Dissension within

If you haven’t read it already, you’ll want to take a look at the article Tim Lemke and I wrote for today’s paper. It’s a wide-ranging look at where the Nationals stand two years into the Lerner family’s ownership reign, and what quickly becomes obvious is that the family, headed by Ted Lerner, really is in control of every aspect of the organization. Now, I suppose you could say that’s the way it should be. Anyone who pays $450 million for a major-league franchise deserves to be the one making decisions. But the issue here seems to be that plenty of team employees (from high-ranking members of the front-office to the rank-and-file) don’t like the way things are being run. And that’s cause for concern. It’s ludicrous to believe that the hundreds of people who work for a professional sports franchise (or any business) are all going to agree on everything and get along all the time. But this appears to be more than the typical amount of dissension you’ll find in one organization. And it’s leading to many employees either leaving or looking to leave the Nationals. I think the most interesting comment I heard from the many people Tim and I spoke to in reporting this story was from someone who has been working in baseball for a long time and is very familiar with the way the Nats operate. This person’s analysis essentially boiled down to this point: The Lerners are very successful businessmen, but you can’t run a professional sports franchise like a regular business. It’s an entirely different animal. Things move at a breakneck pace and require fast decision-making. Money isn’t always the underlying factor in making those decisions. And unlike in the business world, every move you make is being watched intently by fans and media members. You’re in the public spotlight, and all the public cares about is whether the team you’re fielding is winning or not. Anyways, I encourage you to read the full article and draw your own conclusions. Also, here is Thom Loverro’s take on the matter. He believes it may be time for Bud Selig to step in and have a few words with the ownership group.