September 05, 2004
Battle of the Potomac
MLB may be getting no closer to deciding where the Montreal Expos will be next year - the 2005 draft schedule just calls them the "Expos," no city indicated - but the D.C.-area turf war over the team is going strong. Following up on last weekend's salvo from D.C. councilman Jack Evans that he'd block a Northern Virginia team from using D.C.'s RFK Stadium as a temporary home, Virginia Congressman Tom Davis (no, not the funny one) fired back, saying, "Congress could overrule something like that in a heartbeat." Added Virginia baseball lobbyist Mike Scanlon: "Virginia's got 11 votes in the House; D.C.'s got no votes in the House." Yeah, that's really something to brag about.
Rep. Davis, meanwhile, called out Evans over his RFK threats, fuming: "What's it get you to say that? It's like throwing a tantrum." Unlike, say, what Davis said next, when he threatened to go after MLB's antitrust exemption if the D.C. area doesn't get a team, noting darkly: "There may be repercussions if you bypass the Washington region." Remember: when your side does it, it's statesmanship.
