Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire “, brought to you by Auto Logic, the Logical Choice.
Every calendar year, there’s two or three sessions citing the potential of Major League Baseball returning to Montreal.
It’s a prominent discussion at the end of every recent Spring Training when the Blue Jays play two exhibition games at Olympic Stadium and the place gets packed.
That heat certainly was enhanced this year when Commission Rob Manfred met with Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre.
And then the topic vanishes, almost in sync with the first pitch of the Major League season.
Forget the pre-season hoopla and the political tete a tete, the arguments against Major League Baseball returning to Montreal are powerful.
Does Montreal have a stadium ? Did they ever have a stadium ?
Does Montreal have an owner, or an ownership group ?
What I see in Quebec is a lack of powerhouse corporations, thanks to the separatists of the 70’s.
And the remaining corporate powers still in place were tightfisted at best as the Expos flickered out financially at the turn of this century.
And does Montreal/Quebec have a marketplace ?
Yes, but it’s tiny and something tells me the good folks at Rogers Communications, owners of the Blue Jays, won’t be benevolent when it comes to sharing the National spotlight.
All the the aspects that killed Major League Baseball in Montreal more than a decade ago, seemingly still exist.
I’m Fred Wallace