January 19, 2005 [LINK]
Nationals sign Loaiza
After a physical exam showed his balky elbow is in good shape, the Washington Nationals just signed former White Sox pitcher Esteban Loaiza to a one-year contract. (Practically the whole team is on a one-year contract!) That's a risky move, given Loaiza's shaky recent health, but it fills in a huge gap in the Nats' pitching staff. If he plays as well as he did before 2004, it would give the Nats at least a reasonable chance to compete in the NL East. I saw the hyperactive Interim General Manager Jim Bowden being interviewed on the Washington FOX-TV affiliate a couple days ago, and his enthusiasm is certainly high. Will the new owners give him a permanent job? 
Yesterday was the deadline for anyone wishing to submit a private stadium financing proposal to the District of Columbia. With a non-refundable fee of $10,000, there were only a few takers, apparently. Anyone wishing to purchase the Nationals franchise has until the end of the month, putting down a partially refundable deposit of $100,000.