LaBatt was never to have a roof. There was never a plan for a roof on LaBatt. It was scraped because Montreal politics was played an Loria was odd man out.

LaBatt was never to have a roof. There was never a plan for a roof on LaBatt. It was scraped because Montreal politics was played an Loria was odd man out.

You need to read your link a little closer:

 

"The $200 million project is significantly less expensive than a previous proposal which called for a retractable roof."

LaBatt was never to have a roof. There was never a plan for a roof on LaBatt. It was scraped because Montreal politics was played an Loria was odd man out.

You need to read your link a little closer:

 

"The $200 million project is significantly less expensive than a previous proposal which called for a retractable roof." Loria never wanted a roof. The plan was introduce by the previous Expos ownership in 1998 and in 2000 Loria revived it without the roof. You better read about the Expos.

Loria never wanted a roof. The plan was introduce by the previous Expos ownership in 1998 and in 2000 Loria revived it without the roof. You better read about the Expos.

I've read enough about the Expos and Loria. You just said that that LaBatt was never to have a roof and that there was never a plan for a roof. I'm just quoting what your link said. Don't kill the messenger.

Loria never wanted a roof. The plan was introduce by the previous Expos ownership in 1998 and in 2000 Loria revived it without the roof. You better read about the Expos.

I've read enough about the Expos and Loria. You just said that that LaBatt was never to have a roof and that there was never a plan for a roof. I'm just quoting what your link said. Don't kill the messenger. LaBatt was never to have a roof. We are talking about Loria. The picture you see there is Loria's idea. The preious ownership never had pictures or a big presentation.

 

You are not a well informed messenger.

LaBatt was never to have a roof. We are talking about Loria. The picture you see there is Loria's idea. The preious ownership never had pictures or a big presentation.

 

You are not a well informed messenger.

You need to send me the link to the article that your reading...because I can read, believe me..I read too much. And the link you gave us said that the previous proposal called for a retractable roof. And you continue to say that LaBatt was never to have a roof.

 

If you've got a problem take it out on the author of the link you gave us. It's not my opinion one way or another. But you gave us a link...I believe to prove a point...and the link says something different from what you're saying. That's all I'm saying.

The link I gave you proves it. The previous proposal by the previous ownership called for a roof and it was too expensive.

 

In 2000, Loria reenergized the sponsor, LaBatt, and the city with a $200 million plan for an open air park that you see in those pictures. Loria's plan for LaBatt Park never called for a roof.

 

The previous ownership wanted a roof, not Loria.

The previous ownership never gave more than idea and a handshake agreement with LaBatt. It never was drawn up, Loria's roofless idea was.

Expos used to toiling in obscurity

By DREW OLSON

of the Journal Sentinel staff

Last Updated: April 25, 2002

Montreal - In the first two innings of a game Tuesday night against the Milwaukee Brewers, Montreal's defense threw out two runners at home plate. The action drew a smattering of applause from the crowd of 3,561, but it did not interrupt the play going on in Section 135 of cavernous Olympic Stadium.

 

Brewers-Expos

 

 

Photo/File

Players look up at plenty of empty seats in Montreal.

 

 

Related Coverage

 

Review: Miscue ends marathon

Box Score: Expos 5, Brewers 4

Empty seats: Expos used to toiling in obscurity

Notes: Rigdon making progress

Preview: Brewers at Expos

 

 

Brewers Etc.

 

Brewers: '02 schedule

Brewers: '02 roster

Brewers: 2002 stats

MLB: 2002 standings

Stats: Player, team

MLB: '02 All-Star Game

 

 

 

Surrounded by an ocean of empty seats in an area behind the right-field foul pole, two French-speaking teenage girls holding paperback books rehearsed lines from a play.

 

They didn't stop for strikeouts, base hits or scoreboard replays. They didn't even look at the field. After dozens of pages and three innings, they collected their jackets and headed to the exit. A group of raucous teenage boys a few sections over grabbed their attention for a moment, but the girls headed out without even glancing at the field.

 

Baseball in Montreal isn't dead yet, but the time for last rites is running out.

 

The Expos, now being operated by a limited partnership of the other 29 teams, are the poster children for Commissioner Bud Selig's contraction plan and are almost certain to be folded or moved next year.

 

The aspiring actresses weren't around to see the second game of the series Wednesday night but, with no direct competition from the popular Montreal Canadiens, the baseball crowd "swelled" to 5,295.

 

For players and coaches used to operating in front of crowds five to 10 times as big, the setting is almost surreal.

 

"It's almost like an American Legion game," Brewers third base coach Gary Allenson said. "I'd bet you get bigger crowds at about half the Triple-A parks."

 

The Expos know that better than anyone. Despite their lame-duck status, they have thrived on the field. The Expos' 5-4 victory over the Brewers improved their record to 13-8 and kept them in first place in the National League East Division.

 

"It's a blessing in disguise that the core of this ballclub has been here through some lean years and played in front of some small crowds," said Frank Robinson, the Hall of Famer who left a job as baseball's disciplinarian to become manager of the Expos.

 

"Small crowds and lack of support affects them, but the guys that have been here know how to handle it. The guys who have not been here see the way other players go about their jobs and they learn how to handle themselves, too."

 

That empty feeling

The Expos, who have lost 90-plus games for the past several seasons, seem to be improved this year, but anything less than a world championship would be too little to revive interest among most of the home fans.

 

"They're just not behind the ballclub right now because they feel as though they've been wronged over the course of time," Robinson said. "They're just scarred. I don't think they have anything personally against the Expos, but they do have some ill-feelings about how they've been treated by this organization."

 

Discussion of baseball in Montreal starts with the ballpark, a monstrous concrete structure located on top of a subway station in a lower-middle class neighborhood 20 minutes from the heart of downtown.

 

The building itself is rundown. The main concourse houses arcade games and concession stands, some of which are unmanned, and resembles a Greyhound station.

 

Inside the park, the light is artificial, just like the turf, and the air is somewhat stale.

 

Massive speakers hang from the roof like wind chimes, but the music and public address announcements are played at a comfortable volume. Nobody strains to hear at Olympic Stadium.

 

You can hear umpires call balls and strikes, outfielders yell "I got it!" and, if you sit in the more populated areas between the foul lines, you can hear conversations.

 

A band of blue seats stretches from foul line to foul line and includes the first 20 rows off the field. It's about one-third full and some sections are roped off.

 

Behind the blue seats is a band of yellow seats that runs about 30 rows deep and is heavily populated. Not surprisingly, the yellow seats are cheaper.

 

Proud history

Do Montreal residents prefer hockey? Yes.

 

Are the Canadiens to Quebec what the Green Bay Packers are to Wisconsin? Yes.

 

But, it's not that baseball is a forgotten, niche-type sport in these parts. Baseball has had a presence in Montreal for 90 years. The Montreal Royals were a minor-league fixture from 1912-'60 at Delorimier Stadium, where Jackie Robinson honed his skills and broke baseball's color barrier. Pete Rose collected his 4,000th hit here. Tony Gwynn got his 3,000th.

 

Expos fans remember their favorites lovingly. Gary Carter. Rusty Staub. Andre Dawson. Bill Lee. Warren Cromartie. Chris Speier. Tim Raines. Steve Rogers.

 

Today, the Expos' roster includes some of the more talented young players in the game. Shortstop Orlando Cabrera drove in 95 runs last year. Second baseman Jose Vidro made the all-star team. Pitcher Javier Vazquez, who started against the Brewers on Wednesday, is regarded as one of the tougher young right-handers in the game.

 

The star of the show, however, is rightfielder Vladimir Guerrero, whose mix of speed, power and strength makes him one of the more exciting and least appreciated superstars in the game.

 

"He's really not unappreciated," Robinson said. "He's on a club that hasn't been winning, a club that doesn't get a lot of publicity back in the States. People in baseball know about his ability and skill. There's 29 other clubs that would love to have him."

 

Stars sold off

The Expos, whose 21-season playoff drought usurps the Brewers by one year, haven't rocked the roof at their stadium in a long time.

 

The major-league players' strike in 1994 probably hit Montreal harder than any other market. The Expos were in first place when the players walked out, which created a bitter feeling among fans.

 

To compensate for revenue lost during the industry shutdown, ownership auctioned off players like Admin Walker, Marquis Grissom, John Wetteland and Ken Hill.

 

The team went in the tank and most fans turned their attention to other summer pursuits. They haven't come back.

 

"It's hard to blame them," Expos reliever Graeme Lloyd said. "They've been (spit) upon by ownership group after ownership group."

 

Jeffrey Loria, a New York art dealer, came into town and was seen by some as a savior. Unable to generate funding for a new stadium or interest among the masses, Loria sold the club to Major League Baseball for $120 million and purchased, with baseball's help, the Florida Marlins.

 

The Expos are now run by the other 29 clubs which means that Selig, who once was regarded as Public Enemy No. 1 in these parts, is ultimately responsible for what happens.

 

"We don't really hate Bud Selig any more," said one fan. "We just hate Jeffrey Loria."

 

Ownership is just part of the equation, however.

 

The Canadian economy and the sliding value of the "loonie" (Canadian dollar) have hurt pro sports teams throughout the country. The Vancouver Grizzlies moved to Memphis this year, following a trend started by the hockey's Winnipeg Jets (Phoenix) and Quebec Nordiques (Colorado).

 

Major-league salaries are paid in American dollars, which means that a player earning $1 million must be paid nearly $1.6 million in Canadian dollars. By that math, in order to match the revenue produced by a U.S. team reaching 2 million in attendance, the Expos must draw 3.2 million.

 

"That's really what shot down the idea of a new ballpark," said Stephanie Myles, a Montreal native who covers the Expos for the Montreal Gazette. "People realized that even if it was full every night, it might not be enough."

 

The personal touch

It's two hours before game time, and Montreal general manager Omar Minaya, who came to the Expos from the Mets, is engaged in a conversation behind home plate when a fan yells to him from the front row of seats near the on-deck circle.

 

"Mr. Minaya, can I talk to you a minute?" the fan asks.

 

In New York, the fan's request would have been ignored. In Montreal, Minaya walks over, smiles and says hello.

 

"I just wanted to tell you I think you're doing a great job," the fan says. "I hope you keep it going."

 

Minaya smiles and extends his hand, only to find that the fan's seat is too high for a handshake. "We're going to do our best," he says.

 

Faced with the most difficult circumstances imaginable, the Expos haven't given up trying.

 

Acting team president Tony Tavares, who came from the Anaheim/Disney consortium, spent time on the phone this winter talking to fans who did not renew season tickets.

 

At a pre-season news conference, Tavares was asked how he could remain optimistic given the circumstances. "You can sulk or you can celebrate life," he said.

 

Even celebrating is not easy for the Expos. Since they don't know for certain what will happen this season, it's impossible to give the team any kind of proper sendoff.

 

"You can't say it's the last year yet," Guerrero said.

 

Not a grand finale

So far, there is no sense of "This is the last time the Braves will be in town, we better get tickets." The urgency might increase toward the end of the season but it hasn't been created yet.

 

In the meantime, Tavares and Minaya are doing what they can to win over the fans.

 

During the series opener Tuesday, a 9-year-old fan named Luigi Benidetto was hit on the head by a foul ball off the bat of Montreal pitcher Tomo Ohka.

 

Benidetto, who had been sitting behind the home dugout, was carried out of the stands by a security guard, examined by a doctor and invited to watch the rest of the game with Tavares and Minaya from their booth in the press box.

 

Tavares and Minaya may be doing their best, but it probably won't be enough to save baseball in Montreal.

 

 

 

 

Appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on April 25, 2002.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brew/apr02/37955.asp

The previous ownership wanted a roof, not Loria.

I can agree with that...but that's different than saying that there were NEVER plans for a roof. Your link says that there were plans.

 

You don't think that Loria...if he could have afford it...wouldn't have taken a roof in Montreal? It's not a point I'm arguing about, it doesn't matter. I'd only like your opinion.

 

I saw plans of a domed LaBatts...if you don't believe me fine, I say that because I'm not sure if I can provide a link; so I don't have much credibility in saying that I've seen the domed LaBatts plans.

The previous ownership wanted a roof, not Loria.

I can agree with that...but that's different than saying that there were NEVER plans for a roof. Your link says that there were plans.

 

You don't think that Loria...if he could have afford it...wouldn't have taken a roof in Montreal? It's not a point I'm arguing about, it doesn't matter. I'd only like your opinion.

 

I saw plans of a domed LaBatts...if you don't believe me fine, I say that because I'm not sure if I can provide a link; so I don't have much credibility in saying that I've seen the domed LaBatts plans. LaBatt Park as we know it is Loria's plan. the previous ownership never had a true plan. they suggested something, were told no and sold the team.

 

To tell you the truth, Montreal doesn't need a roof. Jarry Park, first home of the Expos, didn't have much problems with rain or snow because Montreal is closer to the ocean and is in the middle of a river. Toronto is not as nice a climate, but they have a roof.