September 24, 2004
D.C. at the bat, cont'd
All kinds of news this morning on the potential Montreal Expos-to-D.C. move:
- While the official word was that yesterday's MLB executive council meeting didn't come to any decisions on the Expos' fate, today's Washington Times reports that the league's relocation committee "made a strong case" for a move to D.C., and will "unquestionably" make a formal recommendation by the end of the regular season next weekend. In an attempt to placate Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos over the loss of a share of his existing TV market, MLB has hired former CBS Sports president Neal Pilson to discuss setting up a new regional sports channel that Angelos would part-own.
- Though it was previously reported that a tax on large D.C. businesses would pay for more than half of a new stadium for the relocated Montreal Expos, today's Washington Post brings word that if sales and ticket tax money from the stadium comes in faster than expected, the business tax could be retired early. (This is what happened with the Wizards' MCI Center bonds in the 1990s, ending what was planned to be a 15-year business tax after just seven years.) Apparently using any larger-than-expected tax revenues to, say, start putting stadium sales taxes back into the general fund is not being considered.
- It turns out that the "largely industrial" neighborhood that would be wiped out to make way for the stadium includes the city's main gay nightclub district. City officials insist that they would help relocate any displaced businesses, but it's unclear if any funds have been allocated to this end.
- And finally, MLS team D.C. United, which would temporarily share RFK Stadium with a relocated Expos, has jumped in with its own demands for a new stadium, across the Anacostia River from the proposed baseball site. D.C. officials say the soccer stadium would be "funded primarily" by D.C. United's owner, the Anschutz Entertainment Group, but full financial details are still murky.
In any case, it looks Bud Selig & Co. are finally ready to roll the dice on D.C. - something they could have done two years ago, but better late than never, right? While the D.C. Expos plan still faces significant hurdles - a city council vote on a stadium bill, and that little matter of the RICO suit - it's enough to make it worth updating the Expos Odds Chart (see right-hand column) yet again.
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