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admin
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So we have a lot of Canadian managers, but most of them are from the Toronto/Ontario area. I realize with the demise of the Expos, that the Blue Jays are the only Canadian team, but thought there would still be a more even distribution across the country. I don’t know…is baseball just not as popular elsewhere in Canada?

Thanks,

Steve
Seca
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A few of our more remote provinces don't have Internet yet. That could be part of the problem.

(Just kidding. Though I did read a news story that said Canada has some of the slowest and most expensive Internet in the World).

The Winnipeg Goldeneyes play in the Independent League. Afaik, their attendance has always been great.

Minor league teams have been hit & miss in Canada. Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton have all had and lost teams in recent memory. Vancouver still has one, and I think it does well (affiliated with the Jays).

Part of what you are seeing is just population distribution. ~40% of Canada's population is in Ontario. Throw in Quebec, and now its almost 2/3.

Many of Canada's most prominent baseball players have come from British Columbia. Larry Walker, Jason Bay, Justin Morneau to name a few.

I am one of those Ontario people. I have friends out west. Some are into baseball (but tend to cheer for US teams like the Mariners). Like the rest of Canada there are a significant number of puck heads that are only into one sport.

Updated Wednesday, September 17 2014 @ 12:56:08 pm PDT
admin
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I don't suppose there is much support for the Nationals (formerly the Expos) in Montreal. Their attendance had dropped well below a million the last 5-7 years before they moved to DC.

Steve
Seca
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Interesting question. My brother was a big Expos fan (rebelling against the rest of the family I suppose). When they moved he became a Jays fan.

I looked up the main sports television network in Quebec (RDS). They weren't carrying the Jays game tonight. They had the Nationals game. Have the Nationals game again tomorrow.

That might have more to do with rights tho. RDS is part of TSN which is affiliated with ESPN. The Jays rights are held by SportsNet which is the main rival. Still suggests there is some kind of market (in Quebec at least) for the Natinals (heehee, one of my favourite sports stories ever).
MrTwoPlums
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Here's a story I read just a couple days ago on TSN regarding the Expos/Nats.
I'm from Ontario myself, but I've never really been much of a Jays fan. I used to follow the Giants back in the Will Clark days, but I fell out of baseball when he went to Texas and never really got back to it other than passing glances at scores.
ReekyLeek
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I'm from Ottawa, as a kid I loved the Expos. Also their AAA team, the Ottawa Lynx, was walking distance away from my house. Was sad to see the Expos leave. As they left the Lynx were no longer their affiliates, became Baltimore Orioles AAA team, soon after the Ottawa team folded.

I am currently a big Jays fan though!
Seca
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I used to follow the Giants back in the Will Clark days, but I fell out of baseball when he went to Texas and never really got back to it other than passing glances at scores.

At the risk of taking this thread way off track ...

Jays fan. But when I think of my favourite non-Jays teams, Clark's 87 Giants are on the list.

But I think my sense of baseball history has been irrevocably warped by RBI Baseball.
admin
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Yeah, I grew up in the SF Bay Area. Those Roger Craig managed teams of the late 80's and early 90's were a welcome contrast to the lousy Giants teams of the 70's and early 80's.

I remember when the had Jeff Leonard and then they added guys like Will Clark, Robby Thompson, Matt Williams, Brett Butler (and his bunt hits!) etc.

To me, Will Clark was probably a better player than he'll ever get credit for. His power at 1st base was decent, but was always pedestrian compared to the steroid fueled numbers that Canseco and McGwire were putting up across the bay from him. Assuming he was never a user, I see his legacy as very much a victim of the early steroid era.


Steve


Updated Friday, September 19 2014 @ 5:41:45 pm PDT
nobodyjones
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Butler was the John Stockton of MLB. Great player, but annoying as hell. Hated the Giants and the 49ers.


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