Cowhide and Rubber

Doesn’t Montreal deserve a new baseball stadium built to look just like this one?

Considering the content of this blog you’d probably be surprised to learn that in my younger years, I was a devout baseball fan, and hockey was a distant second on my radar. I first got the baseball bug in 1984 when I was just six years old. I enrolled in tee-ball and played the game for the next 11 years. Prior to 1984, the only thing that really mattered to me was Star Wars. Hockey didn’t enter the picture until the ‘89 Cup finals. I have vague recollections of ‘86, but nothing more. Fast forward 26 years and I’ll tell you that hockey and Star Wars are my bread and butter, but baseball has slipped considerably. Without a doubt, the departure of the Expos had almost everything to do with my drop in interest.

If I were in to online wagering, after the Expos left in 2004, I would have bet any amount that baseball was dead in Montreal forever. Most of that sentiment was emotional and very irrational. Teams come and go, of course, and there is always hope the game can live again in Montreal. A lot of people have allowed their love of the game die, some have promised never to give Bud Selig and Major League Baseball another cent, but many more have merely let their love of baseball slip in to hibernation. These latter two groups should be elated, as I was, when it was announced on the team 990’s airwaves that former Expos outfielder Warren ‘Cro’ Cromartie is working with Marc Griffin, and others to bring an Independent Baseball League team to Montreal.

If I didn’t have such a massive office chair, I would have fallen off upon hearing that news.

Whenever ‘Cro’ would be on as a guest on Mitch Melnick’s afternoon show, fans would constantly encourage him to try and bring ball back to Montreal. It seems he’s now going to give it a shot, and I for one could not be happier.

The pessimist in me can’t help but think this is going to be one big tease, but there’s no reason why a city the size of Montreal could not be (and isn’t) home to a professional baseball team. To those not in the know, baseball in Montreal goes WAY back. Famously, Jackie Robinson got his start in professional baseball back in the 1940’s when he broke baseball’s colour barrier with the Montreal Royals. Other prominent Royals include Tommy Lasorda, Duke Snider, Don Drysdale and Roy Campanella; all hall of famers. But did you know that the Royals are actually older than your beloved Montreal Canadiens? Though they were defunct between 1918-1927, the Royals were actually founded back in 1897, 12 years before J. Ambrose O’Brien founded the Canadiens at a Montreal hotel. For further perspective, the Royals went belly-up in 1960, after 52 seasons of ball in Montreal, and NINE seasons before the Expos played their first game. In an ill-fated attempt to bring affordable baseball back to Montreal, the Canadian Baseball League, in 2003 started up (and died that same year). The Montreal Royales were one of eight teams to play in the league during its inaugural (and final) year, but because the Royales couldn’t (or perhaps smartly wouldn’t) play their home games at Olympic Stadium, they never actually played a home game in the Montreal area.

My mind is racing, but for this to work, Cromartie and his group would need to have their team play in a stadium not called the “Big O”, not even temporarily. People simply won’t go. It’s a dump; cold and sterile, out of the way, not to mention the fears of falling concrete. It carries the hurtful baggage of being the Expos home for so long. Basically, the Olympic Stadium is to ballparks what Tatooine is to Star Wars, minus the twin suns. But before a team can be brought to Montreal, a stadium would have to be built. A small, cozy, open-air stadium that would sit 10,000 people would be more than enough to make this work. The stadium wouldn’t even have to be half-full to make it work! The location of the stadium is also critical. With people exiting the city for the outlying suburbs, it’s crucial that the stadium be in a place that is easily accessible by all. The part of town where the Olympic Stadium currently sits is not accessible, parking is scarce and with all due respect to the people that live around there, it’s the ass-end of town now.

I badly miss watching a game where time is not a factor, where you can sit outside and enjoy the beautiful (and sometimes not so beautiful) weather. Baseball, unlike other spectator sports is a game where you can chat with friends in the stands, and get lost in the atmosphere of a great stadium without feeling like you’re missing the game. In hockey, if you blink, you’ll miss something. There is NO sound in any sport as inextricably linked to summertime as the crack of a bat. That sound been brutally absent in Montreal for 5 years now, and it’s time that gaping void is filled.

If you’re a Montrealer, and miss baseball as much as I do, this is great news. I’ll keep listening for, and posting updates here and on twitter. I also created a twitter account specifically focused on bringing baseball back to Montreal. You can follow that account here, and follow the facebook group called “Baseball in Montreal – Baseball à Montréal“, founded by Game Points on Team990 host Matthew Ross. The group is already at 496 members, so let’s try to push that above 500 and beyond!

Now that Chris Chelios’ return to NHL action is imminent, it got me thinking about guys who prolonged their career well beyond what is considered “normal”.

Chelios broke in to the NHL in the 1983-84 season with the Montreal Canadiens, and was a member of the Habs until he was traded to the Blackhawks for Denis Savard in 1990. He played 9 productive seasons in Chicago before heading to the Red Wings, where he remained until 2009. By that point he was 47 years old, and though he was not the player he used to be, he also knew his role and adjusted his game accordingly. Still, age and mileage has not deterred Chelios. Instead of calling it a career after not being brought back by Detroit, he chose to continue playing in the AHL, with Grand Rapids, then back in Chicago with the Wolves. Lo and behold, he was brought up by the Atlanta Thrashers and it’s just a matter of time before he is back on the ice in the NHL. That’s an amazing feat. Nobody is going to expect Chelios to bolster the Thrashers’ waning playoff hopes, or to log more than a few minutes of ice time per game. His role at this point will be to provide leadership to the young players, and to be a shining example of how prepare and train properly.

I’m wondering if Atlanta is a place where aging players like to play in the twilight of their careers? Over in Major League baseball, Julio Franco ended his career with the Atlanta Braves in 2007 after a career that began in 1982 with the Philadephia Phillies. How long ago was that? In 1982, Ronald Reagan was the President of the United States, Pierre Elliott Trudeau was running things in Canada, people were not completely sure if Darth Vader really was Luke’s father (Return of the Jedi didn’t confirm that until 1983) and Sidney Crosby’s FATHER had not even been drafted yet (The Habs drafted him 2 years later). Baseball fans in the 80’s and 90’s remember Julio Franco mostly for his distinctive batting stance and his jheri curls…and I suppose his statistics as well. In 2007, and 2,500+ career hits later, Franco finally called it quits. Among his many distinguishing stats, however, the one he may be most remembered for is that of being the oldest position player in Major League history, playing the less taxing position of 1st base as he neared the end.  Equally impressive is the fact that he played the majority of his career at either shortstop or second base, and it’s not a trivial thing to simply switch between the two spots. Both positions require agility and speed, but have key differences that set the 2 positions apart. That he was able to play both says a lot.

Both Chelios and Franco were notorious for their fanatical devotion to off-ice training, especially later in their careers, which obviously was a major factor in their longevity, but also likely a reason why teams kept these guys around long past their primes; what an example for younger players who still rely on their youth and sheer talent to pay the bills.

While Chelios is most likely headed to the Hall of Fame when he does finally retire, I’m unsure of Franco’s chances (though with the watering down of the Hall of Fame, and with what will hopefully be new perspectives on what a Hall of Famer is post-steroids, I hope that he will get in). Nevertheless, both were players were tremendous for the teams they played on, and brought value to their teams from the very beginning until the very end.

There are some obvious examples of players who stuck around forever. Gordie Howe remains the gold standard, as he played professionally until he was more than half a century old. In fact, he even suited up for one shift for the Detroit Vipers of the IHL in 1997, making him the only player to play in 6 different decades (40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s). A tremendous accomplishment for a guy nearly 70 years of age, even if it was for only one token shift.

Can you think of any other guys who prolonged their careers well past what is considered normal?

Don’t mind this Technorati experiment… MZHDYQQHP3UZ

Andre Dawson - THE CANADIAN PRESS FILE PHOTO

Despite his disappointment, justice has been done, and the Hall of Fame has served baseball history well.

Andre Dawson will enter the Hall of Fame as a member of the Montreal Expos.

Was there really any debate about it?

Let’s be clear on this: The Baseball Hall of Fame is a museum of baseball, and has the duty to best represent baseball’s history as accurately as possible. As such, Andre Dawson left his biggest mark in baseball in the “outpost” of Montreal. In 11 seasons with Montreal, Dawson batted .285, had 225 home runs and had 838 RBI. He also had 1,575 hits (out of his total of 2,774) in Montreal. If that weren’t enough, he won 6 of his 8 gold gloves, 4 of his 5 silver slugger awards in Montreal, and was the rookie of the year in 1977. Lastly, Dawson the only Expo to hit 200 home runs and steal 200 bases. That is significant, and worth preserving. 5 of his 8 all star appearances are as a Cub, but this can be written off because the All Star game meant nothing then. He also benefited from a larger, more passionate fan base voting for him. His biggest and best accomplishment was in 1987 when he was named National League MVP by batting .287 and swatting 49 home runs as a member of the Cubs. Unfortunately for Dawson, his accomplishments in Chicago pale when compared to what he did in Montreal. You can view Dawson’s career stats here. We can even have the debate as to whether or not Dawson even belongs in the Hall. Does his name belong in the Hall, alongside the likes of Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Joe DiMaggio, etc? Or is he there because of the admission of many good, but not great guys, such as Jim Rice?

In 2001, two seasons after the legendary Wade Boggs tried to make a mockery of the Hall by wanting to enter as a Tampa Bay Devil Ray (where he spent 2 seasons in the twilight of his career) instead of a Boston Red Sox (where he spent 10 years) in exchange for a neat sum of money (reportedly), the decision was taken away from the player as to which cap he wants to wear on his plaque. He is now in there wearing a Red Sox cap, as he should be. I’m sure some decisions are tough ones for the Hall of Fame. But when a player spends nearly twice as much time in one place as any other, and establishes important career benchmarks there, is it really that hard of a decision to make?

It’s easy to see why a player would want to enter the Hall as a Chicago Cub as opposed to a Montreal Expo. When a player’s career is over, the fat paychecks go away with it, but the player can still earn a lucrative living on the autograph and memorabilia circuit. Dawson will draw a lot more attention as he travels around the U.S. marketing himself as “former Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer” as opposed to a “former Montreal Expos Hall of Famer”. However I am very disappointed in his reaction upon hearing that he will enter as an Expo.

Dawson, upon learning that his plea to enter the Hall as a Cub:

“But I think their decision had been made. It was a little gut-wrenching for me to hear that, but it’s their decision, and I respect that, and from there I move on.

“The Hall clearly stated their major concern is the history of the game, and that’s what really played into their decision,” Dawson said. “I’m disappointed. I can probably say that, because Chicago was my preference.”

As an Expos fan, it stings to hear that for sure. What was so bad about his time here? Ok, fine. The turf at the Big O wrecked his knees. His numbers would have been even better if he had the luxury of playing on natural grass. He underwent several surgeries and was treated for his bad joints after every game. Playing on natural grass for his whole career would have surely vaulted him in to 3,000 hit, 500 home run territory, which puts him among the very best to ever play the game.

It’s funny how we forget though. And it’s funny that Dawson seems to have forgotten as well. Once upon a time, 30 years ago, the Expos were a bigger deal in Montreal than the Canadiens. I was an infant then, so I can’t tell you about it first hand, but between 1979 and 1984, the Expos drew in excess of 2 million fans in 4 of those 5 seasons. You can see their full attendance report here. 2 million fans is a lot of people, and a lot of interest in a team. Andre Dawson is one of only a few players tho will ever wear the Expos cap in the Hall. Tim Raines is working his way up the ladder with the Baseball Writer’s Association of America (he will get in one day, and it will be as an Expo) and perhaps Vlad Guerrero as well (though he could very well be an Angel if he gets in).

The dilemma I now face is whether or not I should go to Cooperstown to see his induction speech in person. It’s not a secret that he preferred to go in as a Cub, but he seems to genuinely disappointed that he’s going in as an Expo. I skipped Gary Carter’s, and I’m on the fence about Dawson. If and when Raines gets in, I definitely plan on being at his ceremony.

Do you have any recollections of Andre Dawson? How about thoughts on the Hall of Fame? Should a player have the choice as to what cap he wears in to the Hall of Fame, no matter where his contributions were made?

I realize that I’m a little behind on this topic, but in reality, behind the scenes I’ve been gathering my thoughts and writing a post, but really had nowhere to post it while I was building and configuring my site. I should probably take this chance to thank Yves, Julie, Doug and my wife, Candace for pushing to get this done, and to help me with the configuring the site.

Now on to Mr. McGwire, and the tears. Sympathetic tears, or tears of laughter?

On March 17, 2005 I took a sick day from work, knowing that I wanted to watch these alleged drug-addled ball players do the moonwalk during their inquisition before the House Committee on Government Reform. What we saw was laughable. It remains a watershed moment, as well as a comedy classic. From Rafael Palmeiro’s defiant claim (only to be busted shortly thereafter), to Sammy Sosa pretending that he couldn’t speak or understand English, to Curt Schilling’s big mouth, and finally to Mark McGwire’s flaccid “I’m not here to talk about the past” act, the whole thing was like watching a train wreck. Some called (and still call it) grandstanding by some politicians, while others praise them for trying to shine the spotlight on these chemically enhanced athletes, who wield tremendous influence on young players, like it or not.

For those who can’t remember, or never saw it, you can read all about McGwire’s pathetic tap dance here.

Fast forward to January 2010, and Mark McGwire has emerged from his self-imposed exile. Why now? Well, he wants to return to baseball, of course. He’s going to be the St. Louis Cardinals new batting coach. Knowing that he’s going to be assaulted with cameras, microphones and questions before every game if he didn’t speak up, he decided to “come clean” in an interview with Bob Costas.

There was something, actually, lots of things that rang hollow about this mea culpa. First of all, he tries to tell us that he took performance-enhancing drugs only for health, and not for strength. Wait, what? He said that the P.E.D.s he took helped him recover from injury. Maybe so, but that’s half the truth. Steroids don’t turn you in to a muscle-bound hulk on their own. They allow your body to heal more quickly after a tough workout. This, in turn, allows you to work out more often, which of course, allows you to build muscle mass. That’s the part McGwire left out. He’d have us all believe that his hand-eye coordination has everything to do with his success and his numbers. Again, that’s only half the truth. I played baseball for a long time, among other sports, and of all the things that I’ve done, hitting a fastball is the hardest thing. You know the old saying: you have to hit a round ball, with a round bat, yet hit it squarely. It’s tough to do. So yeah, eye-hand coordination counts for a LOT of a good hitter’s success. But the extra muscle mass gives his body the extra bat speed needed to send a ball 400 feet (and over the fence) instead of 380 feet (and in to an outfielder’s glove).

Apologists for baseball’s steroid era say that MLB had no rules against using performance enhancers. Wrong. They did have rules, but they did not have penalties. You could argue that it’s one and the same. A toothless rule is probably more of a suggestion; that the owners don’t officially condone the use of the P.E.D.s, but will turn a blind eye so that players can keep the stadiums packed. Everyone’s dirty here. But correct me if I’m wrong, but the use of anabolic steroids were illegal…against the law, were they not? And the last time I checked, the law supercedes a sports league’s rules, does it not? I also ask the question of if steroids were not against baseball’s rules, why couldn’t players be up front and admit that they were using them? If there was no fear of repercussion, what’s the big deal? The big deal is that the players KNEW that fans and media would not accept juiced athletes chasing after hallowed statistics established in years past. And perhaps the law would intervene as well, and arrest a few of these bloated ball players. It was a guarded secret because they knew it was wrong. Period. They knew exactly what they were doing, and they knew they were cheating. Period. So I completely and absolutely reject the argument that “since there were no rules against it, you can’t hold it against them”. Sure I can.

If you’re looking for more reasons why McGwire’s admission and apology is an empty one, then consider the following (please try to stay with me):

1- Former White House Press Secretary, Ari Fleischer runs an agency that specializes in managing rich folk in crisis situations. Fleischer’s agency is half-owned by IMG. You can read about what IMG does here, but I’ll just say that they are huge in their field and have a lot of power.

2- Major League Baseball is a client of IMG.

3- Bob Costas, the legendary sportscaster is a client of IMG.

4- McGwire’s interview was broadcast on the MLB network, as opposed to one of the major networks like NBC, ABC, or their sports arm, ESPN. One would have to wonder why they’d do that, especially since the MLB network is in half as many homes as ESPN is. Wouldn’t you want as many people to see this heartfelt apology? What a convenient package for IMG and its clients! They controlled every piece of the puzzle, and maybe even fooled some people in to thinking that this was a contrite apology.

This reeks of another carefully crafted and scripted publicity stunt, sort of like what Tiger Woods has now become famous for. The tears, the creampuff questions from Costas…it all adds up to another silly charade by a former athlete with an agenda. It also reeks of IMG doing its utmost to promote the MLB network, which I suppose is their job, but further erodes McGwire’s credibility (and in my mind, Bob Costas’ as well).

I’m guessing McGwire is a decent enough person and doesn’t want to be a distraction to the Cardinals. I believe that he loves baseball, and wants to keep contributing to the game. He almost certainly wants to try and gain some traction with the Baseball Writer’s Association of America, who vote on who gets in to the Hall of Fame (which is another farce if you ask me).  He’s currently a long way off from gaining admission to the Hall, and it’s clearly because his legacy is tainted with drugs. March 17, 2005 did massive damage to his reputation, and he’s trying to fix that now, in his own half-hearted way.

McGwire went on to say that he regrets playing in the steroid era and he wishes that he had never taken performance enhancing drugs. Really? Is he willing to admit that his numbers are tainted? If he does, the BBWAA would have no choice but to leave him off their ballots forever. Or would he simply say that everyone was doing it, so everyone is tainted. Would he be willing to give back the millions of dollars he made during his career? Of course we all know the answer to that.  Where does he really stand?

An apology usually means that you are willing to accept responsibility and consequence for what you’ve done. If he were truly sorry for what he did, he would accept that he does not deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. Ever. He can’t offer to be a spokesperson against the use of steroids, while at the same time accept an induction to the Hall of Fame. That would be yet another false act with selfish motivations.

All he had to do was tell the whole truth. “I did steroids because I wanted to smash home runs. I wanted to break records. I wanted to be rich. I wanted fans to adore me”. THAT would have given him more credibility than his crocodile tear apology. He’s never going to be a Hall of Famer in my book.

What are your thoughts on Big Mac? Is he simply a product of his generation, and his numbers are only relative to his peers, who were also juiced? Am I being too harsh on him?

Short update: since I don’t want to create a post just for the purpose of satisfying Yahoo…please skip the below:

Just a note to get my Yahoo community working.

I’ll be Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification here.