After rejecting the original agreement, the council attempts to save face and save baseball in the District by approving a new deal to cap costs at $611 million. Now we'll have to wait and see what MLB thinks.
"Today's vote is a serious setback to all those in the Washington community who sought the return of a team to the nation's capital...I regret very much that D.C. officials have failed to honor the agreement they made when they successfully bid for the Expos to move to Washington. Baseball has no choice but to pursue arbitration so the terms of our original agreement can be honored and to begin to explore whatever options are available to us" (MLB President Bob DuPuy after the lease was rejected, via Washington Times 2/08/2006)
"I have no comment until we study this...The city has an obligation to build a stadium in conformity with the Basic Stadium Agreement." (Bob DuPuy after the new new lease was agreed upon, via Washington Post, 2/08/2006)
"I hope everyone who voted for this gets a thank you note from baseball...We are voting on a very unfair deal that every member of this council would say is a bad deal." (Adrian Fenty, via Washington Post 2/08/2006)
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