Hardball in Hockey Country Part 3

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FALL 2002

"Errors are errors, I mean he knows better," says Mets' manager Bobby Valentine of New York Mets' shortstop Rey Ordoñez.

Another reporter manages a question.

"Oh, you liked that play he made?" Valentine snaps sarcastically. He then rolls his eyes in my direction.

Somebody nervously asks about Mike Bascick's performance on the mound.

"He was terrific against lefties," Valentine replies.

At that point, we all knew it was time to leave. Every reporter, from the New York Times to Major League Baseball to All Points North cowered out of the room, led by Jay Horowitz, the Mets' Vice-President of media relations.

Bobby Valentine, after being thrown out of an earlier game with the Mets.(courtesy TheUltimateMetsfanpage.com)

We were led into the clubhouse. There, Mike Piazza, Steve Trachsel, and Roger Cedeño sat eating their post-game meals on a wooden picnic table. Not a word passed between players. Chris Chambliss, the hitting coach, slumped on a bench, a Coors Light bottle in his hand.

The Mets had just lost to the Expos. It was late in the season, and New York's record was not a winning one. Adding insult to injury, they had just lost their second straight game to a team with only one-fifth of their payroll. And now their post-game activities were being spent in silence, in a clubhouse where privacy and comfort were lacking.

The Plight of the Expos

The team could not have played this season under a more bizarre circumstance than the one they faced. Yet through it all, the Expos fought their way to their first winning season in six years.

It all started a year ago, this November. Days after Luis Gonzalez's memorable World Series-winning base hit, acting commissioner Bud Selig called for the contraction of the Montreal Expos and Minnesota Twins.

As the months passed, it became apparent that a season would be played, but it was unclear who would actually own the team. Jeffrey Loria, now former-owner of the Expos, sold the team and purchased the Florida Marlins during the winter. Since investors would not touch the Expos, Selig had to make a decision: The other 29 teams would purchase the Expos and Major League Baseball (MLB) would run the club.

MLB decided to hire former Hall-of-Fame player and longtime manager Frank Robinson to guide the team, and the multi-talented Omar Minaya to serve as general manager. Although it was dubbed a lame-duck season, the two, along with their young but capable core of players, went out expecting to win.

And win they did, as they held onto first place six weeks in to the season. But soon reality would hit the team, as the low payroll that MLB granted them held them from competing with teams with deeper pockets. Minaya tried frantically to make it work, as he traded for workhorse pitcher Bartolo Colon, and left-handed power hitter Cliff Floyd.

At season's end, the Expos were in second place, as a crowd of 25,178 watched them play what many thought would be their last game, at least in Montreal. When the game ended, Frank Robinson grabbed a microphone and told the crowd, "We really enjoyed playing up here…No matter what size the crowd, you were always enthusiastic and we fed off your support." Vladimir Guerrero, the last one to leave the field, left to a standing ovation and chants of MVP! MVP!

Little-league players from Candiac (a nearby town) show their support for the home team.

Where Do They Stand Now?

During the season, a strike was narrowly averted with the signing of a new labor deal. Part of the deal called for the delay of contraction until 2006, setting the extinction of the Expos back a few more years. Alas, they still have no home to call their own. While MLB looks for possiblilties of the franchise, several cities have come up. Portland, Ore., Washington D.C., Norfolk, Va., New Orleans, and even San Juan, Puerto Rico have all been named as possible locations. Another plan has the Expos playing in a rotation of cities to be treated as their home games.

The total attendance rose over 150,000 from last year, and there was a sharp increase in average attendance in the last 13 games of the year. Although some saw it as their last chance to see the Expos play at the 'Big O,' maybe the people of Montreal really want them to stay.

It's one of the biggest crowds of the season. People are actually in the Upper-Deck!

Catherine DeLochlarane, an usher at the park, says, "They've been telling us since '99 that they wouldn't be here, so it all could change, and I think it will." Noted fan Allan Mansell, who attends every home game, told ESPN.com, "…That's why I never give up, I know they're going to be here at least one more year."

"I know they're going to be here next year."

-Allan Mansell

"I have no idea what's going to happen," says Vladimir Guerrero, "but I feel really good about the way the people have treated me here." Adds Brad Wilkerson to ESPN.com, "When the fans come out to the ballpark, it's just an amazing feeling."

Wilkerson continued, "I just hope they make a decision where we can call home and have a little stability because there's not much stability in this game."
Frank Robinson has already declared that he will not be back next season if the Expos are "treated like a barnstorming club." Omar Minaya has been granted permission to interview with other teams, so the Expos may be losing two important cogs to their winning season.

In Conclusion…

The plight of the Expos is still an ongoing struggle, and many aspects of next season are still unknown. With the audience increase, coupled with the immeasurable success of the Minnesota Twins (see sidebar), the Expos just might stay north of the border. Only time will tell if Montreal will keep or lose a piece of its rich culture.

Questions? Comments? Email me!