WUSA 9’s Sports Director Brett Haber can sleep a little bit better tonight. Last week Haber indicated that his inside sources had told him that MLB Commissioner Bud Selig had chosen Bethesda developer Ted Lerner to be the new owner of the Washington Nationals, and that a decision was to be expected as early as Friday, April 28. Haber may have been a few days off, but the story held — Lerner’s group has been…

Members of the D.C. Council aren’t the types to stand up to double-parking churchgoers — spare Jack Evans, whose ward includes Logan Circle and Shaw, a majority of the members of the council are backing D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams’ plan to delay parking enforcement until August, reports the Washington Times. Members of the council exempted themselves from most of the city’s parking regulations while on official business in July 2002. Mixed Results for Immigrant Boycott:…

Next Monday could be a tough day for the country — immigrant advocates have been pushing a nationwide work boycott to convince Congress of the economic power of the country’s million of illegal immigrants. Some local Hispanic leaders have expressed their opposition to the boycott, though, concerned that it may cause a backlash against immigrants and their cause. There are an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States. MLB Denies That Team…

The team is here, the stadium is to be built and the team will finally have a new owner — it’s all falling into place for the Washington Nationals. WUSA-9 is reporting that a new owner for the orphaned Nats may be named as soon as Friday, and the team is likely to go to real estate mogul Ted Lerner. The news is based on two anonymous sources, though MLB Commissioner Bud Selig denies that…

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…

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…

Somewhere Joe Camel and the Marlboro Man are rolling in their graves. Yesterday afternoon the Committee on Health of the D.C. City Council endorsed legislation that would make all District bars and restaurants smoke-free by January 2007, according to WJLA. The bill, written by Council-member David Catania (I-At Large) offers exemptions for outdoor areas, cigar bars, hotel rooms, retail tobacco outlets, research projects on the effects of smoking, and businesses that can demonstrate economic…

The new stadium for the Washington Nationals often provokes heated debate — Who will pay for it? What will it look like? Which way will it face? How many women’s restrooms will it have? Yes, this last question has been asked. The Washington Times is reporting that John Banzhaf, a public interest law professor at George Washington University famous for suing fast food restaurants and tobacco companies, has written a letter to the City Council…

It looks like August might be a busy month in D.C. baseball, though not necessarily on the field. Recent news reports and rumors indicate that the current owners of the Nationals — Major League Baseball’s 29 teams — may well announce the winner of the bidding process for the ownership of the team later this month. Eight groups are competing for what may be one of the most expensive teams ever sold, with the highest…

A year ago, Major League Baseball in the District was just a gleam in the eye of boosters like the Washington Baseball Club. There existed in these 10 miles square but a handful of weblogs devoted to the sport, mostly by anchorless amateur sabermetricians who liked to argue for paying attention to OPS and against stealing bases. Finally, Bud Selig made the long-awaited announcement that Washington would be getting its first baseball team in a…