So they loose the Senators so long ago and now they get the expos. Wonder what they are going to change their name to. Stick with the Senators or what? http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1890915 Associated Press WASHINGTON -- Major League Baseball will announce Wednesday that Washington will be the new home of the Montreal Expos, bringing the national pastime back to the nation's capital for the first time in 33 years, The Associated Press has learned. A city official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Washington has been notified by Major League Baseball of the impending announcement. The city is planning its own news conference at a downtown location Wednesday afternoon, the official said. "I think we'll be in a position where we can have a celebration tomorrow," Mayor Anthony Williams told WUSA-TV. The announcement will come one day before the 33rd anniversary of the Washington Senators' final game. The Senators moved to Texas after the 1971 season, which was also the last time a major league team changed cities. Baseball has been looking for a new home for the Expos since the financially troubled team was bought by the other 29 major league owners in 2002. The Washington official said the bidding group had been told that baseball had reached an understanding with Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos, who had previously objected to having a team relocate just 40 miles from his franchise. Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, did not return telephone messages Tuesday night, Angelos refused comment when reached at his home, and there was no confirmation by baseball of a deal between the commissioner's office and Angelos. Las Vegas; Norfolk, Va.; Monterrey, Mexico; Portland, Ore.; and Northern Virginia also made bids, but Washington clearly took the lead during negotiations over recent weeks, strengthened by its wealthy population base and a financial package that would build a new stadium primarily with taxpayers' money. The negotiations have produced a 30-page document that would conditionally award the Expos to Washington, pending approval by the City Council. The document had not yet been signed as of Tuesday night, the city source told the AP. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig, reached at his Milwaukee home, declined comment. Plans call for a $440 million package that would include a new ballpark to be built along the Anacostia River about a dozen blocks south of the Capitol. The package also includes a $13 million refurbishment of RFK Stadium, where the team would play for three seasons while the new facility is being built. Washington needed an answer from Major League Baseball this week because the ballpark legislation had to be introduced by Friday in order for it to be passed by Dec. 31, when terms expire for several pro-baseball City Council members. The move must be approved by three-quarters of major league owners and survive legal challenges by the Expos' former limited partners. After the announcement, the process of selling the Expos will start. A group that includes former Rangers partner Fred Malek has been seeking a Washington franchise for five years. In addition, several baseball officials have said in the past week that Stan Kasten, former president of the Atlanta Braves, Hawks and Thrashers, might be trying to assemble a group. Kasten is close to Selig, which likely would be an advantage during the bidding process. "I am studying all the situations in all of the sports right now," Kasten said Monday. "I haven't committed to any group, any city or any sport." The original Senators played in Washington from 1901-60 before moving to Minnesota to become the Twins. The expansion Senators called Washington home from 1961-71 before moving to Texas. In the Senators' last game, on Sept. 30, 1971, they led the New York Yankees 7-5 with two outs in the ninth inning when fans seeking souvenirs went on the RFK Stadium field, which could not be cleared. The Yankees wound up winning the game in a forfeit. The Rangers retain ownership of the name "Washington Senators," baseball spokesman Carmine Tiso said after consulting with Ethan Orlinsky, a lawyer for Major League Baseball Properties, the sport's licensing division. Montreal's last home game is scheduled for Wednesday night against Florida. Monday's series opener drew a crowd of 3,923 to Olympic Stadium.
I don't think Senators will be the name. The Rangers retained the rights to the name and I think the Expos will want their own identity. Mike & Mike had some funny ones this morning. The ones I remember were: The DC Comics The Washington Rhetoric The Capital Punishment THe Washington Monuments
Maybe it is just me, but to spend $13 million to refurbish a temporary home in RFK Stadium (only 3 years) seems extremely wasteful. It's a temporary home for goodness sake! So you'll only have 10 luxury boxes instead of 20! So you'll only make $30 million instead of $32 million on concessions. Based on how miserable the Expos financial situation has been for the past decade, they can afford to play in the "squalor" that is RFK Stadium for three years before moving into their new palacious abode.
Has RFK ever been used for baseball? I could imagine that refurbishing the stadium to make it a baseball stadium instead of football could run up to $13 million.
That was about 33 years ago. I imagine there are some updates that they'd need to do. I doubt they kept up the baseball end of it when there wasn't a team there.
But that was at least 33 years ago. You think the stadium still has a baseball setup that isn't antiquated? My guess is that most of the 13 million will be to refurbish the stadium's baseball setup.
I will be surprised if they're not called the Senators. Also.I have to say...if I'm Angelos, I'm really not thrilled about this. Another team less than 40 miles away? And now THEY get the D.C. label?
$13m capital cost for a temp home for three years sounds like a screaming deal when you compare it to $500m+ cost of Safeco Field in Seattle. At $4.3m per year of occupancy, Mariners would have to stay at Safeco for 116 years to be comparable. The Kingdome was taken down after only 24 years...
i read about some of that. what are the demographics of d.c. and that area? yes, NY and LA have supported multiple teams. is that area of the country similar? how hurt will the orioles be? how quickly will affections of DC turn to the expos from their beloved O's?
RFK is still in good shape. Perfectly suited for baseball. I go there all the time. I"m not sure what 13 million will do. It's already a decent stadium.
IIRC, RFK was originally designed FOR basbeball. (or at least with baseball being a big part of the stadium use) That's why there was always a weird shape to the roof of the stadium... it wasn't your typical "cookie cutter".
I don't think diehard fans will switch over. Maybe casual baseball fans who like to bandwagon and jump from team to team based on win/loss records. Still, I think Angelos just needs to shut up. NY, CHI, and LA all support multiple teams in various sports and do just fine (for the most part). Of course they have a bigger population to draw from, but the D.C. area (with Maryland, Delaware and northern Virginia) is no slouch population wise either.
Yes, it was designed for baseball when it was first developed. I don't know what upkeep has been like since the 'skins moved to FedEx Field, but $13 million seems like a lot of $$$.
i hear ya...i just have no sense of the market in DC and the surrounding areas that these teams will be competing for.
by the way, DC did not complain when the Ravens moved into Baltimore. We sucked it up. Both teams can survive. TV is the only problem since the o's are televised here.
I think football is easier because.. its so easy to sell out football games etc.. its tough enough to get full houses in baseball as it is..
demographics are somewhat important, but whether or not the team is good is more important. DC is close to 80% african-american, but no one supports the wizards, probably because they are the wizards, and they are the wizards. games in the MCI center are a joke, no support, people come to see the opposing team. Kwame who? there's no-one of any worth on this team, no rivalries, very weak fanbase. Expos, or whatever they're going to be called, will need to be good and marketable before they're going to have any impact.
