Montreal Trip (9/2-5, 2005)

[captain_napalm]

I spent this past weekend in Montreal, for a softball tournament.

While I was up there, I thought it would be cool to see how things were, post-Expos.

I spoke to a few people, and they really didn't care that Les Expos were no more. Others were disappointed, but as they said, "life goes on." A refreshing attitude, IMO. You keep running down the product, don't be suprised that the people don't come out. The vibe I got was that some were put off by the arrogance of MLB.

I still think baseball can be productive and survive in Montreal, new stadium or no.

Since we played in Jarry Park, I decided to walk over and take a look at the park. It has been renovated, reconfigured and renamed (Stade Uniprix). It's now a tennis center. There was construction going on, and the area itself was fenced off, so I could not go inside. The pressbox behind home plate seems to be the same, but the rest of the park is obviously different.

The swimming pool is still there

Afterwards, I took a trip over to Stade Olympique. I attended a game there a couple of years ago, when Vlad was chasing 40-40. I didn't think that the experience was all that bad. I've done games in the Kingdome, and Skydome, so a domed stadium wasn't new to me. I didn't think the Big O was as bad as many made it out to be. The park area around it was beautiful, at least to me. It was a bit overcast that day.

Anyway, I went back and this time & I took the tour. The carpet was up, the park was big and empty. The tour took us to the field level, meaning we were on the playing surface. I wanted to go into the dugouts, but we weren't allowed to.

According to the guide, this is the first summer that nothing has gone on in the park. It used to be shared with the Alouettes (CFL), but they moved to a park downtown (the Big O was too big for them). They do play their last regular season and playoff games at the Big O, for the increased revenue. They used to have concerts there as well, but with the construction of the Molson Centre, there's no need for them to use the Big O. So there it sits, used only for motocross, conventions and trade shows.

No trace of the Expos. No plaque, no nothing. Honestly, I was a bit suprised. The only thing baseball-related at the park is a statue of Jackie Robinson.

I didn't know where the Montreal Royals played, so I didn't visit the site. I don't think I would have had the time to check, anyway. At least it gives me an excuse to go back

[Crash Course]

I wonder what that statue of Jackie would get on eBay?