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Bringing Expos to Virginia would drive away gloom

Bringing Expos to Northern Virginia would be good way to brighten baseball's darkest day

Date published: 7/11/2004

TOMORROW IS Black Monday.

If you're not a baseball fan, this designation will mean nothing to you.

To those of us who faithfully follow each pitch, however, tomorrow is the one day each summer when there is no hope of either seeing or hearing a Major League Baseball game.

After today's contests, the All-Star Game break begins and that means there absolutely will be no games tomorrow. Except in Houston, where the All-Star Game will be played Tuesday, every major-league park in America will be dark, hence Black Monday.

True, Wednesday is also scheduled to be an off-day, but occasionally some rained-out games are played on the day after the All-Star Game. There is always hope for Wednesday.

Tomorrow, however, there is no hope.

Oh, yes, there is the home-run-hitting contest tomorrow night, but that's just a show. There will be no real baseball again until Thursday.

The big All-Star Game slogan this year is "This Time It Counts."

For what?

American League teams used to hate National League teams, and the All-Star Game was played for blood and bragging rights.

Now, with interleague play and free agents bouncing from league to league like hailstones in a Kansas twister, everybody knows everybody else and this once ferocious rivalry has taken on a kissy-kissy persona.

The game is just not the same as in the past.

The big moment fans in our area are waiting for is not Monday night's home-run derby or Tuesday night's first pitch. It's the long-awaited announcement that the Montreal Expos are moving to Northern Virginia.

This could make Black Monday the brightest of days for us.

For years now (it seems decades), Commissioner Bud Selig has promised us a decision by the All-Star break on where the Expos will play "next" year.

Is this the year it actually happens? It may well be, although some baseball insiders say the decision may be delayed yet again.

Almost everyone in the civilized world seems to agree that Northern Virginia is the only feasible place to move the Canadian team. So, what's holding up the works?

Potential customers can't be a problem. There are several million people in the area just dying to get a team, especially a National League franchise. I've had my season-ticket money in escrow for two years.

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Date published: 7/11/2004