OT: All-Purpose Expos Return Speculation Topic

[OG6ix]

I'm a huge Jays fan and I would love a team in Montreal. The city of Montreal is a gem to baseball. The first true big league baseball city in our Country.

Bring back the Spos! This time in the AL so we can have a true north-east rivalry.

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[Scintillating10]

They need a place to play first....which has been a killer in Montreal.

 

[Alexdaman]

Yup... It's going to need A LOT of money. If the Nordiques come back it might be an incentive to go ahead with the project, if they don't then politicians won't be so eager to take such a gamble.

 

[Alex514]

Build it and they will come as the saying goes...

 

[Mario le Magnifique]

They need a place to play first....which has been a killer in Montreal.

This ^^

I went to a lot of Expos games when I was younger and the Olympic stadium is TERRIBLE. They need to demolish it or something and build a new stadium for the Als and Expos closer to downtown.

 

[LaP]

I'm a huge Jays fan and I would love a team in Montreal. The city of Montreal is a gem to baseball. The first true big league baseball city in our Country.

Bring back the Spos! This time in the AL so we can have a true north-east rivalry.

It will be hard to build a rivalry between Toronto and Montréal in baseball. For one there never has been a true rivalry between the 2 teams. I never hated the Jays. It was my second favorite team after the expos actually. For two even if you put them in the same division they will rarely meet each other in playoffs. Making the playoffs in baseball is very hard and rivalry are mostly made in the playoffs in baseball since it's not a physical sports.

it will never be like the Leafs and the Habs.

 

[LaP]

This ^^

I went to a lot of Expos games when I was younger and the Olympic stadium is TERRIBLE.

It's beyond terrible. That's one of the worst pro stadium/arena in north America.

If the team is not winning you don't go there.

 

[gunnerdom]

Build it and they will come as the saying goes...

If you're referring to the Field of Dreams quote, it's actually: "If you build it, he will come".

 

[Runner77]

Yup... It's going to need A LOT of money. If the Nordiques come back it might be an incentive to go ahead with the project, if they don't then politicians won't be so eager to take such a gamble.

Don't see it as a huge gamble, if the right ownership is in place. It's going to take a downtown stadium, no doubt. I've been skeptical about them coming back any time soon, but Coderre's unrelenting campaign, rumblings of serious money lined up, a new baseball commish and to a lesser extent those April pre-season love-ins at the Big O, all contribute to creating the hope of a more immediate opportunity.

 

[Alex514]

If you're referring to the Field of Dreams quote, it's actually: "If you build it, he will come".

I wasnt just trying to state the obvious... No ballpark, No team!

 

[Mandala]

I just don't see a way that baseball could work in Montreal. The younger generation is more interested in other sports than baseball. Even in the United States, baseball has the same problem with the increasing popularity of other sports including soccer.

In this era of X-Games, Soccer, etc. baseball just does not click in my opinion.

 

[Runner77]

If you're referring to the Field of Dreams quote, it's actually: "If you build it, he will come".

There are sources that have it as "they" from a long ago era.

Seen it as a latin saying: "Si tu id aeficas, ei venient."

However, most people do erroneously quote it in relation to the movie.

 

[President XD]

Don't see it as a huge gamble, if the right ownership is in place. It's going to take a downtown stadium, no doubt. I've been skeptical about them coming back any time soon, but Coderre's unrelenting campaign, rumblings of serious money lined up, a new baseball commish and to a lesser extent those April pre-season love-ins at the Big O, all contribute to creating the hope of a more immediate opportunity.

I still don't think anyone in their right mind will fork upwards of a billion dollar to bring the Expos back in a new stadium. No matter how hard Coderre tries, I don't think there's anyone rich enough in Montreal/Quebec ready to gamble that much money on bringing back the Expos.

We hear all these people saying, yeah, I'd be ready to invest but when they find how just how few of them are ready to invest and the amount they would need to invest, I think you'd see most of them just walk away from that investment "opportunity".

People would still be expecting $5 tickets with a hot dog included in the ticket price and many would balk at today's ticket prices.

As much as I liked the Expos, I just don't see it happening.

 

[Adriatic]

I just don't see a way that baseball could work in Montreal. The younger generation is more interested in other sports than baseball. Even in the United States, baseball has the same problem with the increasing popularity of other sports including soccer.

In this era of X-Games, Soccer, etc. baseball just does not click in my opinion.

I'm not in love with Baseball, but X-games??. How the hell will X-Games have any impact on expos coming back. This is not California lol

 

[Runner77]

I still don't think anyone in their right mind will fork upwards of a billion dollar to bring the Expos back in a new stadium. No matter how hard Coderre tries, I don't think there's anyone rich enough in Montreal/Quebec ready to gamble that much money on bringing back the Expos.

We hear all these people saying, yeah, I'd be ready to invest but when they find how just how few of them are ready to invest and the amount they would need to invest, I think you'd see most of them just walk away from that investment "opportunity".

People would still be expecting $5 tickets with a hot dog included in the ticket price and many would balk at today's ticket prices.

As much as I liked the Expos, I just don't see it happening.

There are people in their right mind for whom dropping money on a baseball team is like a drop in the bucket for most of us. It's all relative. And they are well aware of what it would take to buy a franchise.

Baseball is not an "investment", but a rich man's play thing. That said, there are many avenues to help create write-offs and no, fans won't be expecting to pay $5 for a downtown seat, this wouldn't be the liquidation Expos from the nineties under Brochu, who clearly bought something he couldn't afford and ran very poorly. Plus, baseball's economic system has changed, there are greater revenue streams and more revenue sharing, so you might as well throw out all of those notions from when the Expos were around.

 

[oberan1]

There are people in their right mind for whom dropping money on a baseball team is like a drop in the bucket for most of us. It's all relative. And they are well aware of what it would take to buy a franchise.

Baseball is not an "investment", but a rich man's play thing. That said, there are many avenues to help create write-offs and no, fans won't be expecting to pay $5 for a downtown seat, this wouldn't be the liquidation Expos from the nineties under Brochu, who clearly bought something he couldn't afford and ran very poorly. Plus, baseball's economic system has changed, there are greater revenue streams and more revenue sharing, so you might as well throw out all of those notions from when the Expos were around.

+100000

From what I've read, teams get about $75M in revenue sharing before selling a single ticket, so yeah...things are quite different from the old Expos era...

 

[Runner77]

I'm not in love with Baseball, but X-games??. How the hell will X-Games have any impact on expos coming back. This is not California lol

Great piece by Forbes last year, puts it in perspective: http://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2014/10/08/baseball-is-dying-dont-be-stupid/

 

[TRG]

+100000

From what I've read, teams get about $75M in revenue sharing before selling a single ticket, so yeah...things are quite different from the old Expos era...

If so, that changes everything. Because right now, the dollar is weakening and I don't think baseball would attract 25000+ routinely.

Also, we probably won't have a great team right off the bat and we will need to build a front office, scouts and developmental system. We won't have the best system in the league like we used to, unless we build it.

I don't think there's a big enough market here but that's me.

 

[Burke the Legend]

A new stadium needs to be at the Cabot square + old CHildren's Hospital site. Right beside dense residential areas, walking distance from downtown, on a central metro location, beside the highway too, lots of parking already in area.

 

[19VJ17]

That would be awesome if they came back. One of my first memories as a little kid was lying on my father chest watching the Expos on TV.

Even when the Jays came into the league there was no problem cheering for both teams because they didn't play in the same league.

But that would have to change if the Expos came back. MTL would have to be in the same division as the NYY, BOS and Tor so they would have nature rivals.

Then I would be only able to cheer for my first love the Expos

 

[President XD]

There are people in their right mind for whom dropping money on a baseball team is like a drop in the bucket for most of us. It's all relative. And they are well aware of what it would take to buy a franchise.

Baseball is not an "investment", but a rich man's play thing. That said, there are many avenues to help create write-offs and no, fans won't be expecting to pay $5 for a downtown seat, this wouldn't be the liquidation Expos from the nineties under Brochu, who clearly bought something he couldn't afford and ran very poorly. Plus, baseball's economic system has changed, there are greater revenue streams and more revenue sharing, so you might as well throw out all of those notions from when the Expos were around.

Hadn't considered the revenue sharing. I'm still not convinced though but possibly more probable than I thought originally. I still wouldn't hold my breath.

 

[Beaker]

Expos coming back would be the only reason I move back to Quebec. Season ticket holder for sure.

Don't think it'll ever happen though.

Olympic stadium isn't good enough

 

[SquiddFX]

If you're referring to the Field of Dreams quote, it's actually: "If you build it, he will come".

He mixed it up he was thinking of Benchwarmers. "if you build it, the Nerds will come."

 

[Runner77]

For two even if you put them in the same division they will rarely meat each other in playoffs.

Disturbing.

 

[LaP]

Disturbing.

Totally