Some hot arena news regarding DC sports and the state of Maryland, and it’s NOT the Commanders: the Baltimore Banner is reporting that Ted Leonsis has talked to Gov. Wes Moore about arena plans – saying a phone call between the two discussed an arena as Leonsis looks for leverage for his teams.
“I am not doubting the veracity of the journalism involved here, but the way Wes Moore is – and listen, we are at least friendly with Wes – I’m confident Ted and Wes have a relationship period,” JP said. “I would guess they talk with some regularity?”
“You can assume that, maybe, but what has Ted needed to talk to Wes about?” BMitch replied.
Good question, but we also know all Moore has done to help keep the Orioles and Ravens in Baltimore and thriving, and he has said on Brian and JP’s show he will fight to keep the Commanders in Maryland and would commit state dollars to help with their next stadium.
We had half of an NFL/NBA/NHL season overlap with then-Jack Kent Cooke Stadium and the US Airways Arena before what is now Cap One opened, but could we be in for a full Maryland slate of squads?
JP isn’t so sure.
“They're already rebuilding this huge area of Landover/Largo, whatever you want to call that Blue Line Corridor, and think about the FBI building between Maryland and Virginia, the bidding in that process,” JP said. “Wes was super transparent, open and aggressive in trying to get it, and he talked on the record about that. I just have a feeling we've all seen what seems like has fallen apart in Alexandria, and I feel like if that happened, Wes would have a press conference and be like, ‘yo, Ted, I'll build your stadium right here.’ He's not like an in the shadows kind of guy.”
”I don't think he's in the shadows, but I don't think he's gonna just go out there and do something just to appease somebody else,” BMitch replied. “If it's something that he thinks will work out good for him, I think he'll be out there saying something, but all this other stuff, it’s a lot of soap opera-ish things going on around it to where you gotta be careful with that one.”
JP went back to Moore talking about the Commanders on the show, and the team building its offices at the University of Maryland – and maybe, Finlay said, “I think Wes wouldn't want to start to commit to something else while he still has a live line on the NFL team.”
“I agree with that, and one thing I've learned about the media, is I still go straight off what I believe in, and go with my opinions more than I play that game,” Brian said. “Media is a game sometimes, and a lot of times things are said that people want to be said, and a lot of stories come out that are totally one person trying to get a message out there. So when I hear a lot of stuff, I'm like, ‘okay, who is trying to get this message out, who would it necessarily benefit in this situation right now?’ I think it would be Monumental, because they don't seem to be on good grounds with anybody right now.”
It may be premature to say Alexandria is dead, but it’s surely on the back burner, so anything is plausible…maybe.
“I remember going to Bullets games in Landover as a kid, and that ain't it,” JP said. “That is not the answer, man.”
