Paid attendance at Nationals Park "will top 2.5 million this year, putting the team in the top 10" in MLB, according to Steve Hendrix of the WASHINGTON POST. The average crowd has "risen from 22,000 per game to 31,000" since '09. Season-ticket sales have "doubled in the past three years, as have merchandise sales, although the team would not release specific numbers." Nationals Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer Valerie Camillo said, "It’s not a novelty anymore, it’s not a new stadium. This is a solid fan base built on solid season ticket plans. We’ve drawn Washington in." Data provided by Facebook on the distribution of "likes" for the Nationals and Orioles show that "the region once dominated by the Orioles is now deeply split." The Nationals are "supreme inside the Beltway and south of the Potomac; the Orioles rule north of the Howard County line." The teams are "vying for supremacy in Montgomery County" (WASHINGTON POST, 9/21). In N.Y., Jennifer Steinhauer noted the Orioles "have been rebuilt, and attendance per game at Camden Yards this year has risen to its highest level" since '05. The Nationals have "become winners by building around young stars" like LF Bryce Harper and veterans like CF Denard Span and RF Jayson Werth. Since their move to Nationals Park in '08, the Nationals have "become the talk of Washington." Both teams also have "cool stadiums, accessible by public transportation" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/20).
HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER: In DC, Scott Allen reported the Nationals are extending this year's "Nothing But" marketing campaign for the postseason with the slogan, "Nothing But October." The slogan is "featured on banners being installed on nearly 300 light posts in the Downtown DC Business Improvement District and Capitol Riverfront neighborhood near Nationals Park." Multiple players are "featured as part of the campaign" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 9/22).
A BIRD IN THE HAND: In Boston, Scott Lauber wrote under the header, "Dan Duquette Right Choice: Former Red Sox GM Turns Orioles Into Division Winner." Duquette was "never the Orioles' first choice" as GM, but several other candidates "declined to even interview because they were leery of working for meddlesome owner Peter Angelos and with hands-on manager Buck Showalter" (BOSTON HERALD, 9/21).
