I'm not going to waste too much time, here, because I've already spent far too much time in my life lamenting the sorry fate of the Montreal Expos, but with the announcement that Bud Selig was going to step down from his post as the Commissioner of Baseball once his contract expires in 2012, I've heard all sorts of stories in praise of the job he's done during his time at the top...and not one has mentioned the way in which Mr. Selig handled the takeover and sale of the Montreal Expos...
DC baseball fans have Minnesota's Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, owners of the Twins' old home, the Metrodome, and the lawsuit they brought against the Twins which forced the team to play out its lease in 2002, to thank for MLB's eventual return to the nation's capital. Had the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission not fought to force the Twins to play out their lease, Bud Selig's plans for the Twins' and Montreal Expos' contraction may have proceeded, and the two teams likely would have ceased to exist. As this case was decided, the Montreal Expos' owner Jeffrey Loria, then-Florida Marlins' owner John Henry, and Major League Baseball agreed on a controversial deal which resulted in Henry selling Loria the Marlins, while MLB purchased the Expos and Henry led a group that purchased the Boston Red Sox...
It all worked out great for everyone...oh, except the Montreal Expos and their fans. They suffered together through three years of MLB ownership, watched their entire franchise get dismantled and devalued to the point that it was (nearly) worthless, watched the MLB-appointed stewards make one poor personnel decision after another (No September call-ups in '03? Really? Home games in Puerto Rico, really?), and then sat by and watched as the franchise the MLB owners purchased from Mr. Loria for $120 million dollars get moved to Washington, DC and eventually sold to the Nationals' ownership group for $450 million dollars...
A $230 million dollar profit? That is impressive...I'll be waving the tri-colour cap at you as you leave...
eMb...