Art,

I was thoroughly lambasted just before the season started, when I said in
this group, that the Nationals would be the absolute worst team in Major
League Baseball.

I don't respond to say "I told ya so" or to gloat on that fact, but I do
have some strong background in baseball and as tough as it was to write,
sadly, my prediction has been proven. The Nationals are the worst team in
baseball, from top to bottom.

I've met every baseball commissioner, from Bowie Kuhn to Bud Selig, all
promoting the cause of bring major league baseball back to DC. Along the
way I went to many of baseball's winter meetings to meet with owners, as
well as even hiring many ad banner planes to fly over major league all-star
games and other baseball games as well.

Lastly, and more importantly, while I agree that it's better to have
baseball in DC than not to have it, fans have clearly voted with their
displeasure of the product that is on South Capitol Street by not going to
games. If I knew of 100 of my friends who had season tickets in 2005,
absolutely none have season tickets in 2009.

The Nationals, believe it or not, have been making money, which is all the
Lerners really care about. I'm guessing that somewhere down the road they
might even care about the product on the field which will fill up Nationals
Park, a concept that haven't quite grasped yet.

Pat

PS I've got a collegiate summer ball club, the Alexandria Aces (
http://www.AlexandriaAces.org) and we've got a better winning percentage
than the Nats!

On Tue, Jul 21, 2009 at 2:44 PM, Art Audley <Aa3rt@...> wrote:

>
>
> For those of us old enough to remember, the expansion Senators got off to a
> pretty horrific start losing 100 or more games their first 4 seasons.
>
> 1961 61-100
> 1962 60-101
> 1963 56-106
> 1964 62-100
>
> Just for the heck of it, I checked the 1963 Senators record on July
> 20th-they were 34-60 and would go 22-46 for the remainder of the 1963
> season.
>
> The current Nationals are 26-66 and are going to have to step it up a bit
> if that don't want to equal or exceed the 1963 Senators record for futility.
>
> Don't get me wrong-I'm thrilled that baseball is back in Washington but the
> youthful enthusiasm I possessed as a 10 year old in 1963 disappeared
> somewhere through the years and it's getting tough to suffer with the
> current major league offering.
>
> Art Audley
> La Plata, MD
>
>
>


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