Thursday, July 22, 2004
Union sees announcement in August
By Jayson Stark
ESPN.com
Expos players were told this week that a decision on their 2005 home is near, that it won't be Montreal and that there is a strong likelihood they will be living in the Washington, D.C., area.
Sources familiar with the Expos-relocation process told ESPN.com on Thursday that union leaders Donald Fehr and Gene Orza met Wednesday with Montreal player representative Brian Schneider and his assistant, Brad Wilkerson.
The player reps were informed by the union that there is now an overwhelming probability that they will wind up in either Washington or Northern Virginia -- although there is still a small chance that baseball could opt for Las Vegas.
The players now believe Washington is the favorite, with Northern Virginia looming as a compromise choice if Orioles owner Peter Angelos attempts to block Washington's bid. Either way, the players were told that the union is very confident this is, finally, their last year in Montreal.
They also came away with the impression that San Juan, Puerto Rico, where the Expos have been playing some home games, and Monterrey, Mexico, also are no longer being seriously considered.
Relocation candidates such as Portland, Ore., and Norfolk, Va., were pictured as being extremely unlikely.
Players were not given a specific time for an announcement, but it is expected to be sometime in August. Owners have a meeting scheduled in Philadelphia Aug. 18-19, which appears to be a new, though informal, target date for a decision.
Commissioner Bud Selig said last week that a decision would be announced "sometime this summer."
But for scheduling reasons, and to provide as much time as possible to refurbish RFK Stadium as a temporary home for either a Washington or Northern Virginia team, several sources have been predicting an announcement by mid-August.
Orza declined comment, other than to admit he met with the Expos' player reps. Pat Courtney, a spokesman for Major League Baseball, said only that baseball is still in the midst of evaluating candidates, and that "no conclusions have been reached."
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1844551
As you all know, I'm an O's fan but I'd switch alliances in a second if a team came to the area. If a team comes, they will be my favorite team but the O's would still hold a special place in my heart even though they haven't done anything in my almost 17 years of life except get a new ballpark and get cheated by a 16 year old at Yankee Stadium.
](./images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall")
on the Jersey's either... but I'd rather see Dinosaur's and keep a team in Washington... then see us keep our "Historic" name... and lose the team 
