Don't be surprised if Jose Vidro plays his home games at RFK Stadium next season. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
By Dan George, CNNSI.com
What's to become of the Montreal Expos? Does anyone have any earthly idea? Anyone? Buell ... er, Bud?
When Major League Baseball bought the Expos in a bizarre game of franchise musical chairs last winter, the plan was to pull the plug on them after this season. But that's the one thing we know ain't gonna happen.
The new labor agreement prohibits baseball from eliminating any teams for at least the next four seasons, which apparently leaves just three options for baseball's most bedraggled franchise:
• Move to Washington, D.C.
• Move somewhere else. Charlotte, N.C.; Las Vegas; and Portland, Ore., are the sites mentioned most often.
• Stay -- gulp! -- in Montreal.
Let's examine the likelihood of each, in reverse order:
Another year in Canada? At gunpoint, maybe. The Expos' local broadcast deal is virtually nonexistent -- their handful of TV games this season aired on a French-language station. Their 9,913 average attendance is dead last among baseball's 30 teams; one game last week drew just 2,134, the fewest since Olympic Stadium opened in 1977. All told, the Expos figured to lose at least $45 million this year, according to one estimate. That's $1.55 million for each of the 29 MLB co-owners. Think they want another year of that?
Charlotte? Las Vegas? Portland? Other than the obvious question about whether they're big enough to support a team -- only Portland is larger than any of the current 26 major league cities -- none of these candidates has a ballpark that could easily be major league ready by Opening Day 2003. Big problem.
The D.C. Expos? This, of course, makes the most sense (OK, OK, we'd change the name). There are at least two groups interested in bringing a team to Washington/Northern Virginia. And, antiquated as it may be, 41-year-old RFK Stadium could handle MLB crowds until a new ballpark is ready.
The move would not be without obstacles. Fourteen former Expo minority owners are already suing commissioner Bud Selig, former majority owner Jeffrey Loria and MLB executive Robert DuPuy on grounds of fraud over the team's sale; they say they'll seek a restraining order if baseball tries to move the team. Then there's Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos, who's long vowed to fight any effort to bring a team into his attendance area. "You wouldn't put another team in the same market with Boston or in the same market with St. Louis or the same market with Minnesota," he grumbled recently. "Why then 30 miles from Camden Yards?"
But neither of these problems is insurmountable, especially considering the alternatives. MLB paid $120 million for the Expos, but some say the franchise could sell for two or three times that if there's a bidding war among Washington groups. That ought to leave enough to both cover an out-of-court settlement (baseball's time-tested solution to challenges to its antitrust exemption; remember how former New York Mets co-owner Nelson Doubleday's threatened lawsuit suddenly went away?) with the minority owners and compensate Angelos for surrendering his territorial rights.
So, potential legal complications or no, don't be surprised if the Expos are doing business in Washington on Opening Day.
And this is where it really gets interesting. It's been 30 years since a major league franchise changed cities, but if the Expos hit the road, it could open the door for another team some 3,000 miles away to do the same.
The Oakland Athletics, fresh off an American League-record 20-game winning streak, may have the best team in either league. Yet the A's rank just 18th out of 30 teams in attendance; last year, despite winning an AL wild-card spot with a blistering second half, they were 19th.
A's owner Steve Schott has made no secret of the fact that he'd like to move his team out of 36-year-old Network Associates Coliseum, preferably about 40 miles south to San Jose. San Francisco owner Peter Magowan, of course, has opposed such a move, contending it would infringe on the Giants' fan base (forget that San Jose is actually closer to Oakland).
So far, Selig has upheld the Giants' territorial rights. But if the commissioner green-lights Washington for the Expos, saying no to the A's regarding San Jose would seem a bit inconsistent. It could well prompt Schott to resort to that old reliable -- a legal challenge to baseball's antitrust exemption.
And we've all seen how those usually turn out.
CNNSI.com's Power Rankings
Rank
LW
Team
1
1
Oakland Athletics GM Billy Beane's job just got a little tougher. The new labor deal eliminates compensation picks for the loss of free agents, a cornerstone of the A's system. After Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon and Jason Isringhausen left as free agents, Oakland had seven of the first 39 picks in the June draft.
2
2
Atlanta Braves Their red-hot second half has come courtesy of absolutely nothing from third baseman Vinny Castilla. He led the team with 18 RBIs in April, but has just nine since the All-Star break and is hitting .229 overall.
3
4
New York Yankees We're not saying it's his fault, but stuff always happens to David Wells, doesn't it? Eating in an Upper East Side restaurant at 5:50 a.m., and a guy named -- allegedly -- Rocco comes at him with a … butter knife. Your punch line here.
4
5
Anaheim Angels How's this for gritty? David Eckstein is the first player since 1900 to be hit by a pitch more than 20 times in each of his first two seasons.
5
3
Arizona Diamondbacks If the Braves can resurrect Julio Franco, why can't the D'backs dig up … Felix Jose? The 37-year-old outfielder was called up last week after hitting hit .383 with 27 homers and 102 RBI in 85 games in the Mexican League.
6
6
Seattle Mariners Looks like Ichiro Suzuki's string of batting titles -- seven in Japan, one in the AL -- may be over. Suzuki's .327 average is 15 points behind leader Mike Sweeney, and he's hit just .278 since the All-Star break.
7
7
Los Angeles Dodgers Shawn Green is the first Dodger to have back-to-back 40-homer seasons in L.A. He still has a way to go to match the franchise mark, though. Hall of Famer Duke Snider did it for five straight years, 1953-57, in Brooklyn.
8
8
Minnesota Twins Who needs a new ballpark? Just as it was in 1987 and '91, the trusty old Metrodome will be rockin' in the postseason. The Twins have received more than 25,000 postcards from fans who want to be in the drawing for playoff tickets.
9
11
St. Louis Cardinals Just in case you hadn't noticed, Albert Pujols is starting to look like a very, very special player. The infielder/outfielder is the first player in history to begin his career with back-to-back seasons of 30-plus homers, 100-plus RBIs and 100-plus runs. Oh, yeah. And he's 22.
10
10
San Francisco Giants The clock is ticking on Dusty Baker in San Francisco. His contract is up after this season, and friends say he has no plans to return. Wrigley Field would not be a surprising landing place.
11
9
Boston Red Sox John Burkett, sounding like Marvin Miller Jr., was hardly happy a players' strike was avoided. "What bothered me was players taking the stance that we should just settle and basically give the owners what they wanted," Burkett said.
12
12
Houston Astros An ominous sign: They won the 2001 NL Central championship over the Cardinals because they won the season series. This year the Cards lead the series 9-3 with seven games left.
13
13
Philadelphia Phillies Once again, some players are complaining about manager Larry Bowa's intense, hard-nosed style. The funny thing? The Phils might actually have back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1983.
14
17
Montreal Expos You know you have budget problems when you call up only three minor leaguers after Sept. 1, when rosters expand. Of course, you know you have budget problems if your team is named the Expos.
15
14
Florida Marlins Manager Jeff Torborg isn't the only one eagerly awaiting the return of pitchers A.J. Burnett and Josh Beckett from the DL. The Marlins are scheduled to give away bobblehead dolls featuring the two starters Sept. 13 and 19.
16
16
Cincinnati Reds Somebody asked manager Bob Boone why he started backup catcher Kelly Stinnett for three straight games. "Because the ball doesn't go to the backstop," Boone said. Regular catcher Jason LaRue has 17 passed balls, more than all but two major league teams.
17
19
New York Mets Mets owner Fred Wilpon says GM Steve Phillips and manager Bobby Valentine's jobs are safe. At a staff meeting last week, Wilpon said Valentine and Phillips will "lead us back to where we expect to be." No word on exactly where that is.
Texas Rangers Several players visited President Bush, the team's former owner, last week when the team was playing in Baltimore. Bush did have a little advice for them. "He said we need more pitching," said Alex Rodriguez.
20
20
Colorado Rockies Only two other rookie pitchers -- Tom Gordon with the 1989 Royals and Tom Browning with the 1985 Reds -- have won their 16th game of the season faster than Jason Jennings, who did it in the Rockies' 138th game. Neither of them, incidentally, was the Rookie of the Year.
21
18
Baltimore Orioles Their recent slump has them headed for another losing season. Doesn't look like the cavalry is going to arrive anytime soon, either. The O's top three minor league teams finished 109 games below .500.
Toronto Blue Jays Roy Halladay, Vernon Wells, Eric Hinske, Josh Phelps, Orlando Hudson … more and more, they look like a team on the rise. Signing interim manager Carlos Tosca and his coaching staff to a two-year extension is a good move, too.
24
23
Pittsburgh Pirates Salomon Torres spent three years as a pitching coach before returning to the big leagues to beat Tom Glavine and the Braves, his first win since Sept. 25, 1996. Said Glavine: "He must have given himself some great tips."
25
25
San Diego Padres They may be out of the NL West hunt, but the Padres probably will have a say in who prevails. They close out the season with 19 straight games against the Diamondbacks (6), Giants (6) and Dodgers (7).
26
26
Chicago Cubs With 28 home runs, Fred McGriff could become the first player to hit 30 or more with five different teams. Of course, with prospect Hee Seop Choi ready to take over at first base next season, McGriff may also get a chance to become the first player to do it with six teams.
27
27
Kansas City Royals Paul Byrd is 15-10, while Jeff Suppan is 8-15. But they do have something in common. They're the first pair of Royals starters to each give up 30 home runs in the same season.
28
28
Detroit Tigers When Jose Lima went down, it was with both lips blazing. "This place stinks -- from the front office right on down. If I can't pitch on this team -- the worst or second-worst team in baseball, where am I going to pitch?" Good question. Lima was 4-6 with a 7.77 ERA.
29
29
Milwaukee Brewers As if the prospect of their first 100-loss season isn't bad enough, they're taking heat from PETA -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals -- for not including a veggie dog in the club's popular sausage race.
30
30
Tampa Bay Devil Rays There's hope. Twenty-year-old Rocco Baldelli, after hitting .331 with 19 home runs and 71 RBIs at Class A Bakersfield, Class AA Orlando and Class AAA Durham, is SportsTicker's Minor League Player of the Year. Past winners include Derek Jeter, Andruw Jones (twice) and Paul Konerko.
