September 27, 200421 yr It's coming! What's funny about all this is that after years of Angelos' complaining, he's about to get absolutly nothing. The owners are sick of him and want to sell the lameduck Expos. Yet he keeps on fighting, pushing the Puerto Rico bid over DC, No.VA and Nordolk. Watch the MLB owners point out to him that he has no legal right to block reloation.
September 27, 200421 yr the stadium would still be best somewhere in the mall area of DC. 574324[/snapback] Doubtful, though pretty.
September 28, 200421 yr Announcement might come on Thursday Washington's wait could be almost over. Exactly 33 years after the Washington Senators played their final game, the nation's capital might learn on Thursday that major league baseball plans to return next season. Several baseball officials said Monday that the most likely day for an announcement that Washington, D.C., has been selected for the future home of the Montreal Expos is Thursday, although there was a slight chance the timetable could be moved up. After a meeting of the sport's executive council last Thursday, a high-ranking baseball official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said major league baseball would attempt to finalize negotiations with Washington within a week. It would be the first franchise relocation in the major leagues since the expansion Washington Senators became the Texas Rangers after the 1971 season. The deal to move the Expos to Washington would be subject to government approval of funding for both a $13 million refurbishment of RFK Stadium and a new ballpark costing slightly over $400 million, which would be built along the Anacostia River in the southeast section of the city. A move also must be approved by three-quarters of major league owners and survive legal challenges by the Expos' former limited partners and possibly by Baltimore owner Peter Angelos, who objects to having a team just 40 miles from his. Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, went to Baltimore on Friday to negotiate a compensation arrangement with Angelos. The Orioles owner told The (Baltimore) Sun that he could be persuaded to drop his opposition if he could be assured that his team and the state of Maryland's investment in Oriole Park at Camden Yards could be protected. ``If those two goals can be accomplished, and I feel the franchise would be secure and the revenue stream is protected and the asset value is secure, it might be possible to make a deal,'' Angelos told The Sun for a story Tuesday. After an announcement, the process of selling the Expos will start. A group that includes former Rangers partner Fred Malek has been seeking a Washington franchise for five years. In addition, several baseball officials have said in the past week that Stan Kasten, former president of the Atlanta Braves, Hawks and Thrashers, might be trying to assemble a group. Kasten is close to baseball commissioner Bud Selig, which likely would be an advantage during the bidding process. ``I am studying all the situations in all of the sports right now,'' Kasten said Monday. ``I haven't committed to any group, any city or any sport.'' The original Washington Senators played 4,610 home games before becoming the Minnesota Twins after the 1960 season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The expansion Senators played 883 home games before moving to Texas. In the Senators' last game, on Sept. 30, 1971, they led the New York Yankees 7-5 with two outs in the ninth inning when fans seeking souvenirs went on the RFK Stadium field, which could not be cleared. The Yankees wound up winning the game in a forfeit. The Rangers retain ownership of the name ``Washington Senators,'' baseball spokesman Carmine Tiso said after consulting with Ethan Orlinsky, a lawyer for Major League Baseball Properties, the sport's licensing division. Montreal's last home game is scheduled for Wednesday night against Florida. Monday's series opener drew a crowd of 3,923 to Olympic Stadium. ``Now that it looks like it's going to happen, that this is going to be the end, it's a little tough for people to get up and talk about it in the positive way that they should,'' Expos manager Frank Robinson said. ``And I think that's kind of a pity, really, because it deserves that people say more about how they feel about the situation, about the possibility of losing baseball in the Montreal area. ... ``I think there were a lot more good times possibly than bad times. This is where an expansion ballclub grew into one of the best organizations in baseball, at one time, and it's sad the way it has gone over the last few years and the way it is going out, if this is the end.'' Former Expos star Tim Raines, now a manager in their minor league system, was saddened by the impending move. ``I feel for the fans, mostly, because it was a new game to them, starting in '69, and I think they really started to grasp the game,'' he said. ``And to see it taken away from them, I feel really bad because to me, this is where I grew up as a major league player. Regardless if they no longer play here, I still feel like my heart is here in Montreal.''
September 28, 200421 yr Having the Washington Senators a 3rd time is gay. I hope the franchise crashes and burns.
September 28, 200421 yr Well, this is good to know. Its sad really, the expos leaving montreal. MONTREAL -- The Expos are expecting between 20,000 and 25,000 fans to show up for the final game of the season at Olympic Stadium on Wednesday. As of Monday morning, the Expos sold 9,200 tickets, but expect a large walkup on the day of the game, according to Claude Delorme, the team's vice president of business affairs. "I will have a better feel after (Monday), but the number we are looking at is around 20,000," Delorme said on Monday afternoon. "Could we do more? I wouldn't be surprised. We could be anywhere between 20,000 to 30,000. I'm expecting that we could sell 15,000 tickets on Wednesday. According to Delorme, the Expos also understand that there might be some sentimental value to Wednesday's tickets. Realizing that it could be the last home game in Montreal history, the Expos do not plan to tear up the tickets when fans enter Olympic Stadium. In fact, there are some memorabilia buffs in the United States who are calling to purchase tickets even though they most likely will not attend the game. "(Memorabilia buffs) realize there hasn't been a team that relocated since 1971, and there are a lot of collectors of tickets. They understand that they are not going to get the tickets in time. For them, it's getting the souvenir," Delorme said. "All the people purchasing tickets (at Olympic Stadium), don't have to worry about the ticket being torn. The ticket will remain intact."
September 29, 200421 yr Without a team in DC the Orioles have failed and watched a once respectable minor league system drop to dead last in the league. The Orioles can do worse if and when they lose their DC business clients. Moving a DC helps everyone. It gives DC area fans a ballpark that they can frequent without leaving from work early. It gives Baltimore area fans cheaper seats. It gives every one in the area the chance to see best righthanded batter (Pujols), lefthanded batter (Bonds) and lefthanded pitcher (Johnson) in the game more than once every six years. It gives both teams a reason to field competitive clubs. It takes the lame duck Expos off the other owner's books. The only one who loses is a certain owner in Baltimore who'd rather sit on profits and fail to put together a winning team. Between the area's fans and and one greedy owner I'll support the fans and other 29 owners every time. No matter how many times my father took me to watch Cal Ripken, Jr. and the Orioles. Angelos doesn't care about the Orioles. He doesn't care about Baltimore (in an effort to market to DC he has removed all mention of the team's home from the stadium, ads and broadcasts). He doesn't care about his minority owners. He brought the team at bare market price from a bankruptcy auction, reaped the benefits from the stadium Maryland taxpayers built for he team while investing nothing back to the city and turning a once proud franchise into a joke. It pains me that it has to be the Montreal Expos, who have been abused by the Blue Jays, MLB, MLBPA, Brochu and Selig, but the team has been on this path for 15 years. The team is finally going to have a home that can and will support them.
September 29, 200421 yr The only one who loses is a certain owner in Baltimore who'd rather sit on profits and fail to put together a winning team. Actually, he isn't going to lose much under the plan being talked about. http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/basebal...-home-headlines Baseball, Orioles progress on deal Guarantees on revenues, resale, regional network By Ed Waldman and Jon Morgan Sun Staff Originally published September 29, 2004 As Major League Baseball apeared on the brink of announing a return to the nation's capital, six hours of negotiations Tuesday between Orioles owner Peter G. Angelos and the sport's president resulted in significant progress on protecting the club from a new rival 40 miles to the south. An announcement by baseball officials of their intention to relocate the Montreal Expos to Washington could come as early as Wednesday, said D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson, who spoke Tuesday with Mark Touhey, chairman of the Washington Sports & Entertainment Commission.
September 29, 200421 yr Local DC TV is reporting the only remaining sticking point is that Angelos wants these protections to be tied to the franchise (so he can sell for an even higher value) while MLB wants them to cease at the end of Angelos' tenure.
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