Hardball in Hockey Country Part 2

Baseball has started, and there's an unusual situation in Montreal. The Expos are good.

SUMMER 2002

The Montreal Canadiens, the hapless hockey team with a following millions of
Quebecois, have finally made the playoffs after a four-year hiatus. Guess what Montreal, they aren't the only playoff-caliber team in the city. The Alouettes are winning, eh? Nope, it's the Expos. The left-for-dead Expos' pulses are beating, pounding their way to the top of the National League East. Let's take a look at how the Expos began what seems to be their final year in Montreal…

It's April 2, the Expos season opener. Exactly 34,351 fans have settled into Olympic Stadium to watch the Marlins take on the Expos. The ticket collectors, ushers, and vendors are busy, as people are even wafting into the upper-deck seats. It appears to be 1994 again, but surprisingly it's not. It's 2002, it's Opening Day, and a fresh baseball attitude has swept across Montreal.

With two outs in the ninth and down two runs, the Expos manage a comeback and beat the Marlins. Is it a miracle? Is it a sign? Before anyone could ponder the possibilities, the field was swarmed with Expo players, along with new manager Frank Robinson, who waved his hat wildly to the almost riotous crowd. He told ESPN, "Who said there's not baseball fans in Montreal? They were great out there tonight - very enthusiastic. They got us going…"

"Strrriiiike." The home plate umpire was clearly audible the next night. Only 4,779 showed up to watch the game, ostensibly taking the air out of the tires that were supposed to carry the Expos through the season. What happened? The night before, eight times as many people were there, and the Expos had walked off to a deafening applause.

It's an ordinary day at Olympic Stadium, and the empty seats are the reason the Expos will not be playing here next year

Fast-forward a few weeks. The Chicago Cubs are in town for a three-game series, and after Opening Day, the attendance average has remained below 5,000. In the opener, Sammy Sosa hit the longest home run in Olympic Stadium history-- the ball hit a speaker 120 feet high. As if that weren't enough, Antonio Alfonseca, a closing pitcher with only nine previous at-bats in his career, drove in two deciding runs.The Expos lost by two.

Two days later, before a single out was recorded, the Expos were losing 6-0. Was it starting to look like a typical late-90's Expo season? Maybe not. The Expos rallied from seven runs down to come back and beat the Cubs. After the first month of baseball, the Expos find themselves on top of the NL East. If attendance figures were the telltale sign of a last-place team, then the Expos would be digging in the basement. The Expos are currently in first place -- so much for attendance figures.

Vladimir Guerrero, along with the rest of the Montreal offense, has been impressive thus far.

The transformation on the field can be attributed to Frank Robinson and his coaching staff. The Expos returned with virtually the same lineup as last year, but they are scoring more runs, getting more hits, and walking more than any other team in the National League. Javier Vazquez, the ace pitcher of the Expo staff, was the last starter to win a game for the team. With their newfound offensive dexterity, Vazquez and his fellow starting pitchers will be sure to rack up more wins.

So why, again, are the people of Montreal failing to support their team? Is it simply the success of the Canadiens? Is it the food? Is it Youppi, the unidentified orange creature that lurks around Olympic Stadium? Well, some have noticed the disappearance of the Molson Girls from the Olympic Stadium cheering venue. "It would have been very satisfying to see them tonight," said baseball fan David Hahn. "Half the reason I make the trip is to see those scantily-clad girls."

Despite being the butt of innumerable jokes this season, Youppi continues to entertain the few fans that make it out to the park

Surely, others feel the same, but attendance in Montreal has been low for years, with or without the enticing Molson Girls. The problem is not a new one, and it is exactly the reason, barring a miracle, that baseball will not be in Montreal next season. The Expos have to win all season long to attract the skeptical fans back to the aesthetically unappealing Olympic Stadium. Hot starts mean nothing to long-time Expo fans, as all teams experience the occasional godsend.

In order for the Expos to continue their success, they will have to prolong the work of the opposing pitcher. Batters have been more patient than in recent years, as shown by the amount of walks they draw. Their high on-base percentage will allow them to tire competing pitchers sooner, causing a decrease in pitching quality. Manager Frank Robinson has set them on the right track, but the season is long, and it's up to the players to continue their flourishing play.

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