Wray Morrison: Baseball In Montreal

Thirteen and a half years ago the Expos left Montreal.

I remember telling listeners at the time I wanted to be spared the “Save The Expos” rallies. Attendance was terrible before the team left Quebec in 2004. I realize there were other issues. Team ownership was in a state of flux and Olympic Stadium is not an ideal venue for baseball.

All those factors may have led to some indifference.

For the fifth straight year the Blue Jays will play exhibition games in Montreal. These games re-start the discussion each year of a potential return of big-league baseball to the market.

It’s going to take a leap of faith from levels of government in Montreal to make this a reality. It will need to be similar to the situation in Quebec City. The 18,000-seat Videotron Centre was built in 2015 even though there is no NHL team in the market.

In Montreal, construction of a big league ball park will have to start before talks get serious.