96,350
The Friday night Toronto Blue Jays exhibition game at Olympic Stadium in Montréal drew 46,121. The Saturday crowd in Montréal had 50,229 fans in attendance.
Imagine what would happen if the city had a home team and the games counted.
The Blue Jays won both games over the weekend, but the real winner was Montréal, the largest city in the U.S. and Canada that doesn't have a MLB team.
The capacity had been set at 44,000 for each game and we had heard that 75,000 tickets had been sold for the series close to the game time. The series ended up drawing over 8,000 more than the capacity. There were lots of walkup purchases, a very good sign for a future team in Montréal.
The fans who were there didn't sit on their hands like the crowd at Air Canada Centre. They cheered; they wore their colours on hats and jerseys, the signs were wonderful in English and French. In both games, the crowd sounded like a Habs game with the "Olé, Olé, Olé" chant.
Whatever the expectations, Montréal baseball fans surpassed them.
By contrast, the two MLB exhibition games at the Alamodome in San Antonio, involving two local teams, drew less than 50,000.
---
As for the broadcast, MLB Network in the United States showed the Rogers Sportsnet feed. Buck Martinez worked with Jerry Howarth, long-time radio voice of the Blue Jays.
The Rogers Sportsnet cameras were wonderful in capturing the essence of the crowd. Wonderful crowd shots of the fans celebrating baseball in Montréal.
The camera walking down the steps reminded me so much of walking those same steps when I've been at Expos games at Olympic Stadium.
As for the MLB Network coverage, Harold Reynolds asked about what the TV revenue would be for a future Montréal Expos team. Let's help out Reynolds.
TSN and RDS would have money to spend and a need to fill sports content in the spring, summer, and fall. CBC might not have as much money, but would love to have an over-the-air package of games. And the CBC has holes to fill in its lineup.
The MLB Network guy after the second game said 92,350 were on hand for the 2 days. He was only off by 4,000. Mistakes happen, but given the cynicism aimed at Montréal, a lame mistake was really bad timing.
---
Warren Cromartie, Steve Rogers, and Mel Didier, scouting director from 1970-1975 joined the Toronto TV booth during Friday's game. Other than celebrating Gary Carter, the theme was work ethic and discipline and desire to win among that core group from the 1970s. You got the sense that those Expos teams were a tight-knit crew that played baseball the right way.
Darren Fletcher and Tim Raines visited the Blue Jays TV booth during Saturday's game. Fletcher played for the Blue Jays as well and Raines works as a coach in the Blue Jays system.
---
Negatives: The biggest negative was the tragic accident of the man who fell from the stands in center field late in Friday's game. We're hoping he makes a full and speedy recovery.
The turf colour looked a bit off around the base cutouts at Olympic Stadium. Jose Bautista dove for a ball in right field in the 2nd inning Friday night; he didn't have a fun time in the dive but did okay on the turf.
Don't know if it's the same turf I walked on in 2002, but that wasn't good then.
The mound had to be repaired during the game Friday night, but the delay was brief.
The roof problems with Olympic Stadium last fall for the Alouettes weren't an issue since the snow on the roof wasn't deep enough. A Montréal Impact MLS game was delayed for a day earlier in the month due to problems with the roof.
The roof issues wouldn't be as much of an issue in the summer but a new Expos team would need a new downtown stadium.
---
Previous coverage:
MLB is back in Montreal with Blue Jays exhibition games
Toronto Blue Jays playing in Montréal now a remote possibility
G20 summit forces Toronto Blue Jays to Philadelphia; Why not go to Montréal?
---
The Rogers feed showed the Jackie Robinson statue outside Olympic Stadium. Howarth told the story of Jackie Robinson and his wife Rachel hunting for an apartment in Montréal. The first apartment they looked at, they asked if the apartment was still available, and were instantly told they had the apartment. Given the reality of where the United States was in 1946, the importance of Montréal as a viable option for Robinson can't be overstated. Robinson spent the 1946 season with the Montréal Royals to fine tune his game before going to the Dodgers in 1947.
---
Food at the ballpark in Montréal means smoked meat sandwiches. We got a good shot at the concession workers making smoked meat sandwiches. Throw in a side of poutine and that could keep up with any other ballpark food.
---
No we don't know why there was a guy with a horse's head. But he was enthusiastic in his cheering.
---
photo credit: Allen McInnis, Montreal Gazette // THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn // David Lengel/The Guardian
Comments