Trois-Rivières, Que., is betting big on sports

It's the third inning of the opening game of the new baseball season at Quillorama Stadium in Trois-Rivières and second baseman for the hometown Aigles, Joe Campagna, is at bat.

He swings at an offering from pitcher Jared Cheek of Kentucky's Florence Y'alls and with a crack of the bat, the ball launches into a gap in the outfield. Montrealer Louis-Philippe Pelletier takes off from second base, rounds third and scores.

The crowd rises to their feet and they cheer.

As a reporter from Montreal, I can't help but feel a little jealous.

There hasn't been a baseball team to cheer for in Quebec's largest city since the Expos relocated to Washington, D.C. following the 2004 MLB season.

"Tell (Montrealers) to come here," said Aigles president René Martin. "It's a great caliber of baseball, there are a lot of good players in [the Frontier] League. They are young players that want to get called up and play in the major leagues."

The Aigles de Trois-Rivières franchise has been around since 2013, but this year they're playing their first full season in the Frontier League, which is mostly made up of American clubs and is affiliated with Major League Baseball.

Most importantly, the league is a step up competition-wise compared to where they played before. In a lot of ways, it is a great metaphor for what Trois-Rivières is trying to accomplish as a city.

This municipality of only around 140,000 residents is reaching for its shot to compete at a major league level in sports, culture and tourism.

On the outside, Trois-Rivières's decision to invest in a $60.6-million hockey stadium was a bold choice.

The municipal government went ahead and invested nearly $34 million despite what had happened only 130 kilometres away in Quebec City. There,