The Grays, they rightly point out, were winning pennants in an era when the Senators were making a laughing stock out of baseball in the nation’s capitol. All true, but there is another side to this question.

How much of a tribute to the Grays is it that public money—tax money taken from the pockets of fans who will be hard pressed to afford a ticket—is going to fund the new stadium in which the team will play? How much of a tribute is it that hundreds, maybe thousands, of D.C.’s black residents will be displaced when ground is broken for the new facility? And, how much of a tribute will it be to give the name of one of baseball’s greatest teams to the Montreal Expos?

These are all things to think about over the winter months. Naming the team the Grays might produce a warm and fuzzy feeling as we anticipate the return of spring, but will the tribute seem as genuine in the summer heat?