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. |