Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire “,….. proudly sponsored by Pete’s Auto Body.
Pete’s Auto Body; because we care about our community….
Count me among the least surprised that Major League Baseball’s Executive Committee quashed the proposed shared franchise concept floated which would see the Tampa Bay Rays have joint custody of the franchise with Montreal.
The idea was for the Rays to start a Major League season in Tampa Bay, Florida and then switch to Montreal around June 1st where they would be based for the remainder of the schedule.
Like the pop-up brainstorm that calls for 2 NHL teams in Toronto every now and then, I found this idea far fetched from the get go.
One team in 2 cities, in 2 countries…. players with 2 homes, ……children with 2 education systems…. plus let’s not overlook the tiny difference in taxation between the state of Florida and the province of Quebec.
From the very beginning, I said ” Come ON ”
Exactly who would own and operate the Montreal side of the club ?
And exactly where would they play ?
And IF there was a stadium, who would pay for it ? I’m old enough to remember the financial crunch caused by the 1976 Olympics.
Because I am the age that I am, I do remember the Montreal Expos, both the glory years of the late 70s, early 80s along with the bleak years and they’re sad-to-witness fade to black at the end.
So, yes, I would love to see Major League Baseball return to Montreal, O just don’t see it…certainly not in the ” shared franchise ” concept.
For Pete’s Auto Body, I’m Fred Wallace.