Nats cashing in on 2007
Jim Williams, The Examiner
Sep 29, 2006 5:00 AM (10 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 7 of 6,517 articles

WASHINGTON - As we put a bow on an interesting second season for the Washington Nationals, for the first time in a while this franchsie can say the future is bright.


We have a dedicated ownership group in place with the Lerner family, who thus far have shown a solid commitment to Washington and the future of baseball.

Then there is Stan Kasten, the Nationals team president who is moving full speed on so many fronts I do not have room to list them.

Fans now know they will be able to see all Nats games next season. MASN is in place and the team will have plenty of cash from TV to help build a winner on the field and invest in the future.

MASN’s payment to the Nationals for the 2007 season is a robust $25 million for local TV rights fees. That ranks Washington among the top 10 in baseball in locally generated rights fees. In the National League only the Mets, Cubs, Dodgers, Giants and Braves will bring in more local TV cash than Washington.

Let’s add another $22.5 million for next season from the new $3 billion dollar Major League Baseball TV deal (the amount each team gets for 2007). Quick math puts the total at around $47.5 million in total TV cash.

And that is before the gates open at RFK, one hot dog or Coke is sold or a penny of the Lerner family’s cash is spent.

Not a bad start.

We should also see the return of one of baseball’s best TV tandem’s Bob Carpenter and Tom Paciorek. They did a great job on MASN and should be here for a long time to come.

How about the radio?

Charlie Slowes and his partner, Dave Jageler, will also return. That is great news.

Washington is still looking for a long-term radio home. But the Nats may do a one-year deal to stay with WTWP for another season, then look around and do a longer deal as they move into the new stadium.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.
Examiner