Beyond the standings and the box scores, there's a brawl brewing in the back offices of our two major league baseball teams. It will pit Washington Nationals owner Ted Lerner against Baltimore Orioles boss Peter Angelos.

We, the fans, will be the winners.

Worthy opponents, these two magnates. Let's do the tale of the tape:

Angelos, 78, is a Pittsburgh native. He made his name and his fortune in Baltimore as a litigator. Much of his success and wealth came from representing workers who claimed to have suffered from exposure to asbestos.

This story continues below
Advertisement

In 1993 he bought the Orioles from Eli Jacobs, for $173 million.

Since then, the beloved franchise has been on a steady path to the cellar of the American League East. Its last winning season was 1997. Cal Ripken Jr., once the main attraction, is a retired, balding presence in television advertisements and an occasional good will ambassador to buff up the U.S. image. He is mentioned as a possible buyer for the Birds.

Last year Orioles' fans staged a protest at Camden Yards with signs that read "Free The Birds." From Angelos.

Ted Lerner, 81, is a native of Washington, D.C. Also a lawyer, he practiced for a short time before entering the real estate business. He made his fortune buying empty tracts of land and building malls and offices and small cities, in places like Tysons Corner and Dulles Town Center.

Last year Lerner bought the Nationals from Major League Baseball for $450 million. His record as a team owner is too short to critique.

Both men share a mistrust of the media, prefer to operate in private and avoid the limelight. But there will be no avoiding a clash of these local titans.

Angelos fought a major league team in Washington to the bitter end. He believed a team 35 miles down the road would cut into his fan base. MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, Angelos' friend, said he had no choice. But Selig paid off Angelos by giving him control over the Mid Atlantic Sports Network, with the rights to broadcast both Orioles and Nationals games.

Which brings me to Stan Kasten, Nationals' team president. Kasten split a gut two Saturdays ago when the first innings of the Nationals game against the St. Louis Cardinals never made air time. Kasten was quoted as being "damn tired" at his lack of control over the airwaves. That's mild. The TV deal is burning up Lerner and Kasten.

Peter Angelos has only himself to blame for the disappointing club he has fielded and its declining attendance, yet he will whine about the Nationals drawing fans, especially next year when the new stadium opens on the Anacostia River.

Even with a paltry salary base and a team that had been homeless, Lerner -- and Kasten -- have fielded a decent, dare I say exciting, squad that might end the season with a better record than the Orioles.

Round one is going to Lerner -- and the fans who get better stadiums and better games when owners collide.

hjaffe@washingtonian.com