Montreal Expos

JUPITER, Fla. - The Montreal Expos open spring training at Roger Dean Stadium today with a full roster of players and, with any luck, enough coaches to put them through their early workouts. Manager Frank Robinson has had about a week to piece together a coaching staff, which was still under construction late yesterday. Rookie general manager Omar Minaya spent his second day on site furiously working the phones to find enough scouts and player development people to get the franchise back up and running after former owner Jeffrey Loria took much of the staff with him to the Florida Marlins.

OAKLAND, Calif. - Before Michael Lewis' book "Moneyball" hit the best sellers list and before Brad Pitt brought Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane to the big screen in the Academy Award-nominated film of the same name, the concept of building a small-market club through shrewd acquisitions, farm system strengthening and an obsession with on-base percentage had already been featured north of the border. Arguably, the first incarnation of the Moneyball concept occurred in Montreal in the early 1990s.

BaseballColorado Rockies -- Activated P Mark Grant from the DL. Optioned P Butch Henry to Triple-A Colorado Springs.Montreal Expos -- Optioned C Tim Laker to Triple-A Ottawa.

WASHINGTON-- --Eager to improve the game-day experience for Washington Nationals fans, the club's new owners plan to soon solicit fans' advice on what's working and what's not. The owners had better be ready for an earful. The Sun informally asked fans recently about their team and stadium and got a wide array of suggestions - some serious, some humorous, some pointed, some a bit far-fetched. One fan said the scoreboard was too small and bland and should be upgraded. Another fan said the RFK Stadium fences should be moved in - a proposition the club's pitchers hope is quickly squelched.

BaseballMontreal Expos -- Assigned OF Eric Bullock outright to Class AAA Indianapolis.New York Mets -- Signed pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre to a 1-year contract with an option year. Named Earle Fisher marketing representative.FootballGreen Bay Packers -- Activated RB Darrell Thompson from the practice squad. Placed RB Allen Rice on injured reserve.New England Patriots -- Signed OL Stan Clayton.

BaseballMontreal Expos -- Placed P Scott Aldred on the 15-day DL. Recalled P Mike Gardiner from Triple-A Ottawa.CollegeArizona State -- Announced the resignation of Maura McHugh, women's basketball coach, effective June 30.James Madison -- Announced the resignation of Ray Heatwole, baseball coach, effective at the end of the season. Named Kevin Anderson baseball coach.

Left to themselves by the major leagues' all-out retreat from South Florida, the Orioles yesterday announced a spring training schedule including 14 full-squad home games and only two American League opponents.Their Grapefruit League schedule begins Feb. 28 with a game at Fort Lauderdale Stadium vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers and ends there March 28 against the New York Mets. The Mets will accompany the Orioles to Camden Yards for a March 29 afternoon exhibition.Pitchers and catchers officially report on Feb. 15, followed by position players on Feb. 20.Geography represents a special Orioles' challenge.

BaseballBoston Red Sox -- Sent former Orioles P Todd Frohwirth to Triple-A Pawtucket. Recalled P Nate Minchey from Pawtucket.Colorado Rockies -- Acquired OF Ronnie Hall from the Montreal Expos to complete an earlier trade involving OF John Vander Wal.Florida Marlins -- Placed P Chris Hammond on the 15-day disabled list.Los Angeles Dodgers -- Signed C Paul Konerko, their first-round draft pick, and assigned him to Vero Beach (Rookie).Montreal Expos -- Recalled P Kirk Rueter from Triple-A Ottawa.

BaseballMontreal Expos -- Purchased the contract of OF Curtis Pride from Triple-A Ottawa. Waived P Scott Aldred.Texas Rangers -- Activated P Nolan Ryan from the 15-day DL.CollegesDelaware -- Announced that University of Maryland Eastern Shore assistant men's basketball coach Darryl Bruce will become assistant men's basketball coach. Bruce is a 1990 graduate of Towson State and a native of Forestville.HockeyDetroit Red Wings -- Signed D Steve Chiasson to a three-year contract.

Two Koreans are better than one. - Old Japanese proverb. Mayor Rudy may not really understand good police work but he certainly knows bad PR when it hits him in the face. The Montreal Expos will move if Northern Virginia fans will learn French? Putin can put up with anything except a public with its own opinion. The Survivor that CBS has in mind is CBS.

WASHINGTON - The New York Yankees have their rich history and the Boston Red Sox boast World Series rings, but baseball's best merchandising story is the Washington Nationals and their wildly popular ball caps. In less than a year, Nationals caps have become a fashion statement, a political statement and one of the fastest-selling Major League Baseball items the sport has ever seen. Fans are wearing the caps at swimming pools, in restaurants, on the street and, of course, to the games.

For those of you wanting the Orioles to make a whatever-it-takes trade because they are in contention for the first time in eight years, here's a cautionary tale. One made possible by former Baltimore boy, Mark Shapiro, the Cleveland Indians general manager. It has been a little more than three years ago since Shapiro made a blockbuster trade with baseball's ward, the Montreal Expos. At the time, the Indians were seven games out of first in the American League Central. The Expos were 6 1/2 games out of first in the National League East.

WASHINGTON - The future of the Orioles' downtown Washington fan store is under review, the team says. In the interest of being good neighbors to the newly arrived Washington Nationals, the Orioles say they may move the store to another site away from the downtown. If a move were made, it wouldn't be until after the season is over. Orioles executives say they want Washington-area fans to know they aren't abandoning them. "The decision will be based first and foremost on not slighting any Orioles fans in the area," said Spiro Alafassos, the team's executive director of communications.

WASHINGTON - Given a second chance, the return of Major League Baseball to the nation's capital became a virtual certainty yesterday after the District of Columbia Council passed a stadium financing bill without a provision that had threatened to kill the move a week earlier. By a vote of 7-6, with Chairman Linda W. Cropp siding with the majority, the council approved building a 41,000-seat stadium near the Anacostia River in southeast Washington. "I'm proud to say finally and at last we have risen above the fray, and the Washington Nationals are rounding third and heading for home," Mayor Anthony A. Williams said at a news conference last night.

To better grasp how much baseball salaries have escalated this offseason, consider the case of Orioles pitcher Sidney Ponson. Last fall, he hit the free-agent market after a breakout season and returned to the Orioles with a three-year, $22.5 million contract. Some industry insiders thought that was steep, and Ponson didn't exactly quell the concern when he reported to spring training overweight and went 3-12 before the All-Star break. But Ponson finished strong, going 8-3 after the break, and then watched as baseball's latest free-agent class stepped into a new windfall.

WASHINGTON -- The D.C. Council passed an amendment-laden baseball stadium financing plan last night that requires substantial private financing for the home of the relocated Montreal Expos. The District of Columbia Council's 7-6 final vote came after a marathon 11 1/2 -hour session of debate. There were numerous changes to the agreement Mayor Anthony Williams and baseball officials signed in September to move the Expos to the nation's capital. Rather than approve the package as expected, the council debated into the night.

BaseballCincinnati Reds -- Recalled P John Roper and OF Jacob Brumfield from Triple-A Indianapolis. Sent OF Gary Varsho to Indianapolis. Designated P Travis Buckley for assignment.Minnesota Twins -- Placed OF Shane Mack on the 15-day DL, retroactive to May 15. Purchased the contract of OF-1B David McCarty from Triple-A Portland.Montreal Expos -- Placed P Scott Aldred on the 15-day DL. Recalled P Mike Gardiner from Triple-A Ottawa.

WASHINGTON - On Dec. 2, Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said he had "a deal" with the city over stadium funding, and that he wasn't inclined to change it. A week later, though, baseball seems willing to make at least minor concessions to show its sensitivity to the concerns of a handful of D.C. Council members that the stadium deal is too costly. The council holds its final vote on stadium funding Tuesday, and, according to officials involved in the talks, baseball wants to demonstrate that it is not oblivious to funding issues raised by the members.

WASHINGTON - City Councilman Jack Evans has been here before, on the yes side of a contentious plan that promotes a publicly financed building as critical to Washington's revitalization. The first time was 1995, when the council voted to absorb a share of the cost to build MCI Center for the Wizards basketball team and the Capitals hockey team. Three years later, a council vote paved the way for the new convention center with a $650 million package of taxes and fees. It's hard to find anyone in city government who would call either development anything short of a spectacular success.