July 30, 2003 [LINK]
Arlington repeats: "NO!"
In spite of protests from hundreds of disappointed baseball fans, Paul Ferguson, chairman of the Arlington County Board, insisted that the recent decision against a baseball stadium was final. Governor Mark Warner questioned the Board's decision as unduly hasty, expressing hope that there still may be a way to build a stadium in Arlington, which he believes -- rightly -- is by far the best site. This was reported in today's Washington Post. Political circumstances in the Commonwealth are not favorable, however: There is bad blood between Warner and the Republican-controlled state legislature, so it would take a huge, determined bipartisan effort in Richmond to overcome the entrenched "NIMBY" lobby on the south bank of the Potomac.
Gene Orza, an official with the MLB Players Association, is going to seek input from the Montreal Expos team members to see where THEY want to play next year. Sounds like an excellent way to finally resolve the eternal impasse over that ill-starred franchise's ultimate fate. Are you listening, Bud Selig? Jose Vidro recently told the Toronto Globe and Mail:
It's time for somebody to make a decision, because this thing's taking way too long. We're big leaguers, and we should be treated that way. It's time for them to give us a home.