The Boston Expos?

[AR182]

I just read an article by Bill Madden, in the NY Daily News, which states that there have been preliminary discussions at the highest levels of baseball about having the MLB owned Montreal Expos share Fenway Park with the Red Sox next season. The Expos would play in Fenway for 1 year while MLB searches for a buyer & a suitable permenent location for them.

Under the discussed deal, MLB would pay the Red Sox rent for the Expos as Fenway tenants. The new Red Sox owners is said to be heavy leveraged after paying $700 million for the club & the extra income would be helpful for them.

This could help all parties involved, except the 200 season ticket-holders in Montreal. In addition to helping the new Red Sox owners, the Expos get to play in an enthusiastic baseball town, & Boston gets to see National League baseball.

Has anyone else heard anything about this?

 

[acehistr8]

FROM ESPN.COM

NEW YORK -- Is Boston about to be a two-team baseball town again?

Preliminary discussions which have involved some people at the "highest levels of baseball" are considering having the Montreal Expos share Fenway Park with the Boston Red Sox next season, according to a report in Thursday's New York Daily News.

According to the newspaper, the Expos would play in Fenway for one year while Major League Baseball continues to search for a buyer, who could possibly move the team.

The motivations are two-fold: the Expos would be out of Montreal, where they had baseball's lowest attendance and are considered a lame duck franchise, and the Red Sox management would receive rent from the team, added revenue to a team which sold for $700 million a year ago.

"This could be a win-win-win for all the parties involved except the 200 season ticket-holders in Montreal," a source told the Daily News. "The Red Sox get the benefit of the extra revenue, the Expos get a great place to play where people will come out to see them and Boston fans get to see National League baseball again."

The Boston Braves were a member of the National League until 1953, when they moved to Milwaukee (and later to Atlanta).

Scheduling would be a small problem, sources told the Daily News. There are only a few dates when the two teams are scheduled at home at the same time.

 

[skulldog]

It's all over the sports radio stations up here and the majority of responses have been positive. I'd love to have the expos here full time, nevermind on a part time basis, they can play in foxboro, I heard somewhere that Kraft said that the Sox could play there while their new stadium is builtlol.

Let Bob Kraft buy the team and give the sox some competion.

JMO

 

[Blitz]

Red Sox President/CEO Larry Lucchino was laughing at this story today, saying this story was ridiculous. :shrug:

 

[skulldog]

After doing some research, the sox would never let that happen for the following reason:

They own NESN and they want people watching TV, not going to watch the expos.

Well it was nice to dream.

 

[AR182]

I read where Selig also said that this move was never discussed & seemed to brush this story off. This is surprising because Madden is well respected.
We will see.