$400 Million Ain't Nothing to Jack Evans

Reader StevenJB presents a perfectly plausible scenario for the MLB running the Expos in DC next year here in the comments to my last post. I'm of two minds about this idea; on the one hand, my pipe dream of seeing Carlos Beltran, Pedro Martinez, and Adrian Beltre sporting the W next year is doomed, but on the other, my pipe dream of teaming up with Nick Johnson to fight crime remains intact. Go read it.

DC Councilman Jack "the Ripper" Evans dropped some bombs today. You ever seen Breakin'? This was like the part where Kelly finally teams up with Turbo and Ozone to out-dance the Electro-Rock Crew. Evans spins around on his head and dances like robot (metaphorically speaking) here on the Washington Business Journal site, in an article entitled Take N. Va. Out of the Ballgame.

Every new baseball stadium built in the past 15 years, including Camden Yards in Baltimore, has been built in a city, not in a suburb. This has contributed to their success and to the success of baseball. Stadiums in cities provide a convenient location for everyone in the metropolitan area to get to and provide additional activities for those attending the games.

Yeah!

Contrast this with the Dulles site that has no Metro access for at least 10 years, probably longer, and no ready access to anyone except those in the outer reaches of Northern Virginia!

Hell yeah!

First, the council is in total support of the Expos relocating to the District. Second, the necessary financing plan for the ballpark will go through my budget and finance committee and then the entire council. When we get the team, we will introduce legislation, hold hearings and quickly pass the needed financing plan.

Preach it!

In contrast, Virginia's financing plan relies totally on the stadium and a village built around it paying for itself. All of the estimates are based on regionwide attendance which Virginia, given the Dulles ballpark location, is not going to get. At best, the whole Virginia financing plan is wishful thinking.

You suckas got served! This is pretty big; Jack Evans has been held up as a paragon of fiscal responsibility and all that stuff that screws up ballpark construction. I'm much relieved that he sounds more like the kind of guy who would hire supermodels to wash his fleet of Bentleys with Dom Perignon (MLB, unfortunately, is looking for the kind of guy who's willing to stockpile the Champagne and supermodels in the hope that the Bentley dealer shows up with the merchandise) (in other words, Tampa).

This article is a clear reflection of a shift in momentum, or rather the gradual grinding-to-a-halt of the Loudoun bid. First there was the revelation that the Cabal doesn't own the Gravel Pit. Then the Speaker of the VA House micturates all over their parade. Then Jack Evans comes out and promises that he's got the money as long as MLB has the stuff. Hey Pedro, I've got a fold-out couch you can crash on.