The other factor is the way sports teams (particularly the Redskins) fit into the “business” climate of the place, and the business of DC is lobbying. Luxury suite seats are perk, bribe, and business opportunity all rolled into one. While some teams (including the M’s) have been cutting back on their luxury suites, the new Nats ballpark will have 1,112 seats in 78 luxury suites (out of 41,000 seats total). The more spartan (or at least less ostentatious) approach to perks that most corps adopted in the wake of Sarbanes-Oxley never touched K Street (in much the same way that congress rails against socialized medicine while enjoying it themselves). And the Nats owners obviously understand this. Eighty-one home games is eighty-one opportunities for 78 lobbyists to “treat” their clients. That’s a lot of business. And hey, if they win a few games, the plebs might show up too.

I don’t think MLB has a great track record getting consistent attendance in “new” cities (let’s say a 33-year absence makes D.C. new) until the team has been there at least a decade. The last few expansions: Arizona, Colorado, Tampa Bay, Florida. Colorado has great attendence, but the other three are pretty weak, even with some championship teams. Before that, Seattle and Toronto. Well, both are doing okay, attendance wise, now but Seattle took a long time before there was a large fan base. Of course, terrible teams and an awful baseball venue will do that (let’s see, Kingdome, Tropicana Field, etc. But then even the BoB doesn’t do that well). It takes a long time to become a baseball town. I think Denver is the exception that proves the rule.

Do you think it’s at the point where she needs a change of scenery to get things kick-started, even if it’s a lateral move? Or is the chance that she’s the GM-in-waiting in Los Angeles high enough that staying there makes sense?

Hm…I thought that she DID make a lateral move. Could be that her game isn’t superlative enough to overcome the natural resistance (and it would HAVE to be top-rank, A-number one for a non-traditional candidate to get a job).

There was a point a couple years ago where it looked like she was really going to try and gear up on scouting and player development, and now it seems like she was just making herself a little more well-rounded.

A point in support of this is that she’s infrequently mentioned in discussions for jobs: if she wanted, it would be easy for her to make sure her name came up in rumors, that she was mentioned as a GM-in-waiting, and so on. She hasn’t, though.

Does anyone have any idea why Stoneman stepped down? Is Moreno a control freak? I would think his willingness to spend would make the GM position there very attractive.

according to Stoneman, his contract was up, Moreno asked him to extend it, he decided that at 60-something he had less energy & wanted more free time, and that the franchise was in good hands if he instead moved over to consulting.

Ng’s stock has… it’s kind of stalled, for lack of a better word: you still hear that she’s competent, she has the same strengths, but her organizations haven’t done that well and there isn’t anything you can point to and say “she’s done really well making them stronger in x”.

Do you think it’s at the point where she needs a change of scenery to get things kick-started, even if it’s a lateral move? Or is the chance that she’s the GM-in-waiting in Los Angeles high enough that staying there makes sense?

A team’s attendance dropping off by 800,000 fans two years after returning to the city following a 33-year absence concerns me, because I’m guessing the current figures are closer to the actual fanbase than the 2.7 million that showed up for the initial season. I’m looking at the numbers for the expansion teams, and it seems like when the attendance “crashes” after that initial burst of enthusiasm, it doesn’t get back to that initial level unless the team really starts to win.

Washington gets a second chance to win fans who just want to see something new because the stadium opens next year, but history doesn’t support the notion that Washington has a big fan base waiting to be wooed. Both editions of the Senators were below the AL average in attendance almost every year.

Sure, they were a bad team — but the Redskins are a mediocre, poorly-run team and have been for years, and even though fans complain on the radio the games still sell out and there’s still a waiting list for season tickets (though its smaller than it was). Listen to either of the two local sports talk radio stations on a random summer afternoon in June or July and you’re still likely to hear more talk about the Redskins than the Nats.

I live outside of the city, and everyone is happy to have the team here, but that doesn’t mean the Nats are going to get big crowds on a Wednesday night against the Marlins.

Does anyone have any idea why Stoneman stepped down? Is Moreno a control freak? I would think his willingness to spend would make the GM position there very attractive. I half expect them to pursue Alex if he opts out of his Yankoncract.

The Nats have gone from 81 wins (and a first half where they won 52 games and led their division) to being nowhere near contention, and they were playing in an interim home (RFK) that’s one of the last of the multipurpose stadiums left in MLB (and not a particularly nice or modern one, either). Gee, what a shock, the attendance crashed.

Now that they are moving into their new stadium