlins 1998 New York Yankees 1999 New York Yankees 2000 New York Yankees 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks BTW the Twins haven't reached the playoffs since 1991 and happened to play in the worst division in baseball this season. The Mets have the Braves, the Dodgers have the DBacks/Giants, the Red Sox have the Yankees, and the Mariners had the best record in baseball history last year.
Obviously money helps. Scouting helps. Smart baseball people help. I'm just saying that it is a copout to say you can't compete because the Yankees spend a lot of money. When was the last time the Dodgers won the WS.
I think it’s a good move for us. Morris is a very good and could mature into a star, but what we needed was some scoring and character up front. Iggy and Conroy were trying to carry the team for too much of last year. Drury will fit in nicely IMO. Yelle brings the winning tradition with him too, which will help. SM: I think you can lose with a big payroll, but you can’t win without one. The league is littered with ex-Expos who left because they couldn’t afford them. Larry Walker, Randy Johnston, Pedro Martinez, just to name a few. You can’t win when you can’t afford to keep your stars.
