Puerto Rico Expos?

[Doc Milo]

Got this in email from a friend. I think he got it off ESPN.com


An Atlanta businessman is leading a group of investors that are interested in purchasing the Montreal Expos and moving the team to San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2004.


The future of the Expos, currently owned by Major League Baseball, is uncertain. There has been speculation that the team will be sold and moved within two years. A decision is expected as early as this winter.


Charles Vaughn, a 33-year-old tax and finance executive, said he has been working for 10 months to put together a group to buy the club. It would play in Hiram Bithorn Stadium, which is scheduled to be renovated.


Vaughn sent a letter to commissioner Bud Selig last week saying his group would apply to buy the Expos.


Baseball spokesman Rich Levin acknowledged receiving the letter and said it is being evaluated along with similar letters of interest in the Expos. Two groups from the Washington area also want to bring baseball back to the nation's capital.


Levin said it is too early to comment on the prospects of a team in Puerto Rico.


"At this point it would be very speculative,'' Levin said.

Vaughn said he also has talked with government officials in San Juan about the stadium, which would require a major renovation, include doubling its current seating capacity of 20,000.


Baseball's Opening Day 2001 took place in San Juan when the Toronto Blue Jays played the Texas Rangers at Hiram Bithorn. That game drew fans who paid up to $75 a ticket.

[JMK]

I've already boned up on this, and it's just not a viable option IMO.
Consider:
- The capital city, San Juan, has only 500,000 residents
- The average family income is $26,266.00 (1999).
- Biggest stadium holds like 20,000 people, and would need an extra 15000-20000 seats added to be a real major league stadium. ( I heard this one on the radio)
- Hurricane season is during the height of the pennant races.

IMO, the conditions just aren't right to have a team there. Imagine being a team in Puerto Rico's division and having to travel over a 1000 miles (from miami) to play a divisional rival? It would probably call for total re-alignment of baseball, and just to save the players from travel exhaustion, it would have to be a division of Puerto Rico, Atlanta, Tampa and Miami.
There doesn't seem to be enough money to support a team there either. But I do give the idea full credit for being original and creative. It would be really neat to see it work there.
(But not at the expense of making me lose my team!;))

All this said though, we do have a forum member who hails from San Juan, so maybe he can shed some more light on this...

[Jedi Master Carr]

I agree with you JMK I don't think it would work either. If the Expos movie I think they will go to Washington, (I heard rumors about Portland but I don't that will work either) Washington makes the most sense, it is the largest US city without a team and would be a perfect place if they have to relocate.

[darth_mcbain]

You make a good point about the population. I just don't think that a population of 500,000 merits a full Major League Baseball team. I hate to look at it from the business sense (because it is a game, after all), but I don't think they could pull in enough money for it to be economically feasible down there.

I didn't even think about the storm season, but that is another consideration too. If their purpose is to make it a more economically viable team, then I don't think the solution is putting it in Puerto Rico.

Personally, and I realize I might get booed here (especially by JMK), I would be for contracting and just removing the team. I think that the business of baseball has grown too many teams into markets that just don't work. The unfortunate result is that there are teams who consistently don't do all that well, due to lack of funds and spreading talent too thin over too many teams.

I don't feel super strongly either way, but if I had to make a decision, I'd say just get rid of the team instead of moving it.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well that won't happen now, since the Owners agreed not to contract any team for the next 5 years. Personally I am for moving, I know that would stink for you JMK but I think they can't survive in Montreal, unless they can find a brave person up there to buy the team. If not I say sell it to one of the guys in NA Virginia who wants a team, a team could could compete there.

[Figrin D'an]

The Washington DC area is the best choice for team relocation. Plenty of populous for a fan base, can play at RFK until a potential new stadium is built, could establish a nice interleague rivalry with Baltimore. MLB would be completely foolish to not have DC at the top of the list.

[Doc Milo]

I once heard North Carolina as a potential place for a team. Bring it to the triangle -- Raliegh, Durham, Chapel Hill -- and I think they'd be able to sustain a team.

[JediBoricua]

Sigh, we can dream! Local Press has been going crazy down here for a week, we are really pumped.

Well San Juan has only 500,000, but the Metropolitan area of San Juan has 1.5 million habitants. They will be like 1 hr the most from the stadium. And the whole island has close to 5 million hab., the farthest they'll have to travel is 2hrs 30min. So assistance will not be a problem. Puertoricans are baseball crazy, crazy. We have our own professional leagues, with 6 teams on winter, and the stadiums are almost always filled. For our AA and AAA leauges you easily get 9 to 10K assistance for playoff and finals. The only problem is with price, the average Puertorican family cannot pay what most stadiums charge. Baseball is played in series though, so we can go to the home series, and then recuperate while the team is on the road. There are a lot of puertorican players in the majors, and we love them all, so I doubt we will have empty games.

The other big hurdle is the stadium itself, like JMK said it will need an extra 15K to 20K seats, it can be done but not for 2004 I think. Another issue is acess to the park. It is located next to the highway, but they will have to build more exits and more parking spaces.

Travelling, is another issue. But not a major one, it take less from NY to San Juan than from NY to LA for example. And I know baseball players will not mind playing a three game serie on a tropical island with beautiful beaches ;) But the division restructuring is another matter completely.

Hurricanes, no can do about that...I had not thought about it.

The money is there though, the business group is composed of the richest entrepeneurs of the island, and the sponsors will be there. Another point in favor of it is that baseball is the #1 sport in the Caribbean, and Dominicans and PRicans are a major force in MLB, a team here will do a lot of good for the region and for baseball itself.

But like you said, it's tough competing with DC which is the logical location. It's a big gamble, but I really really hope they take it. I love going to the games in the state, I just can't imagine going to them whenever I want!

[Jedieb]

Boricua gave us many reasons why MLB could thrive in Puerto Rico. There's no doubt the area would support baseball more than many U.S. cities of similiar and even greater populations. The carribean really is baseball crazy. My father, and many other Cubans, loves baseball. He doesn't root for any particular team, he loves the game itself. You could have a game pf cellar dwellers and he would still tune in. I think the economics may be a bit, but if the powers that be would just adjust ticket prices then a team could work. Whatever the price, they'd be sure to outdraw the Expos.

However, I don't see a quick solution to the travel problem. Some of the East coast teams are just too far away. Yeah, NY to San Juan may be a bit quicker than NY to LA, but the Dodgers and Mets are in different divisions. Every possible division team outside of the Braves, Marlins, or Devil Rays would be a significant road trip. I wouldn't mind seeing San Juan get a team, it'd be interesting to say the least. But I think the D.C. area is a much stronger location. But if the Devil Rays were to fold maybe they could go there once the D.C. situtation were to be resolved.

[JMK]

Why not move the Marlins to Puerto Rico? The Expos outdraw them in a mausoleum. It would be a relatively short trip with virtually no change in climate for the players...

[JediBoricua]

Well it's official!!! :crack

http://espn.go.com/mlb/news/2002/1119/1463301.html


The Expos, or Los Expos!, will play 20 home games down here. Home series againsts the Cubs, Mets, Reds, Braves and the interleague series against the Angels!


They will play 6 games in April, 8 in June, and 6 in September, or something like that!

Oh man I'm excited, today me and my friends were deciding to which games we are going, I will try to go to at least 8 of them. I must see Sammy Sosa, and I must see the Braves. I also have to see Alomar playing second with the Mets (okay he had a crappy year, but he is still my favorite player). This is going to be great! :smokin


PS I'm sorry JMK, I just can't control myself, i'm too excited!

[JMK]

Well if I have to share my team, I'm glad to do it with a city that is actually excited about it. And you're excited about the Braves and Sosa? Just wait till you get a glimpse of Vidro and Guerrero! Not to mention Colon, Cabrera, Armas and Vasquez. I suspect playing in a closer to home city will give them a little more mustard on the pitches and pop in the bats!

[JediBoricua]

Yeah I cannot forget about the Expos, they have an awesome lineup and are possibly playoff contenders. So having them play here in September makes it even better!

[JMK]

They had an 83-79 record this year and they absolutely underachieved this year. Another year of experience, and keeping the team together and they will be better.

[JonathanLB]

Portland needs a real baseball team or a football team or something.

The Blosers suck too hard...

[Jedieb]

I really think the Expos are going to struggle next year. I'm sure the fans in Puerto Rico are going to be jacked and give them tremendous support. But the players are basically going to be on the road all year long. That can't be easy. I just don't see how they're realistically going to be able to compete until they get a stable home. I'm betting they'll be in DC in a couple of years.