Idiots Write About Sports

We find ourselves in Washington, D.C., at the same time that Major League Baseball is still trying to decide where to move the Expos next year — to the District itself or to Northern Virginia or to a skiff floating in international waters off the coast of the Carolinas.

As we arrived in our nation’s capitol, the Washington Post was concluding a series on potential ownership groups — a a D.C.-centric outfit and another group with designs on Northern Virginia. According to the Post, that latter group wants to “plant a huge baseball development, later dubbed Diamond Lake, near Dulles International Airport in Loudoun County, where political leaders were itching for a marquee development that could serve as a gateway to the nation’s fastest-growing county.” Says William L. Collins III, the nominal head of the Virginia Baseball Club:

“You want to create something that gets political leaders and the county excited,” Collins said, adding that the largely undeveloped — and unsightly — slice of Loudoun needed a unique vision. “It’s hard to get people excited about a bunch of trees and rocks.”

Setting aside what The Lorax might think about that sentiment, I trust I am not the only person who thinks putting a stadium out in Loudon County is a horrible, horrible idea that will doom the relocated Expos to failure. I’ve made the drive out to Dulles on a number of occassions — and the roads always seemed to be choked with traffic. The nearest Metro station is in Vienna, some 12.8 miles away from Dulles International Airport — or, given the traffic patterns of the area, roughly six days. And when it comes to the headaches caused by baseball stadiums with limited accessibility via public transit, believe me, I know what I’m talking about.

A suggestion to Major League Baseball officials — it’s either downtown or another town. I don’t care how much the despicable Peter Angelos mews and cries.

Speaking of Angelos, as the owners met to discuss the fate of the Expos, the Orioles held their annual — and conveniently timed — D.C. FanFest at Farragut Square. The Baltimore Sun reports:

“This reinforces today that Washington is a great asset for the Orioles,” said Mike Flanagan, the club’s vice president of baseball operations. “We’re always reminded of that when we come here.”

So heaven forfend that another team wind up here.

I assume you won't be going to any more Orioles games once the Expos relocate to DC.

I would suggest MLB move the Expos to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware; after all, that's where everyone in Washington who will be able to afford season tickets can be found during the summer anyway.

Thanks for your comments. The DC/NOVA debate has been discussed a lot at theinsiders and ballparkguys, but it’s good to see what other folks think.

I live in Alexandria and hope for a metro friendly locale. I also want the team to be called Washington and have a soft spot for DC.

When the NOVA group was trying to get a locale on the eastern fringes of NOVA, I figured that would not be so bad.

But when NIMBY said no way, and Collins retreated to Dulles, I was very disappointed. Horrible is right. Weekend games not so bad but weeknight games, even if you could use the Dulles toll free road, not a pretty sight.

Tom -- Oh, I'll still go out to Camden Yards after the Expos come to town; I love Baltimore, and like I've said, that's a really nice stadium.

Jay -- I have to drive out to Dulles tomorrow, and I'm already dreading the commute. I couldn't imagine how anyhow would do that 81 times a year for Expos home games.

Hack Alert! Caple compared the US softball team to the Yankees, and peppered it with liberal doses of 'I Hate The Yankees' hackery. This in addition to his recent 2 other Yankee hacks and 1 David Wells hack.