Nats have an owner
May 3rd, 2006 | by jg3 |Finally this day is here. The Washington Nationals have ownership.
This is important in its own sense. I mean, it isn’t important on the level of stem-cell research or genocide. It is still essentially pudgy guys, mostly white guys, with more money than I can imagine. They are still just playing a game, but at some point there is a border where the game and the men with cigars overlaps with real life.
Tomorrow in view of the Capital building - in a part of the city you would not want to park your car at night - while wearing Nationals caps a few people, including the new owners, will use gold plated shovels to break ground to begin construction on a $611Million+ stadium. The idea is that such development will change real estate values and change real lives and fortunes in the process. The idea is that people who may not care so much about baseball will come to see the new civic building. They will each buy a ticket, maybe a hot dog, and possibly a hat. This will generate money for the owners who will reinvest it in capable players (and other employees) who can outplay the competition and, hopefully, one day … eventually … win. That will sell more hats and t-shirts, tickets, and parking spaces. And all of this money changing hands in a part of the district you wouldn’t spend the night in today will hopefully cause the district to break even on the expenses. At least this will increase the quality of life for residents of the region.
I will say this in support of the new owner … or rather, I will share this quote with you because the man speaks for himself: “We are caretakers of a great community treasure.” And the quote that means a lot to me as a fan, the glimmer of hope (even as the team loses again tonight), “We want the Nationals to be winners.”
Me too, Mr. Lerner, me too.
Filed under: baseball
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