Justice Delayed... Again

Let's run down the list... spring training, June 1st, the all-star break, August 1st, before the playoffs... and now apparently, Thanksgiving. MLB's chief negotiator (and White Sox owner) Jerry Reinsdorf says the sale of the Nationals won't be completed until November. The reason? Reinsdorf is busy attending to White Sox related business.

Reinsdorf: "There will probably have to be a time when I need to be in Washington for a day or two to get this done and I won't have time as long as [the White Sox] are in this." What, Reinsdorf has to be on hand so he can tell Ozzie Guillen when to pinch hit for Joe Crede? He's the owner, not the bench coach.

Lest you think the endless delay in naming new owners is MLB's fault, Reinsdorf wants you to know that the real culprit is the DC city council. The council has truculently refused to hand over the keys to the kingdom (i.e. the new stadium lease). I was no particular fan of the city's initial hemming and hawing over the stadium deal, but now I think they're entirely justified in holding on to their final piece of leverage until MLB names an ownership group with strong local ties and a commitment to the city. Not Smulyan!

In Other Obstructionist News

Comcast received it's second consecutive judicial bitch slap from the MoCo courts, when their amended lawsuit against MASN and the B'Orioles was dismissed again. Apparently Comcast's lawyers couldn't formulate a decent complaint even with two bites at the apple. An appeal is forthcoming.

According to the Times, land acquisition for the new stadium will begin this month, although roughly half the property will have to be taken by eminent domain, adding time and expense to the process. And, surprise, parking for the new stadium is already a problem.