Media should share blame for Expos demise Articles / Editorial Posted by Steve_Hat on Nov 12, 2004 - 05:55 AM We've all been led to believe that the Expos have played their last game at Olympic Stadium. Montreal baseball fans came out in droves, to say their final goodbyes. While most have put their bitterness aside and avoided the temptation to choose a scapegoat, it is clear that the local media won't be thanked any time soon. They have done little to prevent the extinction of Canada's first baseball franchise. Some even argue that they've misled us with their pessimism. Case in point, did you know that the Olympic Stadium is still reserved for the Expos next season? How can that be when baseball in Montreal is dead? Well, while the media has been telling us it's over, the facts indicate otherwise. Maryse Filion, president of Encore Baseball Montreal, has received confirmation from the Olympic Installations Board that the stadium will continue to be reserved until Monday, at the very least. That's when a decision is expected in the arbitration against Jeffrey Loria. If he is found guilty, not only could he be forced to pay a substantial amount, but also Major League Baseball could likely face an injunction, which will prevent the Expos from leaving for Washington. On Global News the very same night that the Expos supposedly played their last home game, one of their news reports featured a quote from an Expos employee who said that we still don't know for sure if the team is moving. But the piece was edited in such a way as to suggest that he didn't know what he was talking about. Global did not bother to elaborate on why there was still some doubt, but rather introduced the clip as an example of how those closely associated with the team are in denial over the shock. While some may cite poor attendance as the real reason for the Expos demise, the Alouettes are a perfect example of how a small insignificant event can turn things around drastically. The CFL franchise was in dire straits, but that all changed when they stopped playing games at the Big O and started playing them at Molson Percival Stadium. Their attendance jumped from 6000 to sell-out crowds of over 20,000. And it all started by chance, when the Olympic Stadium had inadvertently been booked for a U2 concert, the same day the Alouettes were to play a playoff game. Some may also point to poor decisions made by Expos management, like not being able to land any local talent such as Quebec-born Eric Gagné, the star pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. But we must remember that the team has been owned by the same people who are being sued for racketeering. The former minority owners accuse Jeffrey Loria of conspiring with MLB to devaluate the shareholders' shares and move the franchise. Of course management has made poor decisions regarding the Expos. They were trying to get rid of them! Jim Caple of ESPN has even argued that the Expos are more likely to return to Montreal than end up in Washington, while Alexandre Pratt of La Presse gives them a 50/50 chance. We've all been told that the fat lady has sung, when she hasn't even entered the building. The blame for this lies solely with the media. It's not too late to save the Expos, as hard to believe as that may sound. Written by Steve Hatton (TV Hat [1]) With info from Encore Baseball [2] This article is from CHANNEL CANADA   http://www.channelcanada.com/ The URL for this story is:   http://www.channelcanada.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=643 Links in this article   [1] http://www.geocities.com/tvhatton   [2] http://encorebaseballmontreal.com