Sports are a way of life in Montréal; this is a city of icons and heroes. Hockey is certainly ingrained into the DNA of every single child who grows up here. Even today, most little communities have an outdoor rink that people flock to regardless of the temperature.
But, in the 1970s and 1980s, this city was a baseball city.
After a day of touring historic sites that saw only a handful of people… I stumbled upon the Hotel de Ville and a display of Expos baseball paraphernalia. It was a packed exposition… standing room only. It made me realize that the people in this city care about their sports more than they care about their history.
It was all there on display: Youppi, Souki, Oom-pah bands, Jackie Robinson, Steve Rogers, Gary Carter, “The Hawk” Andre Dawson, Larry Walker, Pedro Martinez, Rusty Staub (Le Grande Orange), the 1981 and 1994 player strikes, Blue Monday and the ball that hit “The Hawk” before he shouted “YOU!!!” and ran towards the pitcher.
These are stories of my youth that I somehow forgot. Les Expos, nos z’amours. Thanks for the walk down memory lane!
