Well, we’re about 30 days away from a big day in DC Baseball: Major League Baseball’s deadlines for having a lease on the ballpark and having the site under city control, pursuant to Article VII of the stadium agreement between DC and MLB. We also appear to be nowhere near an agreement about what to do about cost overruns, or a guarantee of the lease should the new stadium fall prey to whatever foul odor besmirched the Library of Congress this morning.

This deal keeps getting shadier and shadier, and with Bud Selig crippling the Nats ability to go after free agents like Esteban Loaiza (since signed with the A’s), there may be no reason to build a new stadium if the club can’t sign some talent and compete. The Hapless Mets have already begun to retool their benches and could well smoke the Nats like the unruly beehive that they are.

Anyhow, as always, Chris Needham of Capitol Punishment has some great insight ^[1] into these stadium politics that are worth reading. Be sure to check it out.