Seeing the A’s play their last game in Oakland gave me the same feeling as in 2004 when the Expos were leaving Montreal for Washington. For a moment, I was able to put myself in the place of the supporters of the California team who will have to go through a grieving process and who will no longer watch baseball games the same way for years to come.
Fortunately, human nature is what it is and hope is reborn at one point or another. Twenty years later, the loss of the Expos is still considerable, but it is reasonable to believe that major baseball still has Montreal in its plans if we are to believe Robbie Hart, producer of the feature film Nos amours – La saga des Expos.
In an interview with RDS, Hart shared his hope of one day seeing the Expos return to the metropolis, mentioning that Rob Manfred had given the green light to shared custody of the Tampa Bay Rays. A project that did not see the light of day, but which would have allowed baseball fans in Quebec to reconnect with this sport which is still popular after all these years.
The divorce experienced twenty years ago left a significant void in the Montreal sports community, but it is time to move on.
“The MLB still sees Montreal as a favorable market for baseball! » 👀
– Robbie Hart, producer of the feature film Our Loves – The Expos Saga pic.twitter.com/mvfwtPtvUt
— RDS (@RDSca) October 3, 2024
For him, this approval from Manfred is not a trivial gesture and demonstrates the still-present appetite of major baseball leaders for a market like Montreal, allowing the MLB to find a second base in Canada, where the Blue Toronto Jays have been king and master since the end of the Expos’ run in the big leagues.
Playing in different circuits, the Jays and the Expos were not direct rivals, but they shared the baseball fan base in Canada. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll see a World Series between the two teams. Imagine for a moment the reaction of many Americans if this became possible. Already the labor conflict experienced in 1994 destroyed the chances of seeing a Canadian team win the precious trophy for a third consecutive year after the Jays’ coronation in 92 and 93.
Robbie Hart certainly experienced great feelings while producing his feature film, but he very possibly saw some painful memories come to the surface. Despite a mix of emotions, he remains confident of one day seeing major baseball set foot on Quebec soil again.
Having been a contributor to Passion MLB since 2019, I can’t imagine the pleasure and pride we would have writing about a local team. Remaining neutral in our approach, let’s say that the attention would be constant as is the case for the coverage of the Canadian hockey club.
It is allowed to dream, but I can only be in solidarity with the fans of the A’s, who like those of the Expos in recent years in Montreal, have been victims of circumstances, experiencing everything with great helplessness in the face of events.
The young generation of fans baseball players now line up behind the Blue Jays and I can understand them, but my wish is that they can one day experience the frenzy of following their own team immersed in the heart of important moments like in 1981 and 1994.
Looking forward to the return of the Expos in order to live with belonging our passion for this sport so dear to us.
Robbie Hart was immersed in the history of the Expos for many months as part of the realization of his project and he must have captured a number of confidences which made him say that a return of the concession is possible. I too remain confident in the situation and I will maintain hope in this project even if I know that money remains the crux of the matter, because everything is about big money these days in connection with professional sport.
2024-10-05 14:26:13