EXPOS RELOCATION Angelos not convinced but D.C.'s ready

WASHINGTON (AP) -- With or without an agreement with Peter Angelos, baseball appears ready to officially award the Montreal Expos to Washington.
Commissioner Bud Selig scheduled a conference call for today for a vote by the owners to approve major league baseball's first relocation in 33 years. The vote, originally set for Nov. 18, was delayed in part because Selig had hoped to work out a deal with the Baltimore Orioles owner to ensure a unanimous decision.
"I like 30-0 votes," Selig said Thursday after a speech to the Greater Washington Board of Trade. "But every so often I don't get 30-0 votes."
Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, met with Angelos this week in an attempt to reach an agreement that would protect the value of the Orioles franchise, which Angelos says will be hurt by having a team just 40 miles away. Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich said this week the matter could wind up in court.
The owners' vote was expected to be contingent on District of Columbia Council legislation to fund a new stadium for the Washington team, which would be called the Nationals.
Selig said he was "very confident" the council would approve the legislation. The commissioner would not address whether several amendments passed this week -- including a spending cap that could force the stadium to be built elsewhere in the city -- violated the agreement signed in September by the Expos and the city's mayor, Anthony A. Williams.