That's going to pale in comparison to the number that MASN will announce for the Nats on MOJO last night. I think that will be a 6 - as in 6 people.

The Nats have people on K and L Streets today BEGGING to GIVE AWAY tickets.

"Baseball Town"

As a United supporter, Cheers to the Caps and G'Luck to the Wizards tonight - but the Nationals can dig up their stadium and fly Portland or Vegas or the Moon for all I care.

It isn't just the winning. It is the winning with a guy as great and dynamic as Ovechkin and a bunch of other young guys. They are going to be good for a long time.

Dan,

You mention that the Caps ratings will dwarf the Wizards ratings tomorrow night? Are there any quantifiable figures on that? Does anyone have ratings comparisons from when the two teams went head-to-head on TV on Saturday and Monday?

Fingerman: The Caps ratings will dwarf the Wiz because the Wiz have plateued while the Caps are a new fresh story. The Wiz are about to lose in the 1st rd for the 3rd straight year. If the Caps lose in the 1st rd two more years people will stop caring until they get farther. Now the Caps in a Cup final VS the Wiz in an NBA final? I think the Wiz would get higher ratings. Probably by a lot.

"It isn't just the winning. It is the winning with a guy as great and dynamic as Ovechkin and a bunch of other young guys. They are going to be good for a long time."

It should be fun. They are "potentially" going to be good for a long time. I've been a Caps fan too long to consider them anything more than year to year.

Eric--Yes, you're right, the Caps are now the hot new thing. But it's still remarkable how a sport that many in the media ignored and had no fans a few months ago is all of a sudden setting rating records.

5 years ago, when they faced the Lightning in the playoffs, they were about 3000 short of a sellout, despite having a 2-0 lead in the playoffs with players like Jagr and Robert Lang. I'd really like to know what the key difference was that got so many people to come out and/or watch this time around? Was it a the signing of Ovechkin or the "Rock the Red" Campaign?

5 years ago, the Caps didn't have a 5 year gap between playoff appearances. They didn't have an incredible stretch run to make the playoffs. They didn't have the best player in hockey on their team.

The Rock the Red campaign, while a good idea, had no impact on the team's surge in popularity. The fact that all three of the factors I mentioned above were in place at the same time did.

The TV numbers and the overall buzz around town tell me that, at this point, United is behind the Caps in popularity. It's funny that during the middle of the season, they're both essentially the same; both have small but intense diehard followings, coupled with a casual following that's very strong in MLS but rather weak for the NHL (numbers seem to be about the same). In fact, a United game in July or August is more boisterous than any Caps game I've been to outside of the last month of the regular season/playoffs.

However, when the playoffs roll around, the casual fans who could name fewer than 5 players from either team suddenly care about the Caps. United gets a boost as well (judging from the number of people showing up for a playoff game on the loud side of RFK who don't understand that sitting is not an option), but it's not the same in the media or on the streets. I wish we could get that same attention boost, but it's just not at the same level yet.

However, it could be a question of repeated success. DC has only missed the playoffs 3 times of 12 and has won MLS Cup 4 times out of 12. There is a certain sense of expectation rather than anticipation. United hasn't really had the stretch run to ramp up enthusiasm; rather, the past few seasons, it's been brilliance through the middle of the year followed by fizzling out and heading into the playoffs on the down slope. That's no way to build buzz, if this Caps season has taught us anything. I'm not saying it's the only reason (for example, the Caps have the best player in the world; soccer's best player makes more than the entire United roster), just that it's one.

3 games of more than 30,000 for the Nationals.

And it only took people until the 3rd inning to show up and the 7th to leave!

I'm a local sports fan. I like the Caps, the Wizards, and United. I even try to hold back laughter when somebody mentions the Nationals. Although I wouldn't ask my worst enemy to, I've been to games and have watched most of the games on television. I'm tired of the fans competing though. There is a lot of crossover with fans and all of the teams are representing the same region. It would be different if United and the Caps were in the same sport competing for the same fans in one region. Even Nats and Os ratings comparisons may even be relevant... Past regular season ratings have suggested Wizards > United > Capitals. Although post season this year could be Caps>DCU>Wiz it is more likely to be Caps>Wiz>DCU. I'm happy for the renewed interest in the Caps and hope it continues next season. I hate feeling awkward when I stand in excitement at the Phonebooth. Regardless, I'm watching all of the teams. Part of me is glad there won't be any more conflicts with Caps games for the Wiz or United.

Well, is the Post going to have more than one person cover the Caps all season long, or just take other writers off of other writing assignments to cover the Caps?

Paying AP for their write-ups don't count. The community has to be invested into the team for it to grow, and that includes the press. Having one person cover the team doesn't cut it.

But then again, the Post could just do what they did this year, and just bandwagon on the team which makes the whole town look bad.

Having Wise make those stupid videos and articles just made us look so much worse. If the town supports the team, then cover the team, Post. The whole season. Embrace the team. The whole season.

You guys do all sorts of stuff for the Nationals and Redskins. Do some more and go the extra mile with the Caps. Part of the reason why casual fans are clueless about hockey is because they don't know enough about it. But when they do, they're hooked.

The Caps have done their job with increasing season ticket sales and getting people there with their marketing efforts. The Post just neglects them all season long like a red-headed stepkid until they make the playoffs. The Stanley Cup is the oldest trophy around in professional sports passed from team to team, and they have the NHL scores next to the College Scores and Womens's Basketball.

Step it up, Post. The whole season. Not just during playoffs.

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