Mike Rizzo, Nationals Fighting with Own Single-A Team Over Field Conditions

If you’re one of those people who loves to watch a nice argument between a husband and wife or listen to siblings battle it out, you will love the feud that is currently ongoing within the Washington Nationals organization.  The condition of the field at Potomac, where the Nationals Single-A affiliate plays their home games, has become a hot topic of debate over the past week.  Initially, Nationals GM Mike Rizzo publicly stated that the conditions at Pfitzner Field are dangerous — an opinion shared by fans, umpires, and players alike.  Now, things have gotten ugly.

Potomac owner Art Silber did not appreciate Rizzo ripping his field in public. “He clearly doesn’t know what he was talking about,” Silber told the Washington Times. “He has no idea what has happened at our ballpark and really shouldn’t be commenting on it. The field is fine. We’re not sure why Mr. Rizzo made the comments he did, which were, really, very unfortunate. They certainly did not reflect the reality for us.”

Obviously Potomac is not being randomly targeted and something is wrong with the field.  While Silber is overreacting a bit considering everyone has complained about his field, he wasn’t even the person most offended by Rizzo’s comments.  Prince William Board of County Supervisors chairman Corey Stewart went off on Rizzo when talking to Nate Fenno of the Washington Times on Wednesday.

“Rizzo ought to focus on doing his job, which could probably use some improvement,” Stewart explained angrily. “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.”

Can’t we all just get along?  Rizzo is only voicing his opinion in an attempt to protect the young players within Washington’s organization, which is a top priority of his as GM.  One would think Silber would want a new field and be grateful he has the support of his MLB affiliate, which could make life much easier.  Maybe it’s time for mom to give the kids their own bedrooms.

H/T to Hardball Talk for all the good info.