Baltimore rallies behind Washington’s Capitals despite historic distaste for D.C. teams

Baltimore — Della Rose’s Tavern in Canton is decorated with emblems of Baltimore’s sports passions: signed Johnny Unitas and Brooks Robinson jerseys, photos of Ray Lewis, Alan Ameche and Memorial Stadium . . . and a Washington Capitals bubble hockey game. About a mile away, a chalkboard sign outside the Hudson Street Stackhouse urges fans to “Rock the Red,” while inside a Capitals jersey hangs behind the bar. At Crazy Lil’s in Federal Hill, a Capitals flag flies above the door, and goals are celebrated with the team’s newest victory anthem — DJ Pauly D’s “Beat That Beat.”

That bars would attempt to capitalize on the region’s most successful winter team is no surprise: D.C. area restaurants have done the same in recent years, with drink specials, food giveaways and speakers blaring hockey play-by-play. But that famously provincial Baltimore would rally behind a team whose uniforms read “Washington” is, if nothing else, a marked change from the recent past.

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“We’re all pretty much Baltimore fans through and through, except obviously for the Caps,” said Marc Yosua, a manager at Crazy Lil’s, whose tavern became a hockey gathering place after an employee bought season tickets three years ago.

“A lot of the other Washington teams, we have bad feelings about, but we have no bad feelings about the Capitals,” said Jason Reid, a 36-year old Baltimore native whose bedroom walls are adorned with four Ravens jerseys and one Capitals jersey.

“Baltimore’s had the Baltimore-Washington thing forever, and I’m the embodiment of that,” said Nestor Aparicio, the owner and chief executive of Baltimore’s WNST.net. “I hate the Redskins. I’ve always hated the Redskins. But I think there comes a realization for people here that if you want hockey, that’s gonna be where it is.”

And just as the Capitals have enlivened the Washington hockey market with their recent run of success, Baltimore is now paying attention to an unprecedented degree. Television ratings for Comcast SportsNet’s Capitals broadcasts in the Baltimore market have increased by 51 percent over last season and by 125 percent over two years. Since January, CSN’s Capitals broadcasts are earning a 1.08 rating in the Baltimore market — higher than they rated in the Washington market two years ago.

NBC’s New Year’s Day broadcast of the Capitals’ showdown with the Pittsburgh Penguins earned a 6.6 rating in Baltimore, behind only Pittsburgh and Washington among major markets. Capitals broadcasts now out-rate Wizards broadcasts in Baltimore, likely for the first time in franchise history, and the team estimates that at least 10 percent of full-plan season ticket holders come from the Baltimore market.

“I see a lot of Capitals jerseys around Baltimore, a lot of Capitals paraphernalia, and that has surprised me more than anything,” said Jerry Coleman, the sports director at WVIE (1370 AM), which now broadcasts about 20 regular season Capitals games and every playoff game. “The atmosphere, the environment, the interest has risen from where it was. I think it’s important for them to try to capture this market; they’d be foolish not to.”