Strap it on — we’re finally coming down to a decision on who gets to buy the Washington Nationals.
Is it the Lerner family that owns everything not built of white marble in this town? Is it the Fred Malek group that has plenty of everything in its background? Is it Jeff Smulyan, the ultimate outsider whose best hope is becoming the compromise candidate?
Despite reports, the envelope hasn’t been opened just yet. Oh, Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig has looked inside, but it’s still a pretty close race. It wouldn’t surprise me if there were two winning envelopes readied. Sort of like T-shirts for both teams in championship games with the losing apparel sent to Bolivia.
Baseball has strung Washingtonians along for so long we’re growing rope burns on our necks. First it was two City Council votes, then a new stadium decision before Selig could get around to choosing a new owner. Then baseball flagrantly used the Washington Post recently to tell Lerner he needed minority owners to bolster his bid.
Any day now, says Selig, like we’re a bunch of first graders believing something great will happen if we’re just real good and sit tight.
Come on, Bud, just say it. Just tell us the owner and be done with it already. This is worse than watching “American Idol”.
There are three good groups — Lerner, Malek and Smulyan. Oh, maybe the winner turns out to be some greedy corporate raider who fires everyone, raises prices and runs the team badly, but we’re already living with Dan Snyder so we can handle another dumb owner if need be.
The Nationals needed an owner months ago. Even if Selig finally picks the winner now it’s going to be June before the newcomer takes possession of the team. By then it’s really too late to do anything about this season because the Nationals are already in the basement where they’re starting to sprout mushrooms.
No, this decision is about having a good team when the Nats open their new stadium in 2008.
The new owners need to gain a feel for the operation in coming months before making wholesale changes in October. Then the new management needs a year to make any effective moves. It’s going to take even longer to restock a farm system.
This season is doomed, but 2007 could be better and 2008 should produce a contender when fans start paying double the current price for tickets at the new Tahj Mahal of the Potomac.
There is so, so much to do with this team. The new owners will probably hire a new team president, who has a say in the general manager, who has a say in the coaching staff. The new personnel probably have jobs right now so the Nats must wait until October to hire them. Meanwhile, the owners need every day between now and then to learn how to operate a sports business, which is very different than other companies. Ask Snyder why it’s foolish to make a quick change at the top. He’ll admit firing general manager Charley Casserly right away was stupid.
The new owners have to be educated on assembling a roster. Snyder is into his fifth rebuilding plan over seven years. He’s about-faced so much there’s a hole to China around the Redskin Park offices. The new front office must show Lerner or Malek or Smulyan how smart money is spent rather than just waving millions of dollars at players.
The new owners need to break the Comcast-Mid Atlantic Sports Network deadlock and get the games on the air this summer. This should be on the first week’s to-do list. You wonder why fewer fans are at the games this season? Maybe no one has done an ounce of marketing and the games are barely on TV to create interest.
The new owners could even improve concessions this season before the cholesterol meter explodes from the current fair. And make the kettle corn people drop the price to a more reasonable $5. Then you’ll have my backing, brother.
The good news is we’re finally going to hear the winner soon. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but it’s coming fast.
Rick Snider has covered local sports for 28 years. Contact him at [email protected].
