They already had plans to build a new stadium?

[Takeover82]

[I tried to scan in a picture from a old Expos magazine I bought at a game in 97 but it didn t work

Anyway there is a painted picture of a downtown ballpark in it. Very nice looking!

The text under the picture says: the plans are for an intimate ballpark with a seating capacity of 35000, located in the block formed by st jacques, peel, notre dame and mountain streets.

Built with the baseball fan in mind, the facility would enable spectators to be closer to the field than ever, as is the case at chicagos wrigley field or the new ballparks in cleveland and baltimore.

For fans in the bleachers, there would be amusements areas and places to enjoy a picnic on the terrace in the right field.

Clients in the private, corprate boxes would also be well served, since these seats would be 50 feet closer to the playing surface and 50 feet lower.

And in case of inclement weather, an umbrella -like device will protect fans from the rain.

The stands will also be equiped with heaters.

The last sentence is: This beautiful project will become reality if all Montrealers believe in it (

[six4three]

The had an agreement with Labatt Beer for naming rights.

The project went through two variations - the first plan for Labatt Park was more traditional Camden Yards brick, while the second was a more modern glass-and-steel Nationals Park design.

There are some renderings of the two Labatt Parks in this thread, and a couple more photos of a model in this one.

There are also more photos here.

[aqib]

I remember when this was proposed. I thought then it would be a conflict of interest for Labatt to have naming rights to the Expos stadium while at the same time owning the Blue Jays. Did that issue every come up?

[six4three]

Don't recall it ever being an issue.

[Imgran]

Montreal will get another chance some day. Someday. Maybe after the Rays have some good years they'll declare the league ready for another expansion

[Augustin_"Gus"]

Never heard the Labatt conflict of interest ever being raised either.

[six4three]

Montreal will get another chance some day. Someday. Maybe after the Rays have some good years they'll declare the league ready for another expansion

Maybe.

If it happens, it'll have to be in the American League. Maybe a real Toronto/Montral baseball rivalry can be fostered.

[kimmosk]

We had 2 bricks for theat stadium

They were selling bricks for the stadium. The plan would have made sure we would still have a team today. The location was by the Bell Center where the Montreal Canadiens played. It was less than 5 minute walk (in some cases 1 minute) to all commuter trains and Metro (Subway) lines. It was a 5 minutes to the downtown night life that Montreal is famous for (safe bars, bistros, even strip clubs (ask any player)), 10 minutes to Old Montreal and Chinatown. It would be a 5 - 10 minute walk for business men to go after work (and woman before you shoot me). Over 80% of the allowable season tickets were sold, including all the expensive seats and ALL the boxes. 100 Millon for the naming rights (which Labatts upped to $120 million because of crying from JL, the franchise Killer). The land was owned by the Canadian Government and would have been had for a song. The Quebec Government was also in for quite a bit in Gaurentees.

Yeah local ownership was a problem, but Christ, they had enough t oget going and then local owenship would have jumped on because of public pressure.

This was Buds way of screwing the expos. And before you all bash me. I had season tickets up until the last season when MLB made the Expos change the season tickets rules. They told me to change from 2 to 4 season tickets to get the benefits I had for the 2 prior years. I said how about from 2 to zero tickets, they said fine. Great marketing.

Sorry IF i sound bitter. I am. And this is my first posting.

OH, and I had season tickets to the Winnipeg Whips, the only year they werer there. Over 5,000 Season tickets for a AAA franchise back then, and that was 2nd top in the league. And they were made to move.

*sigh*

Kim the Angry Expo Fan Forever

[Imgran]

Maybe.

If it happens, it'll have to be in the American League. Maybe a real Toronto/Montral baseball rivalry can be fostered.

That really would be something.

[six4three]

This was Buds way of screwing the expos.

Easy to say, tough to support.

I too miss the Expos, but the sad fact is that the city wouldn't build the stadium. That's been a prerequisite for major league franchises since the 1950s, and other cities (notably Brooklyn) have lost beloved clubs for the exact same reason.

There's plenty of blame to go around, but little of it belongs on Selig's desk.

[tinseltown]

Easy to say, tough to support.

I too miss the Expos, but the sad fact is that the city wouldn't build the stadium. That's been a prerequisite for major league franchises since the 1950s, and other cities (notably Brooklyn) have lost beloved clubs for the exact same reason.

There's plenty of blame to go around, but little of it belongs on Selig's desk.

The city of Montreal didn't have much to do with the failure to build the new ballpark (unless you mean they should have paid for the whole thing). When Loria became the managing partner, he promised to bring in outside investors, which presumably would have helped with the upfront payments (the funding promised by the Quebec government reportedly would have covered interest payments on a loan to build the park). The outside investors never materialized, and Loria announced a revisiting of the stadium plan, thereby allowing the announced financing support from the Canadian and Quebec governments to lapse.

Though the ultimate problem was the absence of an owner stepping up to operate the club in Montreal, I do lay some blame at the feet of MLB, who spent an inordinate amount of time supposedly reviewing Loria's business plan (including the plan for more investors). Add this to the sweetheart deal that allowed Loria to flip the Expos for the Marlins (including a loan from MLB to cover the difference between the Expos sales price and the purchase price for the Marlins), and the abysmal running of the franchise by MLB, and it's understandable why Expos fans feel upset at MLB. (Of course, the other partners didn't go into the situation blind, either; they had their chance to fully review Loria's plans to their satisfaction.)

[Augustin_"Gus"]

Easy to say, tough to support.

I too miss the Expos, but the sad fact is that the city wouldn't build the stadium. That's been a prerequisite for major league franchises since the 1950s, and other cities (notably Brooklyn) have lost beloved clubs for the exact same reason.

There's plenty of blame to go around, but little of it belongs on Selig's desk.

I disagree with you on that, and I'll tell you why. Bud had a lot to do with the Expos leaving Montréal. Want to know how I know? Cause he told me so. And he told you so as well. Remember that quote from Bud, talking about the Expos saying "They're the last residue of contraction; I want them gone!" I would call that damning evidence, wouldn't you?

And if he wanted them gone and didn't act on it, then you have to wonder why he gets that enormous sum of money the owners give him every year.

[six4three]

Remember that quote from Bud, talking about the Expos saying "They're the last residue of contraction; I want them gone!" I would call that damning evidence, wouldn't you?

I would, if he actually said that. Which he didn't.

If Montreal had built the team a new stadium, then the Expos would live on today. That's been the price for getting and keeping a team since the 1950s. That's where your ire ought to be focused.

[tinseltown]

I would, if he actually said that. Which he didn't.

From http://www.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?....jsp&c_id=null on January 15, 2004:

"(The sale) certainly should happen. And by the way, nobody is more anxious for it to happen than I am," said Selig, making a rare public statement about the subject. "As I said to everyone today, it's the last residue of contraction. It was a very difficult situation. I'd like to get the club sold. That will be one less thing for us, in general, and particularly me, to worry about. But contraction is off the table."

Of course, this statement came over two years after MLB already expressed their intent to get rid of the Montreal franchise.

[six4three]

Ah, now you're moving the foul poles.

You claimed Selig said "They're the last residue of contraction; I want them gone!" (quote marks yours). Which, as it turns out, was not true.

MLB didn't want to "get rid of" the Montreal franchise until it was clear that the city had no intention of building a ballpark to keep them. Once that happened, it was only a matter of time before they were gone, be it through contraction or to another city. Sure, it's a steep price tag, but that's life in the big leagues for half a century.

Again, your anger is misplaced. The city could have kept the team at any point had it cared to do so.