Washington Nationals Strike Out On Strasburg Scratch – CNBC
Darren Rovell argues that the Washington Nationals should have try to appease fans excited to see Stephen Strasburg pitch, but couldn’t after the rookie was a late scratch.

NUTS!

Apparently, Rovell is not familiar with the concept of “you buy your ticket, you take your chances.” He concedes that the Nats did not have to legally do anything and that there were sufficient disclaimers, but goes on to quote sports marketing executives who would have given food vouchers, t-shirts at future games, etc. to help people be less disappointed.

Give me a break!

There are several reasons that setting such a precedent is incorrect.

• It makes Strasburg bigger than the team which nobody within the organization, including Strasburg, wants. How do you think the other 24 guys in the dugout would feel?
• That’s babying the fans now isn’t it? If fans think they are entitled to some coupons or tchotkes everytime somebody doesn’t play or things go wrong, they are going to be furious the next time they don’t get something; maybe they won’t come back.
• Where would you draw the line? I sat through my share of Ramon Ortiz, Tony Armas, Jr., Matt Chico and John Halama starts over the years and I think that deserves a t-shirt more than emergency starter Miguel Batista and 3 relievers shutting out the first place Atlanta Braves!
• Do you think the Nats want a fanbase that only cares about one player? Just ask the Baltimore Orioles about the sustainability of that business model — they kind of miss Cal Ripken a little bit, don’t they?

The Nats don’t have a great record with their fans, but going through with the ideas in the article is more likely to blow up in the face long-term.

I am sympathetic to people who made a special trip, won’t get another chance to get to another Strasburg start, etc. That happened to me at a Washington Capitals game with my brother and father when Alex Ovechkin got hurt, but we did not expect any form of compensation — we understood the risk and still had a good time, even though the Caps lost. Life doesn’t always go according to plan and if Strasburg getting scratched 10 minutes before a start is as bad as it gets, you are doing better than me.

Rovell, a sports business columnist for CNBC, should know better.