Thom Loverro: Kasten's impact not visible

By Thom Loverro (Contact) | Friday, August 29, 2008

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When Andy MacPhail was hired as president of the Baltimore Orioles, I asked Washington Nationals president and part owner Stan Kasten whether he was a friend of MacPhail's. He said he was.

"Then why didn't you tackle him before he walked into the B&O Warehouse?" I asked jokingly.

Turns out it was Kasten who may have needed the mercy takedown when he merged with the Lerner family in the bid to buy the Washington franchise.

Kasten's legacy as one of the most successful sports executives of his time during his tenure running three Atlanta sports organizations - the Braves, Hawks and Thrashers - is in danger of earning a tarnished asterisk with the Nationals.

If Kasten is not steering this ship - and it's difficult to believe that he is - then he needs to find a life preserver and jump because, as the great Micheal Ray Richardson once said, "The ship be sinking."

The franchise has become a source of bewilderment and amusement throughout the industry, the butt of jokes and the subject of embarrassing national media reports of mismanagement within the organization that are all too evident to those who have watched this debacle unfold here.

The team has been abysmal, on its way to a 100-plus losses - the worst record of any team opening a new ballpark since the Camden Yards era began. Sure, the Nationals have been hit hard by injuries, but it doesn't explain the poor play and the wasted money on those players who have underperformed when they were on the field.

They have squandered the benefit of opening the new ballpark and are on pace to draw 2.4 million, which would rank as the second-lowest figure for any first-year ballpark since Camden Yards. They have been fortunate that the ballpark itself has been so well received or else it could have been worse. But ownership has even poisoned that positive vibe, with the Lerners refusing to pay the District rent in a contract dispute.

No one is watching on television, with ratings so low that baseball is investigating the numbers because they are so difficult to believe. And it turns out no one is listening on the radio, either, again with shockingly poor radio numbers for a major league team.

The Nationals have gained a reputation throughout the game of being difficult to deal with when it comes to money, with reports of delayed payments for the smallest of items and micro-managing financial decisions. The atmosphere inside Nationals Park is one of despair and resignation, not hope and excitement.