Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 11:59 pm
Personally, I don't care what it's named. I'll be the first one in line to get a hat, jersey, whatever. Unless it's something really ridiculous. Maybe I do care. Hmm...
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Players' Union Denies Report About the Expos
Friday, July 23, 2004; Page D02
Major League Baseball players' union officials denied reports on ESPN that they told some Montreal Expos players during a closed-door meeting Tuesday that they will likely be playing in the Washington area next year.
"What we essentially told them is that we have reason to expect Major League Baseball will make a decision, hopefully by the owners' meeting in a few weeks . . . and that a number of places are on the list," said MLB Players Association Executive Director Donald Fehr. "Nobody gave them assurances that they will be going to any location as opposed to anyplace else. People can make their own judgments on that."
The players union must approve any move.
MLB President Bob DuPuy called the report that the Expos will be playing in the Washington area next year "preposterous, not true."
"Apparently, union representatives offered their opinion of what might happen," said DuPuy in an e-mail. "It carries no imprimatur. No decision has been made and no recommendation has been made to the commissioner. Uninformed comments like this do not move the process along."
DuPuy has said that baseball is considering all six possible relocation sites: Washington; Northern Virginia; Las Vegas; Norfolk; Portland, Ore.; and Monterrey, Mexico.
The biggest impediment to the Washington area has been Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos, who opposes a team in Washington because he believes it will draw fans and viewers from the Orioles. Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig has also said he has concerns that putting a franchise too close to another would hurt both teams.
Selig has said the team will almost assuredly be playing somewhere other than Montreal for the 2005 season.
A decision is expected by an August owners' meeting in Philadelphia.
-- Thomas Heath
© 2004 The Washington Post Company
tsaler wrote:I think the only location that makes any sense at all is DC. None of the other places have a market share that would merit moving an MLB team there. The fact of the matter is that if MLB moves the Expos to any of those other places, the chances of it having to move again within the next ten to twenty years are too high. Move the team to DC, and it'll be there forever.
tsaler wrote:I just don't want to see the Expos go through with a fire-sale and end up moving an even worse team to DC than they have now. They're talking about trading Orlando Cabrera, Brad Wilkerson, Tony Batista, and even Livan Hernandez. It just would really suck if they got rid of all of their good players at the trade deadline. It's not that the folks in AAA and those who are being called up now late in the season are bad. If Cabrera goes, then Henry Mateo could play SS. If Wilkerson goes, Sledge will play LF. If Batista goes, Carroll will play 3B. If Hernandez goes, well, I guess they'll call up Jon Rauch. It wouldn't be horrible, but I would like to be a fan of a team with some good players!
Redskins1974 wrote:tsaler wrote:I just don't want to see the Expos go through with a fire-sale and end up moving an even worse team to DC than they have now. They're talking about trading Orlando Cabrera, Brad Wilkerson, Tony Batista, and even Livan Hernandez. It just would really suck if they got rid of all of their good players at the trade deadline. It's not that the folks in AAA and those who are being called up now late in the season are bad. If Cabrera goes, then Henry Mateo could play SS. If Wilkerson goes, Sledge will play LF. If Batista goes, Carroll will play 3B. If Hernandez goes, well, I guess they'll call up Jon Rauch. It wouldn't be horrible, but I would like to be a fan of a team with some good players!
Fred Malek and his ownership group trying to put the team in DC are loaded - they'll get that team back in business... William Collins (VA ownership) is also loaded and has a lot of baseball knowledge and ties so I think from that standpoint, they'll produce winners.
DuPuy has said that baseball is considering all six possible relocation sites: Washington; Northern Virginia; Las Vegas; Norfolk; Portland, Ore.; and Monterrey, Mexico.