No one can question that Washington Mayor Anthony Williams put his reputation on the line to bring baseball back after a 30-plus year absence.
His hard work and patient dealings with both Major League Baseball and the D.C. City Council resulted in a brand new ballpark to be built along the Southeast waterfront that will hopefully open in 2008.
Mayor Williams got the local ownership he asked MLB for with the Lerner family, along with their partner, Stan Kasten.
One would think Mayor Williams could relax, sit back, watch the Nationals on TV and enjoy the fruits of his labor.
Well, he’s like millions of Nationals fans that can’t see the games due to a battle between the Mid Atlantic Sports Network, which owns the Nationals television rights, and Comcast, the region’s dominant cable company.
I spoke to Mayor Williams about his latest attempts to get Nationals games on TV in Washington.
Jim Williams: Are there presently any talks going on with all the principals: MASN, MLB and Comcast?
Mayor Williams: Yes, talks with the lawyers and all the parties involved are ongoing at this time and I feel that now that the Major League Baseball owners have approved the Lerner family that it is in the best interest of MLB to up the ante and get the games on TV. MLB has a responsibility to the Lerners and the city to get the games on as soon as possible and I really do feel that it will happen soon.
JW: As a fan, of course we all want to see the Nationals games on TV. But how are the Nats games not being on TV hurting the city?
MW: Not having the games on TV hits right at the proceeds of the team, and directly, the taxes that the city gets from the ticket sales. It also affects the number of people who come to the city and visit restaurants both before and after the games, so it has a direct impact on our business community. It does not allow the Nationals to build that all-important large loyal regional fan base that we all want to see. It no coincidence that the teams that draw well at the gate are successful on the field for the most part, so we need TV to help grow that fan base as soon as possible.
JW: What happens if Comcast does not put the Nationals games on?
MW: I know talks are ongoing and I think that it is in the mutual interest of the Nationals, Major League Baseball, the Orioles and Comcast to resolve this issue as soon as possible. It is not our place to tell Comcast how to protect their sports network. All I know is that we have a right to see the Nationals games and that is why I supported the city council’s action. (D.C. lawmakers have voted to review Comcast’s operating license in the city if there’s no movement on airing the Nationals games.)
JW: How does it feel to go to the ballpark or even to local events and have fans thank you for your hard work and even ask you to sign a baseball or a scorecard?
MW: I really love to go to the games and it is nice to be able to talk and interact with the fans. I grew up a baseball fan and played little league. My dad was a big Dodgers fan because of Jackie Robinson; a great many African American men in the 1950s were fans of the Brooklyn Dodgers because of Robinson. I too was a fan of Jackie Robinson and when the Dodgers came to Los Angeles I was able to go to games as a kid. I then became a St. Louis Cardinal fan; I liked Bob Gibson and Lou Brock so they were my team. I have been a Cardinals fan most of my life until — and I can’t stress this enough — the Nationals came to D.C. and now I am of course a big Nats fan. But if the Nationals can’t make it to the World Series then I would like to see the Cards win the championship.
JW: You have had many wonderful accomplishments as mayor of Washington. How does bringing baseball back to D.C. rank among those accomplishments?
MW: It symbolizes the recovery of the city. We had to get the city to a place where baseball was willing to locate here, so it was not just a matter of a compelling deal. The real story here is about the comeback and the turnaround of the city. Washington as a city has come back farther and faster in our recovery than New York did in the 1980s or than either Cleveland or Philadelphia did in the 1990s. I think that Washington has now taken its place as a top American city like New York and I really think that in the next 20 years that we will take our rightful place among the top cities of the world. I really do believe that.
Mayor Anthony Williams the baseball fan knows how to play hardball. With talks ongoing between MASN, MLB, the Nationals and Comcast, if they can’t settle it then you can bet that the team’s No. 1 fan can borrow one of Alfonso Soriano’s bats and show some big time political clout to get the games on.
By the way Mr. Mayor, the Nationals play the Cards Sept. 4-6. Good seats are still available.
Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.
