Nationals-Orioles: It Just Doesn't Matter

So you know how the MASN Network has this new “Defining Moments” campaign for the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles? You know, the commercials where “fans” are giving “their” favorite defining moments from both clubs over recent years?

Yeah.

So here’s a defining moment for both clubs as they prepare to Battle for the Beltway, which is more like the slapbox match for I-295.

Nobody cares.

Attendance is down at Camden Yards and Nationals Park. Neither team has reliable middle relief or closer, and are just keeping their heads above water with their starting rotations.

Neither team is spectacular at home and both play in divisions with well-traveling opposing fan bases of perfectly capable of representing their leagues in the World Series.

So you can see why folks generally could care less about what should be an interesting baseball match-up between two could-be fanatical baseball towns.

Were the Orioles and Nationals are at least relevant in the energy and hatred between the two metros stemming from NFL season which could easily spill over into baseball. It could be a situation where fans could claim “you got us in football, but we own you in baseball.”

This comes from their annual interleague pairing, and is good for boosting fan promotions throughout the two towns.

Instead, they suck. Football pride is oil to the water that is baseball malaise, and likely, fans in Baltimore will be unwilling to drive the 45 minutes each way this weekend to see the clash of the unremarkable.

There’s so much that this rivalry could be to the area, instead of just being a foul regional blotch on the conscience of local baseball fans. But, what else can we expect from two of the worst owners in Major League Baseball, just a car ride away from each other?