Johnson Has a Plan for Expos

Robert Johnson wants Major League Baseball to keep a 49% stake in the Montreal Expos if he reaches a deal to buy the team and move it to the Washington area.

Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television, said Wednesday he would be interested in owning the team if it is moved to either downtown Washington or suburban Northern Virginia.

He said he would want to buy only 51%, with baseball having the right to sell the rest to him several years after the team moves into a new ballpark.

“They don’t need to put money in their pockets right now,” he said after a panel discussion at the World Sports Congress, a two-day business gathering. “Baseball’s goal should be to relocate a team out of a failing market to a market that’s going to make money.”

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Pittsburgh pitcher Dennys Reyes was taken to a hospital after being hit on the top of his head by a liner off the bat of Tampa Bay’s Aubrey Huff. The team said Reyes was “stable, conscious and coherent” when he left the stadium.

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Kenny Rogers and the Minnesota Twins reached a preliminary agreement on a $2-million, one-year contract. The deal is contingent on Rogers’ passing a physical.... Cleveland Indian reliever Mark Wohlers will miss at least the first two months of the season after having bone chips removed from his right elbow.... Seattle reliever Norm Charlton needs surgery again and will be sidelined for four to six months.... The Boston Red Sox put outfielder Benny Agbayani and pitcher Willie Banks on waivers for the purpose of their unconditional releases.

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Boston Red Sox pitching coach Tony Cloninger may have bladder cancer. Team physician Bill Morgan said a biopsy was performed Tuesday to determine if the tumor is cancerous.... Former Cincinnati Red owner Marge Schott was hospitalized because she is suffering from pneumonia.