…as much as the Nationals are struggling on the field and at the gate, as dreadful as their radio and TV ratings are, they aren’t going anywhere — not with a 30-year lease. The “X” factor here is how well the Nats will fare as a genuine contender, something the D.C. area hasn’t experienced since the mid-forties. We got a taste of what it might be like in June of 2005, those brief, heady days when an upstart team won 10 in a row, moved atop the NL East and drew great crowds to RFK. (Had that year’s radio-TV setup been stronger, that would have shown in the ratings, too.) I hope I’m not sounding like a “stay the course, Stan” optimist; I think the franchise is poorly run and marketed (no Clint! no “Sweet Caroline”!), and I’d dismiss Jim Bowden yesterday. But Calvin Griffith and Bob Short are both dead and gone, and their ghosts aren’t returning here.

Regarding the AAA situation, I think it will be Syracuse. The Nats want the Chiefs — believe it or not, it’s reasonably accessible. Syracuse is along I-81, home of two current Nats’ affiliates…Hagerstown and Harrisburg. All things being equal, I’d like Richmond, too, but until there’s a AAA shuffle (and a new ballpark there), it’s not going to happen. (And since the Syracuse team is community-owned, it won’t be the one moving.)

And the winner is Syracuse, NY. It will now be the I-81 farm system, Syracuse, Harrisburg, and Hagerstown. However, in my mind, Richmond would have been even better as part of a I-95 farm system ( Nats, Potomac, and Richmond) in the great state of Virginia. Richmond is only 2 hours away, not a 7 hour drive to Syracuse. Fans in Syracuse, New York, are probably more Yankees or Mets fans. Now all we need is some real future star draft picks to go along with a couple of veteran blue chip stars and pennant we come.

wxguy

There is no way Richmond would get a team unless some city with a team moves there. Without a new stadium chances are very slim, that’s why the Atlanta Braves, who owns the Richmond franchise moved out. As far as Syracuse, they have a modern stadium that is one of the best in the minors. The Syracuse team is community owned and most likely would be very difficult to buy. All minor league teams own a license and the only way one would lose the license would be to not meet major league standards.