OT: All-Purpose Expos Return Speculation Topic

[Laurentide]

Yes and like you stated they didn't need a 18,000 seat arena but now that they have it they have to hope the Senators move there.

Quebec never learned the lesson that Hamilton taught them. In the NHL, there's no such thing as "if you build it, they will come", especially if you build it in Canada. Hamilton built Copps Coliseum with the expectation that they'd get an NHL team simply because they had an NHL caliber venue. Well here we are 30 years later and Copps is now an outdated white elephant. Too big for junior or AHL hockey and not enough luxury boxes or 21st century amenities to be a viable NHL venue. In another 10 years le Cente Videotron will also be a white elephant like the Big O or Mirabel Airport. Bettman would rather have a team in Mexico City than Quebec City. The only way they get the Nordiques back is if the Sens don't get a new arena built. Even then it's a long shot.

MLB on the other.hand, is now very receptive to returning to Montreal. Bronfman is a name that is known and respected in baseball circles and if you don't focus on the post-94 lockout era, what you see is that baseball was largely successful in Montreal. Returning there is as sure a bet as you can get. It's already a known and proven commodity. By contrast who really knows if Portland Oregon can support MLB? Seattle is twice the size and they almost lost the Mariners and Seahawks (and did lose the Sonics, who were more popular than either of the other two franchises) so Portland is no sure thing by any means. Montreal is.

 

[Laurentide]

Lmao best rivalry in hockey. Quebec is a nothing. Best rivalry is Montreal Boston. Quebec ?

You're obviously too young to remember the 1980's. Yes Boston was a hated rival, but the hatred between Montreal and Quebec was next level.

 

[Laurentide]

Born in 1966. Couldn’t give a flying **** about Quebec. Hope they never get one again.

I guess your television set was broken on April 20th, 1984.

 

[Laurentide]

Next step in the process will be the announcement of the site where a future Expos stadium is envisaged. Martin Leclerc of RadCan met up with Bronfman last week, in his run of one-on-one interviews with several members of the media. Bronfman said the stadium location would be announced soon. It's all part of the ownership group showing MLB that they are ready to get started.

Leclerc writes that in order to ensure the success of the project, ownership is looking to have spaces adjacent to the new stadium, to produce related development. They're looking to see real neighborhoods spawn around the stadium, a kind of urban new life that proved to be a winning formula in cities such as San Francisco and St-Louis.

Bronfman also mentioned how the best stadiums such as those in Boston and Chicago, are part and parcel of the central fabric of the neighborhoods they are situated in. He added that there is no such space in Montreal's downtown core, however there is some around it. What ownership doesn't want is an environment where there is nothing but a stadium. They want a stadium that is part of a neighborhood that fans will enjoy visiting. "A little like it is for the Bell Center", is how Bronfman put it.

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All of this sounds like there would be a heightened fan experience based on a well-thought out, comprehensive project. Let's see what they come up with. I'm anticipating a plan for easy access and egress to the site, a 35K stadium, maybe a partially retractable roof or maybe heated seats or a heat source option for early season and late season games and plenty of entertainment options about the stadium -- this could be an awesome summer experience to be a part of. Oh, and bring back Dave Van Horne.

From what I've read, Bronfman has been quietly buying up land in and around the Peel Basin so it's a safe bet to think that this is where they will build.

And yes, if they're smart, they will opt for what's called a "site driven" stadium plan that is designed to fit inside an existing neighborhood a la Wrigley Field and all those old ballparks of the past rather than a so-called "project driven" stadium like the White Sox built; a project in which a huge tract of land is bulldozed to accommodate a stadium that is way too big surrounded by a huge parking lot.

 

[Laurentide]

I'd prefer the Expos in the NL East but, I'd be so happy just to have a team back that I wouldn't mind the AL Beast.

A relocation over an expansion team. We've gone the expansion route in 69 and I don't feel like living through that again.

Like you, I'll take the Expos any way I can get them but given my druthers I'd want to return to the National League East. First and foremost, I detest the DH and the kind of boring, station to station baseball it leads to. But from a practical point of view, being in the AL East, while it would provide some good gate receipts whenever the Jays, Red Sox or Yankees came to town, would not likely provide Expos fans much change to see playoff baseball. New York and Boston will finish 1-2 pretty much every year and will outspend every other team to do it. I'd prefer to be in the more winnable NL East with the incompetent Mets, hapless Phillies and the choking ex-Expos in DC.

 

[BLONG7]

The very first thing that needs to happen after the Bronfman group is awarded a franchise is to seek redress from.MLB regarding the broadcast rights. The Jay's cannot expect to be a national team while the Expos are relegated to being a regional team. They are damn well going to have to share.

I saw the erosion of the Expos' broadcast footprint in real time. When TSN started showing games, they had a 50-50 split between the Jay's and Expos. But year after year they kept chipping away until it was practically 100% Jay's and just a few random Expos games. Same with radio. As a kid I remember that you could drive from Montreal to Toronto and listen to an Expos game the entire way because all these little towns in Ontario carried Expos games. When I was a kid living in Oshawa, the local AM station, CKAR, had all the Expos games. But eventually they became just another Jays station. The Expos' reach shrank to nothing and by the end you.couldnt watch or listen to games outside Quebec. That has to change when the Expos come back.

Fortunately today, there's more than one all sports network. Sportsnet is heavily invested in the Jays and TSN, while it might prefer Toronto, would nonetheless jump at the chance to have 162 dates worth of broadcast content. TSN has a lot less hockey than it used to (and will continue having less of it for the next decade, thanks to the Rogers deal with the NHL) and the Jays are also exclusive to Sportsnet. TSN only has regional hockey, no playoff hockey and CFL games. They should want to get in on the Expos action and quite frankly, they need it.

Great post.............I can also remember the TV rights for games for the Spos literally disappear in front of our eyes...it was insane. The networks and MLB were building the Jays brand, and tossed the Expos to the dumpster. Sad, and disgusting all in one shot.

The new TV agreements, are what have MLB thriving, so you are bang on, when you say the networks would have to get in there, to drive more $$$ the Expos way, and yes the Jays would have to share that $$$ and spotlight.

 

[GSP2018]

You're obviously too young to remember the 1980's. Yes Boston was a hated rival, but the hatred between Montreal and Quebec was next level.

Too young ? My okdest son is most certainly older then you. Born in the 60’s. Quebec was blah. All Media garbage between the french and the English. Couldnt care less about that.

 

[GSP2018]

I guess your television set was broken on April 20th, 1984.

Wowsa. Who cares. In my opinion it goes Boston Toronto Ottawa then dead teams would be Hartford before Quebec.

 

[Canadiens Ghost]

Wowsa. Who cares. In my opinion it goes Boston Toronto Ottawa then dead teams would be Hartford before Quebec.

Really?

 

[Anardil]

I'll get interested once a shovel breaks ground on the construction of a centrally located, reachable by public transportation stadium. Before then, I'll ignore all the hope driven white noise.

 

[MasterDecoy]

What’s Felipe up to these days?

 

[Le Tricolore]

What’s Felipe up to these days?

He actually released a book earlier this year.

 

[Tyson]

Man it would be great to see the Expos back but fans stopped supporting them for the last several years, maybe because of that unattractive Olympic Stadium. When some teams spend 200 million on salaries and your team can only afford 40 million, it’s hard to compete.

 

[peate]

Man it would be great to see the Expos back but fans stopped supporting them for the last several years, maybe because of that unattractive Olympic Stadium. When some teams spend 200 million on salaries and your team can only afford 40 million, it’s hard to compete.

I don't buy the Stadium excuse. Sure it's a bit far from downtown, but the Metro stops right under it. I've been to many games there with 50,000 plus in the stands and it rocks. A good team will attract the fans, but a downtown stadium is still a must. Until then, the Big O will suffice.

 

[Tyson]

I don't buy the Stadium excuse. Sure it's a bit far from downtown, but the Metro stops right under it. I've been to many games there with 50,000 plus in the stands and it rocks. A good team will attract the fans, but a downtown stadium is still a must. Until then, the Big O will suffice.

I remember going to Parc Jarry...that was a great venue.

 

[peate]

I remember going to Parc Jarry...that was a great venue.

You're one up on me there. Even though I lived in town then , I never made it to the old parc.

 

[Tyson]

You're one up on me there. Even though I lived in town then , I never made it to the old parc.

I saw every National League team play. I saw Willie Stargell hit a ball into the pool in right field.
Saw Expo favorites, Staub, Bailey, Fairley, Bateman, Boccabella, Stoneman, Marshall, Hunt! Great childhood memories!

 

[Runner77]

I saw every National League team play. I saw Willie Stargell hit a ball into the pool in right field.
Saw Expo favorites, Staub, Bailey, Fairley, Bateman, Boccabella, Stoneman, Marshall, Hunt! Great childhood memories!

In that case, you'll definitely like the fact that Coco Laboy is going to be at Exposfest on March 25-26th. There's a blast from the past.

He should be prominently featured during opening ceremonies of one or both games.

 

[Tyson]

In that case, you'll definitely like the fact that Coco Laboy is going to be at Exposfest on March 25-26th. There's a blast from the past.

He should be prominently featured during opening ceremonies of one or both games.

Coco Laboy I think was Rookie of the year in 1969. Saw him play but from what I remember he was always hurt.

 

[MasterDecoy]

Didn’t live in Montreal that long, but I also don’t get the Olympic stadium excuse. I went to many expos game and I always found it convenient. Subway right under it, not all that far from everything.... it’s not downtown, but it’s not exactly like it’s in kanata or anything....

Someone explain it to me in a way that doesn’t sound like laziness

 

[Runner77]

Coco Laboy I think was Rookie of the year in 1969. Saw him play but from what I remember he was always hurt.

I too thought he was Rookie of the year in 69 but instead, he finished 2nd: 1969 National League Rookie of the Year Award - BR Bullpen

 

[Runner77]

Mitch Garber, a member of the potential ownership group, gave an interview to his good buddy Mitch Melnick on Dec. 20th: https://www.tsn.ca/radio/montreal-690/mitch-garber-in-studio-1.1229674

I used to listen to Garber when he was hosting a radio sports show on Sunday nights. And also from an awkward TV show ("Sports Hot Seat"?) on an obscure channel, that he'd be hosting with Melnick back in the day where they'd often sport leather jackets.

 

[Tyson]

I too thought he was Rookie of the year in 69 but instead, he finished 2nd: 1969 National League Rookie of the Year Award - BR Bullpen

You are right. For some reason I always thought he was the ROY that year. What surprised me about him was that he was 28/29 when he made it to the big leagues

 

[Tyson]

You are right. For some reason I always thought he was the ROY that year. What surprised me about him was that he was 28/29 when he made it to the big leagues

Another Expo I liked was Mack Jones

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

I wish this thread would be about basketball coming in MTL and not baseball