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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Mar 31, 2014 11:41:01 GMT -5
Jeff Loria originally stated that he was committed to keeping the team in Montreal. However, from what I remember he did try to move them, anyway. Where things really get fishy is when he wanted to purchase the Marlins. He still had the Expos and he couldn't own two teams. He was also $50 million short to buy the Marlins. At this point, Bud Selig arranged for MLB to purchase the Expos. He then opened his commissioner's coffers and loaned Loria the $50 million he needed. Attendance came into it later. Loria realized that there was a good chance the Expos would have more attendance over the year, than the Marlins would. Loria ended up buying every spare seat he could for the final Florida four-game home stand, just to have the books reflect that the Marlins weren't last in attendance. I hope I got those stories are correct. I didn't look any of them up and I tried to remember them the best I could. Cheers. I see it as near impossible to get them back now. You need a new stadium, expansion fees will run 500 million. No owners around Montreal with that kind of money They'll have to convince MLB that there's actually a market for professional baseball in Montreal. I remember crowds like this for the Expos in the past. But, just as soon as the team started losing the seats would start to empty. For years it seemed to me that, the best attended games of the season were usually the season-opener and the final game. Between those it was up and down in attendance. It's going to be a tough sell to MLB, I think anyway. The Blue Jays affiliate is the Vancouver Canadians and they always have some decent talent. In fact, BC has an excellent baseball program at just about every level. Having said that, I think Vancouver might have a better chance at landing a franchise than Montreal. Vancouver has the most weather-conducive climate for baseball in Canada. Baseball is huge and there are many BC-pros in the league. A pro franchise would take away from the VC, but they might be able to make a go of it. That said, yes, I'd love to see baseball back in Montreal. I follow the Jays but nowhere as close as I used to follow the Expos. Cheers. |
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Post by franko on Mar 31, 2014 11:51:39 GMT -5
For years it seemed to me that, the best attended games of the season were usually the season-opener and the final game. took my kids out of school for what was to have been the final game for the Expos. 8,500 fans in attendance. it was the big ech O |
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Mar 31, 2014 12:31:03 GMT -5
For years it seemed to me that, the best attended games of the season were usually the season-opener and the final game. took my kids out of school for what was to have been the final game for the Expos. 8,500 fans in attendance. it was the big ech OUnbelievable. The franchise had been kicked around so much that the fans simply gave up. I probably knew this back in the day but I just plain forgot. Going to the last game of a Canadian major league franchise is just as good as any other lesson on Canadiana. Good on you for that, Franko. Cheers. |
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Post by Polarice on Mar 31, 2014 12:34:22 GMT -5
I was never an Expo fan...grew up cheering for the Phillies. Slowly gravitated towards the Blue Jays in the late 80's. Montreal fans got shafted by MLB, such a shame I would love to see them back in Montreal, but if I was betting, I would bet that they will never return.
BTW it was nice to see some old posts from Mr. Bozo.
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Post by jkr on Mar 31, 2014 12:39:14 GMT -5
They got deceived & lied to by low lifes like Jeffrey Loria & David Samson. No wonder they stopped showing up. Loria's reward - a franchise in Miami.  BTW, I heard Bob McCown talking about this last week on the FAN590. He's all for it & strongly feels that it would be a success the 2nd time around. However, he didn't feel that 2 game series with the Jays would have any influence on MLB. He thinks that with the lack of any strong local ownership, the drive to get a team just won't work. |
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Post by jkr on Mar 31, 2014 12:40:51 GMT -5
I was never an Expo fan...grew up cheering for the Phillies. Slowly gravitated towards the Blue Jays in the late 80's. Montreal fans got shafted by MLB, such a shame I would love to see them back in Montreal, but if I was betting, I would bet that they will never return. BTW it was nice to see some old posts from Mr. Bozo. Same here - miss Mr. Bozo's point of view. |
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Mar 31, 2014 12:43:57 GMT -5
I was never an Expo fan...grew up cheering for the Phillies. Slowly gravitated towards the Blue Jays in the late 80's. Montreal fans got shafted by MLB, such a shame I would love to see them back in Montreal, but if I was betting, I would bet that they will never return. BTW it was nice to see some old posts from Mr. Bozo. Story about the Phillies. I went to Montreal to see a game in the Big Oh back in the 70's. That's when the Phillies had Schmidt and Luzinski batting 3rd/4th in the order. This is when they were in their heyday. It was also the reason I went to see an Expos game that year. We arrived just in time to see the start of the game. I get up to get beers for the guys and while I'm waiting I hear two big "AWWWWES"! I get back to my seat and I've been told Schmidt and Luzinski have hit back-to-back homers. UGH!! This is why I went to Montreal in the first place. Wasn't a total loss, though. Saw Garry Carter hit one out later in the game. Final was Philly 7, Montreal 4. Cheers |
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Post by Polarice on Mar 31, 2014 14:53:45 GMT -5
Dis, I would have love to see the Phillies play in their hay day. Rose, Denny, Carlton, Schmidt were my favorites growing up. They had a good team but always seemed to fall short. I used to wear #20 when I played ball because of Schmidt.
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Post by GNick99 on Apr 1, 2014 19:31:06 GMT -5
Dis, I would have love to see the Phillies play in their hay day. Rose, Denny, Carlton, Schmidt were my favorites growing up. They had a good team but always seemed to fall short. I used to wear #20 when I played ball because of Schmidt. Phillies were too damn good!! 1980 broke my heart. Can still remember Lefty pitching a 2-hitter and Schmidt hitting one out to eliminate us |
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