All Star break.
By September.
Shortly after World Series.
Nov. 16-17 MLB owners meeting in Milwaukee.

And so, the latest in a growing list of deadlines gets scratched from the list. You didn’t REALLY think the Nationals’ new owner would be announced next week when MLB owners meet in Milwaukee, did you? Baseball commissioner Bud Selig announced yesterday morning that there will not be a vote among the owners next week, and there is no timetable for the process to be completed: “It won’t happen by the owners meetings and I can’t give you a timetable.” Selig is now interviewing the eight potential ownership groups himself: “All these people have spent a lot of time, money and effort and they certainly each deserve one interview. I’ve really enjoyed it. I’ve done five interviews already and I’m trying to do the rest as quickly as possible.” It’s quite a relief to hear that, at the very least, Bud is enjoying himself.

MLB owners don’t meet again until mid-January. Could that be the new target date for the process to be completed? At this rate, it’s probably not a stretch. Throw in the fact that baseball execs continue to point the finger at the inability of the DC City Council to come to an agreement on the lease for the new stadium and you’ve still got a major roadblock in the way of the sale’s completion — even though MLB President Bob DuPuy hinted a few weeks ago that an owner could be selected if the lease agreement continues to be a sticking point. So what’s the story with the delay? Blame the grandstanding city council? Blame MLB? Here’s the likely answer: Bud has already picked his man. It’s Smulyan. Jeff Smulyan is baseball’s choice. He’s Jerry Reinsdorf’s buddy. He’s viewed as an outsider in DC, but he’s the man who’ll be handed the keys to the franchise. The real reason for the delay is that Bud is still trying to figure out how he’s going to deliver the bad news to the District.

(Photo by Ben Platt/MLB.com)