Memorandum
To: Theodore and Mark Lerner, Nationals Owners
From: Sean Hogan, Nationals Fan and Blogger (and other Nationals Bloggers*)
Date: July 1, 2008
Subject: You're losing us
I love the Washington Nationals. I do not love you, the ownership. Ted and Mark: start spending some money before you lose all of us. You're not running a business, you're running a baseball team (whether you want to believe it or not). Stop worrying about how much of a profit you're going to turn, because your cheapness is killing fan morale. I don't care that you spent however many millions on the team and the stadium, because that is NOT ENOUGH. Just because you ponied up for it doesn't mean you're done spending money for the next few years. You're multi-kajillionaires. You're unlikely to lose any money, period, but if you do lose a few million, what is it to you? You should be embarrassed of yourself, because you're putting your money (excess money, even) in front of the loyalty of your fans. I hope This season's is a wake-up call to you: people aren't going to pay to see the crap you're putting on the field. No more excuses. At this point, your "efficency" is worthless. I'd rather see the team sign a bunch of million dollar men and still suck than see you keep trying to cheap your way through everything: player salaries, the medical staff, etc.
Quit being frugal on the medical staff. If Chad Cordero was pitching hurt (and we know that he was), why did it take more than one month to figure out he had a torn friggin' labrum? Last I heard, labrums are pretty important to pitchers (considering the Chief is going to be out the next 12-18 months after surgery). So when checking out his shoulder...wouldn't it come to a doctor's mind to check everything in and around a pitcher's injured throwing shoulder? Probably not, because you cheapo idiots probably hired the least expensive medical staff possible). If Screech's Best Friend is ticked off, you should know you have a problem. Here's some of what he had to say:
...If someone high up in the organization KNEW (my edit-the highest up I've found so far, pitching coach Randy St. Claire, figures it was torn while he was pitching in the majors this year)--why was Our Number 32 NOT GIVEN a full checkup? Why was he sent to extended spring training knowing he may well be hurt?
Sorry, but that makes no sense to me. Is not Our Players Health of 100% importance?
Which brings up another point.
I can live with the injuries. I can live with so many that you just shake your head in wonder over the calamity of it all. But what I can't live with is the consistent inability to find out what is wrong with Our Players--in a timely manner--before said player is gone for year, maybe more.
Who is making these decisions?
SBF, I used to see you as a sort of a fanboy, one who would conditionally back the Nats for whatever they did or didn't do (sorry to Mike Harris for stealing the name "fanboy" but I had nothing else). Whether or not these thoughts were substantiated or not is a different story, but WOW! SBF ANGRY! SBF WANT SMASH! I'll call my uncle Hulk and we'll take over!
My last thoughts: you no longer have the benefit of our collective doubt. We're done with the incopetence of the front office, from the top (that's you) to the bottom (Bowden). Run the team like you want to give Washington DC something to be proud of instead of the embarrassment you're running now.
I'm beginning to think that Peter Angelos might not be the worst owner in the DC-Baltimore sports region. At least he spends money on his team. That's all I have to say about this. Makes me wanna puke.
*Other Nationals fans/bloggers with similar thoughts/skepticism (leave a comment if you want to add/remove your name/link):
Nats320
Nats Triple Play
The Musings of Kenny G
YOU DEAD DAWG
Hendo's Hutch
The Business of Baseball
I Miss RFK
you tell em
ReplyDeleteI so wish blogs were around when I was an Expo's fan. I so needed to vent so often, but now I can. SPEND SOME MONEY AND FIRE LENNY (AND JIMBO).
ReplyDeleteEvery little thing gonna be all right! (Oh, that's another thing. Not only am I weary of losing, I'm sick of that goddamn song.)
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with spending money on salary just for the hell of it. That, as much as anything, is what caused Angelos to lose me as a fan in the first place.
But the team does need a serious upgrade in its approach to medical issues. That St. Claire quote is scandalous. Heads should roll.
Good post and you are welcome to use Fanboy any time you like. No apology needed.
ReplyDeleteSleeping on it didn't make me feel any better about Cordero.
add me!
ReplyDeletehttp://kennygmusings.blogspot.com
You know, I don't disagree with anything here. The Lerners are cheap and screwing up. They hopefully will decide it's in their financial self-interest to spend more.
ReplyDeleteBUT here's where I'm coming from. I just can't personally get all that worked up about the greedy capitalist owners acting like greedy capitalists. I mean, MLB is a monopoly, exempt from anti-trust laws. The cabal of 30 owners collude to cover each others' asses, and until congress changes the law and exposes MLB to some competition it's never going to change. Look, these people cancelled the world series and are still making money hand over fist. You think they're nervous about 3-4 more years of bad baseball in a brand-new stadium? They're one of the most profitable teams in the league, even with the craptastic team they're putting out there.
The point is that if you were going to make a list of the people in society who are LEAST susceptible to public pressure, it would be 1. tenured liberal arts college profs, 2. Supreme Court justices, 3. MLB owners.
So I just can't get that worked up about them. Boo. Lerners are cheap. Rainy days stink. I also don't like the effects of aging and that we're all going to die some day. I just feel silly complaining about it as if I expect it to change.
I hate the lerners. I'm glad i spent a thousand dollars in a group for season tickets. What a waste. I'm paying for the racing presidents, joel hanrahan, pete orr and clint's salaries. Thanks a lot you cheap bastards.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I hate Peter Angelos at least he'll spend some dough.
You should send them your blog post via e-mail.
I see us on the Your Links, but please put us in this letter.
ReplyDeleteyoudeaddawg.blogspot.com
OK, but the Nats are up to .400 now, so I'm satisfied. With that, & with Ronnie's GRAND SLAM yesterday. Whaddaya think?
ReplyDeleteWe'll continue to catch flash-in-a-pan performances from the likes of Dukes, Belliard, Kearns (when he returns, he'll catch fire), Harris, Flores, etc. but we won't be consistently decent until we get Zimmerman and Milledge back as well.
ReplyDeleteAnd our bullpen will continue to be atrocious for the rest of the year without Cordero. We need Hanrahan to step up into the set-up role. He's the closer of the future, IMO.
Ian of NatsPride weighed in yesterday.
ReplyDeleteThe FO's reaction is not recorded.
imissrfk.blogspot.com
ReplyDelete