Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chair Corey Stewart is best known for his war on people who look different than him undocumented immigrants. But he's making a bid to be known for something new: Guy who says crazy stuff to defend his campaign donor!
The Nats were recently forced to cancel a doubleheader at Pfitzner Stadium due to lousy field conditions after storms damaged newly-installed grass:
“The Washington Nationals would never consider asking our players, or those of our opponents, to play on a field that we believe represents a safety threat,” Rizzo said. “The Nationals have repeatedly requested that dangerous field conditions be addressed under the supervision of Major League Baseball.
“Recent unsupervised work has resulted in a field that is even more dangerous. We regret any inconvenience this may cause to fans of the Potomac Nationals, but we know they join us in wanting only the best for our players.”
But wait! Potomac Nationals owner Art Silber has donated $12,500 to Corey Stewart personally & has channeled $25,000 to Stewart through the team, oddly making the team Stewart's 2nd-largest donor. So Stewart, his voice reportedly "shaking" with anger, personally attacked Rizzo:
Rizzo ought to focus on doing his job, which could probably use some improvement. He’s talking out of his rear end. He doesn’t know what’s happening because he didn’t bother to check. Frankly, he’s not a good manager. He’s received a lot of criticism for his performance for the job he should be doing. He should stick to the job he’s supposed to do instead of getting involved in something he doesn’t know about.
How off-base was Stewart's attack?
- The field's in terrible shape. Just take a look at this picture. It wasn't just the Nats who thought so – the opposing manager & umpires agreed the games should be called off.
- Rizzo did check. Five front office employees were in attendance when the games were canceled.
- The Nats are having their best season in years, and Rizzo deserves the credit. He's drafted Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper & Drew Storen. He stole Wilson Ramos from the Twins. And while I was no fan of the terrible Jayson Werth signing, Rizzo looks smart for not resigning Adam Dunn, who's aging faster than the guy who drank from the wrong grail in Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade.
But hey, what has Mike Rizzo ever done for Corey Stewart? Silber's done plenty – and in February, Stewart backed him up by supporting a resolution (PDF) to spend $70,000 in taxpayer funds to help Silber renovate the stadium.
"[W]here are the Tea Baggers on this sweet deal to waste county money on a brand new stadium for the Nats' farm team," asked Bruce Roemmelt yesterday. "This project is darker than a CIA rendition plane ride. Stewart thinks he's in control. I think he's in trouble."
Prince William County residents may be rightfully wondering if it's time to send Stewart back to the minors and call up Dr. Babur Lateef as the next board chair.
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