Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
July 22, 2004
New Home?

Outside the Beltway has analysis of the story that the Expos players are being told they are likely going to be in the Washington area next year.


Posted by David Pinto at 08:45 PM | Team Movements | TrackBack (1)
Comments

Vegas is still mentioned as a possibility. Long-term, a team will be there in 10 years tops, as the opposing club would sell 50% the tickets as part of packages. It's an absolute gold mine.

Posted by: Al at July 22, 2004 08:58 PM

I'll believe it on opening day. What's been going on with the Expos is a real travesty, 29 teams colude to keep one team's payroll low and unable to make any real moves to improve itself.

Posted by: Robert at July 23, 2004 10:40 AM

Haven't we known they'd end up in D.C. for two years now?

Posted by: J.D. at July 23, 2004 12:33 PM

Re: The Expos coming to DC

This is a good move for all of baseball.

From 1901 until 1973, baseball had a team in our nation's capitol.

This team fled to Minnesota in 1961, to be replaced by an expansion team, because at least in 1961, baseball considered it an absolute priority to have a team in Washington DC.

By 1973, the game's leadership, under Bowie Kuhn, no longer cared and let the Senators move to Texas to become the Rangers.

For 31 years, the President has had to travel to Baltimore or points further to throw out the first ball because there is no baseball in Washington D.C, even though Washington DC has a football, basketball and hockey team, a soccer team and probably an indoor arena football and lacrosse teams.

Moving the Expos to Washington is wonderful and wise, and GOOD POLITICS. Once again, the stands will be full of congressmen and senators, lobbyists and businessmen courting votes, and the President and Vice-President will go to the game again. Washington DC will go to baseball games again.

Moreover, we can have All-Star Games there, Exhibition Games there, and special ceremonies there attended by politicians.

finally, it makes the NL East much more cohesive;

NY Mets
Phila Phillies
Wash Senators (formersly Expos)
Atl Braves
FL Marlins

Instead of a team in Canada, now you have three east coast cities in a row competing. It restores natural rivaries and boundaries. Fans will take the train up and down between DC and Philly, between Philly and NY, between NY and DC to see games.

Everything about it will make sense.

Finally, there is the untapped market of Northern Virginia, which will come to games as well.

--AJK

Posted by: Art Kyriazis at July 26, 2004 01:51 PM