Wooden's World of Baseball

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

It's The Loudoun Hounds

In my less-than-frequent meanderings here, a common topic was the proposed team in Loudoun County for the Atlantic League. Without further ado, it's the Loudoun County Hounds.

As I semi-suspected, this development has breathed new life into the Potomac Nationals quest for a new stadium though I doubt it will result in a race to see who builds first. Suffice it to say, the folks in Loudoun have a lead and given the parsimony of Prince William County, I have my doubts that ground will be broken before the recently renewed PDC is more than halfway through.

What perhaps is more interesting is that the business interests related to the Atlantic League are angling after the lease at Harry Grove Stadium. This almost makes me wonder if they're looking for a fail-safe option if there are delays in the building of the new stadium in Loudoun County.

In any case, if there's any team that's in a position to suffer from the Loudoun team, it's the Frederick Keys, but here's my take: Not likely. The drive between Loudoun and Frederick counties is a meandering Route 15 that, like much of the area, needs to be widened and made safer but won't anytime soon. I don't see folks bypassing the Keys in favor of the Hounds whenever they have a choice.

Most likely: They'll primarily draw from Loudoun County and points east, and secondarily folks from the edges of Fairfax and Prince William Counties when the P-Nats are out of town. Of course, the elephant in the room is how the construction in Tyson's Corner will progress. Thankfully, this is not my primary team to see and root for, but it could be come 2015.