Brian Matusz didnt get all the hoopla like Strasburg got and I think he is a better pitcher than Strasburg. I understand winning will get the fans back. Its not that simple. the cubs were losers for decades and decades but they still sell out at Wrigley I don't understand why the orioles fans cant give the same support. You cant fire the owner. I've been an Orioles fan for over 30 years. SUPPORT THE ORIOLES!!!!!!!!

Living in N. Va, it's not as rosy as you make it sound for the Nats. There is an important disctinction to be made. Everybody here is enfatuated with Strasburg, but still nobody cares about the Nats. Most people in town, INCLUDING THE DJs ON THE CITIES 2 SPORTS RADIO STATIONS, have no problem admitting that they will only follow the team every 5th game and have no interest otherwise.

Kevin, let's not get carried away. Strasburg is one pitcher on a team that still stinks. Sure, O's fans can only dream of having a prospect actually pan out immediately like Strasburg just did. But the Nationals, even with Strasburg, are still a long way from being a good team. To keep things in perspective, Zack Greinke was pretty incredible last year and his team lost 97 games in a division far worse than the AL East and probably worse than the NL East. The shine will wear off Strasburg-mania real quick if the Nats continue to stink... which they will.

At least we have Terry Crowley, right? He's a good man.

So true... enough said.

Remember the Nationals had the worst record in baseball last year and look where they are now. They may have the best young pitcher in baseball but he only plays once every 5 games, the Orioles have better young pitching overall. This season is down the tubes but lets not get caught up in this regarding the future of there two teams.

Kevin, keep up the good work on the Orioles beat this season. The fans are reading your stuff I can guarantee you. You're the only one who is documenting and explaining the sorrowful state of the team this year, and trying to hold people accountable. Angelos and MacPhail are trying to co-op the local media by stonewalling and offering vague non-answers to "where is this going?" This organization would be getting killed in New York/Boston/Philadelphia, yet they get a free pass from most local reporters. But not you, at least this season. KEEP IT UP KEVIN.

As an Oriole fan since 1954, all I can say is the team if the Cleveland Browns of baseball. Faces and names change, but the result stays the same.

SAD, SAD, SAD

They're both essentially in the same situation: they are splitting a market that's not big enough for the 2 of them to compete with the powerhouse MLB teams, and have to rely mostly on developing prospects and getting lucky with them before their free agent years. The difference is that the Nats appear to have more blue-chip prospects that are panning out (for the immediate future) while the Orioles' big prospects seem to be taking their time, and, more importantly, the Nats are in a division where they can breathe, while the Orioles are in a division where they can be nothing but cannon fodder. I don't like the situation of EITHER team, and both organizations are not run particularly well, but at least the Nats have a more forgiving division in which to find their way.

At this point, you just hold your breath and pray that Angelos doesn't eventually move the team.

OK - so the Nats sold out Tuesday night. That was expected. Then, on Wednesday, it was the same old story in DC. What did they have, about 8,000 in the stands?

Matusz better than Strasburg? WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING?!?!? The Nats are a franchise on the SERIOUS upswing all of a sudden, with Strasbug on board, Harper recently drafted, and a solid core of players in Zimm, Dunn, Willingham (all three are top 10 in NL OPS), not to mention a burgeoning stable of pitchers (Detwiler & Zimmermann are two potential front-line starters still in the minors, with Wang & Marquis on the DL but coming back eventually). The O's? What kind of a future do they have? Keep drinking that Angelos-served Kool-Aid, O's fans. Why don't you trot out Cal for another appearance, like a pathetic tired show pony? That's about all you've got going for your franchise right now.

scott...you said "Brian Matusz didnt get all the hoopla like Strasburg got and I think he is a better pitcher than Strasburg."

Did you watch Strasburg pitch the other night??? I love Matusz and I love the Os, but I would take Strasburg 10 out of 10 times over Matusz. He is a once in a generation talent.

Here's hoping we get our act together. Go Os!

Heard last night on the O's broadcast that the Orioles are like 2 - 35 when scoring less than 4 runs, and are 14 - 8 when scoring 4 or more.

Based on those statistics some of our bloggers must have been right on the button when they were pushing for a couple big bats this past winter.

So, if the O's had last year's offense and this year's pitching it would seem that the Orioles would have surpassed that .500 number in wins/losses.

Just a thought.

As a "since inception" Nats fan, I would agree with some of the posters above in saying that while Tuesday was probably one of the most exciting days to be a Nats fan in the very young history of the franchise, nobody, O's or Nats fan, should lose perspective on the reality of the situation. The Nats aren't going anywhere this year playoffs wise, which is part (the other part being about arbitration timing) of the reason they kept Stras down in the minors until June. GM Mike Rizzo was pretty candid about that and said it would be risky to take a kid who's never thrown more than about 160 innings up to 200+ in the majors when there's not a divisional title or pennant involved.

I'd also add that the Nats have done a great job under Rizzo at rebuilding a farm system that was essentially pilfered by MLB during the waning years in Montreal and under the lunacy of the Jim Bowden regime (i.e. the total implosion of the venal Dominican operation last season among other things) so expectations versus a well-established and very good O's farm system should be tempered, somewhat. Having met with and talked to Stan Kasten and having heard directly from Riggleman and Rizzo at other times, I'm really pleased with the FO and I think the Lerners finally recognize they can and should cut the big checks when Rizzo and his revamped staff say to pull the trigger. It's not perfect, but it's a lot better than it was and making improvements each season, IMHO.

But yeah, I watched the game last night and the stands were empty compared to Tuesday (I think the count was something shy of 20K or 25K, can't remember) so there's a ways to go yet before all the bandwagoners stay on the train. But for a night, it was electric and I'm still optimistic about where the Nats are headed over the long term. But it's hard for me to sit here in Baltimore as a Nats fan and categorically say this is a tale of two cities. Baltimore has a much richer tradition than DC, for certain, and hopefully that can be salvaged from the grip of mediocrity and more than a decade of mismanagement in the owner's box.

Actually 18,876 attended Wednesday's game.......

Scott,

You really think Matusz is a better pitcher than Strasburg?

I'll support the Orioles all right... On June 26th when I buy tix to see Strasburg pitch at Camden yards.

I don't deny the Orioles are sad and pathetic, but to say the Nats have fresh life is a bit misguided. The Strasburg game was amazing but the general atmosphere at Nationals games is similar to a shopping mall food court.

Their attendance at Strasburg's debut was 40,315 (and many weren't there as Nats fans but as baseball fans who wanted to see Strasburg). The next night their attendance was 18,876. Not much carry over from all the Strasburg excitement.

Hard to comprehend either city as being "baseball cities." Football rules both areas. Yet as one franchise does well, the other tanks. Cue the 60's and the demise of the Senators following the Orioles' success. What do you realistically expect when the Nats get better and the Orioles make little effort to improve?

Guess what? There's a lot of baseball cities that look as starkly different than Baltimore. It's not just DC. I remember when Baltimore was the capital of baseball, really not that long ago. It was the place you wanted to be if you were a baseball fan. It will happen again. There are great baseball fans around here.

I'm getting pretty tired of all the DC/Baltimore comparisons - it is predictable and boring. I like having two teams and two leagues to follow around here. I'm an O's fan, but love baseball. Strasburg's success and the Nats progress isn't at our expense, so just enjoy it until we have something to cheer for ourselves, hopefully sooner ratther thna later.

The plan for the Nationals does appear to be working. They are improving. They are only 1 game under 500 and while they are in 4th, they are only 5 games back from first and not 22 back like the Birds. They have young arms in the bullpen and they have been able to pick up quality free agents, something that Baltimore has not been able to. Chalk that up to the Ownership.

Brian, the figure was 18876.