November 2, 2006 [LINK / comment]
Mike Zurawski has been following the intrigues in South Florida concerning a new baseball stadium for the Marlins, and thinks the city of Hileah "is being used" by MLB officials who seem intent on getting a deal for a downtown Miami ballpark, taking advantage of the construction boom there before it's too late. MLB President Bob DuPuy visited with several officials in Miami recently, and says he will devote much more of his attention to this matter during the next two months. See sun-sentinel.com.I can hardly imagine all the sneaky deals being worked out between developers and the city of Miami. Oddly, though, fieldofschemes.com has been silent on this matter since August. 
Also, it is rumored that MLB officials are going to put pressure on Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria to sell a 51 percent stake in the franchise so that they will have a big enough capital base to build a first-class team. As if two World Series wins was not enough!
I see from the D.C. stadium construction Webcam that the concrete work on the main concourse level has been completed all along the south and southeast sides, and the steel girders for the second deck are being installed.
Washington Nationals pitcher Ramon Ortiz has filed for free agency. He signed a one-year contract last December, and went 11-16 this year, with a 5.57 ERA. And he was their best starter! He says he loves Washington and wants to come back. See MLB.com