Le Baseball à Montréal, say it isn’t So

By Rick Sassone on December 15, 2013

Yesterday on the show I was quite excited and outspoken, hard to believe right, me outspoken and excited… well I was about the Tampa Bay Rays. The topic came up about the resigning of first baseman James Loney and I was able to bestow my rhetoric about that the Rays will be hoisting a World Series trophy soon. I am just of the school of thought of the way this Rays organization builds. Good leadership at the top with team building to win, not just amassing a group of talented, overpaid individuals. I have said I think Joe Maddon is one of best managers in the game today. Joe has a fatherly way of leading a bunch of young men into believing that they have the wherewithal to compete with any other team in MLB.

In May against Toronto, home plate umpire Marty Fisher runs Joe after he argues a play at the plate (photo USA TODAY Sports Images / Kim Klement)

Now with my point out there, you know how I believe the Tampa Bay Rays will be hoisting a World Series Trophy soon, let’s just hope it’s not called the World Series Trophée! The Toronto Sun reports that Montreal is looking to build a new stadium and is eyeing possible tenants. Two teams mentioned are the Oakland A’s and the Tampa Rays. The first thing that came to my mind was, what the hell is an Expo? No really, didn’t that team pack up and leave Montreal in 2005 for Washington DC? Why did they leave Montreal? Oui Oui, it was poor attendance!

Now as far fetch of a pipe dream this seems to be, just think for a moment if this could possibly happen. I mean could this ever be pulled off? The figure mentioned in the Sun to build a downtown Montreal stadium, $125 Billion… at the time of this article that’s 91.25 billion Euros for you french baseball fans.

Then I thought…thought a little…then a little more… could the Rays actually move to Montreal? Could Bud Selig add this to his stellar resume? I mean steroids, All-Star game tie and the home field advantage thingy, the 1994 season cancellation, ect.

I know one thing the Tampa Bay area can not take that chance. The right and left sides of the bay, Hillsborough and Pinellas respectively need to work together to keep the Rays in Tampa Bay. (The “right and left sides” pun intended as to looking at a map, not political)

This is Rick Sassone I’ll see you at the “New Trop!”

below based on attendance figures from Expos Nation

Years	Stadium(s) names	Average	Total	National League Average
1969	Parc Jarry	14,970	1,212,608	1,257,912
1970	Parc Jarry	17,589	1,424,683	1,388,517
1971	Parc Jarry	16,037	1,290,963	1,443,738
1972	Parc Jarry	14,643	1,142,145	1,294,144
1973	Parc Jarry	15,393	1,246,863	1,389,610
1974	Parc Jarry	12,66	1,019,134	1,414,860
1975	Parc Jarry	11,213	908,292	1,383,374
1976	Parc Jarry	7,984	646,704	1,388,377
1977	Stade Olympique	17,701	1,433,757	1,589,186
1978	Stade Olympique	1,7617	1,427,007	1,675,577
1979	Stade Olympique	26,277	2,102,173	1,764,868
1980	Stade Olympique	27,261	2,208,175	1,760,340
1981	Stade Olympique	28,418	1,534,564	1,039,866
1982	Stade Olympique	28,621	2,318,292	1,792,285
1983	Stade Olympique	28,65	2,320,651	1,795,774
1984	Stade Olympique	19,957	1,606,531	1,731,786
1985	Stade Olympique	18,665	1,502,494	1,857,680
1986	Stade Olympique	14,025	1,128,981	1,861,123
1987	Stade Olympique	22,844	1,850,324	2,061,180
1988	Stade Olympique	18,255	1,478,659	2,041,606
1989	Stade Olympique	22,019	1,783,533	2,110,320
1990	Stade Olympique	16,952	1,373,087	2,040,959
1991	Stade Olympique	11,612	934,742	2,058,014
1992	Stade Olympique	20,607	1,669,127	2,009,261
1993	Stade Olympique	20,265	1,641,437	2,637,470
1994	Stade Olympique	22,39	1,276,250	1,843,416
1995	Stade Olympique	18,189	1,309,618	1,793,589
1996	Stade Olympique	19,959	1,616,709	2,169,949
1997	Stade Olympique	18,489	1,497,609	2,277,526
1998	Stade Olympique	11,295	914,909	2,401,674
1999	Stade Olympique	9,54	772,737	2,380,436
2000	Stade Olympique	11,435	926,272	2,480,194
2001	Stade Olympique	7,935	642,743	2,481,346
2002	Stade Olympique	10,031	812,537	2,309,294
2003	Stade Olympique / Hiram Bithorn Stadium	12,662	1,025,639	2,273,813
2004	Stade Olympique / Hiram Bithorn Stadium	9,356	748,55	2,512,690