Daniel Snyder Was in the Running to Bring Baseball to D.C.
by KevinE on Oct 29, 2009 11:29 PM EDT
in News
42 comments
As the hostility between Redskins' fans and Dan Snyder reaches new levels hourly, I was quite surprised to find an article stating Dan Snyder was one of the investors trying to move the Expos to Washington DC back in 2003.
[BET founder Robert] Johnson plans to purchase 51% of the Expos, leaving baseball with the remaining 49%. Over the next three or four years, he and the remainder of his ownership group, which includes Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, would purchase the remaining 49% of the team. Johnson and Snyder would also form a joint venture to create a regional cable television sports network delivering professional football and baseball content to the Beltway.
My head is about to explode trying to visualize what the Nationals and Nationals Park experience would be like today if Snyder owned the Nats. Here's what I'm thinking:
- The "Red Loft" and "Red Porch" bars would of course be named something idiotic like the "Geico Loft" and the "Taco Bell Porch"
- Inaugural season roster would have been in the $180 million range and included everyone in the steroids era, much like when Monty Burns put together his softball league.
- The pick used to draft Ryan Zimmerman would not have existed because it would have been traded for the rights to acquire Albert Belle
- Additional $2 "transportation" fee added to every ticket since majority fans avoid parking and take the Metro
- Rain coats are not allowed in the stadium, but umbrellas and ponchos are available for a nominal $4 each.
- Local food varieties such as Ben's Chili Bowl, Five Guys, and Hard Times Cafe will be replaced by Johnny Rockets and Hooters
- Pictures with the Nationals Mascot, "Screech brought to you by Bank of America," cost: $5 for adults....$3 for kids...$1 if it's the kid's birthday
- Deion Sanders signed to play center field. 6-year deal for $62.2 million ($44 guaranteed)
- Anti-Nationals Foam fingers will not be allowed since they could result in someone getting poked in the eye
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Time for Portis to go. Sometimes you need to send a message across the team and change the attitude. Do you really want your leaders to dress up in costume and act like a goof. It’s funny to the fans but I’m not following the guy as a player. Shake it up and dump him. Send a message.
Danny boy is just like 3/4 of the other owners these days. Business first, sports knowledge 8th. Your losing and he’s making money. He won’t see a problem with that. Zorn’s an excuse for everyone. Come on the guy doesn’t have a qb. Campbells a baby. He pouts and looks at his feet. Not a leader.
In times like this you go back to basics. Tell the team we’re gonna run the ball. Work on O-line play, Work on down field blocking and when they get that right, maybe throw the ball. Do the little things-get rewarded.
by raven on Oct 30, 2009 12:12 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Portis hasn't done the costumes for over 2 years.
by KevinE on Oct 30, 2009 12:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
seriously
dumb and uninformed
by Grand Tanyon Sturtze on Oct 30, 2009 2:03 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
First read this ("Raven")
RB Clinton Portis criticized the front office’s lack of foresight in preparing for the season-ending injuries to aging, oft-injured linemen Chris Samuels and Randy Thomas. “We got to … get some depth,” Portis said. “We went into the season and we didn’t address that issue and it came back to haunt us.” Thomas, who tore his right triceps in Week 2, and Samuels, who suffered a likely career-ending neck injury in Week 5, each had two offseason surgeries and are 33 and 32, respectively. But executive vice president Vinny Cerrato gambled that they would make it through 2009 unscathed or that journeyman Jeremey Bridges and Mike Williams, out of football the past two years, would be ready to step in if the starters went down. Bridges was so shaky last summer that he was cut. Williams has been ineffective as a starter the past three games. Will Montgomery, who had made six career starts before Week 5 and was on the street last November, has taken Thomas’ place while Williams has been at right tackle since Stephon Heyer shifted from that spot to replace Samuels. “The only mainstays from our opening day roster that’s on that line are (center) Casey Rabach and (left guard) Derrick Dockery,” Portis lamented. “Everyone else has been shuffled, moved, changed or injured. So we’re playing with two guys that was originally the starters. (Just-signed tackle) Levi Jones (played a snap). We signed him five days ago. That’s just the position we’re in.” The criticism resonates more from Portis than it would from another player since he is so close to owner Dan Snyder that he has jokingly been referred to as the team’s assistant general manager.
by Grand Tanyon Sturtze on Oct 30, 2009 2:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
now be quiet
“Time for Portis to go” – KevinE took care of that. You are a moron.
“Danny boy is just like 3/4 of the owners these days” – equally dumb and uninformed. He may have similarly dumb impulses as other uninformed owners, but he is unique in that he actually acts on his stupid impulses and shamelessly advertises them as a coherent strategy. Even his iconoclastic counterpart “bad owners” in the 2 other major sports, peter angelos and donald sterling don’t micromanage personnel decisions and make explicit choices per drafting versus free agency like Snyder, angelos at least lets macphail build a team independently and sterling has given dunleavy full discretion as GM and coach, Daniel Snyder is the ultimate pariah among owners in any American sport.
“campbell’s a baby.” – and you’re an idiot. read the offensive line he has to work with and make an empirical argument that he has ever complained when ownership has treated him far worse during 2 years of unrealistically high expectations and no o-line protection than they have zorn for doing the absolute worst job possible as overmatched and unqualified as he is with the sham embarrassment mishmash of free agents, bad picks and castoffs that ownership – Snyder and Cerrato – assembled for him. We have a very tall quarterback who has the throwing frame of a NYC phone-booth and faces the most aggressive defenses in the NFL in the NFC East, no shit he’s going to get smacked down like robin ventura. Not only that, we have an ill-advised West Coast offense installed with receivers smaller than most NBA starting point guards. What’s more, who are you to be talking, your team started Kyle Boller like he was god’s gift to man, without Ray Lewis, Bart Scott, and Ed Reed’s inspirational play and Rex Ryan’s defensive schemes, it could be plausibly said that your organization has been an absolute failure, especially on the offensive side of the ball until Flacco literally fell into your lap, stuff your advice Millen Jr.
“do little things get rewarded.” – portis is getting killed out there because our o-line consists of 2 original members, we have a guard playing tackle whose only pre-season practice was trying to get under 400 lbs. and hadn’t played in 2 years, one guy we signed 5 days ago, and even al davis wouldn’t consider playing bridges save for the practice squad. Against the Chiefs for example, if he hadn’t had the extreme fortune of playing against one of the most poor-tackling defenses in the entire NFL, his YPC against the Chiefs of all teams with the exception of his 78-yard scamper would have been 14 carries for 31 yards. What’s next, are you going to argue that we should win with “intangibles”? Give me a break. Your euphemistic, vague suggestions belong with the dumb talking heads who speak with buzzwords, catchphrases, and no real analytic content. Our organization is poisoned from the top-down, not the bottom-up.
by Grand Tanyon Sturtze on Oct 30, 2009 2:44 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
jebus
tell us how you REALLY feel!
SpotieOtieDopalicious
by Rekka on Oct 30, 2009 10:19 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
hey man
there’s so little to defend of the redskins, you have to defend what you have left
by Grand Tanyon Sturtze on Oct 30, 2009 2:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
not worth responding to.
but thanks for stopping by.
"By far the worst performers on the team are in the front office." – Sally Jenkins
by smutsboy1 on Oct 30, 2009 9:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
his cap hit would be too big
Unless we have an uncapped year, we can’t just cut him because of his cap hit.
by monk81 on Oct 30, 2009 9:29 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Uninformed Casual Fan
Only the uninformed casual fan would make these statements. Kevin good job on his uninformed reference to the portis costumes.
Run the ball and downfield block? You have to have talented O-linemen to do that. Clearly we do not!
Campbell – Only an uninformed casual fan would blame Campbell for what is happening offensively. I would say 90% of the time an offense is failing in the NFL because it lacks talent on the offensive line. You can’t evaluate Campbell until you give him a respectable O-line. You casual fans who always blame QBs should be banned from commenting on anything NFL related.
So go educate yourself on the team and the game of football and come back when you have something relevent to say.
by Kurtstack on Oct 30, 2009 10:12 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
No Salary cap in MLB
Danny might actually have been oK in that situation, where just throwing money at a problem may fix it…….however with the CAP…..not so much
by “done ok” i mean in terms of on field results, from what I am reading here the fan experience is as bad as it is possible to get
Pommylee
by Pommylee on Oct 30, 2009 12:35 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I wonder the same thing
Snyder might have actually been able to prosper in a league that allows you to “buy” success.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvIX3S0f-2c&feature=player_embedded
by VA_Skin on Oct 30, 2009 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The Nats
are for losers. I thought I might be tempted to change allegiances (worst sin any fan can do) until I saw what kind of people are fans of the Nationals. People who shush others at the stadium. People who don’t know how to drink. People who are simply no good. The O’s have had a hard time lately but I feel awesome at Camden Yards.
The Nats aren’t a Nat-ural team. They only exist because businessmen in Bethesda and Alexandria got tired of driving up to B-more to watch a baseball game with clients. I say this to the Nats. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries. I fart in your general direction. I already get screwed by one DC sports organization. I tolerate it because they are a team with history! It is pride, being a Redskins fan. If you are a fan of the Nats, it is because you actually enjoy being raped. May that stadium explode with obese Northern Virginians with no sense of humor. I rest my case.
by SkinsOsTerps on Oct 30, 2009 3:30 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
The Nats
Will win their division before the Orioles do.
by Kurtstack on Oct 30, 2009 10:13 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
strongly disagree
I abandoned baseball long ago, but Angelos has backed off and given his GM some working room.
"By far the worst performers on the team are in the front office." – Sally Jenkins
by smutsboy1 on Oct 30, 2009 10:16 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Indeed
Andy MacPhail knows how to build success. Angelos hasn’t done anything ridiculous in a couple seasons now and we have made nothing but solid moves to grow young pitchers. I’ve always hoped that Snyder might learn a thing or two from his about face. I haven’t seen anywhere near the coherence with the Nats. They also don’t have a core of young players to build around and their ownership doesn’t seem like it is willing to spend money when it needs to. That is a huge problem on the east coast even if you can get by on slightly less in the NL than the AL.
Granted part of my rant (which I now see was posted at 3:30am, make your own assumptions) had to do with the Nats fan experience. Their new stadium has always felt extremely up tight to me.
by SkinsOsTerps on Oct 30, 2009 10:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yea MacPhail really built a winner in Chicago, the dude has had no relative success since the 80s. You’d love to have the Rizzo.
by pas493 on Oct 30, 2009 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It doesn’t matter! You really see the O’s overtaking the Yankees or Red Sox, and add in two decent clubs in Tampa and Toronto. The Nats rotation in two years should be rediculous and the NL is a lot more full with parody than the AL.
by pas493 on Oct 30, 2009 12:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
the point is what the teams are doing relative to each other
If the Nats play in an easier division that’s neither here nor there
"By far the worst performers on the team are in the front office." – Sally Jenkins
by smutsboy1 on Oct 30, 2009 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Will win their division before the Orioles do
Then you replied:
strongly disagree
How is it neither here nor there? The original convo was who would win a division title first and due to the fact they play in different divisions, doesn’t the strength of the teams in the divisions make sense?
by pas493 on Oct 30, 2009 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
yes, good point
in that case, I don’t care about an argument about who wins the division first since the divisions are so different.
personally, I care about which team is being better built.
"By far the worst performers on the team are in the front office." – Sally Jenkins
by smutsboy1 on Oct 30, 2009 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The Nats farm system was ranked dead last in 2005 and were ranked as high as third last year. So they are building the right way. The injury to Jordan Zimmermann is pretty big for them being he was already putting up a K per inning and not walking people. The projected rotation of Strasberg/Lannon/Zimmermann, plus a closer (26 bs last year is pretty bad), puts them in contension for the division title for many years.
by liger99 on Oct 30, 2009 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It'll be tough for the O's to ever climb on top of that division in the near future
But I don’t see the Nat’s overtaking ANY team in the National League for a very very long time. “Parity” is the word you’re looking for, by the way.
"One-on-one? You can't." -Gilbert Arenas
JC Bandwagon all day!
by kseandoyle on Oct 30, 2009 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
No problem
Although maybe the Nats are a “parody” of professional baseball.
"One-on-one? You can't." -Gilbert Arenas
JC Bandwagon all day!
by kseandoyle on Nov 1, 2009 7:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
If TB can make itself
competitive in the AL East so can the Orioles. It just takes patience. Everyone forgets that it wasn’t even all that long ago that the Red Sox weren’t anything special either. As for the Nats rotation I’ll believe it when I see it.
by SkinsOsTerps on Oct 30, 2009 4:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
lolol
"One-on-one? You can't." -Gilbert Arenas
JC Bandwagon all day!
by kseandoyle on Oct 30, 2009 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Nationals
Instead of being able to walk up & buy a $5 ticket on game day, you would have to purchase season tickets in a 3-year package. Instead of the lower seat ushers welcoming you to sit in their section with your $5 ticket, escorting you to your seat, wiping it off, while smiling and chatting with you, you would be escorted out of the stadium! The tee shirt industry would thrive with GO NATS, instead of DUMP THE OWNER. And the manager of the team would not be let go , but kept on while being taunted & embarrassed by the front office.
by Horny4Zorny on Oct 30, 2009 7:43 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Instead of $5 tickets being available day of
You’d be hit with a huge surcharge for having the audacity to try to buy your ticket so late.
Also, the waiting list for Nationals seasons tickets would be the largest in MLB history, until someone actually looked at the list and realized that Snyder had just copy and pasted the Redskins waiting list.
Finally, if Snyder and Johnson had bought the team, they’d be called the Bob-somethings (like the Bobcats, gotta love Bob Johnson’s bigger-than-Snyder ego).
"One-on-one? You can't." -Gilbert Arenas
JC Bandwagon all day!
by kseandoyle on Oct 30, 2009 1:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I wonder if the Redskins would have suffered if Snyder bought the Expos and moved them to D.C. I know they are his first love, but it is evident that Snyder cannot run multiple businesses at one time (Six Flags collapse, etc.). Someone would have suffered.
by killianskid34 on Oct 30, 2009 8:10 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
the fans
Yea, the reason Robert Johnson bowed out of the deal is b/c he was too busy with his purchase of the Charlotte Bobcats, and Snyder only wanted to work with him, so that ended that.
What worries me, is that Snyder has no ability to hire qualified/honest people, so even though he was not in the day-to-day operations like he is with the Skins, there would probably be a lot of turnover with coaches and GM who didn’t produce immediate results. Ugh….i really can’t imagine.
by KevinE on Oct 30, 2009 8:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Nationals vs. Redskins
The Nationals are horrible right now but I can see a plan for the future. They have a great young crop of players and they are clearly building through the draft. My bold prediction is that the Nationals will win their division before the Redskins win the NFC East. I see absolutely no plan in place for the Redskins, thus I have no hope for improvement in the future. I can see how the Nationals will improve every season for the next 5-10 years.
by Kurtstack on Oct 30, 2009 10:00 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I agree with your assessment of plans,
but don’t see the Nats winning the NL East. Go Braves!
by CarverM on Oct 30, 2009 11:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Its not a bad idea to look at philosophies of these two teams.
I understand the fans frustration with the Nats and I even get the comment about the dynamic of fans. I am an exception, I go to about 10-15 games, live in the neighborhood and enjoy a sunny afternoon in the ballpark.
But I guess I feel better about the Nats future than the Redskins becasue it seems like they have a plan, have a front office team in place and good baseball mind running the plan. Kastan is a proven winner (see the braves for 12-15 years). They are drafting well, staying young, not wasting money on high priced free agents. Baseball is much more hit-or-miss when it comes to the young players, but they are doing pretty well. Compare that to the Redskins, no proven football brain in the front office, no plan in place as to how they will be a contender, and no concept of how to how to keep the team young. There is no reason to be hopeful when these concepts are true year-to-year. So, Go Nats.
by monk81 on Oct 30, 2009 11:51 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Vinny Ceratto would say you're crazy..........
look at my track record for the past ten years. The skins have been to the playoffs 2 or 3 times, the Nats have not. He would say………I bring the best players in that money can buy……I get to draft in the top ten almost every year……….Just because our record is under .500 in those ten years doesn’t me we don’t have a playoff team this year. Then Dan turns to you and says yeah, I agree with Vinny. Then they both get in the Oscar mayer weiner hot dog car with their hot dog hats on and drive back to their war room underneath the stadium which consists of a round room and Vinny explaining to Dan how to properly piss in the corner. When they come out, they then apply this theory on how to run a football team.
by skinsymets on Oct 30, 2009 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You forgot about Vinny flashing his magic rings that he lucked into in San Fran that somehow are supposed to make him into this magic football mind. He has to flash those in order to justify his intelligence.
by killianskid34 on Oct 30, 2009 3:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oh yeah I forget to mention how they decide on draft picks
Vinny puts his top 5 picks in a hat, he then lines up 5 little people with velcro clothing on in a triangular room. One by one he picks a name out and attatches it to the next little person in order, which by the way Dan likes to get in the line if Johhny Rockets stock was up that day. He then gets his top 2 projects with a gleaming light in his eye, Heyer and Williams and they continually toss them off a velcro wall until they all fall off, the last one stuck to the wall will be the next draft pick. Vinny then teaches Dan how to properly piss in all 4 corners of the room. “The art of drafting a football team” says Vinny. Vinny then tells Dan tomorrows lesson will be on how to pick a coach.
by skinsymets on Oct 30, 2009 6:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
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