Deal Might Not Be Dead

The baseball deal may not be dead yet. After rejecting a stadium lease for the Nationals, the DC Council has returned to session to reconsider. The unusual move came after an appeal from Mayor Tony Williams, who called the council's rejection short sighted. Council members are debating a plan to tie the lease package to a cap on the city's costs for the project.

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine says the commonwealth would be ready to accommodate the Washington Nationals if the team can't keep their home in DC. A spokesman for Kaine told WTOP radio that the governor has expressed a willingness to discuss the issue should an opportunity to bring Major League Baseball to Virginia arises. Earlier Tuesday evening, the Council voted 8-to-5 against adopting last month's agreement between Mayor Tony Williams and Major League Baseball. The vote came after a closed-door meeting where members discussed an emergency measure that would have capped the city's costs for the project. But members could not agree on a measure, and opponents of the lease said they could not support the lease as it exists. Williams has said baseball will likely proceed to binding arbitration if the deal were rejected. Before the vote, councilman Jack Evans, the biggest baseball supporter on the council, said he believed the Nationals would remain at RFK Stadium for the next year or two, then move somewhere else.

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