Attendance tallies, the temporary return of MLB to Montreal, Target Field improvements and new-ballpark news. The top stories of the week on Ballpark Digest, as measured by page views. On a related note: Ballpark Digest set a record for daily page views this past week, totaing 51,692 on Sept. 12. Thanks to each and every […]
Tag Archives | montreal
Wolff: We’re not ceding northeast to Diamond League
Can-Am League Commissioner Miles Wolff says his circuit will pursue some of the same markets currently eyed by the startup independent Diamond League, including four former Can-Am markets. Specifically listed by Wolff as being potential 2014 expansion markets for the independent Can-Am League: Atlantic City, N.J.; Worcester, Mass.; Sussex County, N.J.; Montreal and Ottawa. “We […]
Sternberg: No plans to move Rays
Though he thinks Montreal would be a fine MLB market down the road, Tampa Bay Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg says there are no plans to move the franchise anywhere, as his focus remains on a new Tampa Bay ballpark. Sternberg has been a mighty patient man when it comes to the issue of a […]
More Montreal baseball: Can-Am League schedules exhibition
Pro baseball will indeed return to Montreal in the form of the independent Can-Am League for a day, as the Quebec Capitales and Trois-Rivieres Aigles will play an exhibition at Gary Carter Stadium. The exhibition game is set for Saturday, May 11 at Montreal’s Ahuntsic Park at 7:30 p.m. Last October the baseball field at […]
MLB (temporarily) returning to Montreal?
The Toronto Blue Jays are negotiating to play exhibition games in Montreal in the future, bringing Major League Baseball back to Olympic Stadium, the former home of the Montreal Expos. Many MLB teams schedule a pair of exhibition games after spring training and before the regular season, and a two-game series of this nature is […]
Cromartie laying the groundwork for MLB’s return to Montreal
It’s an effort that won’t pay off any time soon, but former Expo Warren Cromartie says he’s meeting with local business owners to bring Major League Baseball back to Montreal. MLB teams don’t move very often — in the last 30 years, the only team to move was the Montreal Expos, ironically — so obviously an […]
Conference Board: Montreal can support MLB
Montreal has the right demographics, corporate presence and economic outlook to support Major League Baseball, according to a report issued today by a leading Canadian think tank. The study from the Conference Board of Canada, penned by Glen Hodgson and Mario Lefebvre, also indicates economic support for three new NHL teams and another NBA team in Vancouver: […]
Parking-ramp collapse leads to safety concerns at Olympic Stadium
The collapse of a section of underground parking at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium has some wondering about the historic facility’s stability. Olympic Stadium, the groundbreaking home of the 1976 Summer Olympics and then home to the Montreal Expos before that team’s exodus to Washington, has always had issues with its physical plant: the groundbreaking retractable fabric […]
No, Canada
Prospects for Minor League Baseball returning to Ottawa and Montreal have dimmed in recent weeks, as a lack of funding for new and improved facilities is proving to be an impediment to any franchise shifts. With the rebound of the Canadian dollar, MiLB teams moving into Canada has been seen by many owners as a […]
Ottawa out of running for SWB Yanks — but in line for affiliated ball
There’s virtually no chance the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (Class AAA; International League) will be playing next season in Ottawa Stadium, but a Canadian ownership group is working to bring an Eastern League team to Canada’s capital city for 2013. Where the Yankees will end up remains a matter of conjecture, and the issue will be decided […]
Return of MLB to Montreal draws debate — mostly negative
Talk of a return of Major League Baseball to Montreal certainly is drawing a lot of passionate responses, though we’re surprised to hear from many folks who love the city declare the prospect to be a dead issue. Specifically, there are two responses that have been a little surprising. First, the Montral Gazette comes out […]
Montreal capable of supporting MLB — if there’s an owner with deep pockets
Montreal is financially healthy enough to support Major League Baseball, according to a study from the Conference Board of Canada, but it would take an owner with deep pockets and a new ballpark for success — and neither are likely to emerge any time soon. Overall, Montreal has emerged as a wealthy international city, with […]
Mapping the future of Olympic Stadium
Tired of subsidizing Olympic Stadium to the tune of $19 million a year, the provincial panel overseeing it has appointed a citizens committee to map the future of the former Montreal Expos home, but tearing it down isn’t an option — yet. The committee is headed by Lise Bissonnette, regarded as somewhat of a rising […]