MONTREAL - Eight years after Montreal's team left for Washington D.C., former Expos Warren Cromartie is passionate about bringing the sounds of the baseball diamond back to Quebec.
With the Montreal Baseball Project, Cromartie is looking to bring a professional team back to the city.
This is a beautiful day and we are talking baseball in Montreal after eight years," said Cromartie on Wednesday. "Baseball was a part of Montreal since 1969, since Jackie Robinson was here. We have a lot of roots in this town.
Despite a problematic Olympic Stadium, the group is looking to stir up some excitement and perhaps vie for a minor league team before setting sights on the big leagues.
"Toronto has a team, Quebec City has a team and Vancouver has a team. We have four million people in Montreal, baseball is rooted here, we need it here and I'm carrying the flag to make this happen," said the former outfielder.
Former Expos broadcaster Jacques Doucet thinks it might have a chance.
"The Montreal Expos, over 30 years in Montreal, drew over 50 million people, so there's a lot of baseball fans around," he said.
The Expos lacked corporate sponsors, however, and with no significant broadcasting revenue and no government support, the team was doomed.
Broadcaster Rodger Brulotte said he doesn't think that's about to change.
"I think you have wait a while. It's not a time to knock on the government's door presently now. I think the door wouldn't even open," he said.
Concordia and Marianopolis sports marketing professor Bruno Delorme said without significant revenue sharing in baseball, it would take an owner with very deep pockets to make an investment.
"If you look around the Montreal landscape, who's likely? Who would be the likely candidates? There's not that many," he said.
