Could Baseball Ever Return to the City of Saints?Written by Terry Mitchell
Continued from page 1
During 2002 labor negotiations late in that season, owners negotiated away their rights to contract any team until 2007 season. No longer having power to contract them, MLB owners would certainly have to sell and relocate Expos. At that time, D.C. and Northern Virginia were only two serious contenders for team. However, Relocation Committee had just been formed and had gotten such a late start on this process in 2002 that MLB decided to retain ownership in team for one more season and keep them in Montreal along with having them play part of their schedule in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Surely 2003 was going to be Expos’ last year in Montreal, most baseball fans thought. By then, Portland, Oregon had entered scene as another major contender for Expos. During 2003 season, Relocation Committee met at various times with three major contenders. They kept setting deadlines and kept missing them. They were supposedly going to decide on Expos’ fate by All-star game and then by end of regular season and then shortly after World Series, but clock ran out with no decision being made other than to keep team in Montreal one more year along with having them play even more games in Puerto Rico. 2004 rolled around and several more possible suitors for Expos had emerged, including Las Vegas; Monterrey, Mexico; Norfolk, Virginia; and even San Juan. The Relocation Committee was once again setting deadlines and missing them. Mercifully, decision to relocate team to D.C. finally came and Montreal fans were put out of their misery. The long nightmare of a rollercoaster ride was finally over. No more fire sales. No more games in front of fans disguised as empty seats. No more "home" games in Puerto Rico. No more "final" years of baseball in Montreal. However, ending was obviously bittersweet. Montreal had welcomed Major League Baseball with open arms in 1969. From friendly confines of Jarry Park to spaciousness of Olympic Stadium, fans in Montreal had cheered on greats like Rusty Staub, Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, Andres Galarraga, Dennis Martinez, Pedro Martinez, Moises Alou, Larry Walker, and Vladimir Guerrero. Even before MLB came to town, City of Saints had a rich history of baseball as minor league city. The great Jackie Robinson played his AAA ball in Montreal with Royals. Baseball's departure from Montreal, in many ways, was like a nasty divorce. The bitterness on both sides will probably last for years. MLB is bitter at Montreal fans for not supporting team. In addition, it is bitter at Montreal government officials for failing to finance a new stadium for team. Montreal fans are bitter at MLB because of their perception that it undermined baseball in Montreal. Montreal government officials are bitter at MLB for being so greedy. In light of all of this, it would seem impossible that baseball could possibly ever return to Montreal. However, I think it could happen, given right set of circumstances. Before anything could happen toward that end, however, enough time must go by for bitterness to subside. They say time heals all wounds. That includes wound of bitterness as well if people will only let it. Once bitterness is gone (or greatly diminished), three things need to happen. First, a potential ownership group with ties to Montreal area must come forward. They must also prove that they are committed to baseball in Montreal. Second, a new downtown stadium must be built (not just promised). It must be financed by private interests, city of Montreal, province of Quebec, or any combination of three. Third, fans must commit themselves to a potential new franchise by purchasing an adequate number of season tickets for several years in advance. This advance purchase campaign could be modeled after what NBA fans in Charlotte, N.C. did in order to secure expansion Bobcats franchise. If and when all of these requirements have been met, way would be cleared for baseball's return to Montreal. As unlikely as it might seem now, crack of bat might once again be heard in Montreal and its love affair with baseball could be restored.
Terry Mitchell is a software engineer, freelance writer, and trivia buff from Hopewell, VA. He also serves as a political columnist for American Daily and operates his own website - http://www.commenterry.com - on which he posts commentaries on various subjects such as politics, technology, religion, health and well-being, personal finance, and sports. His commentaries offer a unique point of view that is not often found in mainstream media.
| | Snowboarding at nightWritten by Jakob Jelling
Continued from page 1
Something that most people do not realize is that their daytime activities also effect their nighttime vision. Studies conducted on pilots show that exposure to bright sunlight, especially for 10 days or more, can reduce your nighttime vision, range and clarity by 50 percent. You may wish to wear gray full spectrum sunglasses on day or days leading up to night that you wish to snowboard in order to maximize your night vision. The other option available is to use a headlamp of some kind. The first choice most people think of is a bright white light. While this does allow you to see colors of your surroundings, it isn't best choice for nighttime viewing. The second option that most people think of is a red bulb. This too isn't a good idea as red is first spectrum of light to become invisible at night. The range of a red light at night is very limited and thus you will not be able to see details that you need to see. Perhaps best choice for a light is a yellow-green LED light. Often you can insert a suitable LED into socket of regular bulb on your headlamp. Yellow-green makes a very good choice for nighttime riding as it will illuminate your surroundings and allow you to see most detail possible. However a blue-green LED also has its advantages. While a yellow-green light helps activate cones in your retina to see details, a blue-green light is fairly dim and works with rods in your retina. The rods are parts of your eyes responsible for allowing you to see at night. If you are in a fully dark area then blue-green is a better choice since it does not hinder your night vision ability. Nighttime snowboarding is a very fun and interesting experience that should not be missed. You will find that you will discover all kinds of things about your favorite runs and yourself while doing so. Make a point of trying it next time you find yourself becoming bored with your favorite hill.
Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.snowboardinghelp.com. Please visit his website to discover the world of snowboarding!
|
