I think there is a good chance that Montreal Expos will return, but it is far from certain. What is certain is the Tampa Bay Rays will remain in Tampa Bay. My personal feeling is that Montreal will have a Montreal team in the future, but I do not see it happening this year.

The Current Dismal Attendance Problem

The Rays continue to struggle in their efforts to find an identity and a fan base. Despite their record, the Rays have a lot of work to do before they start seeing a significant difference in their attendance. The biggest challenge facing the Rays has been the lack of support from their own fans.

I can’t argue that Tampa Bay Rays is not a baseball town, but the Trop is not the most convenient place to get to. I do believe people would come if the Rays were to move and the Trop were to be a better environment for the fans and players. Montreal is a nice city, but I think people would not like a cold winter with no baseball in the Trop.

The Fail of Ybor City Means Florida May Not be an Option Moving Forward

St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman recently met with the principal owner of the Tampa Bay Rays, Stuart Sternberg, in order to discuss the future of the city’s minor league teams, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Tampa Bay Rays Class A team. The Rays have one remaining affiliation contract in play in the Tampa Bay territory. The Tampa Bay Rays Class A team is with the Charlotte Stone Crabs of the Carolina League.

The AL East Opportunity for Moving to Montreal

For the Yankees, Red Sox, and Blue Jays, fans travel to New York, Boston, and Toronto. If it wasn’t for the Rays, all three teams would be in last place in the AL East. If you put the Rays in the AL East, then the Yankees, and Red Sox would be one and two.

It is not a coincidence that Montreal is also home of the National Hockey League, which will only add more fans, and more money to the team. Also, the Stade Olympique is the only stadium in the NHL that can seat more than 25,000 people at one time, which is what the Habs will need to have a good chance to win the Stanley Cup this season. It is the best facility in the NHL.

Public Transportation, Big City Dreams, and a Booming Economy

We found a venue in the heart of Orlando. The venue is called the Lake Eola Park and it is located in the center of the city. The Venue is not a large park, but it is large enough to hold a great amount of guests. The venue is also located very close to one of the most popular tourist attractions in Orlando, the Epcot Center.

The Trop has one parking lot, one entrance, and one exit with no designated parking (though there is a pay parking lot at the Trop). This makes the Trop difficult to get to for those who don’t have a car and/or aren’t willing to park in the Metro parking garages on game days. The parking lot is pretty small.

 Tampa Bay has a high percentage of the countryââ,!â,,¢s Hispanic people; the largest Hispanic community in the US. It also has a large foreign trade area and has international airports. People want to move to Tampa because of the mild climate, the lower crime rate, the lower taxes, the better jobs, the lower cost of living, the great entertainment, the golf courses, and the large variety of shopping and dining opportunities.

A Stadium Already Exists in Montreal

The stadium could be renovated or the team could put in a new site. From a fan perspective, it’s great that the Rays will be moving. However, I think it’ll be a slow transition. They will play at least through the 2023 season at Tropicana Field, and could play at least into the 2027 season in their new stadium. The Rays are in Tampa Bay for a long time to come.

Canadians Love Baseball

One thing that would probably make the baseball scene in Montreal better is getting a pro team to play in that great stadium, the Bell Centre. There is a problem in that Canada is not close with baseball like the U.S. is, and no one could figure out why the Expos would stay in Montreal when Quebec City has a better baseball team.

The Rays are playing well, and we’re seeing more and more support coming out to see the ball game.

The Blue Jays don’t get much credit for their historic success. While the Yankees might have the better record, their fans don’t have the same passion as the Rays’.

The Expos Left in 2004, so Don’t Forget that it Did not Work.

This post opposes the Montreal Canadiens getting another team, but the real question is why not take on the Toronto Blue Jays. The city is known for being a hockey town, but there are lots of baseball people in the city. The main reason that the Expos left Montreal is because the city didn’t know how to get a MLB team. Most of the time a city comes up with their own name for the team, but Montreal had the Expos name.

Conclusion

The plan that the Rays want to build in Florida would be interesting. One problem that Tampa would have though is that the Trop cannot be converted into a baseball stadium. This idea would be a very costly and complicated endeavor. If the Rays are going to leave Florida, it would be in favor of Montreal. But they would be going to a new city with almost no baseball tradition.

The main reason for the Rays to move back to Philadelphia is the Tampa Bay Parking. In the 1990’s, it was the worst parking situation in baseball. I had an experience when I drove to the Tampa Bay Parking lot. My wife and I were supposed to park in our reserved spot in the parking lot, but we couldn’t do it because the parking lot was full. We tried to park on an adjacent lot but it was full too. Parking in the lot, we paid $15 for parking and it was a two-mile drive to get to the stadium.

The Tampa Bay Rays and their owners should move to Montreal to help the Canadiens win a Stanley Cup.