Posted on 05/29/2015 6:31:33 AM PDT by rickmichaels
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred is open to Montreal hosting three or four regular-season games in 2016, the city’s mayor said Thursday after a 45-minute meeting he described as “extremely positive.”
The goal of the encounter was to show Manfred that Montreal is “serious about baseball,” said Denis Coderre, who explained the city’s strategy toward acquiring a team either through expansion or the relocation of an existing franchise.
Coderre wouldn’t give details about that strategy but said demonstrating to the league that Montreal can fill the Olympic Stadium for games in June or July is the “next step” in bringing a team back to the city.
He said Manfred was impressed by the fact the four pre-season MLB games the city has hosted in the past two years — two in 2014 and two this year — were near sellouts and he “didn’t close the door at all” to his request for several regular-season games next year.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.nationalpost.com ...
I didn’t know Montreal lost the Expos back in 2004!
All those Rays players now living year round in sunny Florida better get used to a less balmy climate..
Only if its played on ice!
Um...where have you been? Lost in the Congo?
Antarctica! Yeah, that’s the ticket!
Yep...get rid of that crap stadium and put in a real baseball venue...move the Rays up ( who are dead last in attendance) to MTL
Thousands do it all the time.. And as for the Yankees..they own the town..
I’ve heard that the Rays don’t have very good attendance,even in recent years with contending teams. And that people think Tropicana Field is a real dump.
But I’ve also heard that they have a long term lease at Tropicana Field, which would be a major financial and legal barrier to attempts to move the team.
Long term, the team may move somewhere, but for the foreseeable future, aren’t they stuck in St. Petersburg?
I would like to see Montreal get another team. I don’t like to see teams moving to other cities. Montreal at one time had great attendance. They could again with good ownership and marketing.
Perhaps baseball will expand to 32 teams, with Montreal being one of them? Then each league would have 16 teams, and we could abandon season long interleague play?
It’s local politics..the Mayor of St Pete refuses to realize the obvious..he’s holding the team to the terms of their lease..rather than allow them to get out and reach some financial accommodation with the city.
Yep, 2004 was the last season for the Expos. They became the Washington Nationals for the 2005 season.
Apparently Montreal didn't know neither.
Of all the places the Expos had to go to...the District of Criminals.
Montreal has passed first test toward return of baseball to city
That would be bribes and having the taxpayers pay for everything while the team owners and city rake in the cash.
A better move would be to Puerto Rico
I just got out of the shower...what did I miss?
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