Stumbling Block(head)
As expected, evil trial lawyer Peter Angelos is trying to block the Expos move to DC. The credit that Angelos is due is that it really is his job as majority owner of the team to protect the interests of himself and the minority owners. He's a lawyer, we all understand this. I hate to admit it.
So what will Angelos do? Today's Baltimore Sun article makes some good points about how limited his options are. If he sues baseball over the anti-trust exemption, he would still lose. The exemption, with Supreme Court approval, has allowed baseball to maintain a curious monopoly. Apparently, there we several baseball fans on the Court when the decision was handed down decades ago. This monopoly gives owners the power to control the movement of franchises. You might wonder why the Expos have not moved during the last 5-10 years to more financially friendly environs? It is because of the anti-trust exemption. No team can move without the approval of the other owners.
If Angelos wins a lawsuit and brings down the anti-trust exemption with it, the result would be that franchises could move at their whim, rather than with approval of the other owners. In other words, should the Expos or Twins or Royals decide to pull a Baltimore Colts and bring in a bunch of moving trucks in the middle of a snowy night and relocate to another city by the next day, they darn well could do it. In effect, the Expos problem would be solved. They could move to DC if they wanted to, regardless of what Peter Angelos or any other owner wanted.
So what are Angelos' options? He could pull that old lawyer's trick and file suit for some petty grievance and just crush baseball with a massive discovery burden (ie, file an extremely expensive lawsuit to put pressure on the owners). In order to avoid hemorrhaging cash, baseball could settle with him by moving the Expos elsewhere. This Angelos' strength as a mega-rich, win-at-all-costs lawyer. He once sued the state of Maryland because they wouldn't give him $4 billion in legal fees as part of the tobacco litigation. $4 billion!!!
Another plus in Angelos' corner is that the owners don't like dissent, and they don't like black sheep. Consensus is Bud Selig's middle name. They will seek to placate Angelos in some manner in order to keep him closer to the fold on issues down the road. Nobody wants an owner bent on revenge who could let his passions get in the way of good business. Sounds a lot like the Peter Angelos I've read about. He's a failed politician-wannabe who knows how to play dirty. And the owners and Selig know this.
So it remains to be seen. What to do with Angelos? He had better not blow this for DC. If he does, I think you can expect to see Orioles attendance drop dramatically and stay that way for a long time.
UPDATE: Thomas Boswell is very optimistic.
According to one source, D.C. officials may receive the confirmation that they desperately want to hear this morning, not long after you read this column. Never has a "we haven't decided yet" from baseball been received with such near euphoria by those on the other end of the drama.
So what will Angelos do? Today's Baltimore Sun article makes some good points about how limited his options are. If he sues baseball over the anti-trust exemption, he would still lose. The exemption, with Supreme Court approval, has allowed baseball to maintain a curious monopoly. Apparently, there we several baseball fans on the Court when the decision was handed down decades ago. This monopoly gives owners the power to control the movement of franchises. You might wonder why the Expos have not moved during the last 5-10 years to more financially friendly environs? It is because of the anti-trust exemption. No team can move without the approval of the other owners.
If Angelos wins a lawsuit and brings down the anti-trust exemption with it, the result would be that franchises could move at their whim, rather than with approval of the other owners. In other words, should the Expos or Twins or Royals decide to pull a Baltimore Colts and bring in a bunch of moving trucks in the middle of a snowy night and relocate to another city by the next day, they darn well could do it. In effect, the Expos problem would be solved. They could move to DC if they wanted to, regardless of what Peter Angelos or any other owner wanted.
So what are Angelos' options? He could pull that old lawyer's trick and file suit for some petty grievance and just crush baseball with a massive discovery burden (ie, file an extremely expensive lawsuit to put pressure on the owners). In order to avoid hemorrhaging cash, baseball could settle with him by moving the Expos elsewhere. This Angelos' strength as a mega-rich, win-at-all-costs lawyer. He once sued the state of Maryland because they wouldn't give him $4 billion in legal fees as part of the tobacco litigation. $4 billion!!!
Another plus in Angelos' corner is that the owners don't like dissent, and they don't like black sheep. Consensus is Bud Selig's middle name. They will seek to placate Angelos in some manner in order to keep him closer to the fold on issues down the road. Nobody wants an owner bent on revenge who could let his passions get in the way of good business. Sounds a lot like the Peter Angelos I've read about. He's a failed politician-wannabe who knows how to play dirty. And the owners and Selig know this.
So it remains to be seen. What to do with Angelos? He had better not blow this for DC. If he does, I think you can expect to see Orioles attendance drop dramatically and stay that way for a long time.
UPDATE: Thomas Boswell is very optimistic.
According to one source, D.C. officials may receive the confirmation that they desperately want to hear this morning, not long after you read this column. Never has a "we haven't decided yet" from baseball been received with such near euphoria by those on the other end of the drama.
posted by Mike C | 8:49 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home