By Dave Hughes, DCRTV.com

Baltimore is Ravens and Orioles country. And Washington is Redskins and Nationals country. There’s no doubt about that.

But, apart from professional football and baseball, Baltimore fans have to look to Washington for de facto hometown basketball and hockey teams -- the Wizards and Capitals.

Baltimore fans take pride in their city’s teams. But they will root for a Washington sports team -- if the team is good and there’s no Baltimore alternative.

“Yes, there is some hesitance for Baltimore fans to root for a Washington team,” said Ed Frankovic, who pens a hockey blog for WNST.net and once worked for the Capitals. “But there’s been a good relationship between [Baltimore fans] and the Caps.”

Jim Williams, who covers Baltimore sports media for the Examiner, added: “Baltimore looks at the Wizards and Caps the same way D.C. used to look at the Orioles, before the Nationals came to town.”

Williams pointed out the TV ratings for the Wizards and Capitals have increased substantially in the Baltimore market during the past three years.

While the Capitals’ regular season games aren’t carried on radio in Baltimore, their games are all over Comcast SportsNet. And they are carried on D.C.’s WFED, with its powerful 1500 AM signal that covers Baltimore quite well.

Baltimore’s sports talk WVIE Fox 1370 did carry the Caps’ playoff games last season, and did well with them.

“The Caps came to us,” said Jerry Coleman, who hosts the afternoon drive show on the sports talk station, sister to political talker WCBM. “The team knows it has a substantial fan base in the Baltimore market and it wanted to make the games available.”

Many say Baltimore is still a basketball town, even some three decades after losing the beloved Baltimore Bullets to Washington. The Wizards, also on CSN, do have a Baltimore radio affiliate via Fox 1370. Coleman said the Wizards approached Fox 1370 last year when the station launched.

“Baltimore has always been a great basketball town,” said Williams.

But, as Williams pointed out, the corporate backing needed to land the Ravens a few years ago, along with the strong backing for the Orioles, leaves little left to attract a basketball or hockey team.

Washington has a bigger corporate pool, allowing the market to have professional football and baseball, plus basketball and hockey.

Plus, there are five National Hockey League teams within a four-hour drive from Baltimore -- Washington, Philadelphia, and three in the New York area. Hockey in Baltimore? It just isn't going to happen.

But, despite not having professional teams, Baltimore sports fans still love their basketball and hockey. And both Baltimore and Washington have showed some of the top TV ratings markets for both sports.

During the Caps’ playoff run last season, 15,000-22,000 Baltimore-area households were watching the games on CSN. On some nights, the numbers eclipsed Orioles games.

Frankovic said the winning Capitals saw “unprecedented interest” last season in the Baltimore market, with a 2.2 average household rating during the Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He said the Caps have “made an effort” to get a presence in Baltimore. “They’ve been reaching out to Baltimore.”

Coleman said he keeps in close contact with the Capitals’ organization, and there’s a “good chance” Fox 1370 will again carry the playoffs next spring.

While he has received no negative feedback from Baltimore fans about carrying the Caps and Wizards, Coleman says he’s certain many would be screaming bloody murder if Fox 1370 started carrying the Redskins, clearly branded an “out of town” rival team.

“We would never, ever pick up the Redskins,” said Coleman. “That’s the number one way to alienate your fan base.”

Dallas and Forth Worth are about 35 miles apart, but they’re considered one media market and share teams. While Baltimore and Washington are also about 35 miles apart, they’re considered separate media markets and have their own teams and fan bases. But, there’s clearly a marriage of convenience when it comes to hockey and basketball.

Issue 143: November 2009