The D.C. Council Tuesday adopted a resolution honoring the Washington Baseball Club, a broad array of business leaders whose five years of toil returned the national pastime to the District.
The Washington Nationals ended their second — albeit a losing — season at RFK Stadium on Sunday, an achievement made possible by the baseball club and its leaders, Fred Malek and Jeffrey Zients. The club was established in July 1999, and its members spent $3 million of their own money to secure a team.
“It is because of these folks who are here with us now, that we were able to end that second season,” said Council Chair Linda Cropp.
Mayor Anthony Williams said the club was “pivotal and really indispensable in bringing baseball here.”
Williams backed the local club’s bid to buy the Nationals, but Major League Baseball ultimately chose developer Ted Lerner. Had the club known beforehand they would attract but not own a team, Malek said, “we’d be high-fiving all over the office.”
“This team is going to build into a winner,” Malek said. “They’re doing it the right way, building a team from the ground up.”
