Saturday, October 30, 2004
Making a Run For the Border
I know that this is late, but I have to comment on the Montreal Expos probable move to Washington DC this offseason. While I am generally in favor of the move, I don't like the tax payer funded stadium part of the deal. Beyond that estimated $440 million pile of excrement, there are three good reasons to move the franchise.
1. The move will allow Major League Baseball to wash its hands of owning a team collectively and thus ending the apparent conflict of appearances that particularly sprang up in the 2003 season when the Expos were briefly in the hunt for the postseason, but the team couldn't add any payroll and thus get some of the talent available to put them over the hump.
2. Moving the Expos will take the franchise from an ambivalent city with limited population growth or interest and will put it in a city that was the largest market without a major league team. The DC area is growing in population thanks to economic development in northern Virginia and because of the growth in the size of the federal government. The move makes sense and I am glad to see this common sense move take place.
3. Finally, the most personal reason to support the move is to stick it to Peter Angeloes, the owner of the Baltimore Orioles. Mr. Angeloes is a trial lawyer who had the legislature rig liability law in Maryland so he could make millions suing tobacco companies. Let me see here...filthy rich trial lawyer....changed the rules concerning product liability to allow him to sue tobacco companies.....successfully won his cases....AND he doesn't like the competition from a club down the road in DC....what's not to like about this move?!
1. The move will allow Major League Baseball to wash its hands of owning a team collectively and thus ending the apparent conflict of appearances that particularly sprang up in the 2003 season when the Expos were briefly in the hunt for the postseason, but the team couldn't add any payroll and thus get some of the talent available to put them over the hump.
2. Moving the Expos will take the franchise from an ambivalent city with limited population growth or interest and will put it in a city that was the largest market without a major league team. The DC area is growing in population thanks to economic development in northern Virginia and because of the growth in the size of the federal government. The move makes sense and I am glad to see this common sense move take place.
3. Finally, the most personal reason to support the move is to stick it to Peter Angeloes, the owner of the Baltimore Orioles. Mr. Angeloes is a trial lawyer who had the legislature rig liability law in Maryland so he could make millions suing tobacco companies. Let me see here...filthy rich trial lawyer....changed the rules concerning product liability to allow him to sue tobacco companies.....successfully won his cases....AND he doesn't like the competition from a club down the road in DC....what's not to like about this move?!
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