Comments on: What Might Have Been? How the 1994 Strike Snatched Away The Montreal Expos’ Date With Destiny http://thedugoutdoctors.com/2009/09/what-might-have-been-how-the-1994-strike-snatched-away-the-montreal-expos%e2%80%99-date-with-destiny/ Baseball News, Rumors, Blogs, and Videos Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:45:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Dean Hybl http://thedugoutdoctors.com/2009/09/what-might-have-been-how-the-1994-strike-snatched-away-the-montreal-expos%e2%80%99-date-with-destiny/comment-page-1/#comment-47 Dean Hybl Tue, 08 Sep 2009 03:28:19 +0000 http://thedugoutdoctors.com/?p=176#comment-47 In the mid-1990s, two of the toughest tickets in baseball were in Toronto and Baltimore. Those two teams were always among the attendance leaders. We used to try to go to 1-2 Orioles games a year and had to decide in January which games we wanted to go to just to make sure we could get tickets. Now, you can count the empty seats at either stadium even for big games. Attendance isn't any better in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Kansas City, all of whom were dominant franchises in the 1970s and 1980s, but are just playing out the string today. I'm worried about Tampa's long-term competitiveness because they are not drawing even with a good team and the owners seem to be wondering if it is worth spending the money to be competitive when it really isn't translating into larger crowds. That would be a shame because the Rays have a lot of young talent and could be a contender for years if they just spent enough money to get a couple key veterans. Unlike the Orioles and Jays, there problem is that they play in one of the worst stadiums in the game. I think they would draw better if they had a Camden Yards type stadium. In the mid-1990s, two of the toughest tickets in baseball were in Toronto and Baltimore. Those two teams were always among the attendance leaders. We used to try to go to 1-2 Orioles games a year and had to decide in January which games we wanted to go to just to make sure we could get tickets. Now, you can count the empty seats at either stadium even for big games.

Attendance isn’t any better in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Kansas City, all of whom were dominant franchises in the 1970s and 1980s, but are just playing out the string today.

I’m worried about Tampa’s long-term competitiveness because they are not drawing even with a good team and the owners seem to be wondering if it is worth spending the money to be competitive when it really isn’t translating into larger crowds.

That would be a shame because the Rays have a lot of young talent and could be a contender for years if they just spent enough money to get a couple key veterans. Unlike the Orioles and Jays, there problem is that they play in one of the worst stadiums in the game. I think they would draw better if they had a Camden Yards type stadium.

]]> By: peter http://thedugoutdoctors.com/2009/09/what-might-have-been-how-the-1994-strike-snatched-away-the-montreal-expos%e2%80%99-date-with-destiny/comment-page-1/#comment-45 peter Tue, 08 Sep 2009 02:23:56 +0000 http://thedugoutdoctors.com/?p=176#comment-45 That's what made Tampa Bay getting to the World Series last year SO special. They are a small market team that did the impossible. If my in-laws were Phillies phans I would have wanted the Rays to win! That’s what made Tampa Bay getting to the World Series last year SO special. They are a small market team that did the impossible. If my in-laws were Phillies phans I would have wanted the Rays to win!

]]> By: Vincent http://thedugoutdoctors.com/2009/09/what-might-have-been-how-the-1994-strike-snatched-away-the-montreal-expos%e2%80%99-date-with-destiny/comment-page-1/#comment-43 Vincent Sun, 06 Sep 2009 02:50:05 +0000 http://thedugoutdoctors.com/?p=176#comment-43 I'm a Washington-area resident, so I know what it's like to be done wrong by MLB (Calvin Griffith, Bob Short), so I feel bad for Montreal fans even though I'm delighted to have baseball back here in town. Unfortunately, in murdering baseball in Montreal, Selig and company gave D.C. a rotting carcass of an organization -- it wasn't evident in 2005, but that 81-81 team was built on quicksand (no farm system), and the Nationals probably won't have field a contender until at least 2015 (which would be 70 years since Washington last experienced a pennant race -- you try to build a baseball culture under those conditions).Not that MLB cares; it's got its money from the Lerners. Moreover, it's apparent that baseball's powers that be, in alliance with Fox, TBS and ESPN, prefer that a handful of high-profile, big-salary teams dominate, the Pittsburghs, Cincinnatis, Kansas Citys -- and Washingtons -- be damned. Only realignment in the English soccer style, with promotion and relegation, could give these franchises a chance of winning...but would they have the courage to stop feeding on the attendance teat of the Yankees/Red Sox/Cubs/Dodgers? Tend to doubt it. I’m a Washington-area resident, so I know what it’s like to be done wrong by MLB (Calvin Griffith, Bob Short), so I feel bad for Montreal fans even though I’m delighted to have baseball back here in town. Unfortunately, in murdering baseball in Montreal, Selig and company gave D.C. a rotting carcass of an organization — it wasn’t evident in 2005, but that 81-81 team was built on quicksand (no farm system), and the Nationals probably won’t have field a contender until at least 2015 (which would be 70 years since Washington last experienced a pennant race — you try to build a baseball culture under those conditions).Not that MLB cares; it’s got its money from the Lerners.

Moreover, it’s apparent that baseball’s powers that be, in alliance with Fox, TBS and ESPN, prefer that a handful of high-profile, big-salary teams dominate, the Pittsburghs, Cincinnatis, Kansas Citys — and Washingtons — be damned. Only realignment in the English soccer style, with promotion and relegation, could give these franchises a chance of winning…but would they have the courage to stop feeding on the attendance teat of the Yankees/Red Sox/Cubs/Dodgers? Tend to doubt it.

]]>