Diverse Neighbors Vie for Expos

Looking east from the Potomac River, the view includes the White House, Capitol, Smithsonian and a line of monuments in a city recognized instantly worldwide.

Washington, D.C. Powerful. Majestic. Capital of the free world.

To the west lies an incredible sprawl of suburban wealth with nearly 2 million people, including the nation’s fastest growing county. It’s a high-tech haven of planned communities with huge houses on every lot; no monument represents it better than the vast headquarters of America Online.

What’s it called? Well, the best anyone can settle on is “Northern Virginia,” a soulless name that makes a first-time visitor’s nose wrinkle with the look that says, “Can’t they think of anything better?”

Diverse as they are, the neighbors have a common goal that pits city vs. suburb: Both want to be the next home of the Montreal Expos.

“Do tens of millions of tourists come to see Loudoun County -- or Washington, D.C.?” said Fred Malek, prospective owner of a Washington team.

“Is the seat of government, the Congress, the diplomatic community, the venues visited by foreign leaders in central Washington -- or in one of the outer suburbs? Isn’t it logical for America’s pastime to be presented to the world where the people of the world congregate?”

Nice little salvo, but the other team gets to bat, too.

“I believe D.C. is an unattractive place for suburbanites to go during the week,” said Scott York, Board of Supervisors chairman in Loudoun County, home of a potential stadium site some 25 miles from Washington. “When you look at Northern Virginia, the people and the corporations in and around this particular site, that really gives it an advantage.”

The two jurisdictions emerged as the apparent favorites last week after a meeting of Major League Baseball’s relocation committee, which has been trying for 2 1/2 years to find a new home for the Expos. The latest deadline for a decision is the All-Star break in July, with the franchise moving to its new location next season.

At least five other cities are in the running -- Norfolk, Va.; Las Vegas; Portland, Ore.; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Monterrey, Mexico -- but none can match the population base, TV market, business wealth and disposable income of the Washington area.

But if baseball decides to come here, which side of the river should get the team?

Northern Virginia has the wealth, but its growth has made the region one huge traffic nightmare. It has a stadium financing plan passed by the state legislature, but it doesn’t satisfy baseball’s preference for 100-percent public funding. The standard of living is high, but the lack of identity is so acute that simply coming up with a name for the team would be a challenge. Local opposition stymied attractive stadium sites in Arlington, but officials are now focusing on the Loudoun County site near Dulles Airport, at the periphery of the region’s population base.

“When you’re sitting in our stadium you’ll see the Capitol, the monuments,” said Tony Bullock, spokesman for Washington Mayor Anthony Williams. “Out there, you’re going to see a lot of airplanes taking off and landing, and that’s not inspiring.”