July 10, 2004 [LINK]
End game negotiations in D.C.?
A group of officials from MLB's Relocation Committee, including White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, just held meetings with interested baseball parties from D.C. and Virginia. According to the Washington Post, written commitments were submitted, suggesting that a final decision on the Expos' fate may be near, but President Robert A. DuPuy said none of the six prospective new home cities have been ruled out yet. Things do seem to be coming to a head, but I'm almost afraid to get my hopes up once again... 
Sentiment from those folks who send me e-mail is running in favor of a home in D.C. rather than in the wilds of suburban Northern Virginia. I'm inclined to agree, but ONLY if the new stadium is built in Southwest Washington.
John Moores, owner of the San Diego Padres, wrote an op-ed piece for the Washington Post on Thursday in which he defends Commissioner Bud Selig for taking a strong leadership role that, he believes, has restored vitality to baseball. I suppose averting a calamitous strike is praiseworthy, and the move toward revenue-sharing is certainly overdue. I'm also mildly in favor of inter-league play, but fear it will be overdone. But the fact remains that Selig's actions qualify him as the apostle of "stadium socialism," validating the anti-"capitalist welfare" arguments of Ralph Nader and others. The Big Unknown Factor in all this is to what extent Bud Selig is independent of the owners. The series of articles in the Washington Post by Steve Fainaru two weeks ago portrayed him as in control of major decisions. Most of what I've read, in contrast, suggests that Mr. Selig is more of a passive mouthpiece for the 29 MLB franchise owners. Eric McErlain says Selig is not the real problem, it's the big owners behind the throne. I guess we'll find out pretty soon...