Montreal Expos moving to DC

[Carolina Red]

I just heard about it now, and the reports have just been coming in.
At long last, D.C. lands Expos
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- Major League Baseball will announce Wednesday that Washington will be the new home of the Montreal Expos, The Associated Press has learned.

A city official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Washington has been notified by Major League Baseball of the impending announcement that will return the national pastime to the nation's capital for the first time in 33 years.

The city is planning its own news conference at a downtown location Wednesday afternoon, the official said.

The announcement will come one day before the 33rd anniversary of the Washington Senators' final game. The Senators moved to Texas after the 1971 season, which was also the last time a major league team changed cities.

Baseball has been looking for a new home for the Expos since the financially troubled team was bought by the other 29 major league owners in 2002.

Las Vegas; Norfolk, Va.; Monterrey, Mexico; Portland, Ore.; and Northern Virginia also made bids, but Washington clearly took the lead during negotiations over recent weeks.

Those negotiations have produced a 30-page document that would conditionally award the Expos to Washington, pending approval by the City Council. The document had not yet been signed as of Tuesday night, the city source told the AP.

Final talks have been ongoing since a meeting of the sport's executive council last Thursday. Plans call for a $13 million refurbishment of RFK Stadium and a new ballpark costing slightly over $400 million, which would be built along the Anacostia River in the southeast section of the city.

The move must be approved by three-quarters of major league owners and survive legal challenges by the Expos' former limited partners and possibly by Baltimore owner Peter Angelos, who objects to having a team just 40 miles from the Orioles. Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, has been attempting to negotiate a compensation arrangement with Angelos.

The original Washington Senators played 4,610 home games before becoming the Minnesota Twins (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/clubhouse?team=min) after the 1960 season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The expansion Senators played 883 home games before moving to Texas.

In the Senators' last game, on Sept. 30, 1971, they led the New York Yankees 7-5 with two outs in the ninth inning when fans seeking souvenirs went on the RFK Stadium field, which could not be cleared. The Yankees wound up winning the game in a forfeit.

The Rangers retain ownership of the name "Washington Senators," baseball spokesman Carmine Tiso said after consulting with Ethan Orlinsky, a lawyer for Major League Baseball Properties, the sport's licensing division.

Montreal's last home game is scheduled for Wednesday night against Florida. Monday's series opener drew a crowd of 3,923 to Olympic Stadium.Norfolk is a really nice place, it would have been great to see them get a team, but at least the Expos are no longer in limbo. It's a shame that baseball can't seem to work in Montreal, I wonder why. Was the idea of building a new stadium in Montreal not good enough? (then again, a new park does not always equal success, just ask Cincinnati or Milwaukee)

[TimTwoFace]

There are two huge reasons why the Expos were set on a road to ruin through the 90's. For one, in 1994, a year the Expos were doing exceptionally well and were actually legitimate World Series contenders, the World Series itself was cancelled due to a strike. In many cities around the league, this alienated a lot of fans - and in a city where hockey is undeniably king, that was a devastating blow for baseball, which as loved as it was, it's always been the second (or third) tier sport in the city.

Then there was the whole stadium issue. I've been to the Big O (Olympic Stadium) and not only is it a horrible facility, it's so far from downtown in the east end of the city and not easily accessible by freeways that it's a real hassle to get to. There was land right available downtown right beside where the new hockey arena for the Canadiens was built in the mid-90's, and if the team played within the actual core of the city, there would undoubtedly be a lot more interest. If you build it, they will come - at least in the short term. With the proper management in place, the Expos could have kept their best players on the team and remained competitive.

But since the fan interest waned and the average attendance was about 4,000 - and since they even lost their TV contracts in recent years due to poor ratings - it was a vicious cycle that has eventually petered out.

Yeah, there was the disaster of the Canadian dollar through the mid-to-late 90's as well, but as the NHL and NBA have proven, with the proper management in place, Canadian teams in leagues that feature predominantly American teams can work.

That, and the MLB didn't really seem keen on keeping the team in Montreal anyways. Not in recent years - instead of fixing the problems it became the orphan of the league, and even that stunt with playing games in Peurto Rico didn't change much.

Montreal shouldn't be losing a team. This could have been prevented years ago. I'm surprised that Washington hasn't had a team after all these years, in all honesty - I just wish that it wasn't at the expense of the Little Orphan Expos.

-Tim

[wrenchien]

and now canada will have only one baseball team to it...

[TimTwoFace]

Yeah, tell me about it. I don't feel right cheering for any team based in Toronto. :sad:

-Tim

[ShadowWolf]

Finally, I'm glad that settled. As soon as it becomes official I will never watch or support the MLB again. And if people want to blame the people of Montreal for the failure of the Expos then you really need to brush up on your info. I've been following the Expos for 27 years and what i've seen the owners do to the team since 95 makes my stomach turn. So now that the team is destroyed and the people of Montreal are sick as hell of the MLB, take the team and choke on it.

[Zach]

I heard that on Fox News not to long ago. Nice to know DC is getting a team.

[TimTwoFace]

Finally, I'm glad that settled. As soon as it becomes official I will never watch or support the MLB again. And if people want to blame the people of Montreal for the failure of the Expos then you really need to brush up on your info. I've been following the Expos for 27 years and what i've seen the owners do to the team since 95 makes my stomach turn. So now that the team is destroyed and the people of Montreal are sick as hell of the MLB, take the team and choke on it.
That's exactly why the Grizzlies left Vancouver for Memphis not long ago - a horribly-run league known as the NBA and a very, very poorly managed team. It had nothing to do with the fans and their lack of enthusiasm.

Bah.

In a few years, who knows, if the fans even WANT the team to come back, they might be able to. Montreal can easily support an MLB team if it's advertised well enough. That's how the Alouettes became such a hit when they returned to the CFL in 1996.

Then again, just like us folks in Vancouver don't give a hoot about the NBA any more, maybe Montreal will feel the same way about the MLB.

-Tim

[Duke]

Here's hoping it'll make Angelos leave.

Maybe then the O's can stop sucking.

[silverwings]

Here's hoping it'll make Angelos leave.

Maybe then the O's can stop sucking.
You know, I can't stand a lot of what Angelos does, but I have to give him sufficient credit for not selling the team to another, bigger city. Especially if attendence drops.

For one, Washington is getting their fourth chance at having a team. Let's hope history doesn't repeat itself.

Is it good for the Orioles that there's a second team in the region? I dunno. Perhaps now Angelos and the Orioles will get more "big" names and make better trades. After all, now they have to compete for the market and must, hopefully, deliver a better product.

This year's been a great start. (granted, we might not reach .500 but we won't be in last. Huzzah! :sweat: )

[Duke]

Is it good for the Orioles that there's a second team in the region? I dunno. Perhaps now Angelos and the Orioles will get more "big" names and make better trades. After all, now they have to compete for the market and must, hopefully, deliver a better product.

This year's been a great start. (granted, we might not reach .500 but we won't be in last. Huzzah! :sweat: )
What the O's need is pitching and maybe another slightly big bat or two. If their starters were actually, I dunno, GOOD in April & May, then they wouldn't have had to disrupt the bullpen by taking out Lopez and have DeJean start sucking.

[DR.MID-NITE]

I hope Texas gives back the Senators name. I think it would be a good tie-in to the past. Also, Angelos is a whiner. So another team is 40 miles away. Many cities host two teams.

[silverwings]

I hope Texas gives back the Senators name. I think it would be a good tie-in to the past. Also, Angelos is a whiner. So another team is 40 miles away. Many cities host two teams.
Like New York and Chicago? :p He's got a right to complain, as the Baltimore/Washington area is, IMO, no where near as large as these two cities. If you could identify a city/region that is near the same size of Baltimore/Washington area and hosts two successful teams, please do. Again, IMO, I think Baltimore/Washington is a bit small for two teams.

NOT that I think it's a bad idea. I hope this improves the product that the Orioles give out (which it should).

Like Duke said, all the Orioles need is some solid pitching, which should hopefully be their focus this offseason, as we got the big bats last year.

[Czar Gato]

Thank you, Lord (and the MLB) for not sending the team to Northern VA! Traffic around Dulles is bad enough as it is, lol. DC is nice enough, and far enouigh away that I won't get a headache trying to get around on game days. I feel kinda bad for the fans in Montreal, though.

[Jeff Harris]

Norfolk is a really nice place, it would have been great to see them get a team, but at least the Expos are no longer in limbo. Yeah, it would have been nice to see the team around here. Catching the ferry to and from Norfolk and riding the NET all the way to Harbor Park to see a Braves/"whatever the Expos would have been called" Saturday afternoon game would have been cool, but alas, it's not meant to be.

And yet another chapter in big league dreams ends for Norfolk, VA and the other cities of the Norfolk Metro Bay area (I like that moniker better than the official Hampton Roads regional name we currently have). After being flimflammed by George Shinn twice (one of those pipedreams of getting an NHL expansion team rather than landing the Hartford Whalers, who considered moving to Norfolk rather than heading to North Carolina, and the other time is when we thought Shinn would actually bring the Hornets here, but instead, going to New Orleans) and flirting with the CFL, we're still just a minor league town (but at least it's Triple-A in both Hockey and Baseball).

[Sailor Chibi Otaku]

Since I live in La Belle Province, I saw it coming for a good three or so years so it's not shocking to me. I don't like sports, anyway. It's a big deal over here. The Montreal Gazette will have their whole newspaper dedicated to the Expos tomorrow.

[jrh31584]

The Baltimore-Washington area is larger in population than the San Francisco Bay area, and they have two teams that are closer together than the Orioles and the WhatevertheyaregoingtocalltheExpos.

[PaQ]

Well, I'm glad that it was finally announced and they can start the process. I think one big loss is their GM Omar Minaya who ended up taking a high position over with the Mets (including now their GM title), so that leaves them without a GM and without an owner since MLB runs it still.

I do hope they chose the name Senators, I just like the ring to it, and it's been used their before for previously Washington D.C. based baseball teams, I did enjoy the other day when ESPn.com had a poll about choosing a name for the team and one of the options they put was D.C. Comics. :D

Hopefully they can get things straightened out because I really think the NL East is a winnable division as long as you get strong scouting and a solid team around you. It's a shame that strike happened in 94, because had it not, a lot of things may be different, and baseball definitely wouldn't be as it is now.

[Duke]

I wouldn't mind the team being called the Washington Yinkees or the Washington Angelos...:D

[stwasm]

Like New York and Chicago? :p He's got a right to complain, as the Baltimore/Washington area is, IMO, no where near as large as these two cities. If you could identify a city/region that is near the same size of Baltimore/Washington area and hosts two successful teams, please do. Again, IMO, I think Baltimore/Washington is a bit small for two teams.

NOT that I think it's a bad idea. I hope this improves the product that the Orioles give out (which it should).

Like Duke said, all the Orioles need is some solid pitching, which should hopefully be their focus this offseason, as we got the big bats last year.
Okay, let's get something straight. Baltimore and Washington are TWO DISTINCT, SEPARATE markets!!!!!!!! Angelos is losing fans because is George Steinbrenner impersonation is AWFUL and all the good players and managers are being driven off because of it all. Baseball in D.C. has NOTHING to do with that! Also, how are teams in Baltimore and Washington any different from Chicago's two teams, New York's two teams and the Bay Area's two teams? If it can be successful there, it can work here. Bad management and a refusal to field black players is how D.C. lost their second and third teams.

In conclusion, let's hope that this new team -- if it comes here (being from D.C., I'm a little jaded after all the close calls!) -- takes the name Grays to pay homage to the team that won nine straight Negro League penants.

[Zach Williams]

Why DC?? This sucks. It couldnt be a better place like on the west coast or something. Kentucky should get a baseball team. I dont like to watch college football but for Kentucky I will since its the only sport.;)

[stwasm]

Why DC?? This sucks. It couldnt be a better place like on the west coast or something. Kentucky should get a baseball team. I dont like to watch college football but for Kentucky I will since its the only sport.;)
Why DC, you ask? It's one of the 10 largest markets in the country. It's a demographic gold mine for Major League Baseball in terms of population. There's a stadium already built for baseball and ready to go. The Nation's Capitol should have a national pasttime team.

Since there finally has been the first team to move in a while and the Twins and A's are rumored to be looking to relocate, maybe Louisville could get a team. Get your campaign started now!

[Quagmire]

Ironically the Expos are ending their franchise the same way they started it in 1969 - playing the Mets at Shea Stadium.

As a Mets fan, you guys could keep Minaya. I really don't think that he's a good GM.

Still I'm looking forward to seeing a Mets game in Washington next year.

[Carolina Red]

I'd love a team in Raleigh, but I highly doubt the state will be able to support four teams, we've got three (Panthers, Hurricanes, Bobcats) and the cash flow in the state's budget isn't going well. But why not try? The gates are open thanks to the Expo move, and it never hurts to try.

I hear San Jose is thinking about the A's....and I bet Norfolk is hell-bent now on getting a team now that the Expos are taken.

[Duke]

In conclusion, let's hope that this new team -- if it comes here (being from D.C., I'm a little jaded after all the close calls!) -- takes the name Grays to pay homage to the team that won nine straight Negro League penants.
I'm sorry, but I hope it's not the Grays. I don't care how successful they were way back when, I hate it.

[stwasm]

I'm sorry, but I hope it's not the Grays. I don't care how successful they were way back when, I hate it.
That is a historical name. The contributions of blacks to this sport has been ignored way too long! Grays would be a perfect way to restore that!

Additionally, I'd like to see Cal Ripken, Jr., involved with the team in some way. That would really give Der Fuhrer Angelos the middle finger. I remember the shabby way Angelos handled Cal's retirement. What a jerk!

[silverwings]

That is a historical name. The contributions of blacks to this sport has been ignored way too long! Grays would be a perfect way to restore that!

Additionally, I'd like to see Cal Ripken, Jr., involved with the team in some way. That would really give Der Fuhrer Angelos the middle finger. I remember the shabby way Angelos handled Cal's retirement. What a jerk!
I think the Grays is a great idea. However, whenever Washington has had a major league team, it's been called the Senators. I like consistancy.

And if Cal Ripken Jr. gets involved with any major league team, it'll be the Orioles, like his dad. I just can't see Ripken working for anyone else.

[jrh31584]

I think the Grays is a great idea. However, whenever Washington has had a major league team, it's been called the Senators. I like consistancy.The Senators were consistent all right. Where do you think "First in war, first in peace, last in the American League" came from?

[Burgundy Ranger]

Oh what a happy day for us in DC! I'm so pumped, it ain't funny.:D

[stwasm]

I think the Grays is a great idea. However, whenever Washington has had a major league team, it's been called the Senators. I like consistancy.

And if Cal Ripken Jr. gets involved with any major league team, it'll be the Orioles, like his dad. I just can't see Ripken working for anyone else.
You make two very good points, Silver. But, I have to rebutt them.

First, I think many people believe Senators is synonymous with bad baseball. After winning their only World Series in 1924, the team mostly has been a sorry, no-account lot! I'd like to start fresh and I think a new name will allow us to wipe that losing slate clean.

Secondly, you may not know this, but Junior wanted to stay with the Orioles in some capacity after he retired, but Der Fuhrer Angelos wouldn't let him because his ego got in the way. He wants the Orioles to be his team and having Cal in the front office would steal his thunder. Seeing Cal, Frank Robinson (another ex-Oriole) and, according to rumors former Baltimore GM Pat Giillick running the team would give Angelos the middle finger big time!

[stwasm]

Oh what a happy day for us in DC! I'm so pumped, it ain't funny.:D
I'll be happy once the first pitch is tossed. We have some hurdles still in front of us and, with all the close calls over the years, I don't want to celebrate just yet.

[silverwings]

You make two very good points, Silver. But, I have to rebutt them.

First, I think many people believe Senators is synonymous with bad baseball. After winning their only World Series in 1924, the team mostly has been a sorry, no-account lot! I'd like to start fresh and I think a new name will allow us to wipe that losing slate clean.

Secondly, you may not know this, but Junior wanted to stay with the Orioles in some capacity after he retired, but Der Fuhrer Angelos wouldn't let him because his ego got in the way. He wants the Orioles to be his team and having Cal in the front office would steal his thunder. Seeing Cal, Frank Robinson (another ex-Oriole) and, according to rumors former Baltimore GM Pat Giillick running the team would give Angelos the middle finger big time!
Good point. Senators do remind people of a losing team.

However, I think you vent on Angelos a little too much. Yes, he's made mistakes, but this is the same guy who was in charge of the team 1996-1997. Yes, the man has an ego, but what man doesn't? :p

The one thing I give, and many Baltimorians (that I know) give credit to him for is NOT selling the team. He explicitly stated he'd never move the team. Which is a bit of comfort, knowing the team has nearly doubled in value and has had 5 losing seasons. (note: the value of the team was stated in the Baltimore Sun.)

[stwasm]

Good point. Senators do remind people of a losing team.

However, I think you vent on Angelos a little too much. Yes, he's made mistakes, but this is the same guy who was in charge of the team 1996-1997. Yes, the man has an ego, but what man doesn't? :p

The one thing I give, and many Baltimorians (that I know) give credit to him for is NOT selling the team. He explicitly stated he'd never move the team. Which is a bit of comfort, knowing the team has nearly doubled in value and has had 5 losing seasons. (note: the value of the team was stated in the Baltimore Sun.)
Angelos also is the same guy who ran off Davey Johnson after those two great seasons. He also did that to a lot of former Orioles who made up those teams, including Mike Mussina and Rafael Palmiero. He's worried about a DC team hurting his franchise? He's already doing a GREAT job of that, himself!

[Duke]

That is a historical name. The contributions of blacks to this sport has been ignored way too long! Grays would be a perfect way to restore that!
Like I said, I don't care about historical context. I view them by their names alone, not their history, and I hate the name Grays.

[stwasm]

Like I said, I don't care about historical context. I view them by their names alone, not their history, and I hate the name Grays.
But, historical context, I think, is a big part of choosing a name. "Senators" is an oxymoron because the District of Columbia has no representation in Congress. If you want to get technical about it, "Washington Senators" ranks right up there (or is "down there?") with the "Utah Jazz."