updated 1:02 a.m. ET Dec. 16, 2004

WASHINGTON - Some fans who had not heard the news showed up at a downtown restaurant Wednesday expecting to witness the unveiling of the Washington Nationals uniforms.

Those die-hards were politely told that the ceremony was on hold. Indefinitely.

“I just thought it was inappropriate with the action that was taken last night,” team president Tony Tavares said. “Some people say this thing is in question right now, so to be rolling out new uniforms, I thought it would be inappropriate.”

The operation to move the Montreal Expos to Washington is suddenly in limbo. More than 16,000 season ticket deposits had been taken, and invoices were due to be mailed in a couple of weeks. Sales of hats and other merchandise had exceeded $100,000 since the Nationals name and logo were made public 3½ weeks ago.

Seats in what would be the left field corner of RFK Stadium have been moved, the first tangible step in the facility’s $13 million overhaul for baseball. A sales staff and other employees hired last week are being trained. Interim general manager Jim Bowden has been wheeling and dealing for players.

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Then came a vote late Tuesday that could unravel the whole thing.

The District of Columbia Council approved a measure that would require private financing for at least half of the costs of a new stadium, an 11th-hour move that could cause baseball to reconsider moving the team to Washington — or, more likely, land the team in the nation’s capital for one year only.

“Everything appeared to be going so well,” said Charlie Brotman, longtime public address announcer for the Washington Senators and a prominent advocate for baseball’s return. “It’s like you’re in a 100-yard dash, and you’re one yard away from the finish line. You’re beating everybody, and all of a sudden you’ve got a cramp, and you lose. It’s raining on our parade.”

Baseball’s reaction was swift. Bob DuPuy, baseball’s chief operating officer, announced late Wednesday afternoon that it is suspending the team’s business and promotional operations indefinitely. Suddenly, the behind-the-scenes work of Tavares and special assistant Kevin Uhlich ground to a halt.

“We’re not going to be soliciting tickets. We’re not going to be soliciting sponsorships,” Uhlich said. “We’re not going to be soliciting a radio deal. We are going to close the merchandise store as of tonight. It’s all on hold. We have suspended hiring. We’re not making any more hires.”

Instead of taking in money, the team will start refunding it. DuPuy said anyone who wants their $300 season-ticket deposit back should call the club.

Essentially, the only person who will continue to work full steam is general manager Bowden, but the sudden drop in revenue will affect his ability to sign players.

“Don’t expect us to spend a lot of money at this point,” Tavares said. “We will continue to try to the make the team competitive, but I don’t expect to us to be a big buyer at this point.”

Although Mayor Anthony Williams said Wednesday the baseball dream was “close to dying,” many city officials tried to remain optimistic that the council and baseball can work out their differences by the Dec. 31 deadline stipulated in the agreement three months ago.

If not, the city faces the embarrassing possibility of hosting baseball for just a year while negotiations begin anew to find a permanent host city for the Expos. Too much has been done for the team to move back to Montreal for another season, and the agreement allows baseball to play at RFK temporarily if all of its conditions aren’t met.

“We are obviously hopeful it won’t reach that stage,” said Bill Hall, chairman of the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission’s baseball committee. “We have until the end of the year to modify legislation to make it consistent with the agreement with Major League Baseball. There are opportunities to change the legislation to ensure we don’t lose baseball.”

Needless to say, a temporary team would be a marketing nightmare, even in a city that hasn’t been major league for 33 years.

“I think it’ll definitely decrease the attendance because it’s not really our team,” Brotman said. “It’s a part-time team. If you’re marketing or merchandising, it’s extremely difficult. It’s like you’re not buying the house, you’re renting.”

Officials in Virginia are watching events closely, ready to re-enter the fray if baseball reopens the process. Both Northern Virginia and Norfolk made bids for the Expos this year, although stadium financing legislation passed by the General Assembly will expire Jan. 1. Monterrey, Mexico; Portland, Ore.; and San Juan, Puerto Rico, were the other contenders.

“If the opportunity arises for the Expos again, we are going to be standing there along with everyone else,” Norfolk group head Will Somerindyke Jr. said.

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