Nats Return: a litttle closer?

[welch]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ar ... Sep16.html


"A 12-hour meeting this week between Major League Baseball and District negotiators, which centered on the logistics of moving the Montreal Expos into Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, shows that baseball's decision on the team's future has taken on new urgency, officials on both sides said yesterday.

The officials said time is running short to renovate RFK as an interim site for games if the District is chosen as the Expos' new home, and they noted that the chances of getting a stadium financing package passed by the D.C. Council will diminish when a new council takes office in January. Three candidates who campaigned against public financing of a new stadium defeated council incumbents in Tuesday's Democratic primary and are likely to win the general election in November."

Also: the article mentions that it will cost about $15 million to make RFK ready for games.

That's a lot cheaper than $300 million for a new stadium (which is cheaper than the $500 - $800 million stadium that George Steinbrenner wants, by the way...is DC lucky?).

Why not keep RFK?

[RedskinsFreak]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27104-2004Sep16.html


"A 12-hour meeting this week between Major League Baseball and District negotiators, which centered on the logistics of moving the Montreal Expos into Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, shows that baseball's decision on the team's future has taken on new urgency, officials on both sides said yesterday.

The officials said time is running short to renovate RFK as an interim site for games if the District is chosen as the Expos' new home, and they noted that the chances of getting a stadium financing package passed by the D.C. Council will diminish when a new council takes office in January. Three candidates who campaigned against public financing of a new stadium defeated council incumbents in Tuesday's Democratic primary and are likely to win the general election in November."

Also: the article mentions that it will cost about $15 million to make RFK ready for games.

That's a lot cheaper than $300 million for a new stadium (which is cheaper than the $500 - $800 million stadium that George Steinbrenner wants, by the way...is DC lucky?).

Why not keep RFK?

Mostly the same reasons the Redskins didn't want to stay there -- no club seats and private boxes that rake in the big dinero.

But I can't tell you how much I'm stoked over Tuesday's news of a stadium site and financing plan:

http://www.washtimes.com/sports/2004092 ... -6165r.htm

It's caused me - at times -- to forget this was Dallas Week.

I'm a month away from turning 43. The only sport I played on an organized level or cared about in my youth was baseball. The Redskins were nothing to me until Lombardi came in 1969. Then, I took notice. When the Senators left town, I turned to the Redskins, if nothing else, by default. There were no other pro teams in town.

If the Senators had been here the whole time, I would not be half the Redskins fan I am today.

But I am SO glad it worked out the way it did. I can't imagine not being as emotionally invested in the B&G as I have been because it's allowed me to experience the full spectrum of fan emotion.

[Redskins1974]

I'm keeping quiet until I see it happen. I've wanted a team for a long time but MLB has pissed me off too many times on this issue!