Bleu, Blanc, Rouge...et Orange

Today I read a piece of news that I found to be bittersweet. Youppi!, the longtime mascot of the Montreal Expos before their departure to Washington, is coming back as mascot of the Montreal Canadiens hockey club. It might seem silly for a 37 year old man to be moved by something like this, but I have my reasons.

I was born and raised in Montreal and was a huge sports fan, particularly in my youth. When I was growing up in the 70's, the Canadiens were a juggernaut, winning the Stanley Cup almost every year. And yet, my favorite team in all of sports was the Expos. Until the advent of cable sports channels in the mid-80's, there was only one Expos game on TV each week, maybe two, so it was always must-viewing. I'd regularly listen to games on the radio, along with my dad who has always been a huge baseball fan. And, of course, I'd go to a fair number of ball games each year at the Olympic Stadium (and at Jarry Park before that as a young child). Contrary to the myths that have become common belief among baseball fans these days, the Expos were not a dreadful team that finished last year after year. From 1979 onward they finished at .500 or higher more often than not. Sadly, they never made it to the World Series, but they had some really competitive years in which they contended right to the end of the season. They always seemed to have a star-crossed quality to them. I continued to follow them closely after moving to Toronto in 1993 - the day before the Blue Jays won their second World Series on Joe Carter's homerun. (And just a few months after celebrating the Habs' last Cup win over Gretzky's Kings. I got to see some of the looting firsthand.)

I could probably write a week's worth of blogs explaining why the Expos franchise failed in Montreal. But the short answer is that there were a number of factors happening in a short time frame that created a perfect storm. First, there was a prolonged recession in Quebec in the late 80's and 90's, and that province's recovery came much later than the rest of North America. Then Charles Bronfman decided to sell the team in 1991, and the franchise never again had solid, committed ownership. Then there was the issue of the devalued Canadian dollar throughout the 90's. And there was the last place finish in 1991, combined with a chunk of the stadium falling off - forcing the team to play its entire last month on the road. That was when attendance started to drop-off, and the player payroll became restrictive. Despite the low payroll, they were able to produce contending teams in 92 and 93 because of their strong farm system, and attendance got a bit of a boost. Then came 1994, the greatest team they ever had, great attendance numbers, and the strike killed everything. Players were sold off, the on-field performance suffered, and the fans became as apathetic as the team owners. It became just a matter of time before the team would move out of town. And yet, when it was finally made official, I was moved to tears. It felt like losing a friend. It hit me harder than I was expecting. Washington Nationals? Whatever. I think I'm going to adopt the Cubs as my team. Why end the suffering?

The only thing that still exists in Montreal that is linked to the Expos, other than a dilapidated concrete money pit, is Youppi!. I have to admit that I always had a soft spot for Youppi!, even while others found him annoying. There was always something about that big furball. At least he should get credit for breaking baseball's orange colour barrier. He certainly is popular all throughout Quebec with children, and has made a lot of charity appearances over the years. Now he's making history again, becoming the first major sports mascot to change leagues. So I'm happy to see Youppi! back on the Montreal sports scene and in the community. But he also looms like a lingering ghost of my dearly departed ball team. I hope ghosts can skate. (Maybe the Habs can find a job for Souki too.)