How about some GOOD news for a local(ish) team staying in place? That would be happening just up the road in Baltimore, where the Orioles and the city have tentatively agreed to a lead extension that will keep the Birds in Camden Yards for another 15 years.
And given the whole Monumental hubbub, that’s a win, and when Maryland Gov. Wes Moore came on right at the beginning of Friday’s BMitch & Finlay show to give his weekly winners, he of course had to weigh in on the O’s staying put in their nest in Charm City.
“It’s great news, and remember, the Orioles are Maryland’s baseball tam historically,” Moore said. “It’s the most exciting young team in baseball, and now we have them locked into a long-term deal, and we couldn’t be more excited.”
Moore had three goals when he took office for negotiating with teams: no short-term deals, be good stewards of taxpayer dollars, and win off the field – economic growth that benefits everyone – and he said this deal “does all three of those.”
JP also hypothetically said he would hypothetically be supportive if hypothetically a billionaire wanted to buy a team hypothetically in Baltimore, but whomever owns the O's, they ain't going anywhere.
“One of the things this deal does is lock the Orioles in long-term, no matter what the ownership structure is,” Moore would only say. “These are the BALTIMORE Orioles, and that’s going to continue.”
And, given what happened with NoVa and the Caps and Wizards only furthered Moore’s convictions.
“My reaction is this is why long-term deals were only on the table,” Moore said. “These are private entities who have the opportunity to make moves, but we have an obligation to protect our taxpayers. That’s why long-term deals were a prerequisite for us in Maryland.”
Does all of this change anything when it comes to trying to keep the Commanders in Landover?
“The Commanders need to be in Prince George’s County, and we’ve already shown we believe in this aggressively,” Moore said. “We’ve already allocated capital towards the Blue Line corridor, and I believe so strongly that the Commanders need to be in PG County, that we are going to provide th best opportunity for them to grow and be a winning franchise on and off th field. Nothing about what we saw this week with the Wizards and the Capitals changes how we will continue to aggressively pursue a continued relationship with the Commanders.”
Take a listen to Moore’s entire segment, which also includes his Weekly Winners, above!