WASHINGTON, D.C. Expos' move is only the first step

Much work must be done to complete the relocation to the nation's capital.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The celebration can't last long in the nation's capital. The real work is just beginning now that the Montreal Expos are on the way.
The city government must race against time to approve funding for a new stadium. RFK Stadium must be renovated in time for opening day in April. A team nickname needs to be chosen.
Major League Baseball has some unfinished business, too. The other team owners must approve the move when they meet in November. A buyer has to be found for the relocated team. A deal must be completed that appeases Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos.
"We finally have taken the first step," commissioner Bud Selig said Wednesday, shortly after announcing the Expos' move to Washington. "And I want to say, obviously, there's a lot of work to be done."
Jubilation
For a day, at least, there was unbridled jubilation among officials who had worked diligently to end the city's 33-year drought of major league baseball.
Mayor Anthony Williams drew cheers as he donned a Washington Senators cap at a news conference at the City Museum.
"After 30 years of waiting and waiting and waiting," Williams said, "and lots of hard work and more than a few prayers, there will be baseball in Washington in 2005!"
The team will play at RFK for three seasons while a new ball park is built along the Anacostia River, south of the Capitol. It's a $440 million package that requires approval by the city council.
Hearings will begin soon so that the legislation can be passed before Dec. 31, when terms expire for several pro-baseball council members.
Some present council members have also objected to the plan, which would pay for the ball park with a new tax on the city's largest businesses, a tax on baseball-related income and lease payments by the team's new owners.
Promoting benefits
Answering the critics, Williams went on the offensive to promote the team's economic benefits.
"It's the team owners, business owners, the stadium users who are paying for this -- and not one dime of a D.C. resident is covering this important investment in our city," he said.
A $13 million refurbishment of RFK must be completed by April 15, when the team would play its home opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to the draft 2005 schedule that has been circulated to major league teams. RFK hasn't been used regularly for baseball since the Senators left to become the Texas Rangers after the 1971 season.
Naming the team is sure to spur much debate. Williams likes the name "Washington Grays" as a tribute to the Homestead Grays, a Negro League team that played in Washington in the 1930s and 1940s. The Senators would be a sentimental favorite, but that name would have to be acquired from the Rangers, who still own its rights.
Will recommend approval
Selig said he will "very aggressively recommend" that the move be approved at the November owners' meeting. A yes vote should be a foregone conclusion, given the money the 29 owners have lost as joint owners of the Expos for the last three seasons.
More complex will be the selling of the team. A group that includes former Rangers partner Fred Malek has been pursuing a Washington franchise for five years, but several other bidders are expected to show interest.
"The sooner we have a new owner, the better off we'll all be," Selig said.
A major hurdle in the process has been Angelos, who had objected to having a team move just 40 miles from his Camden Yards stadium.
Under the deal baseball is negotiating with Angelos, an appraiser would value the Orioles franchise, and the commissioner's office would guarantee its value for a period of time.