The Montreal Expos Franchise Memorial Thread

[Frenchie]

The final attendance was 31,395 which is more than the four prior games combined. It was their largest crowd of the season by over 10,000.

Actually, they had 30,000 people for the opener in Montreal (remember they started with a Puerto Rico trip) (30,112 to be specific)

( Data Source )

[Jaybird]

I would imagin that if Washington picks up the "Senators" name, they will take the Senators retired numbers and leave the Expos numbers in Montreal, for some future team.....

In my post on what to name the Washington team, one of the posters said that the numbers the Senators retired and the pennants belong to the Minnesota Twins, who were the first Washington Senators from 1901-1960. Another post said that the Texas Rangers, who were the Senators from 1961-1971, own the name "Washington Senators".

However, I think that the new Washington team will likely have the ownership to the Expos' titles and retired numbers.

[yh]

Pardon my asking, but what's all this about? I've heard absolutely nothing, zero, nada, zip about the Expos relocating for next season. If this were really going to happen, surely we'd have heard something about it before today. Sounds like a whole lotta nothin' if you ask me.

And with that statement, this little shtick is now officially retired as well.

[Frenchie]

Here are a few personal pictures of meaningful Expos moments for me:

in Chronological order:

-Attending the all-star game in 1982. July 13th, my 13th B'day: I caught a ball. This photo is actually my mom's friend (baseball fan and car driver - my family didn't have a car), myself and my sister, before we took the road to Montreal (50-minute drive)

-meeting 3 players and Youppi! at my High-School in 1983 (can you name the players?)

-My last game at the Big-O, in 1999, about a month before the birth of my first child

-Me last night at home...

[DEAD!]

Pardon my asking, but what's all this about? I've heard absolutely nothing, zero, nada, zip about the Expos relocating for next season. If this were really going to happen, surely we'd have heard something about it before today. Sounds like a whole lotta nothin' if you ask me.

And with that statement, this little shtick is now officially retired as well.

no, no, no, The real story is that the Washington Senators are moving to Montreal and name of the team will be the Expos.

[uncle_wiggily]

One Canadian team down, one to go! Why not just save time, and give Virginia the Blue Jays, since they are the loser in this whole deal.

[Swiss]

Maybe they will do like the St. Louis Rams, who have a St. Louis football ring of honor that honors all of the best football Cardinals, plus the famous Rams from LA. I think this would be the best solution.

GOOD IDEA.

[CC97]

One Canadian team down, one to go! Why not just save time, and give Virginia the Blue Jays, since they are the loser in this whole deal.

Then you'll have to drag my sorry ass all over the GTA to help me find a new job

...

Anywho, JQK I disagree with you on one point and that's the new ballpark. I think a new stadium would've really brought the fans out. I point to the CFL situation in Montreal a few years back.

The Stallions moved to Montreal, they played at Olympic Stadium for about 2 seasons and averaged, oh about 3,500 a game.

A U2 concert forced the Als to play a game at the local outdoor university stadium, and it sells out.

Since then (1998-ish) every Als game has been played there, and has been a sell-out, demand for tickets is extremely high (i would compare to leafs here in toronto), and now when the Als are hosting a playoff game it's at Olympic Stadium and 62,000 people are there.

New outdoor stadium = more interest = success

I still think they tried to keep fans from going, if you took one visit to Olympic Stadium after MLB took over the team you would agree with me bar none.

[JQK]

Point taken. But the Expos weren't generating the interest to make the investment into a new stadium worth while. It's like a vicious cycle, A new stadium would boost attendance, but they need the attendance at the old place to make building a new place seen worth it. The Expos were doomed after 1994, and although it is common to place the blame with Selig, i blame the Players Union.

[CC97]

Point taken. But the Expos weren't generating the interest to make the investment into a new stadium worth while. It's like a vicious cycle, A new stadium would boost attendance, but they need the attendance at the old place to make building a new place seen worth it. The Expos were doomed after 1994, and although it is common to place the blame with Selig, i blame the Players Union.

Yes you're right, there was no real point to invest a new stadium. Why invest hundreds of millions when you're losing so much?

Anyways, I'm still very sad to see them go... but I am glad I got to be there for their final game.

[uncle_wiggily]

One Canadian team down, one to go! Why not just save time, and give Virginia the Blue Jays, since they are the loser in this whole deal.

Then you'll have to drag my sorry ass all over the GTA to help me find a new job

...

Anywho, JQK I disagree with you on one point and that's the new ballpark. I think a new stadium would've really brought the fans out. I point to the CFL situation in Montreal a few years back.

The Stallions moved to Montreal, they played at Olympic Stadium for about 2 seasons and averaged, oh about 3,500 a game.

A U2 concert forced the Als to play a game at the local outdoor university stadium, and it sells out.

Since then (1998-ish) every Als game has been played there, and has been a sell-out, demand for tickets is extremely high (i would compare to leafs here in toronto), and now when the Als are hosting a playoff game it's at Olympic Stadium and 62,000 people are there.

New outdoor stadium = more interest = success

I still think they tried to keep fans from going, if you took one visit to Olympic Stadium after MLB took over the team you would agree with me bar none.

Well first of all, I take your ass enough places as it is!! Second of all, as Tank previously mentioned in another thread, the Expos were on life support, new stadium or old stadium. The lockout really hurt them, and then after the fact the team never were really given an opportunity to win. They could never hold on to the amazing players they drafted. It takes a true fan of the game to go night after night to attend a game you already know the outcome of. Those type of baseball fans are few and far between in Canada; it comes down to a cultural thing. You cannot really compare football and baseball in Canada, it is not fair to either game, they are apples and oranges here.

The last thing I want to mention.... go get a job you lazy bastard!

[Dilbert]

Can someone please tell me what Youppi is? I never have been able to figure it out.

[Swiss]

Youppi is the little guy with the Steelers' black shirt.

[flamesfan89]

Baseball was put into Montreal because there was a demand for it. Montreal baseball was amazingly popular when it made it's debut. MLB did not need an aggressive marketing of the product, because the producted was wanted. However, after an extended time period of losing, fans stopped going. Other than a few blips of success here and there, the fans never really returned. 1994 was, for all intents and purposes, the end of Montreal baseball. While baseball was eventually forgiven and accepted back into most other markets, Montreal never came back to baseball. Montreal gave up on the Expos. Baseball could have spent a half-billion dollars in Montreal, and no one would have showed up. They could have built a new ballpark, and no one would have showed up.

Montreal gave up on the Expos and on baseball. Why is it such a suprise that baseball gave up on Montreal?

No one in Montral has any reason to complain about this. Baseball didn't screw you over. You screwed yourselves over.

So you're saying that you expect people to spend 10,000 a year on season tickets so they can go out to a crumbling stadium in a run down area, where the roof doesn't open (who wants to spend a couple hours inside on a nice day) and watch a crappy team lose most of their games. Major Leauge Baseball and stupid owners screwed the fans in Montreal over. If I was a sports fan in Montreal I would pretty pissed off because the MLB let it happen and didn't seem to care.

[Frenchie]

Can someone please tell me what Youppi is? I never have been able to figure it out.

I don't think anybody ever knew what he is.

It's the ultimate in creativity. Just a big teddy-bear like-barny-ish huggable PR guy.

He's a Mascott, and a fun one, unlike some arrognat stupid, rude philly fanatic, everyboby loves him.

[budbowl77]

I'm not sad at all to see the Expos go. As a matter of fact, i'm kind of glad because it is extremly pathetic to see empty stadiums, Puerto Rican "home games" and poor baseball. The Expos had some good years of baseball but like the last Red Sox World Series title...its in the past. And you gotta move forward to the future. Maybe when Montreal gets its act together, and proves there worthy they'll be baseball back in Montreal.

[Frenchie]

One Canadian team down, one to go! Why not just save time, and give Virginia the Blue Jays, since they are the loser in this whole deal.

Then you'll have to drag my sorry ass all over the GTA to help me find a new job

...

Anywho, JQK I disagree with you on one point and that's the new ballpark. I think a new stadium would've really brought the fans out. I point to the CFL situation in Montreal a few years back.

The Stallions moved to Montreal, they played at Olympic Stadium for about 2 seasons and averaged, oh about 3,500 a game.

A U2 concert forced the Als to play a game at the local outdoor university stadium, and it sells out.

Since then (1998-ish) every Als game has been played there, and has been a sell-out, demand for tickets is extremely high (i would compare to leafs here in toronto), and now when the Als are hosting a playoff game it's at Olympic Stadium and 62,000 people are there.

New outdoor stadium = more interest = success

I still think they tried to keep fans from going, if you took one visit to Olympic Stadium after MLB took over the team you would agree with me bar none.

Sorry to disagree with you (again...) Chris, but there are a few more variables in the Als equation.:

Think Marketing: it's not simply Location (also known as Place in the 4Ps equation), but target market.

Football is a very popular university sport, especially amongst Anglophones, therefore I present you McGill University

Secondly: Product.

Montrealers love a winner. The Stallions were stacked with talent, and in a League without the budgetary disparities of the NHL or MLB, players were willing to stay in Montreal.

French Canadians love "their own", and that team is filled with Montreal/Quebec born players.

CAUTION: with the loss of Pringle and the imminent retirement of Calvillo, let's hope they don't start tanking, cos we may see some empty seats.

CFL season is much shorter then MLB and even with a new venue, 81 games is a lot to ask to Montrealers.

I'm the sadest guy to see them go, but am not surprised.

[TFoA]

The final attendance was 31,395 which is more than the four prior games combined. It was their largest crowd of the season by over 10,000. As for the Rockies hater, Colorado still fills up their fairly new stadium, which in my opinion is one of the nicest around. They even drew over 30,000 this summer when the Expos played them, FOR ALL THREE GAMES.

The 31,000 for the last game does sound high though, I wonder if a lot of people just bought tickets for memorabilia?

The Rockies just need a new look, it's just ridiculously boring and 90s at tha same time... As for the Expos... Au Revoir, I'm gonna miss the team that sparked my love for the pinwheel hat.

[Swiss]

Frenchie, I'm sorry if you was offended with my joke of Youppi = you when kid.

I was intended to put here some humor.

[CC97]

Frenchie, I'm sorry if you was offended with my joke of Youppi = you when kid.

I was intended to put here some humor.

Doesn't look like he was bothered by it.

***

My Photo Gallery from this event