D.C. Baseball
J.J. McCoy
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 29, 2004; 3:00 p.m. ET
Major League Baseball and D.C. government officials are expected to announce the relocation of the Montreal Expos to Washington. Today also marks the 80th anniversary of the Washington Senators' winning their first American League pennant en route to their only world championship.
Post staff writer J.J. McCoy will be online Wednesday, Sept. 29, at 3 p.m. ET to discuss the latest news.
Submit your questions and comments before or during the discussion.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
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JJ McCoy: Good afternoon, Washington baseball fans.
Do you have a bat handy? 'Cause, knock on wood, it seems as though the 33-year wait is over, and that baseball's coming back to DC.
Those who have been following my online Senators retrospective will note that today marks the 80th anniversary of the city's first American League pennant, so the timing is auspicious.
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California, Md.:
I know that this question is still premature, but IF
D.C. gets a team, who is going to choose the name
and how are they going to come by it? Is it going to
be like how the Wizards got their name, an open call
to fans? I personally don't like the Senators, as the
Rangers still own it, and D.C., as Williams noted, has
no Senators. What about the Phoenix? It would be a
way to memorialize 9/11, (yes, the Pentagon and
Operation Phoenix was in VA, but it'd still be a
decent name). Plus, it would also be a nod to
baseball for allowing the Expos to be reborn from
the ashes of that horrible situation that they were in
for 2 years, plus the previous years. JJ McCoy: It is a tad preliminary yet, but the Senators name would seem the likeliest choice... Apart from already being owned by MLB, that name is immediately recognizable to fans, and -- despite Mark Plotkin and others' arguments against -- would actually help bring attention to the fact that District residents otherwise *don't have* any senators, thanks to that whole federal-taxation-without-representation thing.... If they're named the Nationals (which has historic roots) or otherwise, there'll be less reason for Joe Buck and Tim McCarver to note the fact.
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Arlington, VA:
What do you know about the specifics of the television network deal? I am an Orioles fan hoping to still be able to watch the O's games on TV in Arlington...should I be optimistic? JJ McCoy: I'd suggest you be very optimistic. Though that's another issue that has a long way to go yet before it takes final shape, rest assured that the regional TV broadcast rights are the biggest cash cow of the deal. The YES network in New York (Yankees and Mets games) and WGN's coverage (Cubs and White Sox) will likely serve as models. If you'll note, those teams are among some of the wealthiest clubs in MLB...
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Delmar, New York:
The biggest obstacle to bringing baseball back to Washington DC has been the strong opposition of Baltimore Oriole owner Peter Angelos. Does anyone recall whether Clark Griffith, then owner of the Washington Senators strongly opposed the relocation of the St. Louis Browns to Baltimore in 1954? JJ McCoy: Washington voted in approval of the Browns' move to Baltimore... But that was in TV's infancy, and the revenue streams have changed and broadened since then.
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Mt. Pleasant, DC:
A lot of focus has been paid to the efforts that the Mayor has made in recent weeks to bring this team in, but hasn't the DC government partnered with a group of investors to bring baseball to DC? Who are these investors? At one point, I thought Dan Snyder and Robert Johnson were sticking their feet in. JJ McCoy: I'll refer you to the recent series written by Steve Fainaru and today's piece by Thomas Heath... In brief, Snyder and Johnson got tired of waiting for MLB to decide, but don't worry -- there are plenty of other deep pockets in this town...
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Fairfax, VA:
Can you please explain to me why Angelos is entitled to any kind of payments? Is there some kind of rule in baseball that current owners are guaranteed a profit making enterprise? Is there a no-compete clause in his ownership contract? Is MLB just trying to prevent a hissy fit or law suit? What's the deal? JJ McCoy: I'll again refer to Fainaru's series, "The Last Cartel."
In a nutshell, this is just another example of the line about what happens when 30 capitalists practice socialism.
Were it up to me, I'd have applied serious pressure to the notion of yanking the anti-trust exemption; we'd be celebrating 30 years of Padres-cum-Senators baseball by now.
Not being an attorney, I'm unfamiliar with any rights Angelos has to DC. MLB's attempts to placate him would seem to have more to do with Bud Selig's management style and their wanting to generally keep all the owners happy as clams. Still, Angelos kept making veiled threats to sue, which is precisely how he made his fortune in the first place. It may not have gone anywhere, but it would be ugly any way to slice it.
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Washington, D.C.:
Since there's limited time to prepare for the 2005 regular season (e.g., ticket sales, marketing, other deadlines, etc.), do you think the team will continue to be named the Expos for the upcoming season then change for 2006 and beyond? JJ McCoy: I expect they'll have the new name in plenty of time to cash in on all the hats, t-shirts, mugs and other paraphernalia which fans will be stockpiling for Opening Day...
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Alexandria, VA:
Regarding new ownership & free agency -
When does the free agency signing period begin? Is it possible that the new owners will take over the team BEFORE the free agaency signing period begins?
JJ McCoy: I don't recall the schedule precisely, but it seems to me the free agent market opens on Dec. 1.
I suppose that it's possible for a contract to be signed (if originally as a personal-services contract to an owner before it's actually transferred to the team), but it seems unlikely that a solid front-office staff can be established and running by then. The first year or two may be ugly on the field at RFK, but the establishment of a staff energized by attraction of a new stadium may help make them competitive soon afterward...
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Vienna, Va.:
I am like most folks, thrilled to death about this announcement, but there are some things that need to be settled. How quickly will an ownership group be formed and then the sale of the Expos completed? Second, who is going to run the team? Omar Minaya has bailed out so we have no GM, so who might be interested (Beattie, if he gets fired by Angelos or Grady Fuson or Jin Duquette if he quits the Mets) because our team is going to need a plan for free agency. Appreciate your comments on these issues.
George JJ McCoy: Again, there are ownership groups already; the question is who ultimately will win the bid? It seems like Tuohey's group is an obvious front-runner... The first hurdle, however, is the DC Council and stadium funding. The mayor promises that the votes are there, yet Adrian Fendy says they're not. I believe the momentum for the team will carry the day, but the truth is we're not there yet. As Boswell says, he'll only believe it after the *second* game is played.
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Whittier, Ca:
This qeustion may have already been asked, but how does a National League Team playing 40 miles away from an American League Team hurt the people running the American League Team. They wouold be providing a service that Mr. Angelos can not, National League Baseball. And in closing here is my suggestion for the Washington Exops sloagan in 2005: First in War, First in Peace, First in the National League East.
JJ McCoy: Any harm -- and I still suggest that Angelos is merely capitalizing on the notion, rather than any actual truth behind it (something which Capitol Hill folks are quite familiar with) -- would come from the lack of a baseball dollar, not an AL-NL thing per say.
I was at Camden Yards last weekend and will be again this weekend; Angelos realizes that it's easier for me to get to RFK (much less Capitol Hill), and that I can't be at two places at once.
By the same token, however, I may finally break down and buy cable to catch both the Nats and Orioles coverage, which would benefit him more than my just watching UPN as I do now... Again, those rights are where the real $$$ will be found...
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Chicago, IL:
What are the plans for the new stadium? Should we expect to see a stadium that revitalizes a downtown area, much like the MCI Center or Camden Yards have done? Or are we (I move to DC in two weeks) going to be subject to another out of the way ballpark like US Cellular Field in Chicago, which brings nothing in the form of entertainment other than baseball? JJ McCoy: A bit of a combination, actually. I've spoken this a.m. to Ben Forgey, who wrote about the stadium site on Saturday. He's enthusiastic about the site -- due south of the Capitol, where it's currently almost half vacant and there is no residential component to speak of -- being as successful to the neighborhood and nightlife as the MCI Arena's proven to be. Yet we're talking about a baseball-only facility (81 games per regular season)... With the planned parks, restaurants/bars/retail, etc., though, I think it will be very popular, just as Camden Yards has proven to be -- before it was built, that area of Baltimore was a blight; my car was broken into a few times as I worked over my summer breaks from college, and I'd never let anyone else I knew walk alone down there. But now its quite safe while I complain about the price of parking... parking ...
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Rockville, MD:
Wasn't the original Washington team named the
Nationals? I think that would be a great name for
the team. Or would there be too much confusion
with the Nationals being in the National League?
JJ McCoy: Actually, as I've made mention of throughout my retrospective, there was a late-19th-century team named the Senators. The old Senators-cum-Twins franchise was formally named the Nationals, but often colloquially referred to as the Senators (much like the old 1901-'02 Baltimore Orioles, which moved to New York as the Highlanders in 1903, eventually adopted their popular but informal nickname -- the Yankees). They officially adopted the name in the 1950s, and were allowed to keep it as a provision of the team's moving to Minnesota for the Senators (II), who would leave after 1971 to become the Texas Rangers...
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washingtonpost.com:
Washington Senators Retrospective
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The Right Field Bleachers:
So is there really going to be a 4 p.m. press conference? Is this announcement really happening today? And given the fact that there are currently no owners, no official "yes" vote on a stadium, and the possibility of a lawsuit by people in Montreal, should I really get my hopes up for baseball at RFK in 2005?
JJ McCoy: I believe the mayor's news conference is scheduled for 5 p.m., with a party to follow a block away from where I sit, at Georgia Brown's... If you believe you can't fight City Hall, start making your spring-training plans now. If you recall what happened with the Padres, Astros, Giants, expansion Rockies, etc., you may prefer to wait along with Boswell for the third game...
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Largo, MD:
Do you think that the VA Baseball plan would have worked out in Loudon County?
JJ McCoy: Having previously lived and reported out in western fairfax and eastern Loudoun counties, I'm *very* relieved that nothing went forward out there... For the same reasons why FedEx Field can be a drag (the Redskins ought be playing in the District, along the Metro line), baseball in Dulles would have been a huge misstep, I contend.
Metro connections, along with some urban appeal a la MCI (I can be at a Caps game within an hour's notice, sipping a pre-game beverage at Fado or such) is key, and Dulles simply has neither. From DC on a weeknight, it would still be quicker to take the MARC from Union Station to Camden Yards rather than brave the Beltway via Tysons Corner, etc.
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Seattle, WA:
What happens if the vote fails? Do they try to change the details and revote? Does Northern VA get a free shot? Might there be games in Montreal next year after all?
JJ McCoy: Much gnashing of teeth and the end of civilized society as any remnant of it could remain in DC, I'd think.
Seriously, there has been sufficient preparation and politicking done here, I truly believe. There will be posturing done and political positions protected, I'm sure, but I think that the mayor has lined things up as he needs... He has no motivation for the egg on his face were it to go south now. As someone once said, however, it ain't over till it's over...
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Bethesda, Md.:
Just a comment - the timing is also auspicious because tomorrow marks the 33rd anniversary of the Senators last game in Washington - September 30, 1971. washingtonpost.com:
Washington Senators Retrospective
JJ McCoy: I suspect that may have some bearing on choosing today for the announcement over tomorrow... But please look for my mention of that dark day in tomorrow's installment of the '24 retrospective. I'd like to know what Ron Hansen's opinion of today's announcment might be...
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Washington, DC:
How hard do you think the Mayor will have to push to get stadium financing through the city council before the three new members take their seat?
What are the odds it will or won't get done before that happens and the team has to stay at RFK?
JJ McCoy: I think all the city/ownership players recognize the timing there... Adrian Fenty has a point about the cynicism involved in pushing it through before the newly elected council comes in, but then look to the actions of those residents of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW when it comes to lame-duck legislation... And as Mike Wilbon noted, those who've historically argued for more schools and libraries have never seemed to build them, anyway.
Again, I'd prefer tickling the anti-trust exemption to get the owners to build their own stadium, but today I'll have to settle for the mayor's plan...
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Washington, DC:
So, how many people in DC actually want baseball in their backyard? How many members of Congress want baseball in their backyard? I think it'd be interesting if Congress says- yes to repealing the gun ban in DC and no to baseball in DC.
JJ McCoy: I don't want to get too far afield here, but suffice it to say that I'll expect to see plenty of congressional types in the stands (or, perhaps I ought say, the skyboxes)... We ought indeed remind them of why the Wizards were renamed, though...
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Washington, DC:
What did Major League Baseball gain, if anything, by dragging out the decision of where to put the Expos for several years? Has DC sweetened its offer over time? Or was the long, drawn-out process a result of MLB not being ready or able to move the Expos until now?
JJ McCoy: To repeat, 'tis an ugly thing to watch fat-cat capitalists practicing socialism... Were it anyone without an anti-trust exemption talking, there'd be much less whining and some better pitching up in Baltimore today.
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Alexandria, VA:
What do you make of this lawsuit filed by the former minority owners of the Expos? Do they have a case and will it prevent or hold up the move to Washington?
JJ McCoy: That to me, frankly, is the real wildcard to this whole thing, and the biggest reason to wait for that Third Game.
I cannot speak to specifics, though rest assured we'll be looking much more closely into them now...
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Baltimore, MD:
Is there any truth to the rumors that the team may come to be known as the "Washington Grays"?
Though "The Senators" certainly have a history, the name frankly sounds a little too C-Span. Honoring the negro leagues (and perhaps the greatest such team) seems to be a very compelling alternative.
JJ McCoy: Assuming that hi sgroup does indeed win out, Tuohey has already said that he believes they'll leave the naming decision to the fans.
My best guess, though, is that while there is certainly some history for naming them the Grays, the name itself lacks the charm and recognition of the Senators or Nationals. But we'll see; maybe a movement will take hold...
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Arlington, VA:
Why does everyone here feel the need to call the relocated team the 'Senators'?? This is not the same team that left 30+ years ago -- does the new team deserve the pressure that comes with that moniker?
JJ McCoy: Pressure? The Senators won three AL pennants and one series in 71 years... The Marlins have won two titles in the past seven years -- that's pressure.
Besides the other reasons I've mentioned, isn't it true that three's a charm?
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Washington, DC:
How will the new stadium be paid for? Where will the revenue come from? Businesses? Residents? DC area residents?
JJ McCoy: I'll refer again to Heath's recent work... Primarily speaking, the revenue si supposed to come from stadium users (tickets, hot dogs, souvenirs) and DC businesses which gross more than $3 million annually...
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Alexandria, VA:
Any chance that the Orioles will move to the NL East and the DC team will be in the AL East...
As a Red Sox fan, I'd selfishly love to see my Sox in DC 9-10 times a year. Right now, I can only see them on weekends (once or twice a season) in Baltimore because its too hard to get up to Camden Yards on a work night.
And wouldn't the Orioles love to be outside the Sox/Yanks cold war?
JJ McCoy: After their already having realigned teams, I think that the DC team will remain a NL East member, which strikes me as conveniently natural from the existing football rivalries with New York and Philadelphia. Also, with the Senators at one point being the team of the South, there may even be some Atlantans tempted to drop the tomahawk chop, which I'm always in favor of...
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Wash., D.C.:
I don't see how the City can go ahead and make the announcement without getting the official word from MLB?
JJ McCoy: There will be folks from MLB with the mayor; that's probably whom they're waiting for right now.
Thanks to all for your interest and questions; I hope that we've addressed the most pressing of them, and I'll urge you to keep reading The Washington Post's coverage as the process moves ahead... Hopefully I'll see you all at that Third Game; in the interim, please keep reading the '24 retrospective, which may actually be published in book form in time for you to read en route to RFK... Thanks again, and, as ever, Go Nats!
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