The Montreal Expos (1969-2004), National League, East Division - One of Four 1969 Expansion Teams

[aaronsinger]

Great point*. Twice before actually and back to back (92/93). That (Toronto) Jays team, like this year's Nats squad, actually made a huge #1 starter acquisition of a pitcher also now associated with Detroit. It was Jack Morris (though coming from Minnesota then) playing the role Scherzer hopefully is today.

And, of course, in '94 the (Montreal) Expos were on track to win 105 games and were 6 up on the Braves when the strike happened and the rest of the season and postseason were cancelled. That disappointment is on any top-10 list of reasons that eventually made the Expos' move to DC in 2005 possible.

* The Jays' Championship teams were virtually all-American, of course but a Toronto-based team to be sure. Canada won but not so much Canadians.

Jonah Keri, Montreal native, has a new book out on his love for the Expos, I just ordered it and can't wait to read it. 1994 was a special season, with Matt Williams chasing though far away from 61, a couple players including my favorite Frank Thomas chasing an unlikely Triple Crown, having the best year of his career and one of the greatest seasons ever seen in MLB, Tony Gwynn chasing .400, Greg Maddux having a historically great season, and the first season of re-alignment seeing a woeful new AL West. It hurt a lot as a 10-year old White Sox fan to have that team not get a chance to compete again in the playoffs after losing to the defending and eventual champions the fall before. And it was the Sox owner who led the hardline owners in the strike. Coming back in 1995, the team wasn't the same--broken up because of a bitter owner who didn't want to invest in new lucrative free agency and broke up the existing team. It took years for the franchise to recover, and arguably still hasn't seen the heights in popularity that they had in the early 1990s (which even a World Series title in 2005 couldn't quite cure).

"Up, Up, and Away: The Kid, the Hawk, Rock, Vladi, Pedro, le Grand Orange, Youppi!, the Crazy Business of Baseball, and the Ill-fated but Unforgettable Montreal Expos" by Jonah Keri

Although the Expos may be long gone from Olympic Stadium, special sporting moments can still happen there, as seen just a couple days ago with MLS' Montreal Impact:

[DonRocks]

Jonah Keri, Montreal native, has a new book out on his love for the Expos, I just ordered it and can't wait to read it. 1994 was a special season, with Matt Williams chasing though far away from 61, a couple players including my favorite Frank Thomas chasing an unlikely Triple Crown, having the best year of his career and one of the greatest seasons ever seen in MLB, Tony Gwynn chasing .400, Greg Maddux having a historically great season, and the first season of re-alignment seeing a woeful new AL West. It hurt a lot as a 10-year old White Sox fan to have that team not get a chance to compete again in the playoffs after losing to the defending and eventual champions the fall before. And it was the Sox owner who led the hardline owners in the strike. Coming back in 1995, the team wasn't the same--broken up because of a bitter owner who didn't want to invest in new lucrative free agency and broke up the existing team. It took years for the franchise to recover, and arguably still hasn't seen the heights in popularity that they had in the early 1990s (which even a World Series title in 2005 couldn't quite cure).

I *love* this post.

It's interesting that the Expos retired #10 for two players: Andrew Dawson and Rusty Staub - I'd never heard of anything like this being done before. Aaron, do you, or does anyone else, know what the story behind this is?

[Kibbee Nayee]

I *love* this post.

It's interesting that the Expos retired #10 for two players: Andrew Dawson and Rusty Staub - I'd never heard of anything like this being done before. Aaron, do you, or does anyone else, know what the story behind this is?

The Yankees retired #8 for Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra, although they retire a lot of numbers. They also retired #42 for Mariano Rivera, and #42 was retired all over baseball for Jackie Robinson, so Rivera was the only player who wore #42 for about a decade.

A few random throughts....if the Tampa Bay Rays fail to get a new stadium deal worked out, some people speculate that Montreal would be a good destination fro them...? The same Montreal that couldn't support the Expos and enabled them to move to Washington?

1994 was a strange baseball season, in that there wasn't a World Series. The Expos likely would have faced the Yankees in what could have been a great Series. Buck Showalter against Felipe Alou. Wow.

[lovehockey]

I sat in Olympic Stadium for the 2001 Grey Cup (aka. the Canadian Football League championship).  It's a concrete jungle.  I can understand why baseball failed there, because of the location, the concrete jungle, and the strike.  The Alouettes (CFL) used to play there and they made a smart move to the much smaller McGill University stadium.

Olympic Stadium was paid off 30 years after the '76 Olympics, which was why it is referred to as "Big Owe".  They pretty much keep it around because it cost so much and it can host large events.

[aaronsinger]

The Yankees retired #8 for Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra, although they retire a lot of numbers. They also retired #42 for Mariano Rivera, and #42 was retired all over baseball for Jackie Robinson, so Rivera was the only player who wore #42 for about a decade.

A few random throughts....if the Tampa Bay Rays fail to get a new stadium deal worked out, some people speculate that Montreal would be a good destination fro them...? The same Montreal that couldn't support the Expos and enabled them to move to Washington?

1994 was a strange baseball season, in that there wasn't a World Series. The Expos likely would have faced the Yankees in what could have been a great Series. Buck Showalter against Felipe Alou. Wow.

I still think MLB failed Montreal more than Montreal failed MLB. Their dwindling attendance over the 90s and 00s coincided with disinvestment in the team. There was a proposal for a downtown ballpark (Labatt Park, though I think Molson is the more popular beer in Montreal?). That may have been just a distraction by Loria, though, in counting down the clock to his selling the team to MLB and swapping ownership to Miami. His handling of the Expos and turning his ownership into a Florida team reminds me of the plot behind the movie Major League. Anyways, I look forward to reading Keri's book. I've never read a book of his, but I always enjoy his baseball writing at Grantland.

As a White Sox fan I would quibble with likely have faced the Yankees. They weren't so far ahead of other AL contenders, and were inexperienced compared to what was to come in the decade. That said, a Cleveland fan would point out that they were just 1 game back of the White Sox (though whomever lost that AL Central race could've won the first Wild Card, if Baltimore or Kansas City didn't catch up to them).

I sat in Olympic Stadium for the 2001 Grey Cup (aka. the Canadian Football League championship).  It's a concrete jungle.  I can understand why baseball failed there, because of the location, the concrete jungle, and the strike.  The Alouettes (CFL) used to play there and they made a smart move to the much smaller McGill University stadium.

Olympic Stadium was paid off 30 years after the '76 Olympics, which was why it is referred to as "Big Owe".  They pretty much keep it around because it cost so much and it can host large events.

Yeah, the Impact use the Big Owe for big attendance games. I'm not sure if they also use it for when it's too cold to play at their own park, Saputo Stadium. I think it's right next door to Olympic Stadium?

[darkstar965]

I still think MLB failed Montreal more than Montreal failed MLB.

...

Amen to that, brother.  Loria's first act of shame before dismantling his next team after they won it all.  Peter Angelos is the best thing that ever happened to Jeffrey Loria since Angelos takes a lot more tomatoes than Loria does these days when they're both hugely deserving.

As unfair the situation was to the Montreal fans, I am glad we have a team here now.  Should have just been here years sooner.  Maybe Don will now start a new topic about the three different MLB Washington teams?

[lovehockey]

I still think MLB failed Montreal more than Montreal failed MLB. Their dwindling attendance over the 90s and 00s coincided with disinvestment in the team. There was a proposal for a downtown ballpark (Labatt Park, though I think Molson is the more popular beer in Montreal?). That may have been just a distraction by Loria, though, in counting down the clock to his selling the team to MLB and swapping ownership to Miami. His handling of the Expos and turning his ownership into a Florida team reminds me of the plot behind the movie Major League. Anyways, I look forward to reading Keri's book. I've never read a book of his, but I always enjoy his baseball writing at Grantland.

As a White Sox fan I would quibble with likely have faced the Yankees. They weren't so far ahead of other AL contenders, and were inexperienced compared to what was to come in the decade. That said, a Cleveland fan would point out that they were just 1 game back of the White Sox (though whomever lost that AL Central race could've won the first Wild Card, if Baltimore or Kansas City didn't catch up to them).

Yeah, the Impact use the Big Owe for big attendance games. I'm not sure if they also use it for when it's too cold to play at their own park, Saputo Stadium. I think it's right next door to Olympic Stadium?

Yes, it has a nice view of the Big Owe.