The team is here. The stadium is to be built. And while we fast close in on the Washington Nationals’ second season, the team remains orphaned.

Ever since baseball came back to the District in late 2004, the league — whose 29 team owners jointly own the Nats, having purchased them for a bargain-basement price of $120 million in 2002 — promised that they would pick a new ownership group as soon as all the i’s were dotted and t’s crossed. That time has long passed, yet no movement on MLB Commissioner Bud Selig is yet apparent. D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams was antsy enough last week about settling the ownership question that he used a trip to see the World Baseball Classic in San Diego as an excuse to press Selig on the matter. In a statement released Friday, Williams noted:

I am going to San Diego so that I can personally urge Commissioner Selig to move quickly to select an owner for the Washington Nationals. Now that the District has approved the lease, announced a ballpark design and moved forward in preparation for ground-breaking at the stadium site, MLB officials need to name an owner for the Nationals without any additional delay. The delay has been very hurtful to the team in many ways — setting it back competitively, hurting morale of the ball club, depressing turnout and leaving a big question mark hanging over the team with opening day just 25 days away.

C’mon, Bud. You and your cabal already look to rake in $330 million in profit on the sale of the team. Flip a coin, draw straws, spin a bottle — just pick the team’s owner already!