City TV Official: 'Expos Should Come Back to Montreal'

Source:City TV Official- Elias Makos.

"Could the Expos come back to Montreal? At the newly-dedicated Gary Carter Stadium in Ahuntsic, Elias Makos shares his point of view." 

From City TV Official 

Build it and it will come, which is a famous line from a baseball movie. But Montreal needs a modern baseball park that can support the team and allow for the team to be popular there. And then the people of Montreal and the Province of Quebec need to support this franchise, with a management group with the resources and commitment to winning and baseball can be successful in Montreal and always be there. 

But even if that all happens and that is still and if and a major if, Major League Baseball with the way it is currently set up with twenty-nine franchises in America, would probably not be the right home for the Expos. Not saying that they should be a AAA club. But playing at least half of their games every year in another country and taking long road trips to play just their division games in the National league or American League like they use to, might not work again. 

If Canada wants professional baseball again, let alone major league baseball, then they're big cities, including Montreal, needs to step up and say: "We are ready for professional baseball again and perhaps even Major League Baseball". And build their own Canadian League with MLB being part of that and expanding in Canada. Eight to ten clubs in Canada with two divisions and a national series. 

If that were to work, then MLB might be able to expand in America again to support the new CBL and you could see an MLB-CBL merger and create a real North American Continental Series to decide the pro-club championship of North American baseball. But putting the Expos or whatever the new Montreal club would be called back in the National League or moving them to the American League long-term, I don't believe would work again. 

Canada needs to step up with major league caliber ballparks in their big cities, like Montreal, Ottawa, Hamilton, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and perhaps even in Toronto the Blue Jays long-term and put the Blue Jays in this new major Canadian league to be able to compete long-term with America when it comes to Major League Baseball. And the way pro baseball would succeed again in Canada and be there indefinitely.  

You can also see this post at The New Democrat, on Blogger. 

You can also see this post at The New Democrat, on WordPress.

Bleacher Report: Matt Eichel- 'CFL: Expansion a Risky Business'

Source:Bleacher Report- the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Calgary Stampeders in CFL action.

"Expansion. Sounds like a word that can bring joy, anger, hostility, and a whole host of other emotions to fans in any sports league.

To some, expansion throws tradition and history out the door. To others, it's a chance to create something new.

In the Canadian Football League, expansion has always seemed to be a hot button subject of debate.

Back at the start of the 1990s, the CFL, in an attempt to compete with the rival National Football League to the south, decided to expand into the United States. In 1993, the first US-based CFL team—the Sacramento Gold Miners—was admitted into the league." 

From Bleacher Report 

To put it simply, CFL expansion into America didn't work because it had bad management, bad marketing, lack of funds, lack of homework. They seemed to have this idea that if the CFL just came to America, it would automatically work especially in markets that didn't have NFL franchises, because of how much Americans love football and it doesn't work like that.

The main reason NFL expansion works in America. Is because for a city to be rewarded an NFL franchise, it has to meet certain requirements. The city has to have the right management group of people who can show they not only know how to run a sports franchise, but a business as well. And that's exactly what sports franchises are, they are business's, companies even and they must have money up front to succeed.

Perspective NFL franchises also have to show they can make money down the road. And they have to sell a certain amount of tickets up front what are called season tickets to show that their expansion team will have the support they need up front to survive. And only Baltimore showed they had that type of support and management.

The Baltimore Stallions had a major league caliber management team led by Jim Speros, who was their Governor running a CFL franchise. And the CFL all due respect and many ways it's a great league, but its not major league compared with the NFL where the other American CFL franchises like the Birmingham Barracudas , the Memphis Mad Dogs, and, San Antonio Texans playing in huge 70-80 thousand seat stadiums and drawing 15-20 thousand fans a game.

What these American CFL franchises should've been able to do just before being rewarded a CFL franchise, was to show that they could sell 15-20 thousand season tickets per season, come up with local TV and radio deals, be able to market their clubs and promote their players, have the money to spend on quality players and were committed to putting a winning product on the field each season. Again, only the Stallions and maybe the San Antonio Texans showed they could do this. 

You can also see this post on WordPress.

CFL: 'The Final Wynne- Original Documentary'

Source:CFL- Hamilton's Ivor Wynne Stadium.

"CFL.ca presents an elegant retrospective into the final moments at Ivor Wynne Stadium before it shut its doors after 84 years." 

From the CFL 

As far as stadiums go as far as what Ivor Wynne had to offer: Ivor Wynne Stadium wasn't that much of a stadium. But it was a great little stadium as far as the atmosphere it had and the home field advantage it gave the Hamilton Tigercats.

CFLTV: CFL 2012- Western Final: Calgary 34, Vancouver 29

Source:CFL- the CFL West Final, from B.C. Place in Vancouver, British Columbia.

"The Calgary Stampeders took an early lead and held on to defeat the BC Lions and book their trip to Toronto to take on the Argonauts in the 100th Grey Cup." 

From the CFL

Great win on the road for the Calgary Stampeders.

CFLTV: TSN: CFL 2012- Eastern Final Toronto Beats Montreal 27-20

Source:CFL- the 2012 CFL East Final at Montreal Olympic Stadium.

"Ricky Ray led the Toronto Argonauts to victory over the Montreal Alouettes to capture the Eastern Division Championship and book their spot in the 100th Grey Cup in Toronto." 

From the CFL

Big upset for the Toronto Argonauts.

CFL: CFL 2012- WSF Recap- Regina 30, Calgary 36

Source:CFL- The Calgary Stampeders vs the Regina Roughriders (as call them) .

"Drew Tate hooked up with Romby Bryant for a 68-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter as the Calgary Stampeders hung on to defeat the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Western Semi-Final."

From CFL

One of the best playoff games I've ever seen in any league with no one able to sustain enough momentum long enough in the game to put it away until the end, with three touchdowns scored and two lead changes in the last few minutes.

CFL: 'CFL Recap- Hamilton 32, Calgary 34: October 20, 2012'

Source:CFL- The Snow Bowl in Calgary.

"It came down the wire in Calgary but the Stampeders hung on to defeat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to clinch second spot in the West." 

From the CFL

Big win for the Calgary Stampeders in a snow bowl.

TSN: 'CFL Recap- Montreal 24, Toronto 12 - October 14, 2012'

Source:CFL- The Montreal Alouettes and Toronto Argonauts.

"The Alouettes came alive in the second half with a touchdown strike to Jamel Richardson and a pick-six from Shea Emry to seal the victory over the Toronto Argonauts in Week 16." 

From the CFL

The Montreal Alouettes have looked like the team to beat in the CFL for five years now.