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Baseball back in DC
Marky
Posts: 17
in Sports Talk
What do you think?
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WASHINGTON -- Baseball is returning to the nation's capital for the first time in 33 years, in the form of the Montreal Expos.
Major League Baseball announced Wednesday the team is moving to Washington to begin play at RFK Stadium in the 2005 season.
"After 30 years of waiting and waiting and waiting and lots of hard work and more than a few prayers, there will be baseball in Washington in 2005!" Mayor Anthony Williams, donning a Washington Senators cap, told a jubilant news conference at the City Museum.
The announcement came one day before the 33rd anniversary of the Washington Senators' final game. The team moved to Texas after the 1971 season, which was also the last time a major league team moved.
"It's a day when the sun is setting in Montreal, but it's rising in Washington," Expos president Tony Tavares told a news conference at Olympic Stadium in Montreal.
Relocation of the Expos is subject to certain contingencies, including a vote by team owners in November and passage of legislation by the District of Columbia Council to build a ballpark on the Anacostia River waterfront in southeast Washington, baseball said.
"There has been tremendous growth in the Washington, D.C., area over the last 33 years, and we in Major League Baseball believe that baseball will be welcomed there and will be a great success," commissioner Bud Selig said.
The first home game will be April 15 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to the draft 2005 schedule that has been circulated to major league teams. The team opens the season April 4 at Philadelphia, according to the schedule.
Eager fans arrived early for the announcement in Washington. A petition was being circulated to name the team the "Washington Grays" in tribute to the Homestead Grays, a Negro League team that played in Washington in the 1930s and 1940s.
Baseball has been looking for a new home for the Expos since the financially troubled team was bought by the other 29 major league owners in 2002.
Las Vegas; Norfolk, Va.; Monterrey, Mexico; Portland, Ore.; and Northern Virginia also made bids, but Washington clearly took the lead during negotiations over recent weeks, strengthened by its wealthy population base and a financial package that would build a new stadium primarily with taxpayers' money.
A crucial hurdle was cleared this week when, according to the city official, baseball reached an understanding with Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos, who had previously objected to having a team move just 40 miles from the Orioles' Camden Yards stadium.
"It can work in all regards," said former Senators and Orioles player Fred Valentine. "It's going to benefit fans in Baltimore and Washington. People that want to see National League ball can come here, and fans that want to see American League baseball can go to Baltimore. If they have good teams on both fields, they're both going to get their support."
With the announcement made, the process of selling the Expos starts. 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.
Plans call for a $440 million package that would include the new ballpark along the Anacostia about a dozen blocks south of the U.S. Capitol. The package also includes a $13 million refurbishment of RFK, the team's temporary home. The money will come from a new tax on the city's largest businesses, a tax on baseball-related income and lease payments by the team's new owners.
Anticipating critics from those who say city funds shouldn't be used for baseball, Mayor Williams went on the offensive to promote the team's economic benefits.
"It's the team owners, business owners, the stadium users who are paying for this -- and not one dime of a D.C. resident is covering this important investment in our city," Williams said.
Washington needed confirmation from baseball this week because the ballpark legislation has to be introduced in the City Council by Friday in order for it to be passed by Dec. 31, when terms expire for several pro-baseball council members.
Even now, some members of the council think the deal might not pass because it is perceived as too generous to baseball in a city that struggles to fund adequate schools and city services.
"I think everybody is excited about baseball coming to the District," Councilman Adrian Fenty said. "Very few District residents are excited about a full subsidy to pay for this stadium. ... At the end of the day, you're not going to have seven council members support it."
The original Senators played in Washington from 1901-60 before moving to Minnesota to become the Twins. The expansion Senators called Washington home from 1961-71 before moving to Texas and becoming the Rangers.
Montreal's last home game was Wednesday night against Florida, the 2,786th for the Expos in the city, according the Elias Sports Bureau. That includes 641 at Jarry Park, where the team started play in 1969, and 2,145 at Olympic Stadium, where the Expos moved to in 1977.
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
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WASHINGTON -- Baseball is returning to the nation's capital for the first time in 33 years, in the form of the Montreal Expos.
Major League Baseball announced Wednesday the team is moving to Washington to begin play at RFK Stadium in the 2005 season.
"After 30 years of waiting and waiting and waiting and lots of hard work and more than a few prayers, there will be baseball in Washington in 2005!" Mayor Anthony Williams, donning a Washington Senators cap, told a jubilant news conference at the City Museum.
The announcement came one day before the 33rd anniversary of the Washington Senators' final game. The team moved to Texas after the 1971 season, which was also the last time a major league team moved.
"It's a day when the sun is setting in Montreal, but it's rising in Washington," Expos president Tony Tavares told a news conference at Olympic Stadium in Montreal.
Relocation of the Expos is subject to certain contingencies, including a vote by team owners in November and passage of legislation by the District of Columbia Council to build a ballpark on the Anacostia River waterfront in southeast Washington, baseball said.
"There has been tremendous growth in the Washington, D.C., area over the last 33 years, and we in Major League Baseball believe that baseball will be welcomed there and will be a great success," commissioner Bud Selig said.
The first home game will be April 15 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to the draft 2005 schedule that has been circulated to major league teams. The team opens the season April 4 at Philadelphia, according to the schedule.
Eager fans arrived early for the announcement in Washington. A petition was being circulated to name the team the "Washington Grays" in tribute to the Homestead Grays, a Negro League team that played in Washington in the 1930s and 1940s.
Baseball has been looking for a new home for the Expos since the financially troubled team was bought by the other 29 major league owners in 2002.
Las Vegas; Norfolk, Va.; Monterrey, Mexico; Portland, Ore.; and Northern Virginia also made bids, but Washington clearly took the lead during negotiations over recent weeks, strengthened by its wealthy population base and a financial package that would build a new stadium primarily with taxpayers' money.
A crucial hurdle was cleared this week when, according to the city official, baseball reached an understanding with Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos, who had previously objected to having a team move just 40 miles from the Orioles' Camden Yards stadium.
"It can work in all regards," said former Senators and Orioles player Fred Valentine. "It's going to benefit fans in Baltimore and Washington. People that want to see National League ball can come here, and fans that want to see American League baseball can go to Baltimore. If they have good teams on both fields, they're both going to get their support."
With the announcement made, the process of selling the Expos starts. 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.
Plans call for a $440 million package that would include the new ballpark along the Anacostia about a dozen blocks south of the U.S. Capitol. The package also includes a $13 million refurbishment of RFK, the team's temporary home. The money will come from a new tax on the city's largest businesses, a tax on baseball-related income and lease payments by the team's new owners.
Anticipating critics from those who say city funds shouldn't be used for baseball, Mayor Williams went on the offensive to promote the team's economic benefits.
"It's the team owners, business owners, the stadium users who are paying for this -- and not one dime of a D.C. resident is covering this important investment in our city," Williams said.
Washington needed confirmation from baseball this week because the ballpark legislation has to be introduced in the City Council by Friday in order for it to be passed by Dec. 31, when terms expire for several pro-baseball council members.
Even now, some members of the council think the deal might not pass because it is perceived as too generous to baseball in a city that struggles to fund adequate schools and city services.
"I think everybody is excited about baseball coming to the District," Councilman Adrian Fenty said. "Very few District residents are excited about a full subsidy to pay for this stadium. ... At the end of the day, you're not going to have seven council members support it."
The original Senators played in Washington from 1901-60 before moving to Minnesota to become the Twins. The expansion Senators called Washington home from 1961-71 before moving to Texas and becoming the Rangers.
Montreal's last home game was Wednesday night against Florida, the 2,786th for the Expos in the city, according the Elias Sports Bureau. That includes 641 at Jarry Park, where the team started play in 1969, and 2,145 at Olympic Stadium, where the Expos moved to in 1977.
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
just another shot in the dark, but....
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Comments
Anyhow, back to topic, glad to see it happen and would certainly try to make one treck per year to see a game. Regards.
Unfocused, impulsive collector of everything ...
However, the team is still owned by MLB, and it seems odd that they haven't auctioned the team yet.
Dan Patrick had a good choice for the name, calling them the 'Greys'. I hope they don't bring back 'Senators'.
Unfocused, impulsive collector of everything ...