Stade Parc Jarry

Montreal Quebec Canada

First Home of the Montreal Expos
William A. Shea was finding that almost every team on his 8 team Continental League list (Atlanta, Minneapolis, New York, Houston, Toronto, Dallas, Buffalo and Denver) would eventually find their way into Major League Baseball. Buffalo would be the only forgotten city. The reason why it would be overlooked in 1969 was probably due to the fact that the Bisons (who had been playing at the old Rockpile), had to move to Niagara's New Hyde Park (Sal Maglie Stadium) due to racial tensions. If the Triple-A team had to move to a little NY-Penn League ballpark to finish their season, what would they do with a Major League franchise? Obviously they couldn't stick them inside Sal Maglie Stadium. Instead... a vision came to the front office... turning Major League Baseball into an international sport. Toronto had been on the forefront of William A. Shea's mind but the Blue Jays as fate would have it, were still 8 years away their destiny. Instead, the MLB turned their attentions to Montreal. The reason had much to do with the fact that after losing the Triple-A Montreal Royals in 1960, Montreal was without a baseball team and Montreal city councilman Gerry Snyder had created a tremendous stir, calling baseball officials persistantly for a new baseball team. Snyder would probably have been thrilled just to have Triple-A return to Montreal... he set his sights however on a far more lofty goal.