OT: All-Purpose Expos Return Topic (Part II)

[Phil Parent]

Yeah, I'd say you need one.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Yeah, I'd say you need one.

Does it really rain a lot in Montreal? Is it that cold in April and possibly October?

 

[ahmedou]

Yeah, I'd say you need one.

I'm confused. Not finding the answer yet. I'm elaborating a long pros and cons lists. It's debate who'll never ends.

Does it really rain a lot in Montreal? Is it that cold in April and possibly October?

It's a weird island...

 

[Chili]

Some Expos trivia...

Name an Expos minor league catcher who went on to play goal in the WHA and NHL.

 

[LeHab]

Retractable roof ?

No retractable roof?

There was a good article/interview on this last week with experts.

Stade de baseball: un toit ou pas pour Montréal?

French only, google translate if needed.

 

[teamfirst]

Some Expos trivia...

Name an Expos minor league catcher who went on to play goal in the WHA and NHL.

Michel Dion

 

[Chili]

Michel Dion

Correct.

Maybe when he saw Gary Carter ahead of him, it was time to move on to his hockey career.

 

[teamfirst]

Correct.

Maybe when he saw Gary Carter ahead of him, it was time to move on to his hockey career.

Lol ya......went with my memory answering that, googled it after, was pretty sure about the last name but not so sure about Michel, apparently he is a professionel golf coach in Carolina now, good in all sports

 

[BLONG7]

Bronfman and company will be making a major announcement on May 15th.

I wonder if they'll be presenting their stadium plans.

Any announcements today?

 

[Chili]

Lol ya......went with my memory answering that, googled it after, was pretty sure about the last name but not so sure about Michel, apparently he is a professionel golf coach in Carolina now, good in all sports

I didn't know this but he was the Nordiques goaltender in the first ever Battle of Quebec. Habs won 3-1.

 

[peate]

Does it really rain a lot in Montreal? Is it that cold in April and possibly October?

We're in the middle of May and barely breaking the 10 degree Celsius mark. 50 F. It's been a really cold spring this year.

 

[MasterDecoy]

They wouldn't support the team back when they had one. Now, there is big tv involved Montrealers have discovered they actually do love baseball? They had 20 years to support the Expos and wouldn't. I think what they actually love is the American greenbacks and thoughts of getting a new stadium. Not the Expos

Expos had great fan support for a very long time (Cue @Harry22 to point out the numbers I don't feel like looking up). Their last few years no one was showing up since it didn't matter anymore. The team had no ownership, and wasn't willing to even try to compete.

When the team gets beaten into the ground so many times, with so many threats of moving or contracting, it's hard to get excited. There was also no way to follow the team other than on the radio. It's hard to get attached to a team in the late 90s and early 2000s without ever watching them play.

@Le Tricolore

Is Chicago a terrible hockey town? Because from the 90's until their owner died in 2007, they had empty arenas because of:

- Terrible teams
- Home games not on TV unless it was sold out (which never happened)
- Spent no money
- Kept losing

That was pretty much the Expos from the time Bronfman sold the team in 1991 to 2004 but with more:

- Terrible indoor stadium in the middle of nowhere
- No english games on radio
- Complete firesale every time they had good players
- Played 20 "home" games in another country in the final 2 years
- MLB has stated many times the Expos were gonna move from 1998 on.

The Expos were top 5 in attendance in the NL throughout the late 70's to the mid 80's.

I could add more but I have to get back to work.

That was a properly ignorant post followed by an appropriate smack down. A+

 

[donghabs98]

That was a properly ignorant post followed by an appropriate smack down. A+

I find that a chunk who criticize efforts to bring back the Expos/baseball coming back to Montreal are usually ignorant of the situation. They point to the lack of fan support back in the 2000s as evidence that baseball cant return to Montreal but dont acknowledge the ownership situation. There's no ream that has unstable ownership, constant selling off of their talented players and a stadium in the middle of nowhere that is has 20K+ attendance a game.

Not to mention the economics of the game are drastically different today, ticket sales are the primary generator of revenue like it was before. The old Expos were heavily reliant on that (Look at the sell off of 1995). With revenue sharing and the expanded presence of digital streaming, the new Expos will have a much better financial standing than before and better exposure.

 

[donghabs98]

Just to add onto the old ownership situation. Considering how the MLB were open about their desires to leave Montreal and even sabotaged their playoff drive in 2003 when they didn't allow the Expos to make September call ups, what incentive did Expos fans have to support the team (by extension the MLB)?

 

[ahmedou]

There was a good article/interview on this last week with experts.

Stade de baseball: un toit ou pas pour Montréal?

French only, google translate if needed.

Will read it again.

Any announcements today?

Nothing? Was it an official date of announcement?

I find that a chunk who criticize efforts to bring back the Expos/baseball coming back to Montreal are usually ignorant of the situation. They point to the lack of fan support back in the 2000s as evidence that baseball cant return to Montreal but dont acknowledge the ownership situation. There's no ream that has unstable ownership, constant selling off of their talented players and a stadium in the middle of nowhere that is has 20K+ attendance a game.

Not to mention the economics of the game are drastically different today, ticket sales are the primary generator of revenue like it was before. The old Expos were heavily reliant on that (Look at the sell off of 1995). With revenue sharing and the expanded presence of digital streaming, the new Expos will have a much better financial standing than before and better exposure.
Considering how the MLB were open about their desires to leave Montreal and even sabotaged their playoff drive in 2003 when they didn't allow the Expos to make September call ups, what incentive did Expos fans have to support the team (by extension the MLB)?

The Montrealers assimilated the lesson. It was out of control... We're at the wrong position at the wrong time. Some sequels on how it ended. Not repeating it twice. Well we'll came out more than ever to anything.

 

[Runner77]

So the ownership group is favoring the construction of a 30,000 capacity stadiumwithout a roof. Interesting.



However, the LaPresse piece still leaves open the possibility for a retractable roof.

They're looking for an REM station to be close to the new stadium.

And the whole neighborhood would be revamped with year round activity and businesses.

 

[ahmedou]

It’s natural and unique. To see the view of Montreal. Like the sky. Like the downtown. Like the skyscrapers. Like the buildings. Like the St Laurent River. Like surrounding this beautiful area. It’s a lively place. Specially the night life. Specially the four seasons. The winter. The spring. The summer. The autumn. Like every year seeing this makes me younger.

It’s such a marvellous experience. Like the eye test there.

 

[Runner77]

Something from the 90s. Didn't even know it existed until now ...

When Spider-Man Met The Montreal Expos

 

[donghabs98]

So the ownership group is favoring the construction of a 30,000 without a roof. Interesting.



However, the LaPresse piece still leaves open the possibility for a retractable roof.

They're looking for an REM station to be close to the new stadium.

And the whole neighborhood would be revamped with year round activity and businesses.

It's not ideal but I could see April home games being played at the Big O due to its roof and Montreal's weather in early April before home games shifting to the new stadium for the rest of the season. They could also just play mostly on the road during early April to avoid the worst of the cold.

That said, it's like not Boston or New York hasn't had to deal with games in the cold so they could just play it all in the new stadium.

 

[donghabs98]

It’s natural and unique. To see the view of Montreal. Like the sky. Like the downtown. Like the skyscrapers. Like the buildings. Like the St Laurent River. Like surrounding this beautiful area. It’s a lively place. Specially the night life. Specially the four seasons. The winter. The spring. The summer. The autumn. Like every year seeing this makes me younger.

It’s such a marvellous experience. Like the eye test there.

Yeah I love the aesthetic of open air ballparks. It just makes the experience much more enjoyable compared to the dome stadium vibe of places like the Rogers centre.

 

[Runner77]

Last year, Expos cap were amongst the top sellers for Lids Canada:

“Our sales of Expos caps and apparel continue to increase every year, not just in Montreal, but across Canada,” Lids director of buying Len Stener said last week.

Stener added that they are Lids’ No. 5 selling cap, behind only the Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox, and ahead of the World Series champion Houston Astros.

During the early 2010s, Expos caps and jerseys became particularly popular among hiphop and rap groups, such as OutKast, and also became a staple of urban fashion in Canada and the U.S.

The Expos logo itself is one of the most iconic in baseball history.

Montreal Expos logo enjoys afterlife across Canada and U.S.

I often heard fans say the Expos have the 2nd highest selling caps, but I can't find a source.

 

[Runner77]

It's not ideal but I could see April home games being played at the Big O due to its roof and Montreal's weather in early April before home games shifting to the new stadium for the rest of the season. They could also just play mostly on the road during early April to avoid the worst of the cold.

That said, it's like not Boston or New York hasn't had to deal with games in the cold so they could just play it all in the new stadium.

It goes with the whole idea of Montreal fans having a preference for the outdoors in the summer, after being cooped up inside in the winter. Hence, why the idea of a covered stadium while practical, is not as appealing.

They're going for a Jarry Park-like feel, which I would love. The stadium would not be overly big and you stated, they would simply begin the season with away games until the clement weather hits Montreal.

 

[1909]

There was a good article/interview on this last week with experts.

Stade de baseball: un toit ou pas pour Montréal?

French only, google translate if needed.

No need for a roof. Save $$$. Minny, Chicago, Cleveland and few others have the same crappy Springs. Fall is nice since years around MTL.

 

[donghabs98]

Last year, Expos cap were amongst the top sellers for Lids Canada:

“Our sales of Expos caps and apparel continue to increase every year, not just in Montreal, but across Canada,” Lids director of buying Len Stener said last week.

Stener added that they are Lids’ No. 5 selling cap, behind only the Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox, and ahead of the World Series champion Houston Astros.

During the early 2010s, Expos caps and jerseys became particularly popular among hiphop and rap groups, such as OutKast, and also became a staple of urban fashion in Canada and the U.S.

The Expos logo itself is one of the most iconic in baseball history.

Montreal Expos logo enjoys afterlife across Canada and U.S.

I often heard fans say the Expos have the 2nd highest selling caps, but I can't find a source.

As someone who used to work at a sports appeal store I can testify that the Expos brand is still strong. They were amongst the Jay's, Red Soxs and Yankees in terms of popularity. I am very confident that if they come back they can compete with the Jays in terms of popularity within a few years since Bell will likely put their hype train behind them (which is much more superior to Rogers) and there is already a rooted fan base in place.

 

[Runner77]

Yeah I love the aesthetic of open air ballparks. It just makes the experience much more enjoyable compared to the dome stadium vibe of places like the Rogers centre.

I'd seriously consider moving in the new stadium vicinity, if that whole neighborhood is getting all the goodies they're projecting.