A comment I made in last night's game thread seems to have upset some folks, and since I could not stick around last night to reply to the backlash it looks all that much worse.

I want to make it absolutely clear that in no way did I mean to incorporate any regular reader of this site in my comment about the Nats "unsophisticated" fan base.  I may be arrogant and self-important, but I am not openly insulting or condesending.

I wasn't simply responding to the original comment about the negativity on FB lately, coinciding with the Nats latest string of demoralizing losses.  More, I was referencing the general "sky is falling" attitude that is pervasive thoughout NatsTown and the Natosphere right now, especially from those in the fan base that get 99.5% of their Nats information from MASN, Nats Journal or a non-credentialed message board.

One of the problems facing the Nationals organization is the nature of the fan base in DC (and I don't think I'm telling any regular reader of Federal Baseball anything they don't know here).  DC is transient in nature, and as such, so far the Nats have courted the fans of other teams to fill Nats Park, while causally recruiting locals in an effort to build the fan base.

The influx of fans at the park with the arrival of Strasburg speaks to the infancy of DC becoming a real baseball town again.  Two whole generations of Washigntonians have missed out on baseball.  Those fans might have an understanding or appreciation for the game of baseball, and some might truly be invested in the game and the team, but only have a rudimentary knowledge of the game and how baseball "works".

Even one of the team's broadcast partner's announcers asked Mike Rizzo -- live --  if he contemplated trading this year's No.1 overall pick in the minor league draft, oblivious to the fact that you can't trade draft picks in baseball.


I guess this has now turned into a long-winded apology, but please know that I did not mean to incorporate anyone here as being "unsophisticated".  By the nature and practice of this site, if you're involved here you're a fairly knowledgable fan.  There are plenty of Nats fans that have no understanding that blogs of this sophistication even exist.

What's more, I did not use the term "unsophisticated" as an insult to any Nats fan.  Maybe "casual" fan would have been more appropriate and convey a less-derogatory meaning, but I did not mean the comment to be derogatory in the first place.  There's a big difference between being a casual fan and being a knowledgable fan, and by using the term "unsophisticated", I guess I hoped to imply that segment of the fan base was capable and desirous of becoming more knowledgable, they just haven't reached that point yet.

Any way, if I hurt your feelings with my comment, I apologize profusely.