Adding to the list of subjects DCist wanted to tackle during our server downtime is the staredown Peter Angelos is having with Major League Baseball over his ridiculous claims of ownership of the D.C. market. DCist is shocked to the levels that MLB is going to satisfy Angelos’s demands for reparations when we land the Expos. Talks are currently ongoing regarding giving Angelos an annual lump sum payment should Orioles revenue fall below a certain point. DCist wonders what the point of giving the O’s an annual payment for “damages” to the club is if there is no guarantee that Angelos will turn around and spend that money on the product that takes the field in Camden Yards.

The best part of all of this is the reasoning Angelos is using for his argument. According to yesterday’s Post … Angelos did not retreat from his opposition to a Washington team, arguing that it would draw away fans, financially hobble his club and hinder its ability to compete on the field.

Here are the O’s year by year records since they won the AL East in 1997:

Year / W-L / W% / GB / Attendance
2003 / 71-91 / .438 / 30.0 / 2,454,523
2002 / 67-95 / .414 / 36.5 / 2,682,439
2001 / 63-98 / .391 / 32.5 / 3,094,821
2000 / 74-88 / .457 / 13.5 / 3,297,031
1999 / 78-84 / .481 / 20.0 / 3,431,829
1998 / 79-83 / .488 / 35.0 / 3,685,194

Now, correct us if we are wrong, but it appears that Angelos is driving off his own fans just fine without any competition from Les Expos. The O’s haven’t been less than 13 games back in six years. Wait, make that seven.