Bonjour et bienvenue...
My day began early. I checked out of the Skydome Hotel and was on the road by 8:30am. However, because of early morning rain, a major accident on the Queen Elizabeth Expressway, and general congestion related to fog, I wasn't out of the city limits of Toronto until 9:30am. For the next five hours, I battled boredom as I followed long and winding roads through Canada with nothing in sight but farmland and warehouse space.
Then I arrived in Montreal. Boy did I pick a bad day to visit. June 24th is the day designated to celebrate the birthday of Quebec, commonly referred to as the day of St. Jean Baptiste (If you are to translate that into French for me, e-mail it to me and I will change it). As a result of the national holiday, most of the streets in Montreal are closed for a city wide celebration including parades and street fairs. It took me more than two hours from the time I exited the parkway to the time I entered the parking area at the stadium -- the whole time listening to Montreal talk radio, much of it in French.
Well, the good news for the Expos is that a new stadium is in the works.
Olympic Stadium is one of the ugliest structures -- inside and out -- that I have ever seen in my life. The stadium is part of an immense complex that was constructed for the Winter Olympics in 1976, all made of concrete, and each unique and unattractive for their own reasons. The roof of Olympic stadium, made of a plastic substance that hangs like a parachute, is supported by cables that hang from an immense tower -- the highest in Quebec -- that is visible for miles around. In other words, no matter where you are in Montreal, you can't miss seeing this thing.
The looks don't improve much when you get inside. The first thing you notice when you enter the field area is the orange and brown roof. Weathered by years of use, the roof casts and ugly glare on the field, which isn't too attractive in its own right. The astroturf shows signs of age and remnants of the lines from the football season. Up close, you can see the stains from dirt and tobacco spit and if you walk onto the field, you notice a distinct odor eminating from the carpet.
To the credit of the organization, when you walk around the concourses, you realize there is a full and exciting life happening outside of the view of the field. On the 200 level just beyond third base is the ExposFest, an interactive fan amusement park including batting cages, pitching cages, arcade games, and other attractions for kids of all ages. In the food court area, stages have been constructed and restaurant seating allows for fans to enjoy regular activities after the game. The Expos organization plans plenty of events including autograph sessions for kids and concerts (often conducted by players) after games making the complex an entertainment center rather than just a sporting complex.
The biggest highlight of the entire stadium (outside of the game, of course) appears to be the model of the soon to be constructed baseball only ballpark. The open air facility will be equipped with a retractable, tent style roof, and is designed to seat 35, 000 fans (much more intimate than the current park). The ballpark will be entirely funded by private contributions and seat licensing sales and will be within walking distance of the urban center of Montreal. It is a much needed boost to this talented franchise and will sure to be an attraction to the fans (only 13,000 showed for the game despite the entire provence being on holiday).
When I arrived in Montreal, I learned that there was a misprint in the Major League Baseball schedule and the first pitch, which I was under the impression would be delivered at 7:35pm, was actually scheduled for 5:35pm. I hurried to the field just in time to see the final rotation of the Expos batting and fielding practice. I was excited to see Manager Felipe Alou in the field with his players taking grounders and giving pointers to the younger players. Otherwise, the Expos batting practice produced little excitement and was cut short because of the early game time.
As I watched the Expos pick up their equipment and leave the field, I didn't notice as one of the Reds coaches posted their batting practice lists. When I turned around to see who was on the list, I realized that the coach was Ken Griffey Sr., Hall of Famer, former member of the Big Red Machine, and father of Seattle Mariner Ken Griffey, Jr. I tried to start a conversation but proved unable and resigned to crouching by the batting cage to watch the Reds hit. A few minutes passed and I felt a tap on my shoulder. One of the Reds players, Lenny Harris, had poked me with his bat while warming up to introduce himself and inquire as my reasons for watching their warmups. I explained the trip and we spoke for a few minutes about traveling and stadiums. Then he jumped into the cage and blasted several homeruns.
After a few minutes at the cage, I decided to take a seat in the Reds dugout. I grabbed a spot next to the bat rack, grabbed a piece of Bazooka gum from the container provided by the clubhouse attendant, and watched as Manager Ray Knight took a grounders with his shortstop and third baseman. After I had been sitting for a while, Brett Boone dropped his mitt next to my seat and took the field. I examined the mitt, eventually trying it on for only a second, and realized that the mitt I use is larger than that of the Boone's, the starting second baseman for the Reds. Needless to say, this surprised me.
As I was removing the glove, Joe Oliver, jogged into the dugout to grab a bat. He asked how I was doing, and then started rubbing several different bats. Not understanding why he was rubbing the bats, I asked him how he selected a bat for use in practice or a game. He explained how it depends on the mood of the player, explaining how some bats have larger handles or smaller heads, and others just feel right. He acknowledged that most of the process was just "the luck of the draw." The bat Oliver settled on produced three whopping homers during warmups and a whole slew of weak and disappointing ground balls.
Things were a little confusing when I first arrived at the stadium. I found the glass doors of the Expos offices with little trouble and walked confidently towards the front desk (only to find that the door I grabbed was locked). I introduced myself and asked where to find my press pass only to receive a confused look from the receptionist who was obviously more comfortable speaking French. The receptionist phoned someone in the back offices, speaking French the entire time, and a woman came out to greet me. However she had not idea who I was or where my credential was located. After a few minutes, we determined that I was under the jurisdiction of the "special events" department and found the proper pass.
Originally, I was scheduled to meet with someone from the front office about two hours prior to game time -- what I figured would be around 5:30pm. However, when I asked for the various individuals I had been speaking with, the receptionist seemed baffled, explaining that none of them were in the office and probably wouldn't be returning for at least an hour. So I went to the field figuring I wouldn't be able to meet anyone from the front office and shrugging off the whole situation as a technical error resulting from the odd game time. Then, when I walking off the field at the end of batting practice, I was greeted by Francois Boutin, a member of the Public Relations team for the Expos and escorted to the press box.
Mr. Boutin assigned me an area in the press box, provided me with all the necessary information, and answered all my questions. In the middle of the second inning, we walked around the concourses at Olympic Stadium together as he explained to me the design of the stadium, the history of the various attractions, and offered me advice on what to eat and look for as I explored. Eventually we got down to talking about the nuts and bolts of baseball. Some of the folks in the Expos organization had taken offense at the negative tone of my pre-game report. I apologized and explained how tough a division I felt the Expos were in and how talented a team they were. We agreed that the Expos have an excellent shot at capturing the wild-card and would be leading the league if they were in a different division, American or National League.
As the game wound to a close, Mr. Boutin showed me how to log into the computer system in the press box and made it possible for me to link to the web page and upload my report. He introduced me to the press box attendance, an amazing man who has been present at EVERY Expos game in the history of the franchise, a streak that dwarfs Cal Ripken's streak. And, Mr. Boutin arranged for a picture with one of the local celebrities, a former Expos player and now a member of the management office. All in all, the Expos organization and Mr. Boutin in particular were very supportive and generous, and once we all got past the slight language barrier, very helpful and informative.
The Press Box at Olympic Stadium is a combination of a locker room, cafeteria, and work station. Like most press boxes, the local reporters sit intently at their computers typing their columns and sharing war stories and jokes about the teams and sport they are covering. However, it was the reporters from Cincinnati, four of them sitting directly in front of me, that occupied my attention for most of the game. One, smoking a cigar, laughed loudly and joked about the futility of the visiting ball club. The others, joining in the banter shared articles about the players on the field and joked with the local reporters. I am told the man smoking the cigar is something of an institution in Cincinnati.
As for the locals, only one reporter, a local French/Canadian took an interest in the trip and spoke with me briefly before the game started. We had a small problem understanding each other at first, but talked about baseball and travel and had a good time throughout. Although I never learned his name, he was generous enough to translate much of the French for me, answer some of the baseball questions, and explain to me the holiday being celebrated throughout the region.
THE FOODThere are so many interesting options for food at Olympic Stadium, it would take me three pages to list them all, let alone explain. In addition to the regular hot dogs there were deli stands, ice cream parlors, formal restaurants, sports bars, and even a area specializing in souvlaki.
As for the pretzels, I actually ended up having two, and there were still more options to be explored. First, I found a pretzel, extremely small in size, that I was ready to proclaim was the smallest and least interesting pretzel in the league. However, when I bit into the pretzel I realized it was filled with cheese, despite being artificial, and was surprised to find out it was decent tasting. I was frustrated however at the prospect of only having a cheese filled pretzel to write about so I continued to explore. The next turn found a much larger pretzel, this time with no cheese that was pleasantly soft, warm to the touch, and tasty as well. I was full before I rounded the final corner, only to find a stand dedicated to pretzel making,including a cinnamon pretzel that looked delicious. I did not purchase a cinnamon pretzel myself although the folks around me who were eating similar pretzels all seemed to be enjoying them.
After walking around the stadium, sampling the food, watching the ballgame from various exits, and exploring the ExposFest, I was fully prepared to take my assigned seat in the stands to interact with fans and watch the middle innings of the game. However, when I reached my seats, located on the upper level to the right of home plate, I found that I was literally the only person seated in the section. I suppose that with only 13,000 fans in the stadium, few want to sit way up high.
So I moved to the lower level and took a seat in a section well to the left of home plate. When I turned around to interact with some fans who were seated behind me enjoying the game, I realized that they only spoke French and that I would be unable to communicate with them. Frustrated and disappointed in my lack of foreign language experience I resigned to the press box to watch the rest of the game.
When I returned, the Expos, who broke out to an early lead thanks in part to a home run, were struggling to keep their lead. By the time I settled into my seat on the second level of the press box, the bases were loaded for the Reds in the top of the ninth and a pitching change was being made. The pitching change didn't cool off the Reds as a single scored two more and gave the Reds a one run lead going into the final frame.
In the top of the ninth, Mike Lansing homered off the score board in left field, tying the score and sending the game to extra innings. But, the Reds scored first in the extra session and closed the door on the Expos. The crowd filed out quietly and resumed their celebration of their national holiday -- a party that seemed to go on for hours all over the provence -- something I realized first hand as I battled traffic to get out of Montreal and back into the United States.
My visit to Montreal was stressful (due to the language barrier) and tiring (something about the lack of light in the stadium) but otherwise very interesting (the Canadians play and watch baseball with a slightly different twist). I can't claim to understand all of the cultural differences between the Canadians and the Americans, but I can assure you that their attitudes towards the game, and their hospitality is second to none. I can't wait to return for another game in Montreal -- although I might wait until they get the new stadium :).
Here is one of the local baseball celebrities I met in the Press Box at Olympic Stadium.
