About. Frigging. Time.

Nationals break ground on stadium

So, after three-plus years of no ownership and several dozen thousand miles of travel between home stadia, things sure seem to be moving this week!

Yesterday: an ownership group is finally chosen. Of course, the owner is 80 years old, but at least it isn't a consortium of 29 competitors. Cost: $450 million.

Today: ground broken on a new stadium to be completed in 2008. Cost $611 million (which I'm sure will grow despite early promises).

This month: Voting on the sale by the other major league owners when they meet May 17-18. The Rev. Al Sharpton said Thursday he is considering attending those meetings "to press the case as to when, and how, the color line in baseball franchise ownership will be broken." Cost: dignity (but Al doesn't have any to begin with).

A few years from now: a competitive team that could be a flagship franchise of Major League Baseball, with close rivalries to the Phillies and Mets along that NE Corridor and decent revenue streams from corporate shillings, plus top management thanks to former Braves honcho Stan Kasten.

Cost: Priceless? Maybe not, but at least the long National nightmare is over.