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Monday, February 13, 2023

Washington Nationals owner Ted Lerner dies at 97

Ted Lerner, the billionaire real estate developer whose family bought the Washington Nationals in 2006, has died, the team announced Monday. He was 97.

A Nationals spokesperson said Lerner died Sunday of complications from pneumonia at his home in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Lerner’s group purchased the Nationals from Major League Baseball in 2006 for $450 million after the team was moved to the U.S. capital from Montreal. He was managing principal owner until ceding that role to son Mark in 2018.

Under the Lerners’ ownership, the Nationals went from one of baseball’s worst teams in their first several seasons in Washington to World Series champions in 2019. The Lerners also are credited with revitalizing the city’s Navy Yard area since Nationals Park opened in 2008.

RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: February 13, 2023 at 12:25 PM | 9 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: nationals, ted lerner

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1. ERROR---Jolly Old St. Nick

Posted: February 13, 2023 at 12:38 PM (#6116880)

Jeez, I knew that Lerner was old, but not that old. RIP to the owner who brought Washington its first pennant since the year he turned 8, and its first World Series win in 95 years.

2. The Yankee Clapper Posted: February 14, 2023 at 01:47 PM (#6117098)

I came to Washington, DC in its first season without the Senators. I always thought the locals deserved a team, although my allegiance was going to remain with the NYY. It was a very long process, with many false starts and dashed hopes, but it was eventually done, and the Lerners deserve some credit for that, and the World Series Championship they brought to town. They deserve some criticism, too, for not retaining some premier players, but this isn’t the time to dwell on that.

With the Nationals in the National League, it was fairly easy to develop a secondary allegiance for the local team, so I wish them well. The team is for sale, and there is no guarantee that the next owners will do as well as the Lerners. MLB (and Washington!) have had worse.

3. Bourbon Samurai stays in the fight Posted: February 14, 2023 at 03:26 PM (#6117113)

Nats fans love to ##### about the Lerners, but I am fairly skeptical the grass will be greener

4. McCoy Posted: February 14, 2023 at 03:36 PM (#6117115)

Revitalizing Navy Yard. Lol. The taxpayers did that

5. jingoist Posted: February 15, 2023 at 12:12 PM (#6117221)

The taxpayers in fact did that, but it would never have occurred with the speed and level of money invested had not Ted Lerner bought the team and pushed for a DC location to host games.

6. McCoy Posted: February 15, 2023 at 02:06 PM (#6117239)

DC took off on its own. Pretty much every single Metro stop within DC got revitalized and there isn't a Ted Lerner at every stop.

7. The Yankee Clapper Posted: February 15, 2023 at 03:04 PM (#6117247)

The Navy Yard METRO station opened in 1991, but the area didn’t take off until Nationals Park opened in 2008, and even then development was slowed by the recession that roughly coincided with the opening. Development near the stadium is pretty much complete now with lots of apartments, condos, offices, hotels & restaurants. The Navy moving a significant number of employees from Crystal City to the Navy Yard at about the same time probably helped a bit, too.

8. McCoy Posted: February 15, 2023 at 08:09 PM (#6117305)

DC didn't start gentrifying until the 21sr century and around 2005 to 2015. Again, almost every Metro stop in DC saw a renaissance if not all of them during this timeframe.

9. McCoy Posted: February 15, 2023 at 08:14 PM (#6117306)

I lived next to the NoMa stop. They put it in around 2004. There was largely nothing around there when they put the stop. 15 years later the area has been fully developed. Hotels, offices, apartments, restaurants galore. No stadium though they did convert an old arena into a mixed use space.

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Monday, February 13, 2023

Washington Nationals owner Ted Lerner dies at 97

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