1994 Montreal Expos
When I think back at the 1994 baseball strike, the first thing I think of is how Don Mattingly got screwed out of his best chance at playing in a World Series. With the Washington Nationals visiting Toronto this weekend to play an interleague series, I realized that Donnie Baseball isn't the only one who got screwed that season. In fact I would argue that the 1994 Montreal Expos may have gotten the biggest shaft in the history of team sports.
First, let's look back at where they stood in the standings when the season came to a close. Les Expos had a six game lead on the Atlanta Braves in the NL East when the players went on strike with less than 50 games remaining on the schedule. Looking back, Atlanta's rotation was ridiculous that year with Greg Maddux posting a miniscule 1.56 ERA to go with 10 Complete Games. Even, if the Braves had caught them in the division though, Montreal would have held a virtual stanglehold on the Wild Card.
The 1994 Montreal Expos had a solid starting rotation anchored by veteran Ken Hill and a young stud named Pedro Martinez. Their bullpen was one of the best in the National League featuring lights out closer John Wetteland and set up man Mel Rojas. Finally their lineup was an upstart bunch that showcased the best young outfield in all of baseball. Larry Walker, Moises Alou and Marquis Grissom were all entering their prime at the same time, not to mention rookie first baseman Cliff Floyd (check out the entire roster here).
Now while I'm not saying that the Montreal Expos would have definitely won a World Series had there never been a strike, I do think it's fairly obvious they would have at the very least advanced to the postseason. The point I am attempting to get across is that no other professional franchise has suffered as much tragic downfall because of one event over time. 
The 1994 baseball strike not only ruined the Expos chances that season, they basically destroyed the entire franchise from that moment on. After the strike, the team lost it's bid for a new stadium, effectively ending any chances they had of signing most of their young talent. Despite all this, in 2003 with the team now under the control of MLB, the Expos again made a run at the postseason behind Vladimir Guerrero, Orlando Cabrera and Jose Vidro. When it came time to call up players from the minors in September, Bud Selig decided that the Expos would have to 'make due' with what was already on the roster and banned the team from any call-ups. This effectively ended the season and the franchise forever. Vlad was soon gone and so was the team from Montreal just a year later when Selig attempted to contract them.
Now, this weekend the Expos return to Canada, but as the Washington Nationals. While most baseball fans don't miss the old Olympic Stadium and are glad to see Major League Baseball back in the Nation's Capital, I for one, miss the Expos...
Can you think of a Pro Team that got screwed worse than the 1994 Expos?
14 comments:
As someone who has gone to many games over a 15 year span at "THE BIG O" . I'll have to total disagree with you. There was no place like "The Big O".Inside you could smoke whatever you wanted, Skateboard , and there wasn't any fake cops patroling the grounds like the crap you get at every other stadium .
Dude, there was no Wild Card in 1994.
No, there was a WC...
1994 was the first year that the wildcard was going to be used... MLB had split into 3 divisions in each league that year.... that expos team was loaded... could have been the I-87 World Series, NYY vs. MON....
Love the 'spos as I did in 1994, it should be pointed out that they may have been one of the most atrocious fielding teams of all time. Darrin Fletcher behind the plate, butcher Sean Berry at third, Cordero and Mike Lansing up the middle and Cliff Floyd (!) at first. The outfield wasn't bad, but the infield couldn't catch a cold.
yeah...sorry anonymous, but the strike shortened 1994 season was indeed to be the first year with the Wild Card...Shorty usually knows his shit
its great to say that the first grand slam i seen in a baseball game was by wes chamberlain of the phillies at olympic stadium!
It was a shame what happened to that franchise, and in many ways the 1994 strike was the backbreaker, but there are all sorts of reasons for the teams demise, including the corporate exodus from Montreal brought on by the political battles of the late 70s and 80s, and the city's financial difficulties in the wake of the Olympics.
Like you said, no guarantee that the Expos would have won it all in 1994...but yeah, I can't for the life of me think of another team in the history of team sports that has gotten screwed over worse. It was all Freddie Benavides' fault.
After all the years of having to deal with free agency losses and politics, the one year we had the chance to have a really big year...and MLB decides to screw the Expos. As an Expos fan forever, I felt as screwed as the rest of us Expos fans. Face it: the americans didn't want Montreal to win it all in "their game", so they screwed us. besides being another reason to hate americans, It showed just how low they would stoop to screw the Expos.
As an Expos fan, I appreciate everything that has been written on this blog about my Expos. From 1969 through 2004, I cheered and cried for my team.Rick Monday broke my heart in 1981 while Bud Selig and company tore it out of my chest and once and for all.
I do however take exception about Americans. Since I am one, I can tell you that going to watch Montreal play games in San Diego and Los Angeles brought a real bond for all of us Expos fans. We were American Expos fans and a few Candians, too. In 2005, I saw those impostors from DC paly the Angels. Wearing my Montreal uniform shirt and hat I spoke with a guy wearing an Expos shirt. Neither one of us is a Nationals fan. Yes, Brochu, Loria and Segal plotted to remove the Expos from Montreal. I still am not rooting for a MLB team because I cannot root for anyone except Montreal.
CFH
Montreal Expos Fan
Long time fan here, I was at the last expos game as well and they handed out posters of the 1994 Expos team after the game to all the fans. I still can't believe they will never be again.
what could have been, what should have been:
http://www.chinmusic.net/blog/2008/04/montreal-opens-labatt-park-in-style.html
Even though I grew up in St. Louis, I was always an Expos fan. Gallaraga was my run away idol as a kid. The strike did help kill the franchise, but one thing you can always say is "Best farm team". They produced so many greats. Hell, dont even need to say much more then Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez.
Coming from an American baseball fan from Michigan I was raised a Detroit Tigers fan. My family had a cottage on Lake Huron in Ontario Cananda and i remember watching Toronto Blue Jays games on CBC and TSN cheering against the Blue Jays due to their contention with the Tigers in the AL East. But on the days the Blue Jays were not on CBC or TSN the Montreal Expos were. I never thought I could cheer for another team because the Detroit Tigers were my team. But there was something about the Montreal Expos that drew me and to this day I don't konw what it is. Maybe it's becasue they are a National League team, they play in Canada, they are not Toronto, awsome uniforms + logo, awful/classy stadium, terriable turf, great organization, great farm system, great players, fans, and team. I am proud to say that I have had two favorite MLB teams. I miss my other team.
Go spos!
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