That's from where you sat?
- QuebecPride

yep

just named it "kick's engels thread" in my bookmarks
- -davies-

just named it "kick's engels thread" in my bookmarks
- -davies-

"This is proof that Montreal is a baseball city" -Shaun Starr
- mr.peanut

2,184 fans watch the Montreal Expos get set to play the Philadelphia Phillies in Montreal in this Sept.5, 2002




BASEBALL CITY TO THE MAX!!!!!

2,184 fans watch the Montreal Expos get set to play the Philadelphia Phillies in Montreal in this Sept.5, 2002




BASEBALL CITY TO THE MAX!!!!!
- Pecafan Fan

now you have to blame it on '94!

2,184 fans watch the Montreal Expos get set to play the Philadelphia Phillies in Montreal in this Sept.5, 2002




BASEBALL CITY TO THE MAX!!!!!
- Pecafan Fan

To be fair, the Expos were completely screwed during the last years of their exitence... they had absolutely no chance of getting anywhere and we couldn't even watch them on T.V. anymore.

This being said, I had the exact same thought when I went to the game on friday.... most of the people that went to the games last weekend would probably barely watch/ buy tickets the games if we had a team back in Montreal.

2,184 fans watch the Montreal Expos get set to play the Philadelphia Phillies in Montreal in this Sept.5, 2002




BASEBALL CITY TO THE MAX!!!!!
- Pecafan Fan

I think Montreal is a baseball city. I just think MLB screwed the pooch here, and that at the end, the death of the Expos was just a painful agony nobody was interested in witnessing.

Spending 10 years doing firesales, shipping away every good player and telling people the team will move was the perfect way to make sure that baseball interest in this city would die. MLB did an awesome management job to insure that happened.

I think Montreal is a baseball city. I just think MLB screwed the pooch here, and that at the end, the death of the Expos was just a painful agony nobody was interested in witnessing.

Spending 10 years doing firesales, shipping away every good player and telling people the team will move was the perfect way to make sure that baseball interest in this city would die. MLB did an awesome management job to insure that happened.
- stinger67

Also nobody in Montreal, Quebec, or Canada wanted to buy the team and keep them in Montreal.

now you have to blame it on '94!
- mr.peanut

To be fair '94 really did screw them. At the time of the labour dispute, attendance was very high and they had the most home dates left of any team in the majors. That's a ton of revenue that could have been used to retain all-star major league talent which in turn would have returned more revenue.

Also nobody in Montreal, Quebec, or Canada wanted to buy the team and keep them in Montreal.
- mr.peanut

Yep. Major League Baseball is screwed up. As long as there isn't a salary cap in that league, I don't believe it could be viable here. Not even one bit.

To be fair '94 really did screw them. At the time of the labour dispute, attendance was very high and they had the most home dates left of any team in the majors. That's a ton of revenue that could have been used to retain all-star major league talent which in turn would have returned more revenue.
- golfingsince

exactly, they could never recover from the lost of all that talent, and the Expos became a farm team for the rest of the league.

exactly, they could never recover from the lost of all that talent, and the Expos became a farm team for the rest of the league.
- stinger67

Expos University was the saying. 4 years and you're out into the real baseball world. How many players from that team went on to be a major contributor on world series teams ?

To be fair '94 really did screw them. At the time of the labour dispute, attendance was very high and they had the most home dates left of any team in the majors. That's a ton of revenue that could have been used to retain all-star major league talent which in turn would have returned more revenue.
- golfingsince

I was reading an article a few weeks back saying that many teams didn't recover attendance-wise until a year after and some it took 2 seasons (which included the jays), so the Expos weren't alone.

I was reading an article a few weeks back saying that many teams didn't recover attendance-wise until a year after and some it took 2 seasons (which included the jays), so the Expos weren't alone.
- mr.peanut

Perhaps but the Jays actually had people to help the team remain in Toronto... while the Expos were sold to Joffrey (frank)ing Loria who did everything he could to move the team away while reducing exposure and interest.

Yep. Major League Baseball is screwed up. As long as there isn't a salary cap in that league, I don't believe it could be viable here. Not even one bit.
- stinger67

A salary cap would help, but TV money now is insane (each team gets $50 million alone from national tv packages). It is a whole new world.

And people say the exodus of Anglos in the mid-90s didn't help either, but I don't know how much stock should be put in that.

A salary cap would help, but TV money now is insane (each team gets $50 million alone from national tv packages). It is a whole new world.

And people say the exodus of Anglos in the mid-90s didn't help either, but I don't know how much stock should be put in that.
- mr.peanut

How awesome is this kick? baseyball and quebec politics all in one thread! Woooo!

I was reading an article a few weeks back saying that many teams didn't recover attendance-wise until a year after and some it took 2 seasons (which included the jays), so the Expos weren't alone.
- mr.peanut

Except the Expos did not have the money to retain their all-star cast. Baseball in general suffered attendance wise but the Expos who were a small market team easily lost the most potential revenue vs their standard income. It's not like they had deep pockets to carry the team, and the fan backlash was even greater since they were poised to quite possibly win it all. I was a diehard fan that followed every game and I was heartbroken to the extent that I barely watched afterwards.

Perhaps but the Jays actually had people to help the team remain in Toronto... while the Expos were sold to Joffrey (frank)ing Loria who did everything he could to move the team away while reducing exposure and interest.
- Scabeh

It just seems like baseball fans here, just want to blame everyone and everything, but themselves. They can say they didn't want to support a glorified farm team who didn't care about winning, but a team that draws less than 5000 people a game doesn't make a team look viable in that area.

Except the Expos did not have the money to retain their all-star cast. Baseball in general suffered attendance wise but the Expos who were a small market team easily lost the most potential revenue vs their standard income. It's not like they had deep pockets to carry the team, and the fan backlash was even greater since they were poised to quite possibly win it all. I was a diehard fan that followed every game and I was heartbroken to the extent that I barely watched afterwards.
- golfingsince

It makes sense, but other small markets survived the dip.

How awesome is this kick? baseyball and quebec politics all in one thread! Woooo!
- Pie

i am experiencing deep regret for having ever posted here too now

It just seems like baseball fans here, just want to blame everyone and everything, but themselves. They can say they didn't want to support a glorified farm team who didn't care about winning, but a team that draws less than 5000 people a game doesn't make a team look viable in that area.
- mr.peanut

I'm not saying people didn't abandon the team, they did, we did.

But I think they had very good reasons to, and i'm confident they'd come back if they had a team with legitimate chances to compete to cheer for.

It just seems like baseball fans here, just want to blame everyone and everything, but themselves. They can say they didn't want to support a glorified farm team who didn't care about winning, but a team that draws less than 5000 people a game doesn't make a team look viable in that area.
- mr.peanut

http://www.baseball-alman....com/teams/montattn.shtml

To put that in perspective to 1994, the team was averaging about 35000 per game and rising when the season ended. One factor that always plagued the Expos however was poor attendance during the Stanley Cup playoffs while the Habs were still playing.

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/teams/montattn.shtml

To put that in perspective to 1994, the team was averaging about 35000 per game and rising when the season ended. One factor that always plagued the Expos however was poor attendance during the Stanley Cup playoffs while the Habs were still playing.
- golfingsince

But a team drawing less than 5000 doesn't make the market look good though?

Anyways prior to '94 they were drawing sub 20,000 avg attendance in some seasons.

How awesome is this kick? baseyball and quebec politics all in one thread! Woooo!
- Pie

I'm not saying people didn't abandon the team, they did, we did.

But I think they had very good reasons to, and i'm confident they'd come back if they had a team with legitimate chances to compete to cheer for.
- Scabeh

If part of a team coming back is they'll only work here if they win, won't entice the league or potential owners.