Thursday, November 18, 2004
Post for weekend and FAQ
I'll be gone for the weekend, so for your exciting Expos Franchise news turn to:
http://thenats.blogspot.com
why them? Because they're a fun read. (also maybe a little because they took the time to see that despite the Expos name on the blog title, I'm still posting away, talking about the team next year and they linked me) So go visit them.
Now a quick FAQ
Are you anti-Washington baseball?
No, a bit disappointed for sure. The idea of baseball in Franco-Canada is cool. They could have had modified beret hats and a Swingin' Frenchman logo featuring a mime swinging a loaf of bread. Gold! But anyway, I'm only anti-public stadium funding.
But you seem so angry at times?
It's frustrating listening to people put up weak arguments (or completely bad comparisons, like say Tom Boswell comparing bringing baseball to DC to the impact of the Cubs or Red Sox. It's like saying we should start a car company because look how many people love Volkswagons) in favor of public funding. I just want one person to say "I don't care if it's a bad deal for DC. I want baseball here. Baseball is important to me. If it costs the city tons of money it doesn't bother me, because I'll gain a lot from having a team here and I won't be cognizant of where the money was being lost from anyway", because that's so much closer to the truth. Well maybe the person wouldn't use the word "cognizant".
Could the stadium make the Anacostia region better? Sure. Will it make the city better? For sports fans, yes. For everyone else, probably not. Will the city and the public in the city be paying for it for years? Yes. Either through taxes near the stadium (which is money not spent elsewhere), prices raised by businesses who are taxed, or by cost overrun moneys that would come from the "old pot" of money. The gamble is the money put in by Virginians and Marylanders coming to DC for baseball and the whatever goes up around baseball will be more than the city has to pay out. It's a better gamble here than in most places, but it's still not a good one.
Plus MLB destroyed baseball in Montreal and noone blinked. It didn't die in Montreal, it was killed. I believe almost any city can be a good sports city if the team is competetive (except maybe Atlanta), and baseball denied Montreal the chance to be competative on purpose. So I'm mad about that. But that's MLB's fault, not Washington's (except for being so damn tempting down there with all those people and politicians and the rich ones that live in Virginia).
Will there be a name change in the blog?
Yeah. I decided that since I have no real link to Montreal, I'm following the franchise. When the name becomes official, this blog will change it's name (and it's link too). I'll also update the format. I'll make sure to link it from this site to get the thousands of stragglers over to the right site.
Will you attend any games?
Sure. This now becomes the geographically closest team to me. I should go there at least once next year.
Will you buy me a Diet Coke?
No. Dippin' Dots, yes.
http://thenats.blogspot.com
why them? Because they're a fun read. (also maybe a little because they took the time to see that despite the Expos name on the blog title, I'm still posting away, talking about the team next year and they linked me) So go visit them.
Now a quick FAQ
Are you anti-Washington baseball?
No, a bit disappointed for sure. The idea of baseball in Franco-Canada is cool. They could have had modified beret hats and a Swingin' Frenchman logo featuring a mime swinging a loaf of bread. Gold! But anyway, I'm only anti-public stadium funding.
But you seem so angry at times?
It's frustrating listening to people put up weak arguments (or completely bad comparisons, like say Tom Boswell comparing bringing baseball to DC to the impact of the Cubs or Red Sox. It's like saying we should start a car company because look how many people love Volkswagons) in favor of public funding. I just want one person to say "I don't care if it's a bad deal for DC. I want baseball here. Baseball is important to me. If it costs the city tons of money it doesn't bother me, because I'll gain a lot from having a team here and I won't be cognizant of where the money was being lost from anyway", because that's so much closer to the truth. Well maybe the person wouldn't use the word "cognizant".
Could the stadium make the Anacostia region better? Sure. Will it make the city better? For sports fans, yes. For everyone else, probably not. Will the city and the public in the city be paying for it for years? Yes. Either through taxes near the stadium (which is money not spent elsewhere), prices raised by businesses who are taxed, or by cost overrun moneys that would come from the "old pot" of money. The gamble is the money put in by Virginians and Marylanders coming to DC for baseball and the whatever goes up around baseball will be more than the city has to pay out. It's a better gamble here than in most places, but it's still not a good one.
Plus MLB destroyed baseball in Montreal and noone blinked. It didn't die in Montreal, it was killed. I believe almost any city can be a good sports city if the team is competetive (except maybe Atlanta), and baseball denied Montreal the chance to be competative on purpose. So I'm mad about that. But that's MLB's fault, not Washington's (except for being so damn tempting down there with all those people and politicians and the rich ones that live in Virginia).
Will there be a name change in the blog?
Yeah. I decided that since I have no real link to Montreal, I'm following the franchise. When the name becomes official, this blog will change it's name (and it's link too). I'll also update the format. I'll make sure to link it from this site to get the thousands of stragglers over to the right site.
Will you attend any games?
Sure. This now becomes the geographically closest team to me. I should go there at least once next year.
Will you buy me a Diet Coke?
No. Dippin' Dots, yes.
