Potomac cross works out

Potomac general manager Jay Richardson says the team's decision to affiliate with the new Washington Nationals last fall was strictly a long-term move. That doesn't mean the Carolina League club hasn't enjoyed a few immediate benefits.
For one thing, souvenir sales are way up. By mid-June, Potomac general manager Jay Richardson estimated sales had already grown 200 percent over last season. Much of the reason is the team's name change from Cannons to Nationals.

"This team has been here since 1984 and has changed Major League affiliates several times," Richardson said. The erstwhile Cannons were most recently a Cincinnati Reds affiliate in 2003 and '04. "We wanted fans to make the immediate connection that we're connected with team in DC."

Fans snapped up P-Nats merchandise as quickly as they bought Washington Nationals gear. The P-Nats sell both at the stadium gift shop, and Richardson says more than a few fans have even commented that they prefer the P-Nats' logo -- a "P" with a flowing U.S. flag - to Washington's script "W."

Richardson says he has also notices more enthusiasm at the ballpark this year. The name change seems to have worked, because fans are showing a sense of pride that wasn't there before. The players have noticed it too.

"When I'm signing autographs, I'll see a lot of Nationals fans with all their Nationals gear on," Potomac third baseman Kory Casto said. "I may have seen one or two people wearing Expos stuff here or there last year, but it was almost like a joke."

Casto spent last season at Class A Savannah. He says fans in the D.C. area are not only more enthusiastic, but also seem to better understand the game.

"I saw Brad Wilkerson on television talking about the fans and how he came up in a tight situation and they cheered at the right time," Casto said. "It's like they've been waiting for the chance to have baseball again, and they really know the game."

Potomac manager Bob Henley has no problems with his players being immersed in all things Nationals.

"We're so close to D.C., we encourage the players to go up and watch a game on their off days," says Henley. "They hear about the Nationals on the radio and see highlights not just on ESPN, but also on the local news. They can see how the team is the buzz of the city."

Henley has an interesting perspective. Not only has he managed in the organization for the past three seasons, but he was also the Expos' 26th-round pick in 1991 and made it to Montreal for 41 games in 1998.

"It feels like there's hope now because the team has moved," he said. "There's just a newness to it. For years, you always heard how the team would build a new stadium, and it never happened."

Casto says there was some uneasiness among the players in Savannah last year. He says it "was always a back-burner issue," but he found himself hoping for the move to happen last winter.

Not everything about Potomac's new affiliation has been positive. It hasn't translated into better numbers at the gate, as attendance figures this year are on pace with last season's. In fact, Richardson says the team has even lost sales to its parent club. Several companies that conducted functions at G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium last year have decided to have their outings at RFK Stadium instead.

But Richardson says that is just a short-term glitch that will soon be outweighed by the long-term benefits.

"I think there will be some good promotional opportunities with the Nationals down the road," he says. "There's the possibility of playing one of our games up there as a Major League/Minor League doubleheader. We could also have our players available to sign autographs at the stadium up there."

The overall goal is building ties to the big-league club. The more fans in the D.C. area who understand that tomorrow's Nationals are playing in Potomac today, the more interest they'll have in seeing a game there. It's starting to happen already, even if attendance figures aren't showing it.

"Our fan interest has been outstanding," Richardson said. "I think the people here are understanding that they can come to our games and watch guys they'll see a year or two down road on television playing for the Nationals. Having us right here helps them better understand how professional baseball and the Minor League system work."

Source: http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/