September 20, 2002 [LINK]
[MLB casts doubt on D.C. baseball]
Following a brief moment of elation about suddenly improved prospects for baseball in D.C. next year after the baseball owners and players reached a settlement last month, hopes have dimmed once again. MLB officials are now casting doubt on the whole idea, offering the same old lame excuses such as lack of financial support for a new stadium from state and local governments or the supposed inadequacy of RFK Stadium as a temporary venue. According to the Washington Post, Orioles owner Peter Angelos has apparently resumed exerting behind-the-scenes pressure to protect "his" turf in D.C. If this means that the Expos have to play a SECOND year in uncertain limbo in Montreal (where attendance rarely exceeds 6,000) next year, it would constitute a crushing, unfair blow to those players' career hopes. In interviews most of them have expressed eagerness to move to Washington, where they could expect much greater fan support -- and higher salaries! It's time for fans to put pressure on Commissioner Bud Selig to live up to his statement early in the year that Washington is a "prime candidate" for franchise relocation. WE WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN!!!