But it gets better. Have your eyes glazed over yet trying to comprehend the numbers? Well, here are some more. Also holding this whole thing up is a $6 million lease agreement which the city says that MLB is responsible for but is being contested by MLB. And the stadium’s financing is contingent upon the lease agreement as bond raters will not provide grade ratings until the agreement has been executed. The complete financing plan must be in place prior to Christmas 2005 in order to begin the process of selling bonds. It will be another race to the finish line much like last year. However, had not Bud Selig procrastinated last year there would not have been such a rush in the end and the agreement would have had more time given for better cost estimates and more time for bids on an architectural design. Such failures have come back to haunt the Nationals a year later.

At issue with the lease agreement is MLB’s argument that the lease agreement must be in place prior to selecting a new owner for the team, while the city wants a guarantee in writing that MLB will pay $6 million a year for the lease of the stadium. Yet, MLB says the agreement was to have included money for the lease. In addition, the city is asking for a $24 million letter of credit from MLB in the event the stadium cannot be completed due to a terrorist attack, natural disaster, or even a MLB strike. And should other resources fail to come through, they are also requesting MLB for an agreement of $20 million for the underground parking.

But the missing quotient in this whole scenario is the missing owner. Had there be an owner in place by now it would then be up to such owner whether or not they want to pay for a lease. At the very least, they could offer input on the design of the stadium and cost containment and work directly with the city rather than the city indirectly asking promises of MLB, which may never come to pass.

But Selig has been “sidetracked.” MLB has missed six of its own self-imposed deadlines to appoint a buyer for the team. To date, Commissioner Selig has only interviewed five of the eight interested groups having failed to address any more prospective candidates since September. So is that the fault of the city of Washington, D.C. too? First Selig said he would choose an owner by the spring of 2005, then it was the 4th of July, only to replaced by the date of the All Star Game, and since then we have seen the date of the beginning of the MLB playoffs, the World Series, and the November owners’ meetings come and go as other promised deadlines, to no avail.

The reality is, that regardless of the details of the agreements on construction and financing, the longer MLB drags its feet on getting an owner in place for the Nationals, the closer it gets to the 2006 season without management in place. And as it is the prerogative of the new owner to choose new management, without it, deals and trades cannot be accomplished. Manager, Frank Robinson, as well as General Manager, Jim Bowden, are twisting in the wind regarding their jobs. But even more importantly, and even if they are dismissed, it will take time for any new manager or General Manager to get organized let alone basically re-build the team all over again. New players are not looking to go to a team with no management or guarantees of potential salaries or management’s ability to ensure that a good team awaits blue-chip free agents.