From the Washington Post’s Jorge Arangure Jr.
For Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos , the imminent closing of the team’s fan store in Farragut Square does not signal a concession of the Washington market to the Nationals, but perhaps signals an opportunity for a new era of partnership between the franchises.
“Basically, the D.C. team is obviously catering to the D.C. fans as well as the neighboring areas,” Angelos said. “I don’t know if we should have an office in D.C. competing with the Nationals.”
Baltimore’s team store in Washington, opened in the 1980s, will close when its lease runs out at the end of the calendar year; at that point, Angelos said, ideally the two teams could work together to try to expand both franchises’ fan base.
Certainly an interesting concept, but perhaps one that doesn’t go far enough. I’m surprised a business genius like Angelos hasn’t proposed the two clubs sharing the same front office staff, if not the same field manager.
Yes, the Clear Channel of baseball, eliminate all those local hires…
The Orioles Store was one of the few cheap places to buy tickets in the 1980s, when you had to drive and physicially buy tickets. As it’s a facility I drive by daily, I can say that in 2006 it made as much sense as a Yankees store in Boston.
Angelos should have given up his share of the TV revenue so he would be on a better relationship with the Lerners, then he could split the rent with them, sell both Nat Pack and O-Birds merch, and the store could have stayed open. As it is, he gets the TV revenue, but will have to close the store.
Don