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Posted

Since it's official now that they're out of Montreal after September, I'm posing the question of whether or not the Expos moniker should stick around in the new city. The last team to move were the Washington Senators, who became the Texas Rangers.

 

Things to consider:

1. Potential new homes are D.C., Portland, Monterrey, San Juan, and Hampton Roads

2. So many teams wear red, white, and blue, and they might want to re-establish themselves.

3. None of these places hosted a World's Fair.

4. The "eMb" logo

 

Suggestions:

Portland Roses, Rosebuds, Cascades

Washington Senators, Federals, Nationals

Hampton Roads Gales, Gulls, Promontories

Posted
Since it's official now that they're out of Montreal after September

Official according to who?

 

I checked all the major sports news sites, as well as the MLB and Expos official websites, and I see nothing

Guest Salacious Crumb
Posted

Isn't it kind of really fucking stupid to not move them to San Juan since they already spent half a season there and were proven draws?

Posted
Since it's official now that they're out of Montreal after September

Official according to who?

 

I checked all the major sports news sites, as well as the MLB and Expos official websites, and I see nothing

That's what I was wondering. This would've been front page news in Canada, but I haven't heard a thing.

Posted
Isn't it kind of really fucking stupid to not move them to San Juan since they already spent half a season there and were proven draws?

I don't know if the average Puerto Rican has enough money to make a full-time major league team viable. Sure, they drew well enough over the course of about 20 games, but I'm not sure how they'd do over a full 81 game home schedule.

Guest Salacious Crumb
Posted
Isn't it kind of really fucking stupid to not move them to San Juan since they already spent half a season there and were proven draws?

I don't know if the average Puerto Rican has enough money to make a full-time major league team viable. Sure, they drew well enough over the course of about 20 games, but I'm not sure how they'd do over a full 81 game home schedule.

They could potentially pull it off in San Juan as that's the higher class area of Puerto Rico, plus baseball is extremely popular there. And I think the team would benefit from being in a Commwealth instead of the U.S./Canada when it comes to taxes.

Posted

Bud Selig and his merry band of morons overpriced the tickets in San Juan so they didn't even sell out all of those games last year even though its a minor league size stadium. Also I don't know of any local buyers in the San Juan area that would move the team and they'd need a new stadium. On top of that the other teams don't like having the extra travel.

 

Oh and yes I too can't find anything that says the Expos are officially moving after this season.

Guest Salacious Crumb
Posted
Personally, I see no reason why they can't succeed in Montreal. Lets not forget, in 2002 the Marlins BARELY outdrew the Expos, and that was only after an "anonymous" fan purchased thousands of tickets for the final game.

It has more to do with property taxes and Canadian money not carrying the same weight as American than being a draw.

Guest Anglesault
Posted

Thanks to the gift that is SportsPages, I found the Montreal Gazette.

 

They seem to be in the dark as well.

Posted
Personally, I see no reason why they can't succeed in Montreal.  Lets not forget, in 2002 the Marlins BARELY outdrew the Expos, and that was only after an "anonymous" fan purchased thousands of tickets for the final game.

It has more to do with property taxes and Canadian money not carrying the same weight as American than being a draw.

Then why aren't the Blue Jays having the same problem?

Posted
Isn't it kind of really fucking stupid to not move them to San Juan since they already spent half a season there and were proven draws?

1. Putting a team in San Juan is a move that would make the team even more undesirable to play for.

 

2. It would be financially risky to try and put a team there since no one knows if the team would make money or worse, go even further into poverty.

 

3. Markets like DC would raise holy hell over them being screwed out of a MLB team and more than likely sue MLB and the Orioles owner who is always ranting that he'll use all of his power and money to deny DC a MLB team....

Posted
1. Putting a team in San Juan is a move that would make the team even more undesirable to play for.

Although I already made points about why MLB won't move the Expos to San Juan this point above I have to disagree with. For one thing there are a ton of players from Puerto Rico in MLB who would jump at the chance to play at home. Secondly Puerto Rican women are hot and a lot of players would jump at the chance to play there just bang some mamacitas. Hell I'm convinced that's why Carl Everett signed with them.

Guest Anglesault
Posted
1. Putting a team in San Juan is a move that would make the team even more undesirable to play for.

Although I already made points about why MLB won't move the Expos to San Juan this point above I have to disagree with. For one thing there are a ton of players from Puerto Rico in MLB who would jump at the chance to play at home

and then there's the non-Puerto Ricans who'd rather poke their own eyes out.

Posted

I don't think it's quite official, but yesterday on some radio show they were talking about how Bud Selig made his annual, 'We hope to have some place to move them by the All-Star break' speech.

Posted

I saw an article that said that the decision of where the team would be relocated to would be made by the all star break this year with the intent of the team playing in that city next year. If I had to guess, I'd say Las Vegas or Portland. Both would need domed stadiums.

 

And I think Peter Angelos would have a similar problem with a team in Hampton Roads as he does with a team in DC. I live about as close to Hampton Roads as I do Baltimore, although to make it a shorter trip I have to go over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel which costs $10 both ways, where as going to an O's game costs $2.50 coming home over the Bay Bridge.

Posted
And I think Peter Angelos would have a similar problem with a team in Hampton Roads as he does with a team in DC.

Peter Angelos endorsed Hampton Roads as a site. If you figure they expand their AAA park to 20,000 seats and do well every game, that's still better than they would've done in Montreal, and probably better than Florida has been doing as well.

Posted

I doubt Hampton Roads will be a site chosen.... as much as Im hearing that its expanding, I dont see a major league team being based somewhere that isn't well known. Before you go "Green Bay", that team was established in the 1920s when the small towns were hosting NFL teams like Portsmouth.

Posted

The Hampton Roads area has about 700,000 people and is within a close distance to Richmond and another 500,000 people.

 

There are more people in the Norfolk/Hampton Roads area than in:

 

New Orleans - Football, Basketball

Memphis - Basketball

Buffalo - Football, Hockey

Jacksonville - Football

 

So I think they could support a baseball team, especially if you count people from the Richmond area. I imagine they would get a lot of traveling fans from that area since it would be the only Pro Sport in Virginia.

Posted
But baseball draws alot more fans a season than basketball, football, or hockey.

It draws more than football because it plays, what, 11 times as many games? On a per game basis, football DWARFS baseball's drawing prowess.

 

The strike KILLED the Expos. They were the best team in the majors and had a darned good chance of winning the whole thing.

 

They never recovered from their best shot at winning it all being taken away from them.

 

That being said, Canadian teams have a hard time competing --- and always will. The currency issue is a big one.

 

Does the NBA give Toronto a waiver over salary cap restrictions --- or is the cap listed as being in US dollars? $3M Canadian ain't the same as $3M US.

-=Mike

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