I spoke to Jonah Keri recently. He’s the author of ” Up, Up & Away “, a reflective piece on the Montreal Expos.
If you’re in my age bracket, the Montreal Expos were likely your first Major League team.
Born in 1969, the Expos rumbled along for almost a decade before the Blue Jays arrived.
The early images of Rusty Staub, Mack Jones & John Boccabella at Jarry Park, or Parc Jarry, are vivid.
In August of 1973, I attended my first Major League game, Bobby Bonds and the San Francisco Giants beat the Expos 3-1.
With the Blue Jays fluttering early, there’s no question the Expos owned our baseball attention in the late 70’s and early 80’s.
The close calls in 1979 & 80, followed by Black Monday in October of 1981, and then, almost at once, it was gone.
And so too, were the Expos, not quickly, but agonizingly slowly.
From start to finish, from birth to franchise shift, ” Up, Up & Away ” is a terrific book to re-experience the life of the Montreal Expos
I’m Fred Wallace