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.''