RE: Montreal Expos.2
At this point, I don't think there are many viable markets left to hold a baseball team. Cities like New Orleans, Salt Lake City, Portland, Charlotte, etc. would be good choices if they were the only show in town, but the NFL, NBA, NHL, and even MLS in some cities already grab much of the available audience in their respective cities. Now a good stadium and competitive team can definitely shift the balance, but it's a risky proposition. Then you have the issue of TV markets. One team moving will free up some room but encroach on someone else's territory, which can get into pretty rough waters (Orioles vs. Nationals, 2004).
That being said, here are my top four candidate cities:
Montreal - Olympic Stadium is a dump, but Montreal was always a sleeping giant of a baseball city just waiting for something good to happen (1994 World Series?)
Portland - Booming in high-tech income, growing population, and no NFL to compete with.
Austin - No pro teams there yet, they get good support now for AAA team in nearby Round Rock, and it's a growing city that would also get a following in San Antonio.
Sacramento - Yes, the city does have a shortage of a corporate presence for a city its size because of the capitol being there, but if the Kings move then this leaps way in front of Austin and Las Vegas in the 'only team in town' category. AAA draws tops in the PCL right now too.
Teams that could easily move are:
Miami - For obvious reasons, but there could be a gigantic lawsuit looming because of the public financing involved with Marlins Park.
Oakland - Stadium situation is dire, but I think they'll stay in the Bay Area. San Jose's lawsuit against the MLB might speed things up.
Tampa - It would take a huge buyout to break their lease, but it could happen if they keep a winning team on the field and still draw no one.
Las Vegas in theory would be a good place to have a team, but gambling is a big deal for the MLB. Also another problem is that Vegas is a city of transplants with different regional ties which would make it hard to get people to become fans of a Vegas team. Miami and Tampa both have this problem too, as they've been trying to attract permanent fans in the cable TV age.
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