Besides Bud Selig, who colluded with the carpet bagging last owner of the Montreal Expos, Jeffry Loria, here's what really did the Expos in.
The "fans" in Montreal were amongst the biggest catalyst for the demise & departure of
the Expos, along with the English media in Montreal that went into overdrive to do anything and everything to make players and the diehard supporters like myself and a few select others feel like you were an idiot and a loser if you supported the team.
By the mid-'80s, a lot of top players wanted out and the fair weather friends were nowhere to be found. In all cities the media kvetches about their team every year, but when the media bangs the drums of dissent and puts the idea of moving in everyone's head and is only happy when it does happen and gets to say "I told you so."
- B/R Ticket Guide
Montreal is unlike other sports cities in the sense that its addiction to negativity would only be satiated by actually driving the Expos out. Maybe the press thought that if they poison the minds of the fans against the team, the team would get run out of town and be replaced by a new, better quality MLB team with top notch ownership?
Unlike Brooklyn, when the Dodgers left a million broken hearts, the Expos were lucky that the door didn't hit them in the ass on the way out. Montreal's reaction was disassociation, denial, and typical selfishness: We can't expect to be fans if the team doesn't win?
The tag line of the Expos leaving Montreal should be: "It's not my fault, I never went to games in the first place!"
Unlike Brooklyn, where Robert Moses, the mad planner, drove the Dodgers out, in Montreal, the french & English media saw a big fat, immobile whipping boy and scapegoat, too easy to pass up. The media in Montreal should be very proud and pleased with their efforts! Quite an accomplishment!
comments (2) write a comment »
write a new comment
about 1 month ago
I've been an Expos fan since I caught a popfly off of Vlad Guerrero back in the day. What killed the Montréal Expos was the strike in 1994. There is no doubt in my mind if the season had been played out the Expos would of been World Champions that year and it would of rejuvenated the fan base.
from about 1 month ago
You are correct sir! Combine that with Bud Selig and Jeffry Loria and the rancid Montreal media and you have a disease that would kill any team in any sport! I hope they are proud of themselves!
write a new comment