# DC Stadium Soap Opera Goes Into Extra Innings **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 8, 2006, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-stadium-soap-opera-goes-into-extra-innings/343563 "2006-02-08T18:13:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-stadium-soap-opera-goes-into-extra-innings/343563/1 "2006-02-08T18:13:58Z")
Council Forges Deal on Stadium: > [@](#): > > The D.C. Council voted to reject a baseball stadium lease agreement last night, then reconsidered four hours later and approved the deal after a plea from Mayor Anthony A. Williams and a threat from Major League Baseball President Robert A. DuPuy. > > The dramatic about-face came at 12:40 this morning after the council added its own price cap to the lease, limiting the District’s spending to $611 million for the project along the Anacostia River in Southeast Washington. With the cap in place, the council voted 9 to 4 for emergency legislation that approved the lease deal. > > It was not clear whether baseball would endorse the spending cap, but Williams’s aides said the mayor supported the council’s final plan… I’m not sure who deserves to be Pitted more: Major League Baseball for being its usual greedy arrogant asstard self or the DC City Council for their ongoing “yes we have a deal – no we don’t” shenanigans (which are going to cost the taxpayers more in the long run). I’ll bestow a special side pitting on Virginia Governor Kaine, for using the occasion to float a trial balllon suggesting that the NoVA bid might be resurrected (thereby encouraging MLB in its abovenoted asstardhood). Hell, maybe I should make that my main pitting, given that Kaine is the only player in this farce who has any reason to give a damn what I think of him (for the record, that would be: :wally). ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-stadium-soap-opera-goes-into-extra-innings/343563/2 "2006-02-08T18:28:39Z")
Truthfully, I would be thrilled for baseball to move to Northern VA. I don’t understand why the can’t renovate RFK to make it more suitable and avoid all the eminent domain crap going in to get the land for the new stadium. It seems like a waste of taxpayer money when there is so much other crap to fix in DC. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-stadium-soap-opera-goes-into-extra-innings/343563/3 "2006-02-08T18:35:54Z")
I’m so mad I could spit nickles. The original proposal was about $440 million. After that ugly convention center that just went up a few blocks away I can’t wait to see what the stadium is going to look like. I agree that RFK should be renovated (they already have to some extent) and we continue to use that. Maybe they’ll find toxic chemical weapons when they start digging, like they did in Spring Valley. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-stadium-soap-opera-goes-into-extra-innings/343563/4 "2006-02-08T18:36:19Z")
I fucking hate the Council. What a bunch of pansies. I was all set to applaud their stand against the lease, but then they screwed it up by caving at the last minute. Seriously, all of these people are completely freaking useless. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-stadium-soap-opera-goes-into-extra-innings/343563/5 "2006-02-08T18:37:55Z")
Yeah, and half of them are running for mayor… :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-stadium-soap-opera-goes-into-extra-innings/343563/6 "2006-02-08T18:44:05Z")
Of course this was started by MLB looking for a city to buttfuck into _their_ deal… or else. It was elevated to surreal last year (12-31-04) by the _outgoing_ council ramrodding the deal thru before they were replaced. The new council was seated early in '05 and penis ensued. I just have to laugh at tangled webs King Bud (and others) have woven. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-stadium-soap-opera-goes-into-extra-innings/343563/7 "2006-02-08T19:01:16Z")
> [@Patty O'Furniture](#): > > I’m so mad I could spit nickles. The original proposal was about $440 million. After that ugly convention center that just went up a few blocks away I can’t wait to see what the stadium is going to look like. I agree that RFK should be renovated (they already have to some extent) and we continue to use that. > > Maybe they’ll find toxic chemical weapons when they start digging, like they did in Spring Valley. I don’t think the new convention center is any worse than the old one, although it is massive. With the state of the school buildings here and the libraries, I think that 600 million could be much better spent. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-stadium-soap-opera-goes-into-extra-innings/343563/8 "2006-02-08T19:09:26Z")
> [@brujo](#): > > Truthfully, I would be thrilled for baseball to move to Northern VA. Hell, no. We had the sense to send the robber barons of MLB packing once. DC can have them (and is almost certainly stuck with them if these flip-flops continue until MLB decides to pursue arbitration on their existing deals). ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-stadium-soap-opera-goes-into-extra-innings/343563/9 "2006-02-08T19:12:42Z")
> [@if6was9](#): > > It was elevated to surreal last year (12-31-04) by the _outgoing_ council ramrodding the deal thru before they were replaced. The new council was seated early in '05 and penis ensued. I just have to laugh at tangled webs King Bud (and others) have woven. The one silver lining is that this fiasco will make it at least somewhat risky for teams to pull their standard “gimme more toys or we’ll move to another city” game. (That’s one reason I’m annoyed with Kaine for floating the notion that Virginia might be willing to rescue MLB from this mess.) ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-stadium-soap-opera-goes-into-extra-innings/343563/10 "2006-02-08T19:17:20Z")
> [@Steve MB](#): > > Hell, no. We had the sense to send the robber barons of MLB packing once. DC can have them (and is almost certainly stuck with them if these flip-flops continue until MLB decides to pursue arbitration on their existing deals). Well, Arlington did, I’m pretty sure that the Loudon plan was still on the table when the decision to move to DC was made and could be resurrected fairly quickly if needed. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-stadium-soap-opera-goes-into-extra-innings/343563/11 "2006-02-08T19:22:48Z")
> [@Neurotik](#): > > Well, Arlington did, I’m pretty sure that the Loudon plan was still on the table when the decision to move to DC was made and could be resurrected fairly quickly if needed. Technically, yes. Realistically, it was still “on the table” in the same sense that the Black Knight was still “on the battlefield” threatening to bite King Arthur’s knees off. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-stadium-soap-opera-goes-into-extra-innings/343563/12 "2006-02-08T19:30:09Z")
This would never have happened if Marion Barry were still mayor. All the bribes would have been agreed on and paid before the council even met. ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-stadium-soap-opera-goes-into-extra-innings/343563/13 "2006-02-08T19:34:52Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > This would never have happened if Marion Barry were still mayor. All the bribes would have been agreed on and paid before the council even met. I don’t know if you know… Barry is a Councilmember now. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-stadium-soap-opera-goes-into-extra-innings/343563/14 "2006-02-08T20:17:25Z")
> [@if6was9](#): > > I don’t know if you know… Barry is a Councilmember now. 😛 For how long is a good question. He goes for sentencing today. ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-stadium-soap-opera-goes-into-extra-innings/343563/15 "2006-02-08T20:26:28Z")
> [@brujo](#): > > For how long is a good question. He goes for sentencing today. I simply meant that the bribes are being taken care of, as we speak. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-stadium-soap-opera-goes-into-extra-innings/343563/16 "2006-02-08T20:40:32Z")
> [@brujo](#): > > For how long is a good question. He goes for sentencing today. I dunno – does going to jail mean you can’t be on the DC Council? ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-stadium-soap-opera-goes-into-extra-innings/343563/17 "2006-02-08T20:48:09Z")
> [@brujo](#): > > For how long is a good question. He goes for sentencing today. [Not any more](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1594106). They’ve put it off for another month. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-stadium-soap-opera-goes-into-extra-innings/343563/18 "2006-02-08T20:59:21Z")
It’s true that the stadium is going to cost a lot of dough, and there are plenty of things in the District that could use the money. However, speaking as a carpet bagger, as long as Congress prevents D.C. from instituting the commuter tax it desparately needs, the only way to fix that is to lure people like me to stay in town after the end of the work day and spend. In my experience, it sure as hell worked this summer. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-stadium-soap-opera-goes-into-extra-innings/343563/19 "2006-02-08T21:14:19Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > It’s true that the stadium is going to cost a lot of dough, and there are plenty of things in the District that could use the money. However, speaking as a carpet bagger, as long as Congress prevents D.C. from instituting the commuter tax it desparately needs, the only way to fix that is to lure people like me to stay in town after the end of the work day and spend. In my experience, it sure as hell worked this summer. > > –Cliffy That’s one of the few good things I see. Building it could revive the whole waterfront down there. Look what OPACY did for the Inner Harbor in Bmore. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-stadium-soap-opera-goes-into-extra-innings/343563/20 "2006-02-08T21:41:31Z")
> [@if6was9](#): > > That’s one of the few good things I see. Building it could revive the whole waterfront down there. Look what OPACY did for the Inner Harbor in Bmore. Except that area is getting better. The Department of Transportation is moving out near the Navy Yard. That area already looks a lot nicer than it did four years ago. Granted a stadium would help speed things up much like the MCI Center did for the area near Chinatown. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-stadium-soap-opera-goes-into-extra-innings/343563.md?page=2)