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It's been more than a week since Terrmel Sledge popped out to Florida's Mike Mordecai for the last out ever at Olympic Stadium. But the shock has yet to subside for those whose summer nights are not complete without the sights, sounds and smells of a Major League Baseball game. To most in this city, the Expos were a forgotten entity, destined to be assimilated by richer interests and moved south as part of a vast conspiracy by Jeffrey Loria and Major League Baseball. That, of course, will be for the courts to decide, and they will on November 15. Though if you believe that the former Expos minority owners will be victorious and keep the team in Montreal, then you're probably also expecting to see Jean Drapeau at the opening of a new stadium downtown next summer.
One would also imagine that if the Toronto Blue Jays were in a similar situation, the federal government would no doubt have taken action, or at least done more than they did with the situation here. Which, surprise, surprise, was nothing. Never mind the fact that they have been taking in tens of millions in players' salaries' taxes alone. Even with the Expos' limited payroll, the amount of money going to both the provincial and federal governments is on par with what the Canadiens are paying in taxes on their players. Whether you are a sports fan or not, there should be concern any time a city loses one of its landmark institutions. Montreal now knows how Quebec, Winnipeg and Vancouver felt when they had a piece of their hearts ripped out as the Nordiques, Jets and Grizzlies moved to Denver, Phoenix and Memphis. The Expos have now become the fourth major Canadian sports franchise to head south in the last decade alone. The very thought of a professional sports team moving from the United States to Canada, as the Atlanta Flames did to Calgary in 1980, is as laughable as the notion of the Canadian dollar being stronger than its American counterpart, which it actually once was. We have become a nation of apathetic bystanders, feeding off others who have sold out our Canadian youth with a consistent unwillingness to meet the standards set by the entrepreneurial visionaries before us. The record books will show that the Montreal Expos lost 8-1 to the New York Mets in their last game ever. The truth is, we lost more than a game. Much more. Post-season predictions For those of you who can still stomach watching baseball after all that's happened, there is some compelling drama to be played out in the coming weeks. As usual, the post-season is littered with former Expos. Vladimir Guerrero carried the Angels into the playoffs and is facing Orlando Cabrera and the Red Sox. National representation is highlighted by Larry Walker and the Cards, who are taking on former Expos bench coach Jim Tracy's Los Angeles Dodgers. For the record, our pre-season pick was Anaheim over Houston for the World Series Championship. Series picks New York over Minnesota in 5 Pigskin Prognosticator Sunday, Oct. 10 Sports Rage with Gabriel Morency is vented weeknights 11 p.m.-2 a.m. on TEAM 990 AM. This column appears bi-weekly. Comments: sportsrage@team990.com |
They say that time heals all wounds. Expos fans can only hope that one of the English language's more annoying clichés is more than just a Hallmark con-job because time is one thing they will now have in abundance.
Unfortunately, there will be no groundbreaking ceremonies any time soon, at least not under Gérald Tremblay's watch, as our current mayor is too busy flying to Budapest on our dime to save an event that comes once a year for three days. The fact that the Expos generated more revenue for the city and province than the F-1 was obviously lost on our elected officials, as Jean Charest has done even less than Tremblay to save the team, if that's possible. Well, let's not be too harsh on our mayor. He did after all send a letter to Bud Selig. A freaking letter!  |
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