So, contrary to my name, I migrated over to the Nationals as my main MLB team in the mid 2000’s when I moved to DC. The combination of living there coupled with the implosion of the Cubs during several post-season runs that decade made it so. So, I’m thrilled that we clinched last night, and dominantly. Hopefully we don’t make the mistake of taking the foot of the gas for the next couple of weeks as alot of early clinchers do.
With that said, the O’s clinched as well. Both teams look postured to make a serious run for the WS. Though I will obviously watch the games I was thinking that a Nats/Os WS has to be one of the least marketable in baseball history. Both teams are (pretty much) in the same town. The Orioles are fairly storied, but not at Yanks, Red Sox, Cubs levels so I’d imagine their fanbase doesn’t extend much past the north east. The Nats just haven’t been around long enough to have a broad fanbase outside of the DC area and, frankly, DC sportsfans are the absolute worst in sports IMHO. No interest in their local teams until they are in the championship. Throwing in the towel on the Skins after the first few weeks of every year etc…
So, if this was to happen would this be the least watched WS of all time? I think maybe, for the reasons stated above.
Washington has Strasburg and Harper, at least. Nats vs. A’s might be worse. I think the least-marketable series possible would be Milwaukee or Arizona (I’d say Pittsburgh, but they have McCutcheon) against Tampa or Oakland.
Yeah but at least you’ve got both coasts involved with Nats/As. Strasburg can only pitch every 4th game and Harper, while marketable, isn’t having a great year and his shine is fading in the shadow of Mike Trout.
Yeah, Tampa vs. any weak market team would be a huge dud too. The highly regional fanbase for Nats/Os seems like it would severely impact advertising dollars and nationwide interest though.
I don’t know if that matters. If it does, yes, it’s a point to Baltimore. Baltimore is also somewhat larger as a metro area. Both teams lack conventional star players. I guess Adam Jones is the closest for Baltimore. While I don’t trust Forbes’ team valuations, I think this list would track pretty well with the “least marketable” teams. I guess they are calling Tampa vs. Miami the least marketable possible series, but the Marlins have a bunch of young and exciting players. If those guys are healthy and the team stinks less, it’s a different story. Tampa has this problem no matter how good or bad the Rays are. And I assume the Astros would rank higher if they were trying to compete, so I might rank Milwaukee last by default for now.
Yeah, I agree that would be a low rated WS, no one north of Towsend or south of Fredricksburg would watch. Still, I would love to see the Nats crush the Os and punish their owner, the man who kept baseball out of DC for 35 years and who said DC’s not a baseball town.
When the Yankees are eliminated, I’m surprised they televise it at all.
Toronto-Milwaukee was a dark horse possibility there for a while. It could still be Kansas City - Pittsburgh. The media coverage hates it when the games are played in cities that don’t have any New York-class restaurants.
With Jeter gone, I think there is talk about disbanding Major League Baseball entirely. Just have the New York Giants start their exhibition season in April.
How are the Nationals not relevant? Strasburg and Harper have been the subject of tons of attention since they were rookies and the team had the best record in baseball two years ago. They just had an unexpected down year last year.
I was trying to ask more along the lines of what’s possible this year but I can see my OP doesn’t really say that so I will agree that Tampa/Miami would probably be the absolute basement as far as WS viewing goes. I couldn’t imagine a worse matchup with less fans. I think you may see alot of Cash for Gold and Ped Egg commercials during that WS if it ever happened as I don’t think many companies would want to drop the $$ on ads for such a lame market.
With that said I think a Baltimore/DC WS would be pretty close to that though.
Jtur: I ask with great sincerity: Do you even LIKE baseball? Given your posts, I doubt it. I think I speak for many when I say: please refrainv from posting in baseball threads. Leave them to fans.
Reading the football rule you’d enact, seems that you dislike football as well.
I was trying to throw out answers to both. Kansas City vs. Milwaukee is also still possible this year, though I don’t think it’s going to happen.
They didn’t really become terrible until a few years after that- they traded away Pedro Martinez, who had just won the Cy Young, following the 1997 season. Anyway they drafted Strasburg in 2009 and Harper in 2010 and had the best record in the majors in 2012, so they have not been irrelevant over the last 10 years.
etv78, I KNOW that I speak for many when I say: Please refrain from ever speaking for more people than yourself in these threads. Can you point to a single instance anyone has ever agreed with you in The Game Room in the last, say, 90 days?
Agreed that it wouldn’t pull a great rating. Personally, I think it’d be interesting to watch, although I’m rooting for the Dodgers to win it all. I also agree that the worst possible matchup for ratings that seems possible this year would be along the lines of KC-Pittsburgh.
