Baseball in Washington bill signed

By David Nakamura
Washington Post Staff Writer

D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams signed into law a financing package for a new baseball stadium along the Anacostia waterfront in Southeast today, calling it "one of my proudest days as mayor." The legislation, which was approved narrowly by the D.C. Council last week, authorizes the administration to issue up to $534.8 million in bonds to pay for the ballpark, as well as renovations to Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. The Washington Nationals will play at RFK for three season, starting April 14, and then move to the new stadium in 2008.

Surrounded by children in red, white and blue Nationals caps and T-shirts, Williams donned a red cap and signed the document with three ceremonial pens, then smiled for the assembled television cameras and held his arm aloft. "It's a great day in our city," Williams said. "This baseball park is good for the city. Maybe I could have done a few things differently, but I never regretted what I did. It's not good just for the psychology of the city, but it's good for the city economically. I really, really believe that."

The signing ensures that the council cannot reopen the legislation for further changes and ends two months of fierce debate between city leaders, activists and residents over the use of public money for a ballpark. Under the terms of the stadium package, the city will seek 50 percent private financing and will implement a gross receipts tax on large businesses and a utilities tax on businesses and federal buildings to pay for most of the rest of the project. A tax on concessions and an annual rent payment by the team also will provide revenue to pay off the bonds.

 

Maria third in Female Athelete of the Year

Voting for the 2004 Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year, based on a 3-2-1 point system (first-place votes in parentheses):

Annika Sorenstam (40) 263
Diana Taurasi (15) 154
Maria Sharapova (19) 152
Carly Patterson  (10) 104
Jennie Finch (11) 88
Lisa Fernandez (7) 55
Michelle Wie (5) 43
Abby Wambach (5) 36
Lindsay Davenport (3) 35
Natalie Coughlin (1) 15
Meg Mallon (1) 9
Lauryn Williams 8
Elena Dementieva (1) 5
Mia Hamm 5
Misty May (1) 5
Irena Slutskaya (1) 5
Allyson Felix  3
Lisa Leslie 3
Kerri Walsh 3
Svetlana Kuznetsova 1

Redskins lose to Cowboys in last 30 seconds

The Washington Redskins lost to the Dallas Cowboys for the fourth straight time and 14th in 15, although it came down to the final play: a 57-yard field goal try by Washington's Jeff Chandler fell short. The Cowboys won 13-10 scoring the winning touchdown in the last 30 seconds of the game on a 39 yard pass from Vinny Testaverde, who had been booed most of the game by the Dallas fans.

Had Testaverde been better earlier, the Cowboys wouldn't have needed his late heroics. But he delivered in the clutch, driving 75 yards for the go-ahead score after taking over with 1:25 left and no timeouts. He added to the drama by starting the series with three straight incompletions, forcing him to keep it alive by converting on fourth-and-10.

Patrick Ramsey drove Washington inside the Dallas 11 on the first two drives, but had only a field goal to show for it. The Redskins didn't cross midfield again until the fourth quarter, when Ramsey capped a nice 7 for 7 passes drive with a 5-yard touchdown to Robert Royal for a 10-6 lead with 6:44 left. But Washington went three-and-out the next two drives and fumbled a punt in between, when it needed a few clock-eating first downs.

``You can look at 50 different plays where we could've won the game,'' Gibbs said. ``There was no one single play that cost us this game.'' Washington lost running back Clinton Portis to a chest bruise. He had just one second-half carry, finishing with 32 yards on 10 tries. Ramsey finished 19-of-29 for 158 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. The Redskins (5-10) had won two of three and were hoping to finish strong in coach Joe Gibbs' first season back on the sideline. Instead, he's already lost the most games in any season with one left against playoff-seeking Minnesota.

Merry Christmas

Britney Spears Top Star 2004???

"Access Hollywood" has named its "Top Ten Stars of 2004," with Britney Spears in the No. 1 spot.

The rankings are based on the number of stories the syndicated entertainment television show aired on each star. Spears — who was married twice, canceled a summer tour because of a knee injury and released a greatest hits album — topped the list with 119 stories.Beyonce is in the No. 2 spot, with 102 stories, followed by Donald Trump, 94 stories; Michael Jackson, 84 stories; Tom Cruise, 72 stories; Jessica Simpson, 69 stories; Paris Hilton, 63 stories; Nicole Kidman, 62 stories; Jennifer Lopez, 54 stories; and Whitney Houston, 52 stories.

"We want to thank these stars for helping to make 2004 the best in `Access Hollywood' history," executive producer Rob Silverstein said in a statement Tuesday Here's to more `can't miss' moments in 2005."

Merry Christmas Washington Nationals

New York Times

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 - The District of Columbia's City Council narrowly approved today a modified plan to build a 41,000-seat baseball stadium for the Nationals, the former Montreal Expos.The vote was seven in favor and six opposed. The plan approved today was worked out late Monday night by the city's top two political leaders, Mayor Anthony A. Williams and the City Council chairman, Linda W. Cropp. It calls for the city to seek private financing to cover at least half of the stadium's cost to be privately financed, said the mayor's spokesman, Chris Bender. Estimates of the cost range from $440 million to $585 million. Ms. Cropp persuaded fellow council members last week to adopt an amendment requiring that private money pay for half of the new stadium, near the Anacostia River on the city's south side. Baseball officials angrily halted preparations for the team's move in response.

Mr. Bender said that several private financing possibilities already have been investigated by city officials, Mr. Bender said, including a parking meter plan that is expected to generate $100 million in upfront revenue for the city. If no other private deals are found, Mr. Bender said, the city expects to sign onto the parking arrangement offered by the Cleveland-based Gates Group. In return for assurances that private financing is viable, Ms. Cropp said she would drop her legislative language requiring a specific amount of private financing, a demand which had aroused the ire of baseball supporters since they feared that it would torpedo the team's chances of moving here.

As part of the deal approved today, baseball officials agreed to reduce the $19 million in damages the city would incur if the new stadium did not open by March 2008. Instead, the city would forfeit a $5 million yearly rental payment it would earn when the Nationals team plays at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, which it is set to do beginning in 2005. Baseball officials also agreed to split the cost of construction insurance with the city to limit taxpayer liability, Mr. Bender said.

The president of Major League Baseball, Bob DuPuy, took part in the talks between Mayor Williams and Ms. Cropp by telephone, the league said. Mr. DuPuy called the new package "consistent with the stadium agreement" baseball reached with Mayor Williams before the move was announced in September. Mayor Williams said that having a team was not just about baseball, but also about "revitalizing the Anacostia River, creating new jobs, bringing in new tax revenues and creating a new source of civil pride."

 

Redskins win, 26-16

Antonio Pierce returned an interception 78 yards for a touchdown as the Washington Redskins beat San Franciso 26-16 in a game between two once great teams  that are struggling this year. Washington (5-9), as strange as it seems, are still in contention for a play-off spot with just two games left in the season. It would take a small miracle and the right combination of  wins and loses by several teams, but it is still a possibility for the Redskins.

Patrick Ramsey continued to show why he should be the
starting quarterback next year, passing for 214 yards and a touchdown. Clinton Portis rushed for 110 yards and Rod Gardner caught six passes for 111 yards, but the Redskins were  still disappointed in their offense, which scored its only touchdown on the opening drive. ``We had an opportunity to lose that game if our defense didn't play so well,'' Ramsey said. ``(The offense is) contributing more, but not as much as we would like. We've just got to get the ball in the end zone.''

Washington also committed 11 penalties for 93 yards to stay on pace to break the franchise record. Without newcomer Jeff Chandler, who kicked four field goals, the Redskins' task would have been much tougher. Chandler, the former 49ers kicker signed by Washington earlier in the week, made a 49-yard field goal and three short kicks in an impressive debut. San Francisco's fans probably didn't recognize a player run out of town for his short kickoffs and shaky accuracy

Star linebacker LaVar Arrington returned to the Redskins' lineup after missing 11 weeks with a knee injury, and the three-time Pro Bowl player appeared to see more playing time than he expected in his first game back. ``I think that I did well,'' Arrington said. ``It is hard to get into game condition without playing. I don't think that I did too bad, with that much time off.''

Kelly, You're Hired!!!

The rain stopped. The logo that would have scared the polo ponies was moved. Trump got over the fact that the chairs in his not-so-posh "private box" were dirty and not in a perfect straight line.

Once the goofy live part of the "Apprentice" finale began, and the praise from everyone under the sun started pouring in, there was no doubt that Kelly Purdue would be the one to hear "You're hired!"

And in a move sure to please Trump, given a choice of a Vegas or an NYC job, he chose NYC to be closer to Trump. For more on the Apprentice...

Send in the Clowns

By Thom Loverro
Washington Times Columnist

This was the release issued by the Washington Nationals about the event scheduled for yesterday afternoon to show off the team's new duds:

"The Washington Nationals' uniform unveiling ceremony scheduled for 2 p.m. today has been postponed until further notice."

However, the clown suits being fitted for the D.C. City Council — which, led by chairman Linda Cropp, torpedoed the proposed ballpark financing that was part of Major League Baseball's agreement to relocate the Montreal Expos to the District late Tuesday night — should be ready soon, as well as those for Mayor Anthony Williams, his staff, baseball commissioner Cadillac Bud Selig, lieutenant Bob DuPuy, crony Jerry Reinsdorf and too many others to name here.

There are enough clowns in this relocation circus to fill a fleet of Shriner cars in a parade.

Hey, maybe those who led the opposition to baseball — after generations of political and business leaders in this area spent the last 33 years trying to get it back — can declare Dec. 14 a city holiday, and have a parade with those little cars. Cropp can drive the lead car, with fellow city council members David Catania and Adrian Fenty following.

And perhaps they can have a moment of silence every Dec. 14 at Major League Baseball's New York offices, to commemorate the day the national pastime looked as if it was being run like the Arena Football League.

Cropp's last-minute ballpark financing plan, with the requirement for 50 percent private financing of the proposed ballpark on the Anacostia waterfront, likely will kill the deal the city has with baseball to relocate the Expos/Nationals to the District — or maybe not. Cropp has thrown the entire situation into astounding chaos, with so many unanswered questions that I'm getting dizzy while I write this.

It would appear MLB, which owns the Nationals, has few if any options available. The deal they have with the District dictates the city has until Dec. 31 to pass a ballpark financing plan based on the terms baseball agreed to, which means that Cadillac Bud can't pick up the phone today and negotiate with anyone else about relocating the franchise until Jan. 1 — as if there are many places he could call.

It would be very difficult to resurrect the Northern Virginia effort. Their ballpark financing legislation expires Dec. 31 as well, and it would be very difficult to go to the state legislature to renew that plan, particularly since Gov. Mark Warner showed he had no stomach to back baseball when he refused to back the bonds for a ballpark near Dulles Airport. (Yes, we should include a clown suit as well for Warner, whose visions of a presidential candidacy gave him cold feet when baseball came to him to finalize a deal to move the Expos to Northern Virginia).

Cadillac Bud could call the Elvis impersonator about Las Vegas, but Vegas politics are, in their own way, just as bizarre as District politics, and Cadillac Bud could find himself trading RICO stories with some of his new Vegas friends.

Norfolk? Portland, Ore.? Monterrey, Mexico? Northern New Jersey? Haven't we just been through all this already? And if baseball had any real and attractive option for relocation other than the Washington area, don't you think it would have moved the team there? That is why this ballpark deal had to be so attractive to Major League Baseball, why it had to be so much more favorable to baseball than in other ballpark deals around the country — baseball did not want to come here. And if they were going to come to the District, it was going to have to be because they were made an offer they couldn't refuse, if they were going to have to deal with Orioles owner Peter Angelos.

Having no other relocation options doesn't mean baseball won't say goodbye to the District, though. These are men with giant egos, and in nearly all of the labor disputes over the years in baseball, ego, more than money, drove the owners to act foolishly time and time again and could drive baseball away from Washington, even for this coming season, based on the statement issued yesterday by DuPuy: "The team's business and promotional activities will cease until further notice."

If baseball goes ahead and operates the team at RFK Stadium for this one season — and there is no guarantee it will do that — going back to Montreal may seem particularly embarrassing, but the embarrassment ship has sailed on this issue, and the rent would be cheap and the same 8,000 fans who showed up for home games last year would likely be back again. Also, baseball is just one year away from being able to reconsider contraction, something Angelos has been pushing hard for. (And yet another question: What does MLB do about Angelos for this one season if the Nationals play at RFK? Does baseball have to compensate him for that?).

For those of you who don't understand why owners would be willing to fold a team instead of selling it and pocketing the money, here is why: Provided they get another team to contract, it would mean there would be two fewer teams requiring revenue sharing (though it is reasonable to assume the Nationals in Washington would be a revenue producer quickly), which means less money out of the pockets of revenue-producing teams. More importantly, it would also mean two fewer teams with whom to share the national television, licensing and other money. Those savings would quickly make up whatever profit each team would realize from the sale of the Nationals.

The part of this farce that is not comical is the wall that Cropp and her supporters have erected around the city. One of the battle cries for putting a team in the District instead of Northern Virginia was that the city is the heart of the Washington region — not the suburbs. If the District wants to be the "heart" of the region, then it has a responsibility beyond its borders. If some city government leaders don't see it that way, fine. Keep putting up the bricks and watch as corporations and other businesses continue to set up shop outside the city and eat, shop and keep their money there, opting not to be part of the circus and the clowns.

Redskins lose to Eagles, 17-14

The Redskins fell to 4-9, assuring Gibbs of a losing season. He had only one losing record in his first 12-year stint in Washington, a 7-9 mark in 1988. At least his team kept Sunday's game closer than the 27-6 loss at Philadelphia three weeks ago. The Redskins had the ball on the Eagles 27 yard line with under 2 minutes left in the game when Patrick Ramsey threw an interception in the end zone. ``They got out of here with this one -- they snuck out of here with this one,'' Washington cornerback Fred Smoot said. ``McNabb told me that at the end of the game: They crept out of here with this one.''

Washington converted an interception from McNabb into a 2-yard TD run from Clinton Portis with 12:04 remaining to make the score 17-14.  But Ramsey's only bad pass of the game, the late interception, halted the Redskins' chance to pull off the upset. They did a good job of covering it,'' Ramsey said. `I was hoping Cooley would go up and get the ball, and it just didn't work out.''
Ramsey went 29-for-42 for 251 yards for the Redskins, and Laveranues Coles caught 12 passes for 100 yards despite a chronic toe injury that kept him out of practice for most of the week. Washington was hurt by 12 penalties for 137 yards. Mike Sellers was whistled for three personals, all on special teams. Clinton Portis, wearing "illegal" red socks, gained 80 yards on 23 carries.

The Eagles (12-1), who clinched the NFC East two weeks ago, secured a first-round bye earlier Sunday when Atlanta beat Oakland. They had won their last four games by at least 21 points and had beaten every NFC team they'd played this year by at least 10 points, until this game. The victory also moved Andy Reid ahead of Joe Gibbs into first place in winning percentage among active coaches. Reid's record is 68-34 (.667), ahead of Hall of Fame coach Gibbs' 144-74 (.661).

Tight jeans break cellphones

  A survey of 300 retailers in Sweden found that squeezing handsets into snug-fitting pants is the second leading cause of broken phones. Apparently, the phones simply can't handle the pressure, and screens break or covers bend or crack.To put it in perspective, tight pants break more phones than dogs, children, rain, snow, acts of forgetfulness and throwing phones to the ground in a rage, according to a report on the survey by cell-phone news Web site Celluar News. The site said Siemens conducted the survey.

According to the survey, the most common reason for a phone to break is that you simply drop it on the floor.It might be surprising to hear that people have thrown their unit on the ground in rage, this is of course alarming, but obviously not uncommon says Titti Hagenfeldt, Marketing Manager at Siemens.

The most common reasons for "Mobile accidents" according to 300 Swedish retailers.

1)Dropped the mobile on the ground.
2)Squeezed the cellphone in tight jeans/pockets.
3)Used the handset in the rain.
4)Throw the device on the ground in rage.
5)The dog/child got hold of the mobile.
6)Dropped the cellphone in the toilette.
7)Dropped the handset into the sea.
8)Forgot the cellphone on the roof of the car.
9)Perspiration on the mobile during workout.
10)Dropped the handset in the snow.

Internet file-sharing not a problem

Most musicians and artists say the Internet has helped them make more money from their work despite online file-trading services that allow users to copy songs and other material for free, according to a study released on Sunday.

Recording labels and movie studios have hired phalanxes of lawyers to pursue "peer to peer" networks like Kazaa, and have sued thousands of individuals who distribute copyrighted material through such networks. But most of the artists surveyed by the nonprofit Pew Internet and American Life Project said online file sharing did not concern them much.

Artists were split on the merits of peer-to-peer networks, with 47 percent saying that they prevent artists from earning royalties for their work and another 43 percent saying they helped promote and distribute their material. But two-thirds of those surveyed said file sharing posed little threat to them, and less than one-third of those surveyed said file sharing was a major threat to creative industries. Only 3 percent said the Internet hurt their ability to protect their creative works.

Redskins finally get Offensive, 31-7

All it took was some red socks and a load of work to get Clinton Portis and the Washington Redskins past the 20-point barrier, and finally playing "Redskin football". Using ball control, short passes and an outstanding defense, the Redskins beat the New York Giants 31-7.
Having been held to a few carries and a few yards during the team's three-game losing streak, Portis got the ball early and often Sunday. He gained 148 yards on 31 carries, running for one touchdown and scoring another on a shovel pass in the Redskins' victory over the New York Giants. ``I knew the team was going to be depending on me, and we finally went out and gave the defense what they wanted -- that was 21 points,'' Portis said. ``At halftime, we told them they'd better not blow the game for us.'' And Portis decided to go with red socks instead of the uniform white just to mix things up. And it must have worked.

The Redskins (4-8) led 21-0 at halftime and scored 20 in a game for the first time since Joe Gibbs returned as coach, ending their longest such drought since the 1930s. They scored more points than in their last three games combined, and they hit 30 for the first time since Week 2 of last season. Patrick Ramsey, making his third start since Mark Brunell was benched, completed 19 of 22 passes for 174 yards and three touchdowns. The first two scoring drives went 93 and 91 yards against a Giants defensive line missing three-quarters of its opening day starters.

Portis had only six carries in last week's loss at Pittsburgh, but Gibbs gave him the ball on the first five plays and seven times in the opening drive. Portis has 1,093 yards on the season, giving him 1,000-plus in each of his first three years.The Redskins are 4-0 when Portis runs for 100 yards, 0-8 when he doesn't. ``He really wanted the ball, he always does,'' Gibbs said. ``I think after a couple of weeks of us not doing very well with the running game, I think he was really fired up. A lot of things that haven't been going well for us during the year went well for us tonight.''

Closer

Go see this movie.

Pretty people with potty mouths practice infidelity in one of the most buzzed-about productions of the year. Two couples -- Julia Roberts and Clive Owen, and Jude Law and Natalie Portman -- love, lie, and cruelly betray one another in this $40 million adaptation of Patrick Marber's much praised 1997 play. Directed by Mike Nichols. Watch trailer here...

Suitland wins Maryland Football Title

There was never any question who was getting the ball for Suitland(13-1) after Damascus scored a game-tying touchdown early in the final quarter. Standout junior Navorro Bowman had led the No. 8 Rams this far and, though Coach Nick Lynch tried to rest him as much as possible to be fresh to play linebacker, it was clearly Bowman's time.

Everyone seemed to know it, including Damascus Coach Dan Makosy, but the 6-foot-1, 210-pound Bowman simply kept plowing ahead. He carried nine times on the ensuing drive, converting three third downs, to set up Marta Harley's touchdown run with 3 1/2 minutes left, a one-yard quarterback sneak that proved decisive in Suitland's 14-7 victory over No. 4 Damascus in the Maryland 4A title game Thursday night before 6,000 at M&T Bank Stadium.

As the final seconds elapsed with the defending champion Swarmin' Hornets unable to stop the clock, several Suitland players sprinted toward midfield, undoing their chin straps and removing their helmets to celebrate the school's first state title. Bowman lay near midfield where, fittingly, he never let go of the game ball.        Read more here....

Everybody's blogging

Hoping to keep more Internet users in its branded universe, Microsoft Corp. has become the latest company to offer blogging to the masses. MSN Spaces, which debuts in test form Thursday, makes it easy to set up Web journals without needing highly technical skills. It is targeted at home users who want to share vacation pictures, text journals or a list of favorite songs. It is free to anyone with a Hotmail e-mail or MSN Messenger account, both of which also are free. MSN Spaces will be supported by banner ads. Read more here...

"Blog" is now the most popular search word in the online version of the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Last year was the first that the company kept a list of the top words looked up online. As with this year, the most popular words were frequently in the news. Last year's winner was "democracy." As for a blog, Merriam-Webster defines the noun as "a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer. Read more here...