Marc Fisher: MLB Leaning Toward Rejecting Lease

[eddiejc1]

Angelos Marches On

Most of Marc Fisher's column is a diatribe about Peter Angelos and MASN, but it's what I see at the end of the column that scares me. If MLB rejects the lease outright, baseball in Washington is dead. Arbitration cannot force the District to accept the lease---it can only assess penalties. And let's say the District wins arbitration and the lease they currently voted on is accepted. The sunset provision in the lease means it has to be voted on again, and I'm not sure that iit can pass again. This is an election year and the four Council members who switched are getting tremendous heat from their constituents for passing the lease. Furthermore, even baseball advocates like Jack Evans are finding it harder and harder to defend baseball's actions.

Anybody want to tell me my fears are ungrounded. It would be incredibly foolish, stupid, and short-sighted of baseball to reject this lease thinking they can get a better deal from the council or anywhere else. They will make less money with contraction and spark a political war if not here then in the OTHER place where they will have to take away a team. But I honestly believe baseball IS that stupid.

Eddie Cunningham

[vasprtsfn]

As much as it pains me to say this, if MLB rejects the lease, they can pull the team out of here for all I care. They never wanted to be here in the first place. They kiss Angelos' butt so he wouldnt try legal action to block the team from coming here, even though they said they believed they would win in court. We cant watch the games on TV.