OFFICIAL: Expos to Washington

[JQK]

It is official, it's from the Associated Press. It has happened, Be prepared for Washington Baseball in 2005. Sorry to Portland, The Carolinas, Vegas, and Mexico.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Major League Baseball will announce Wednesday that Washington will be the new home of the Montreal Expos, The Associated Press has learned. A city official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Washington has been notified by Major League Baseball of the impending announcement that will return the national pastime to the nation's capital for the first time in 33 years.

The city is planning its own news conference at a downtown location Wednesday afternoon, the official said.

The announcement will come one day before the 33rd anniversary of the Washington Senators' final game. The Senators moved to Texas after the 1971 season, which was also the last time a major league team changed cities.

Baseball has been looking for a new home for the Expos since the financially troubled team was bought by the other 29 major league owners in 2002.

Those negotiations have produced a 30-page document that would conditionally award the Expos to Washington, pending approval by the City Council. The document had not yet been signed as of Tuesday night, the city source told the AP.

Final talks have been ongoing since a meeting of the sport's executive council last Thursday. Plans call for a $13 million refurbishment of RFK Stadium and a new ballpark costing slightly over $400 million, which would be built along the Anacostia River in the southeast section of the city.

The move must be approved by three-quarters of major league owners and survive legal challenges by the Expos' former limited partners and possibly by Baltimore owner Peter Angelos, who objects to having a team just 40 miles from the Orioles. Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, has been attempting to negotiate a compensation arrangement with Angelos.

The original Washington Senators played 4,610 home games before becoming the Minnesota Twins after the 1960 season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The expansion Senators played 883 home games before moving to Texas.

In the Senators' last game, on Sept. 30, 1971, they led the New York Yankees 7-5 with two outs in the ninth inning when fans seeking souvenirs went on the RFK Stadium field, which could not be cleared. The Yankees wound up winning the game in a forfeit.

The Rangers retain ownership of the name "Washington Senators," baseball spokesman Carmine Tiso said after consulting with Ethan Orlinsky, a lawyer for Major League Baseball Properties, the sport's licensing division.

Montreal's last home game is scheduled for Wednesday night against Florida. Monday's series opener drew a crowd of 3,923 to Olympic Stadium.

© 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[gosioux76]

Here's another link with a little more detail:

Washington Post

Now they're saying Angelos isn't going to be an obstacle.

[cward]

Is there a set date for releasing the nickname?

[CC97]

Is there a set date for releasing the nickname?

I'm sure someone will stumble upon it before it is released

[Swiss]

Well... let's buy some Expos jerseys and caps in MLB Shop, Expos section before the MLB guys move these items to Cooperstown section.

Next year the Expos @ Cooperstown section will be too expensive!

[Shmee]

Is there a set date for releasing the nickname?

I expect they'll find an ownership group, secure city funding, and worry about relocating franchise operations before they decide to start worrying about a nickname, let alone making an announcement regarding the name.

[cward]

Schmee-- dude, sorry. i was just curious. of course they have to do those things. i'm not ignorant. although, on this board we are more interested in logo packages than ownership groups, secure city funding, and relocating franchise operations. thats why i asked the question.

[Shmee]

By no means do I think you ignorant, and there's no reason to aplogize. It just seemed to me like you're jumping the gun a little. I know many of us are, in fact, more interested in nicknames and logos than business and legal operations, but it'll all come in due time. For now though, the official announcement by the league hasn't even been made.

And there's no "c" in my name.

[amare32]

Well... let's buy some Expos jerseys and caps in MLB Shop, Expos section before the MLB guys move these items to Cooperstown section.

Next year the Expos @ Cooperstown section will be too expensive!

Homeboy, I beat you to it! I snagged a Montreal road jersey online in the spring. It's blank and I'm trying to decide whose name to put on it. I smell a poll...

[CMUBrent]

I'm not surprised the Expos are going to Washington, DC. Maybe the third time's (or TEAM'S ) the charm for Washington.

[LMU]

I'm not surprised the Expos are going to Washington, DC. Maybe the third time's (or TEAM'S ) the charm for Washington.

If they get a state of the art stadium, it should be

[CubsFanBudMan]

Nice "scoop" JQK I figured we DIDN'T need another Expos thread so I posted it in the Washington nickname one quite a while ago.

thread link

(Sorry, I just feel a little like I got ESPN-ed. Peter Gammons CONFIRMS...)

[JQK]

[RyanB06]

[EDIT: Apparently JQK missed the quote in the second-to-last graf. Here it is again, because it's important to make note of it.]

Associated Press: The Rangers retain ownership of the name "Washington Senators," baseball spokesman Carmine Tiso said after consulting with Ethan Orlinsky, a lawyer for Major League Baseball Properties, the sport's licensing division.

So the former Expos will have to come up with something original.

[amare32]

If I were President, I'd veto jersey vests.

[amare32]

Associated Press: The Rangers retain ownership of the name "Washington Senators," baseball spokesman Carmine Tiso said after consulting with Ethan Orlinsky, a lawyer for Major League Baseball Properties, the sport's licensing division.

So the former Expos will have to come up with something original.

Or they'll have to pay for the name, just like they paid off Peter Angelos.

[gosioux76]

So the former Expos will have to come up with something original.

That's not necessarily true. There's nothing that says the Rangers can't relinquish those rights, for a fee or otherwise. If they want the Senators name bad enough, I'm sure there's a price.

[JQK]

[EDIT: Apparently JQK missed the quote in the second-to-last graf. Here it is again, because it's important to make note of it.]

Associated Press: The Rangers retain ownership of the name "Washington Senators," baseball spokesman Carmine Tiso said after consulting with Ethan Orlinsky, a lawyer for Major League Baseball Properties, the sport's licensing division.

So the former Expos will have to come up with something original.

Just because a team owns the name doesn't mean it can't be used.

The New York Jets owned the name "Titans". Do you see it being used in the NFL now? I don't know, remind me...

If you can make arrangements with the team that owns the name, you can use the name. It's been done before, it'll be done again, so do not speak to me as if i am some 8 year old who doesn't understand the big scary words you are saying. Jackass.

[TruColor]

Before anyone asks:

I know NOTHING.

The 2005 Style Guide still has the Expos in there.

However...once I know anything...

[the_cynic]

The 2005 Style Guide still has the Expos in there.

Is that supposed to be a surprise? They just made the decision today. No offense to you Pantone of course, I think you're awesome.

On a side note - I hope the Expos (or whatever they'll be called) retain the rights to the "Senators" name. It would be pretty sweet if they used the same colors too. Kind of a retro/modernized look.