Nationals back in business

Benjamin Grove

Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2004 | 8:47 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Dousing a flicker of hope that Las Vegas could land the Montreal Expos baseball team, the Washington, D.C. council on Tuesday finalized a last-minute deal to bring the franchise to the nation's capital.

Many in Washington believed the deal was done in September, but last week the council threw the proposal into jeopardy by requiring that private funding pay for 50 percent of the cost of a new riverfront stadium. Major League Baseball called that "unacceptable" and gave the District until Dec. 31 to devise a better proposal.

After closed-door negotiations this week between Mayor Anthony Williams with Council Chairwoman Linda Cropp and baseball officials, the council on Tuesday approved a deal all parties could accept on a 7-6 vote.

After a 33-year absence, big-league baseball is set to return to the nation's capital in April at the Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, where the newly named "Nationals" will play for three seasons until a new stadium is constructed.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig seemed to accept the deal approved Tuesday.

"We are now more confident than ever of a long and productive relationship with the city of Washington as we move forward with this great project," Selig said in a statement released by the league.

Las Vegas had submitted a competitive proposal for the Expos, but Mayor Oscar Goodman did not seem disappointed by Tuesday's events. The action was "absolutely not" a setback to Las Vegas plans to land a major league franchise, he said. The city plans to make a play for other teams, Goodman said.

Cities like Las Vegas that are in the hunt for a major league team closely watched the 11th-hour negotiations in Washington.

Baseball had objected to Cropp's requirement -- approved by the council last week -- that 50 percent of the stadium be financed by private funding. Baseball wanted assurance that the city would pay for the stadium if private monies couldn't be raised.

Cropp on Tuesday gave them that assurance in amended legislation, although she said Washington in the coming months intended to secure private funding anyway. Williams and Cropp said that in the past few days they had reviewed promising private investment pitches.

"I think that shows that this is a great site," Williams said at a press conference Tuesday night. "It underscores it."

If private money can't be raised, the council effectively agreed to pay for shortfalls with "public" funds -- a new gross receipts tax on the city's largest businesses, a cost likely to be passed on to consumers.

Cropp was hailed last week by supporters for standing up to wealthy team owners on behalf of citizens -- and pilloried by critics who said she nearly killed the District's three-decade bid to bring baseball back.

Baseball foes in Washington said the deal was too generous to baseball because the league wasn't contributing to the construction of the stadium, activists with the group "No DC taxes for baseball!" said.

Still, this week Cropp struck smaller bargains to sweeten the deal.

For instance, baseball had agreed to cap the district's liability at $19 million if the stadium were not completed by March 2008. But in the new agreement, the District would merely waive its $5.3 million rental fee for the use of RFK Stadium and pay no other penalty. Also, baseball agreed to split insurance costs against costs overruns, Cropp said.

In all, Cropp said her negotiating assured that the District could save $193 million in avoided fees and penalties, and with private funding.

"The district is doing what is necessary on behalf of its citizens," Cropp said, defending herself against charges of last-minute negotiating that endangered the deal.

But critics said Cropp did not save the District money. They said she only guarded it against what were unreasonable potential penalties.

The stadium still likely could be financed largely by the public if private money isn't secured, critics said.

Estimates for a new stadium for the Nationals are between $440 million and $584 million. Councilman David Catania fears it will be more with cost-overruns.

"What we're really not addressing is moving the $600 million down," Catania said. "I don't know that we have substantially reduced the cost that taxpayers will have to bear."

Cropp only marginally improved "the world's lousiest deal," Councilwoman Carol Schwartz said.

But deal supporters were boisterous in their praise for the council. A few started singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" after the vote.

"Baseball is coming back to Washington after more than 30 years," said Councilman Harold Brazil, who immediately after the vote threw his red Nationals cap in the air. "It's befitting of a world-class city."

Councilman Vincent Orange hailed Cropp's patience.

"She finally got a pitch she could hit," he said. "And boy she hit it."

Former Washington Senators announcer Charlie Brotman, 76, who has long been a high-profile advocate for the return of baseball, shared hugs and handshakes with other activists on Tuesday outside the council chambers.

"Whew! That was close," Brotman said, beaming after the vote. "This is a dream come true for me."

City officials Tuesday night announced that Nationals merchandise would be back on sale today. Sales were halted after the council vote last week.