end of the beginning

So we are at the last game of the first season for the Washington Nationals. They're trailing the Phillies 4-0 as I write, so it looks like they'll end up exactly at .500 -- which would have sounded good on April 2 but is a little disappointing given they were 50-31 at one point.

Still, a better than expected season. Except for a few minor details... Like the fact that there is STILL no owner for the Nationals!

I don't know why I let anything that Bud Selig's crew perpetrates surprise me any more, but I honestly thought that 12 full months would be enough to choose from among the eight groups anxious to fork over $450 million big ones for the privilege of joining that exclusive club of major league baseball owners. I haven't attended one Nats game this year -- I didn't want the price of MY ticket to go to Bud Selig and the other 28 owners, who are dragging this out to extract a season's worth of profits from Washington baseball fans before giving up ownership. Incredible. And lately it appears that Jeff Smulyan, who's name I fear is Latvian for "Bob Short", is in the lead to rejoin the group of "rich and dumb" baseball owners. I hope he does better than he did with the Seattle Mariners. He could start by firing Jim Bowden...