An Offer You Must Refuse

Baseball's anti-trust exemption has always been an unfair advantage for MLB versus what the NFL and NBA can bring to the table. But now, the U.S. Congress is threatening MLB if unsavory types buy the Nationals.

You know who I mean. Democrats.

Yes, it seems Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA), he of the district spurned by MLB when it came to site selection for the relocation of the Expos, is all in a tizzy over the possibility that the goofy billionaire, George Soros, may get his mitts on a piece of the Nationals.

[T]he very prospect that Soros could have a stake in the team is enough to irritate Congressional Republicans.

"I think Major League Baseball understands the stakes," said Government Reform Chairman Tom Davis (R), the Northern Virginia lawmaker who recently convened high-profile steroid hearings. "I don't think they want to get involved in a political fight."

Davis, whose panel also oversees District of Columbia issues, said that if a Soros sale went through, "I don't think it's the Nats that get hurt. I think it's Major League Baseball that gets hurt. They enjoy all sorts of exemptions" from anti-trust laws.

Davis is particularly disgusting. To borrow from Carpetbagger Steve, Davis is acting like the head of an organized crime family. Nice baseball league you have here. It'd be a shame if something happened to it...

Look, Tom. Baseball decided not to move in your area. You lost. Don't get huffy now because a private enterprise may selling your local franchise to a buyer you don't like. That's not very American of you.

Ironically, the removal of the anti-trust exemption would be a good thing for the fans. For example, removal would allow teams to relocate at will instead of at the Commissioner's approval. This would prevent the travesties that were the Expos and are the Devil Rays.