Baseball: Talks about Montreal in “The Wall Street Journal”

The future of the Tampa Bay Rays franchise and the concept of sister cities that include Montreal have grabbed the headlines in recent weeks, and now it’s The Wall Street Journal get involved.

Quebec baseball fans who have long hoped for Major League Baseball to return to Montreal will surely be intrigued when they learn that this topic was eligible for a text on the daily website dedicated to economic news, Friday morning.

Thus, the article specifies that the club believes it is essential for his stay in Tampa to split time between Florida and Canada, with President Brian Olde supporting statements. Last Friday, the leader also tried to persuade people who listened to him to speak at a local restaurant.

“We figured it was virtually impossible to have an entire season of baseball in Tampa Bay today,” Auld told the audience.

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Affirmant que les Rays souhaitent déplacer la moitié de leurs locales 1500 milles plus parties loin, le journal en question évoque les succès des Rays sur le terrain, eux qui ont dominé la section Est de la Ligue américaine en 2021 après avoir la monde participé last year.

However, the media then discusses the organization’s problems outside the playing area, mentioning among other things the low crowds at games presented at Tropicana Field; The Rays announced Thursday that 27,419 spectators were watching the opening duel for their division series, which they won against the Boston Red Sox.

“The situation perfectly shows the peculiar duality of the presence of rays, as someone wrote in The Wall Street Journal. On the field, they are an unexpected force driven by their 20-year-old sensation, Short Stop Wonder Franco. Despite having one of the lowest payrolls in the sport, the Rays have won more games since 2008 than any other team in the MLS, apart from the richer New York Yankees.”

“However, off the field, Tampa Bay is a mess. Rays are at last assist or close to assist each year. The size of the crowds is unaffected by the quality of the club. […] Tropicana Field, nicknamed “Trope”, is the only hard-roof stadium still in existence for the major tournaments and is largely outdated. It’s a dark, dark dome with a set of unsightly walkways on the ceiling. Slugger Nelson Cruz hit one of them with a ball on Thursday, forcing everyone to take an intense look at the complex rules relating to the stadium. We judged it as a circle.”

We have an open mind…

Just as in the final moments of the Montreal Expos in the early 2000s, many criticize the area in St. Petersburg where Rays’ current home is located and far from the home in which most residents live.

“We don’t miss the mark by a few thousand people every night. We’re still less than halfway through where it takes to be a great team. The Sister City plan deserves a chance to be heard by open minds.”

at the end of his text, The Wall Street Journal It states that the “Rays are approaching a crossroads,” specifying that their lease at Tropicana Field will expire after the 2027 campaign. To materialize their partnership plan with Montreal, it will be necessary to build two relatively small pitches without a roof.

Also, a few days ago, Tampa Bay Times He noted that the organization is increasingly interested in a space in the Ybor City neighborhood, where Kforce’s head office was located before it sold its land.