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 politely were 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 suddenly is 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 3 1/2 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.

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 was 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 wanted his $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.