Expos' New Destination...connecticut?

[Waffles]

From ESPN.com:

HARTFORD, Conn. -- If Major League Baseball can give serious consideration to Monterrey (Mexico), San Juan (Puerto Rico) and the Tidewater area (Virginia) as the next home of the Montreal (Canada) Expos, what about central Connecticut?

According to the Hartford Courant, that's just what John Alevizos is wondering.

"My optimism has no bounds," says Alevizos, of The Alevizos Group, a development and acquisition firm with offices in Wellesley, Mass., and Jupiter, Fla., that claims to be making a pitch for baseball's orphans.

An MLB spokesman told ESPN.com on Tuesday that the Alevizos Group's proposal has yet to make its way to baseball's offices.

Currently, the only major league team in the state in any sport is the Connecticut Sun of the WNBA, but there are three Double-A Eastern League baseball teams and several independent minor league teams in Connecticut.

Alevizos told the Courant, for Tuesday's editions, that private funding would provide for a 34,000-seat stadium that because of its relatively small size would drive up demand for season tickets. The Hartford area is where fervent interest in the Yankees and Red Sox collides, but as a National League team the transplants -- who would be known as the Connecticut Colonials -- would not be able to draw on that interest to any great extent.

The Courant reports that the real estate firm of Colliers, Dow & Condon, which is helping Alevizos, claims that the four sites being considered do not infringe on the territory of other major league teams.

"I think Connecticut is the perfect location," said Alevizos, a Red Sox vice president in 1969-74 and former Boston University business administration professor. "If [baseball] does their homework, they'll agree."

Bids of various degrees of seriousness also have been launched from Washington, Northern Virginia, Portland, Ore., Las Vegas and New Jersey.

Connecticut first had major league baseball in 1872 when Mansfield of Middletown joined baseball's first major league, the National Association, for part of the league's second season. The team disbanded in August. Hartford joined the league in 1874 and New Haven was in for one season, 1875.

The National Association evolved into the National League in 1876 and that was the last season that Connecticut had a major league baseball team. The next year, the Hartford Dark Blues moved to Brooklyn.

I don't think it'd work. Connecticut is Yankee/Red Sox terrritory and if the absurd alliance of John Henry and George Steinbrenner don't invoke territorial rights and stop them, it'd be hard to establish a fanbase.

[jkrdevil]

Hartford has the same chances of NJ getting a team (NJ by the way was rated very high by mlb on possible markets). Like NJ Hartford will have 3 teams fighting it, the Red Sox, the Yankees, and the Mets.

BTW, I don't think NJ having a team would work, same thing with Hartford.

[NJTank]

Yeah they wont end up in Hartford, I see them still ending up in teh DC area or Northern VA.

[shiznit1083]

I wouldn't like that idea if the team were put in the AL. That area is full of Red Sox and Yankee fans. Any form of diluting the fan bases is bad. However if an NL team were put there, and instant NY Mets - Hartford rivalry could develope. It could be interesting.

[the_cynic]

What about Vancouver? Instead of moving the team entirely out of Canada why not just relocate to Vancouver B.C.?

[Brian in Boston]

Well, shiznit... in this case we'd be talking about a National League club, as it is the Montreal Expos that are poised for relocation.

Still, let's face facts: there is NO way that the Expos are moving to Central Connecticut.

NONE!

NOT HAPPENING!

SNOWBALL'S CHANCE IN HELL!

SOMEONE CHECK MR. ALEVISOS' INTAKE OF PRESCRIPTION PHARMACEUTICALS!

Connecticut Colonials... sheesh.

Brian in Boston

[yh]

I think the likelihood of this happening is slim, but I think it would be kind of neat. Sorry, that's the best term I can come up with - neat.

[griffin128]

I too find it quite neat, and don't miss a very important part of the story. This guy is an actual investor. All the other cities are just that, cities. They can't even find stadium money yet, let alone investment groups, with the exception of Vegas If this guy is legit then MLB can realistically say ok, write us the check and we're finally finished with this mess, rather than waiting who knows how long for a San Antonio investment group to sprout up.

Goooooooo Colonials!!

[paynomind]

My old Colonials concept would be good, I just need to update some stuff...

Here is the old:

Colonials

[Brass]

Nope. I live in Hartford and can honestly say that they only support a team if they are winning. Why do you think the higgest attendence records at Whalers games were recorded in 1986-87? Because that was there best winning year! CT CANNOT support a major-league team. CT is only good for minor-league teams. Even the Hartford wolfPack don't get good crowds. In fact, they had to hide a section of the seats under ads and things to make the arena look smaller and have more people in it.

[habsfannova]

Everybody who says that there are too many teams around, look at the NJ Devils. They said the exact same thing, and New Jersey's had a semi-decent run attendence wise.

[jkrdevil]

Yes, the Devils have done a good job being the 4th team in a very crowded market. But in Hartford mlb case they will have 2 go head to head with arguably the 3 most powerful teams in sports, The Yankees and Red Sox for sure and if you want to put the Mets in that category they will be fighting it too.

I don't think it will work because the Yankees and Red Sox will be winning teams for years to come and I don't think many fans will jump off the ship.

[Brass]

Yeah. What also helped the Whalers get booted was being in the middle of two hockey meccas, the Rangers and Bruins.

[mrfab]

Yers Fably is a PROUD CT native so I WON'T stand for any CT bashing, that simple. Brian In BAHSton, what are you REALLY feeling on this topic? As much of a longshot as MLB in CT is, a couple astute CC'ers here rightly give credit to Mr. Alevizos for advancing his attempt as far as he has. From the initial news he also claims to bring actual EQUITY to the equation, which over half of the so called Expos relocation candidates in plain fact have NOT. This CT effort's biggest drawback is being basically a year late, if the 7/05 deadline has any credence, which is a seperate issue in itself I guess.

As a kid I fantasized about CT getting a big league team. The whole notion, the "CT Colonials" name can't help but to engage anyone w/a connection to CT sports. Credit is due to the Colonials group for advancing their cause as far as they have. Nothing like stomping a dream flat before it even begins to take root, gang.

CT will always have its Yanks & Sawks fans, it's a legit question if there's fan room for another MLB team there. It's an easy argument for MLB to conclude CT is well served w/those two existing teams. Still, it's almost Spring, Spring Training & Opening Day are all about dreams & hopes for a new season. So how about letting CT sports fans enjoy the fantasy for a moment, if that's all it will be, huh?

Last reality take as I see it: Norfolk VA's bid is real, Las Vegas' is, DC's is, Monterrey Mex's is, the rest are TOTALLY suspect. CT Colonials are poised @ the MLB door, let's see if they're let in & given a chance to make their case. I hope

talented CC'ers take a shot @ CT Colonials logos/unis. Let us have that much fun, OK? Thanks.

[CC97]

Everybody who says that there are too many teams around, look at the NJ Devils. They said the exact same thing, and New Jersey's had a semi-decent run attendence wise.

NJ's consistantly one of the worst teams in the league in attendence... probably due to arena location, but they aren't doing well in this department at all

[Brian in Boston]

mrfab...

I'm not bashing Connecticut. Far from it! I've got family throughout the Nutmeg State.

My stand on the potential success of the Connecticut Colonials' bid (NON-EXISTANT!) is based on the fact that Mr. Alevisos is the proverbial "day late and a dollar short". Okay, to be fair, he SAYS that he has the money lined up. For now, let's say we take him at his word about the financing. He's still the proverbial "day late". Somehow, I don't think we're ever going to get a chance to find out whether his bid is a "dollar short".

Mr. Alevisos would have us all believe that he has been doing his due diligence up until now... you know, "dotting i's and crossing t's". Fine. Still, making sure that all of your "ducks are in a row" is one thing; keeping the league you want to purchase a franchise from completely in the dark is quite another. Major League Baseball still hasn't heard a *peep* out of this guy.

When exactly is Alevisos planning to officially spring his Expos' relocation plan on the brass at MLB? During the seventh-inning stretch of the 2004 All-Star Game? I mean, that's when Bud and his "yes men" wanted to have a relocation plan in place by, right? Better yet, maybe Alevisos is planning on skydiving into the ballpark prior to the first pitch of the MLB "Futures Game"? Now that would be savvy marketing: the Connecticut Colonials' "pitch" to revitalize the "future" of this put-upon franchise would be "heaven sent".

Bottom line: Anybody serious about pursuing this team would have been in touch with MLB baseball prior to the story hitting the newspapers. Given that every other group pursuing the Expos has done just that, AND given that MLB has made the fact that they've been contacted known in those previous situations, why should we now believe that Alevisos did, in fact, contact MLB prior to this story coming out? It seems plain to me that he didn't... and that reason alone would be enough to convince me that this guy doesn't know what he's doing. Presenting the story to the media prior to officially contacting MLB seems like grandstanding. Wait a minute! "Like" grandstanding? It IS grandstanding. Frankly, I don't think that's going to play well with the folks at MLB.

Add-on the fact that the region Alevisos is talking about marketing his team to is already super-served by the Red Sox, Yankees and Mets... well, let's just say that you can call me EXTREEEEEEMMMMMEEEEELLLLLYYYYY SKEPTICAL about the chances of the Connecticut Colonials ever taking to a professional baseball diamond. Unless, of course, the New Britain Rock Cats, Norwich Navigators, Bridgeport Bluefish or New Haven County Cutters have an unannounced name and logo change "up their sleeves".

By all means Connecticut... "dream", "hope" and "fantasize" about your new MLB franchise. I still don't believe that it's going to come to pass.

Brian in Boston

[mrfab]

Brian, me lad, we should be having some green St. Patties' Day suds!

As with past threads I think we tend to not agree to disagree, but rather share similar opinions from different perspectives... or something, maybe more St. Patty suds are in order... ! It DOES seem on the surface that Mr. Alevizos has gone to the media before MLB, the sure sign of a hinky prospective owner. Here's what I've read in sundry sports web news: Mr. A. sez his group made their presentation to Mr. Reinsdorf, the head of the Relocation Committee, about a week ago & await his reply. Rich Levin, the MLB press exec said such news hasn't reached his dept. yet. That's understandable; Reinsdorf's office, assumably the White Sox, categorically said Mr. Reinsdorf would not likely comment on such information as it is confidential work in progress information, or words to that effect. They did NOT say "Colonials? Never heard of 'em..." which was the implication from MLB but NOT the context when they state "hasn't made it to us yet". All these semantics, you'd swear it was national political parties or something! IF the Alevizos group & the Colonials are at all real, MLB & the relocation committee will regard & evaluate them as such. If not... now about this round of beers, I think it's YOUR turn to pay the fair colleen!

[NoHoJoe]

I said this before..and I will say this again...and again throughout the entire 2004 MLB season....

SAVE THE MONTREAL EXPOS!!!!

[NJTank]

The only way the should play in Montreal in 2005 is witha stadium plan otherwise move them any where becaus eIM sick of talking about wher ethey should play.

[Brian in Boston]

Well... the semantics coming out of Messrs. Reinsdorf and Levin aside, here is what is ABSOLUTELY certain: the Red Sox, Yankees and Mets will NEVER sign-off on this.

And I don't want to hear details about how the stadium will be outside each of those teams' territories. Encroaching on a team's territory has less to do - in this case anyway - with stadium location than it does with historic fan-bases and marketing territories. The stadium can be outside of the territories of the aforementioned teams, but if the Sox, Yanks and Mets don't want the "Colonials" playing in Connecticut... it isn't going to happen. The Red Sox and Yankees in particular have pull at MLB headquarters... the Red Sox ownership group was practically hand-picked by Bud Selig. The Red Sox and the Yankees are the twin "five-hundred pound gorillas" that will crush ANY chance of this relocation taking place.

Brian in Boston