The Virginia Baseball Club responded to a report released by
Orioles Owner Peter Angelos that a MLB team in Northern VA would
severely cut into the Orioles market, according to Mark Maske of
the WASHINGTON POST. Michael Scanlon, Exec Dir of VA Baseball,
said the group eventually will have to convince MLB officials the
Baltimore-Washington area can support two teams, "but that is not
one of the group's priorities at this point." Scanlon, noting
there is no "guarantee of a team" at this time, said they have
"no immediate plans" to respond to the report, which was prepared
by a research firm hired by Angelos and distributed to MLB
officials (WASHINGTON POST, 6/26). Angelos: "We're the premier
franchise in baseball. Why does anybody want to change that?
The question is, can the area support two major-league teams?
And the answer is clearly no. That's and economic fact" (Peter
Schmuck, Baltimore SUN, 6/26). In Washington, Tom Boswell noted
Angelos' support of the NFL's return to Baltimore despite the
Redskins' presence, and writes, "He must be embarrassed at being
in such a hypocritical position. Every word he's ever said in
defense of Baltimore's claim on an NFL franchise should now be
used against him" (WASHINGTON POST, 6/26).
