Over the years Major League Baseball has come full circle on many of its franchise relocations, returning to previously abandoned cities such as Kansas City, Milwaukee, Seattle, and, of course, Washington.
Sadly for fans in Montreal, it was the departure of the Expos following the 2004 season that brought baseball back to the American capital for a third time, and now all they can do is hope that one day they’ll get another chance, too.
This weekend’s exhibition games at Olympic Stadium between the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets are certainly fuelling the conversation, but Bud Selig has been very careful not to raise anyone’s hopes.
The commissioner knows first-hand the pain a city feels when it loses its baseball team, and the joy it experiences in getting it back. In 1965 he watched the Braves leave his native Milwaukee for Atlanta – he was the largest public stockholder in the franchise but sold all his shares ahead of the move – while in 1970 he led the group that was awarded the Seattle Pilots by a bankruptcy court, and brought them to Milwaukee to become the Brewers.
He was also in charge when the decision to relocate the Expos – the first MLB team to move since the Washington Senators became the Texas Rangers after the 1971 season – was made at the end of the 2004 campaign. Selig shares his thoughts on it all in written responses to questions submitted by Sportsnet below:
SN: How did your background in Milwaukee and with the Brewers impact your outlook on franchise relocation?
Selig: “I was one of the countless Milwaukee Braves fans who were devastated when the club left for Atlanta after the ’65 season. Baseball is a game of day-to-day joys and rhythms, and having those taken away left us heartbroken. Because of my own experience, I completely understand the sentiments of sadness and frustration that exist. Relocation was once not at all unusual in this game, but for more than three decades – from 1972-2004 – it was not a part of our landscape at all. That was the longest streak of its kind in professional sports, and we had wanted to keep that continuity intact. I still view relocation as a last resort, and I am glad that it’s not a worry at all in our game today.”
SN: How do you reflect back on the final decision to green light the move to Washington?
Selig: “Baseball had a long and distinguished tradition in Washington, D.C. There were many reasons to think that we should be successful in the U.S. capital and one of the world’s most important cities. We had to examine the history and the issues that had plagued the market when clubs left Washington. The growth of the city and its surrounding areas over 30-plus years convinced us that the region would welcome a major league club. The Lerner family has done a superb job as the owners of the Nationals, and the city has embraced that team. That club is well positioned to thrive for generations ahead. It’s been gratifying that a market that should have worked many years ago has now, in fact, worked.”
SN: There’s debate in Montreal over when the point of no return was for the Expos, with some pointing to the ’94 strike, others to the day Charles Bronfman sold, others to the day the plans for a new stadium died for good. From your chair, what sent the franchise down the path to relocation?
Selig: “Local ownership and a viable ballpark are simply fundamental to a club’s chances to achieve stability, let alone prosperity. Montreal had many virtues – wonderful fans, a rich baseball history, many accomplished Expos players, and more. But after exhausting every avenue available to us, the franchise still lacked committed local owners and a long-term venue. Without those two elements, it became impossible for the Expos to operate as a competitive major league franchise. The turnout at the gate in their final years was, in some ways, a reflection of many significant issues that persisted and went without answers.”
SN: Once MLB took control of the franchise from Jeffrey Loria, what would it have taken to keep the Expos in Montreal, and was there ever a realistic scenario you pursued?
Selig: “It was certainly not a goal of ours to operate the Expos for several years. We attempted to find local ownership that could secure the future of the Expos in Montreal. The very first item on a new owner’s agenda would have been to pursue a ballpark to serve as the Expos’ new home. Ultimately, we did not have any suitable alternative on the ownership front, and the ballpark matter would have lingered indefinitely, which would have continued to trickle down to the Expos’ attendance. During a time of enormous prosperity and strides forward for our game, growth did not appear on the horizon in the Montreal – quite the contrary. That forced us to move on and explore new possibilities.”
SN: To what extent does MLB keep tabs on cities with the potential to house a franchise, and how does the feasibility study conducted in Montreal impact the city’s outlook in your eyes?
Selig: “We are not currently considering expansion or relocation. I am content with our current structure and I have not sensed any appetite throughout our game to suggest otherwise. But I appreciate the interest that exists in Montreal and elsewhere. That desire is a good thing for us, and it indicates that our sport is doing very well. Personally, I am very happy that the Blue Jays will bring the exhibition series to Montreal. The Blue Jays’ games with the Mets will honour Montreal’s great baseball tradition, and I hope it brings some happiness to the devoted fans of the city. I believe it’s a marvellous effort on the part of Paul Beeston and the entire organization, which proudly represents Canada in Major League Baseball.”
