October 20, 2004
Foregone conclusion for D.C. stadium bill?
The D.C. council isn't scheduled to vote on its $440 million stadium bill until November 9, but already opponents seem ready to concede defeat: "Our chances, if we had a vote today, are pretty slim," anti-stadium-subsidy activist Ed Lazere told the Washington Post, while D.C. councilmember Adrian Fenty added: "At this point, I don't think that there's going to be enough to stop it. The mayor and some council members are so far out on a limb on this one, almost nothing could stop it." It's looking more and more likely that the most the council will do is to add some community-spending language to the current bill, either coming out of additional taxes or being skimmed off of the revenue streams targeted for the stadium.
If so, the best remaining hope for Montreal Expos fans is the pending RICO suit filed by former minority owners of the team, charging a criminal conspiracy by former owner Jeffrey Loria and MLB to destroy baseball in Montreal. An arbitrator's ruling is expected on November 15, at which point the team's future should either become much clearer or much muddier.
(NOTE: Since it's impossible to predict the outcome of court cases, the Expos Relocation Odds chart has been put on hiatus, effective immediately.)
