Fed up with D.C. United?

May 21, 2009

D.C. United co-owner Victor MacFarlane announced today that he has sold his interest in the soccer club to his partner Will Chang, chairman of the global investment firm Westlake International Group.

The MacFarlane-Chang D.C. Soccer LLC venture still includes one of the owners of the San Francisco Giants, and no other changes in management have been made, a club news release states.

MacFarlane has long made it known that when a new  stadium site was selected for the team, he would like his real estate investment firm, MacFarlane Partners, to develop the area around it. But that site selection process has been a two-year ordeal of burned bridges from D.C.’s Poplar Point to Prince George’s County this year.

The team is looking at surrounding counties and is still very much interested in moving out of RFK Stadium....

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What Rachel Alexandra means for Preakness

May 15, 2009

If you’ve read today’s story on how Maryland horse racing got to where it is today, then you know about the tradition of resistance the industry has shown when it comes to change. An analyst I spoke to for the article pointed out that Rachel Alexandra’s story is one snapshot this year that illustrates that sentiment perfectly.

After the 3-year-old filly blew away her competition by winning by 20 1/4 lengths in the Kentucky Oaks, racing fans and the sports world in general began calling for her to run in the Preakness Stakes.

But there’s a technicality: in order to be eligible to run in one of the Triple Crown races (the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and the Belmont Stakes) a horse has to be nominated before the racing series begins. Rachel Alexandra, who did not run in the Derby, couldn’t enter the Preakness unless there was a spot free after nominated horses’ owners had staked their claim. At one point after the Derby, it looked like horse owners — nervous about competing with the filly — were going to rally together to exclude her from the field.

That kind of behavior, according to Louisiana-based analyst Tim Rice, is just plain “repulsive”:

“If Rachel Alexandra goes there’s a good chance for higher ratings...

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Are Baltimore and Washington baseball doomed?

May 15, 2009

Let’s face it — I don’t care how loyal you are or how much you love the history of baseball in this region, it’s not a good week to be an Orioles or Nationals fan.

Let’s start with the O’s: on Tuesday, Sports Illustrated came out with its best and worst owners list and guess who came in as the worst owner in baseball? You got it, our very own Peter Angelos. Since the lawyer bought the team for $173 million in 1993, the team has had two playoff appearances and posted a .486 winning percentage. Sure, the team’s value has more than doubled to $400 million, but one might argue the O’s could have been worth a lot more than that now.

Here’s what SI had to say: “[In 1993, the team] was a year removed from its Camden Yards debut with a stacked roster Angelos allowed former GM Pat Gillick to build....Then Angelos began his notorious meddling, firing popular manager Davey Johnson, burning through another five managers, killing trades proposed by his GMs and stripping down one of baseball’s proudest franchises.”

But I’d argue the Nats have it worse. Owner Ted Lerner, who bought the team in 2006 was named the fifth-worst owner in baseball. The team has actually gone down in value....

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Orioles casting call

May 12, 2009

If you’ve ever related to the Norma Desmond character (”Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close up”) from the movie Sunset Boulevard, now might be your chance to get that big screen recognition you always knew you deserved.

Well, small screen recognition. And by recognition I mean sharing the limelight with about 19 other people.

Turns out MASN is holding a new round of open auditions for television spots in the network’s “Defining Moments” advertising campaign. Launched online this year, the campaign features real fans describing their favorite memorable baseball moments....

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Ripken documentary debuts Friday

May 7, 2009

I attended a screening last night of “A Shortstop in China,” a documentary produced by a Baltimore-area film company on Cal Ripken Jr.’s trip to China in 2007 as a diplomatic envoy for the U.S. State Department.

The piece debuts on MASN Friday after the Orioles/Yankees game, and if you are at all interested in the following things, I recommend you watch it: Ripken, diplomacy, politics, business, the Orioles, Condoleezza Rice, Ripken Baseball Inc., Eastern culture, kids, warm fuzzies (it got a little dusty in the room at one point), and what the heck baseball players do with their lives after they’re off the field.

(For more air dates, click here.)

Ripken, former O’s teammate and All Star B. J. Surhoff (left) and director Chris Beutler of Renegade all took questions after the 45-minute screening. I asked Ripken and Surhoff if there was anything that struck them about teaching kids from a different culture, language barrier aside. They both said....

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D.C. fans ‘unite’ for new stadium

May 5, 2009

It’s one of the most successful teams in American pro soccer history, yet finding a new home has proven a nomadic journey of failures.

But you’ve got to admire Major League Soccer teamD.C. United for its pluckiness. On Saturday, the team and fans will rally in support of getting a new stadium before their match against Toronto FC at RFK Stadium.

Here’s the timline, according to the United press release....

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NABJ to honor sports writer Michael Wilbon

April 28, 2009

The National Association of Black Journalists has announced that Washington Post columnist Michael Wilbon will be honored with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Wilbon will join other honorees at the Salute to Excellence Awards Gala on Aug. 8 in Tampa.

A sports writer for the Post since 1980, and a columnist since 1990, Wilbon is one of fewer than 10 black columnists at major daily newspapers in America, the NABJ said in a release. Wilbon and then-columnist Tony Kornheiser also were the founding co-hosts of ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption in 2001, now a widely popular a show.

On a personal note, I’ve always admired Wilbon’s reflective writing style in his columns. As a reader, I know that he’s bringing his depth of experience to each argument he makes — whether I agree with him or not. Unlike Kornheiser (and this is not to single him out), he has kept on with his Post columns and allowed us to get to know him as a TV personality and an author....

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Running from police in the Baltimore 10-miler

April 22, 2009

OK, so what’s the ONE time it’s OK to run away from cops? That would be during the Baltimore 10-Miler on June 20. This year’s race will feature “Caught by the Commish,” a fundraiser for the Baltimore Police Department, in which Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld will start the race last and attempt to pass as many runners as possible.

“It’s a neat way to get the department really involved rather than just standing up on podium,” said Lee Corrigan, of Corrigan Sports, who is organizing the race.....

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Preakness gettin’ hip and cool

April 21, 2009

Pimlico Race Course and the Preakness Stakes have finally joined the 21st Century.

A new Web site has launched today, and gone are the cheesy, static designs, now replaced with– among other things — a count down clock, moving graphics and a ton more information.

For example, did you know that during the Civil War the Woodlawn vase (presented to every Preakness winner) was buried at the Woodlawn Cemetery to be kept safe from being stolen and melted down for bullets?

Oh, and there’s also relevant info about parking, dining, menus, etc.

But on a sour note for those who are Infield regulars and still plan on going — despite the new alcohol policy — you’d better hurry up and get your tickets now if you want to lock in on last year’s ticket price...

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NFL broadcast schedule - back at M&T Bank Stadium

April 16, 2009

The NFL schedule is out and the Ravens finally get to host a national game after a year’s hiatus. We have to wait until week 12 for a Sunday Night Football face off between Baltimore and Pittsburgh — the first time the teams will have met since the AFC Championship game in January — and I’m sure NFL execs are hoping the drama and playoff runs will be sufficiently built up by then and Ravens starting QB Joe Flacco won’t be going through a sophomore slump.

The Ravens will also make national appearances as the road team in Monday Night Football games against the Browns in week 10 and the Packers in week 13.

Last year, the Ravens only had two nationally televised games — both away — against Pittsburgh on ESPN and Dallas on the NFL Network....

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Hold onto your hats - it’s PETA’s take on Pimlico

April 14, 2009

I suppose I should have been surprised that it had taken PETA this long to issue a statement about what’s going on with Pimlico Race Course here in Baltimore. Yet, I still had that gut, “Are you kidding me?!?” reaction when I saw the letter the group sent to Gov. Martin O’Malley this morning.

If Baltimore ends up seizing Pimlico through eminent domain (as the state’s lawmakers have approved), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is suggesting the state turn Pimlico into a “Horse Empathy Park.” (You know, because it’s not like the state approved that legislation to keep a certain horse race running there or anything...)

From the letter signed by Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman:

The Horse Empathy Park would feature educational displays highlighting interesting facts about horses...

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