Baseball's New Commissioner: "A return to Montreal is possible."

Perhaps some more imagination is needed. Did they not build some man made islands in the St. Lawrence River for Expo 1967? Did those man made islands not become La Ronde which was sold to Six Flags in 2001? So you can build an island housing an amusement park, but you can't build another island to house a baseball stadium? Obviously it would have to be domed but all of these things are doable. It's all about finding some real estate and sometimes you can create some where there wasn't any. I see a whole lot of river where land can go.

Here is another idea: buy the land back from Six Flags, knock down the amusement park, build stadium! While at it knock down the Casino too, and then build a new one at the stadium, make it an all around entertainment complex. Then build more island for parking.

It's called Urban Redevelopment!

EB, your idea has possibilities. There’s a subway station on St.Helen’s Island. Building a stadium there would definitely be better that the current Olympic Stadium. It would be more centrally located, thus more accessible to Montrealers. The only issue is the bridge factor. Currently, the Island is only accessible via the Jacques Cartier bridge and perhaps also the Concord bridge. Not sure to what extent access to the Concord bridge would be available.

So if access to the Jacques Cartier bridge were to be cut off due to fireworks or other events or incidents, then access to the stadium would pretty much be off limits. Entire games could get delayed or cancelled because of a multi-lane accident on the bridge which would paralyze the entire bridge. If there were multiple ways to access the Island, then it would be an ideal location to build the ball stadium. Otherwise, the only feasible solution is the downtown area. MLB has said repeatedly that a downtown stadium is essential in order for Montreal to get a team, yet no one has come up with a solution. Why waste effort and money promoting a return of MLB baseball to Montreal when no one has proposed a site located downtown near a subway station. It makes no sense, no need to waste any more money till a downtown site has been secured.

How about ferry service? Did you ever see what the San Francisco Giants did? There are solutions for every problem if you want to find them. I think the Expos would need to provide a public transportation plan with ferries.

You also build a new subway station or expand the existing one. Between subway and ferry options, no cars are needed. Who likes driving to ballparks anyway? Whenever I go to Yankees games, it is by subway. They have a special train that goes from Connecticut to Yankee Stadium on all game days. I have taken that train many times. You then take a subway from 125th Street in Manhattan straight out to Yankees Stadium. It's way easier to get to the ballpark that I am talking about than it is to Yankee Stadium from Manhattan or Westchester Counties.

Ferries are good, except for those who get seasick. Also not sure how a ferry would work in the wintertime. The stadium would need to be accessible year round. We also need to remember that any new stadium will be used for a multitude of events besides ball games. Like Monster Truck events for instance.

However, due to the complexity and logistics involved with building a stadium at the LaRonde site, I would say that a downtown stadium would still be the ideal solution. If it means expropriating land, then so be it. It would benefit the entire community, creating jobs and bringing more people to the downtown area. This would result in folks spending more money downtown, meaning merchants are earning more, thus paying more taxes. As a result, our government would have more money which would help the economy. Too bad no one seriously considered the site of the old Montreal Children’s Hospital.

Easy going said:

Also not sure how a ferry would work in the wintertime

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Apparently you have never seen or taken the ferry from Plattsburgh to Burlington over Lake Champlaigne which operates 365 days a year. The ice on Lake Champlaigne is a whole lot thicker than the St. Lawrence River. They have ice choppers. This is 2017 easy going, not 1865. A little bit of ice does not stop the progress and evolution of man.

This is NOT an issue whatsoever. I am sure even Rumples is familiar with the Grand Isle Ferry and they can show the folks in Montreal how it done. I daresay that if they read your post, they would be laughing. Ice is nothing to them.

EB, ferries have run into issues in the past due to ice. Just last April a ferry was trapped due to ice near Cape Breton Nova Scotia:
http://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4055275
http://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/canada...cks-in-n-l-after-day-long-ice-delay-1.2283588

Ice breakers are not always feasible or available, especially for short distances.

Is there any reason why they couldn't tear down the old Olympic Stadium and just build a new ballpark there? Is it used that much anymore? The crowds seemed to be down this year at the exhibition games, which could be due to the weeknight games. But maybe some people are losing hope for a new team?

GaryH said:

Is there any reason why they couldn't tear down the old Olympic Stadium and just build a new ballpark there?

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Because the location sucks. It's too far east. If you can't have a stadium closer to downtown, where the corporate money is, it is pointless. There does not seem to be the necessary real estate. Same issue when the Yankees considered (briefly) moving to Manhattan, which would have been wonderful. No real estate. Theoretically you could have built new Yankee Stadium on a part of Central Park, but nobody would stand for that.

In Montreal, I feel like Griffintown might have been the ideal location for a stadium at one time. Picture a stadium on the south side of the Canal, where a home run over the left field stands goes into the Canal. In a perfect world it would happen, but all that real estate is occupied now.

EagerBeaver said:

In Montreal, I feel like Griffintown might have been the ideal location for a stadium at one time. Picture a stadium on the south side of the Canal, where a home run over the left field stands goes into the Canal. In a perfect world it would happen, but all that real estate is occupied now.

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True. But there is still a perfect spot just east of Griffintown called Bassin Peel. Still walking distance from downtown and with home runs going down the bassin

cheers,

Agreed that walking distance from downtown is the ideal location. But if there was a new franchise and new stadium in the old location, wouldn't this be better than no stadium? Is the South Bronx an ideal location for a stadium? When the Yankees were having less than a million people showing up, everyone said that no one wanted to go to the South Bronx. But now the Yankees will easily draw 3 million fans this year. It is not walking distance from downtown. Didn't someone once say - "If you build it, they will come"?

A few things changed for the Yankees other than winning. The most significant is Metro North’s creation of a Yankee stadium train line. I have taken that train to Yankee Stadium many times and it is far more preferable to driving.

Olympic Stadium is connected to the Pie IX Metro and one can walk from the Metro underground to the Stadium. The train access isn’t the issue. It’s the distance. It’s too far for people to schlep out to on a weeknight.

Much better location would have been Griffintown or as Jalimon suggests the Peel Basin, situated on one side of the Canal or the other, so that home runs splash down into the Canal on unsuspecting boaters.

EagerBeaver said:

or as Jalimon suggests the Peel Basin on one side of the Canal or the other, situated so that home runs splash down into the Canal on unsuspecting boaters.

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Ho it's not my suggestion https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1025347/bassin-peel-stade-baseball-montreal

Montreal is not much of a baseball town. But enough to have a team. Close to downtown is the only option. It's true in many sports. Look at Ottawa in the NHL. They are stuck with a stupid arena built in the middle of nowhere... Many example like that.

Cheers,

jalimon said:

Montreal is not much of a baseball town. But enough to have a team. Close to downtown is the only option. It's true in many sports. Look at Ottawa in the NHL. They are stuck with a stupid arena built in the middle of nowhere... Many example like that.

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That argument is bullshit. Montreal IS a baseball town. It has always been. It used to pack the stands at the Big O back in the late 70's to the mid 90's so there's no reason why it can't still happen. The problem was that the team got fucked by the MLB and the so-called stadium itself. The distance is also a big factor. EB is right in that the train has never been the problem but distance was.

The Rogers Centre is packed for most of their games and most of the people get to the park by either walking or taking the various trains there. It's a short subway ride and not that far a walk from many of the more popular downtown hotels.

Most big-league stadiums are surrounded by many hotels. I can't recall a single big-name hotel chain even close to Olympic Stadium. That was a big problem. When i consider making a trip to an American city to watch some baseball i always google up the baseball park in order to figure out where i could stay and be close to the park. This was never possible when the Expos were in town. Which is why several times when i'd travel to Montreal to watch the Expos, i'd end up missing 1-2 games after attending the first game of a series since i simply didn't have the patience to put up with the long subway ride to the stadium.

Baseball in Montreal failed because of poor ownership of the franchise and a poor business plan insofar as using Olympic Stadium, which was not designed as a baseball stadium. All other MLB baseball stadiums are as Doc mentioned. Had the Expos had visionary ownership that built a stadium downtown or Griffintown/Peel Basin, making it accessible to fans, the Expos would still be in Montreal. Jalimon, I must agree with Doc that the notion that Montreal is not a baseball city is a fallacy and a false excuse for failed ownership and failed business plans. You are probably reading and believing nonsense in the French speaking media. Many people who work in baseball believe Montreal is a city that has unrealized potential due to the past issues mentioned above.

Doc Holliday said:

That argument is bullshit. Montreal IS a baseball town.

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The Olympic stadium was packed when the team was doing well in the '90s. Was there when they played the Braves in '94 before the strike. The place was packed, the atmosphere was electric. People just couldn't stand afterwards seeing that amazing team being dismantled bit by bit. People just gave up. That's what happened.

Montreal hates losers and won't support them. Look at what's happening now with the Habs. Same with the Als'. Put a competitive team in the Stadium and people will be there even if the location isn't the best.

The Peel Basin is not downtown. MLB has repeatedly stated that a downtown stadium is essential in Montreal in order to get a team. The stadium needs to be close to a subway station. The Peel Basin is a good 10-15 minute walk from the Bonaventure subway station.

If Montreal lacks space in the downtown area, why spend time and effort trying to get a team here? It’s simply a waste. Luckily the new mayor knows better.

Rinzler,

The failures you mentioned were failures of a prior ownership group. If you have a different ownership group coupled with a viable plan for a stadium, the Field of Dreams maxim “build it and they will come” applies.

Regarding the issue of a downtown location, Griffintown just south of the canal would have been fine but there is now the problem that the real estate is occupied. I don’t know how you resolve the dilemma but had it been done a MLB team could easily be supported by Montreal. The team could play in the NL East with the Mets, Phillies, Nationals and Braves and you move Miami into another division or make it 6 teams.

Easy going is correct that MLB has insisted that any new ballpark must be within walking distance of downtown and open air. But even if Montreal had such a plan, MLB would still have to resolve what they will do with the Oakland and Tampa Bay franchises before expansion is considered.
Doc - I take it you've never been to Yankee Stadium? No major hotel chains around Stadium and long subway or train ride to Stadium.

Just because MLB has insisted on something doesn’t mean it can’t be negotiated. MLB also insisted on a pitch clock rule this season but the Player’s Association wouldn’t accept it. The compromise was the exceedingly stupid 6 mound visit limit rule that was implemented. Similar compromise can be reached on a viable Montreal stadium plan. None seems forthcoming so far. Frankly if the money was there from a new ownership group nothing else would matter. Miami Marlins new group is the classic example of this. Show Manfred the cash and it gets done.