[Bart Fisher] says he recently offered $150 million for the financially troubled San Diego Padres and hinted that he has had discussions aimed at bringing the Minnesota Twins to Washington. Sources in San Diego deny any offer was received.

Fisher's hardest sell will be in convincing owners that placing a team in Washington won't hurt the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles draw about 25 percent of their fans from the Washington area, and having a team playing in RFK Stadium - 30 miles from Oriole Park at Camden Yards - was a bad idea to most owners.

Besides [John Harrington], the expansion committee includes Bill Giles of the Philadelphia Phillies, Jerry Reinsdorf of the Chicago White Sox, George Steinbrenner of the New York Yankees, Stanton Cook of the Chicago Cubs, Dick Jacobs of the Cleveland Indians, Stan Kasten of the Atlanta Braves and the two league presidents, Leonard Coleman of the National League and Bobby Brown of the American League.