Expos' Move to D.C. on Verge of Collapse

AP ^ | Dec 15, 2004 | RONALD BLUM

[goldstategop]

DC may be a cesspool but they made the right decision. If the Expos want to move there, they should raise the funds to build and maintain a stadium. The taxpayers should not be on the hook, period. I applaud the DC City Council for turning down another recipient of corporate welfare.

[wagglebee]

The Expos have been living on welfare for decades, MLB should have just disbanded the team. It's impossible to raise the money, because the Expos are still owned by the rest of the teams. I live in Virginia Beach and a lot of people here were very relieved when Norfolk "lost" to DC.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.


But,

...wasn't RFK Stadium good enough for the last Washington, D.C. Major League Baseball Team..?

Thought so.

.

[Willie Green]

In 2003 and 2004, some of the team's home games were moved to Puerto Rico to raise revenue.

I think Dubya should use his influence with MLB to award the franchise to Puerto Rico permanently.

[goldstategop]

Why didn't they stay in Canada? The socialism was not good enough for them in Montreal?

[Salgak]

For ONCE, the DC council actually did something smart: they actually came out against welfare.

I would have LOVED to hear the DC Council tell them:

"You don't like the deal ? Fine. Play elsewehere, because Dc **owns** RFK, and if you want to play there, it's 10 million a game, for an entire season, and cash in advance, please. . ."

[aroostook war]

I want to know why they won't be the Senators. Doesn't tradition mean anything? It's kind of a slap in the face at all those great, old Senator teams of yesteryear.
Oh wait.
Nevermind.

[auntdot]

Don't believe this deal is dead, although I wish it were.

There is a lot of money involved here.

And where there is a lot of money there are often "solutions".

Would not be at all surprised if the members of the DC Council can be "talked" into realizing the benefits of MLB to the DC area.

After all these Council persons are "reasonable" people who want the best for DC.

That is what makes it such a wonderful, crime free, place to live.

[konaice]

"You don't like the deal ? Fine. Play elsewehere, because Dc **owns** RFK, and if you want to play there, it's 10 million a game, for an entire season, and cash in advance, please. . ."

Who do you know can afford to pay $285 per seat? Certainly not the wellfare queens in DC.

The stadium probably can't seat more than 50k, so estimating 35 thousand attendance per game (Highly unlikely), you could never recover 10 million per game.

[konaice]

Oh, and I forgot to ask how much money RFK stadium makes in the ABSENCE of Baseball?

I'm not saying DC should build the stadium mind you.

Some towns have really gotten burned on that approach.
Others, Like Seattle got a great deal, being paid back
on time, and drawing way more in tax revenues than ever
expected. It was thought that King County would eat a
great deal of this debt, but it never happened.

[goldstategop]

It depends on what's in it to safeguard the taxpayers from the possibility the baseball team may not make back the public investment. If the team would help the city - perhaps an upgrade of roads and city owned facilities might be called for. But it shouldn't be a sweetheart deal in which the taxpayers are left holding the bag if it goes south.

[Vigilanteman]

Rename the team the North American Gypsies. Let them do a homestand at RFK Stadium, then move to Puerto Rico, Portland, Las Vegas and anywhere else that'll have them. The city that produces the best attendance or revenue in 2005 gets to keep the team in 2006.

[steve-b]

We had a deal.

I have altered the deal. Pray that I do not alter it any further.

[aroostook war]

Maybe a 21st century House of David?

[staytrue]

I wonder how much money peter angelos (baltimore orioles owner) paid the council to do this.

[B-Chan]

Dear Washington D.C.:

You can always take the Rangers back.

Please.

Sincerely,

B-Chan
(Disappointed 1972-2005)

[eddiebear]

It's Bush's fault

[Will_Zurmacht]

Tijuana Toro's,

Think about it, A Mexican baseball team in the Big Leagues, You'd be selling merchandise hand over fist, a direct pipeleine into Latin Talent, just south of San Diego,Amigo

Univision or Telemundo contracts.....

Sheer Genius, If I could only get my hands on a few investors........

[dangus]

I trhink it'd be great for the DC area to have a baseball team, and I think the market is easily the best market for a team in the country, at least at the present (Las Vegas is tiny but growing fast!). The market is twice the size of Portland, and growing at an above-average rate. The notion of a team going to the third world (San Juan or Monterrey) is a sick joke designed to get DC Mayor Anthony Williams nervous.

BUT come on, this was a terrible deal. That DC would have to pay 100% to bring a growing, wealthy, top 10 market is nuts. And then they don't even get to use the stadium? The Nationals would have exclusive rights to a stadium they got for free! Any other event money would go to the Nationals, not to DC!

One way or another, baseball is staying is headed to the DC area for the next three years. If they don't strike a deal, by the time the three years are up, the team will have lost more than its entire value. No one will go to see a team that is leaving in just three years. No one. If it ain't DC, then it's Virginia, and Virginia ain't shelling out a dime.

Anthony Williams may be politically moderate by DC standards, but the man is dummer than mayonnaise.