News as lies/Mensonges comme nouvelles

Major League Baseball : News:

"Is the move from Montreal official?
The move ultimately must be approved by a 75 percent vote of the Major League owners, who have owned and operated the Expos since the team was purchased from Jeffery Loria and his minority partners just before the opening of Spring Training in 2002. That approval is considered a formality. The deal is also dependent on the District's City Council passing the funding for the new ballpark, including a $13 million package to refurbish 43-year-old RFK Stadium."

Ummm... and the RICO case being completed (or the owners being paid off).

Later.

So long tri-colored Elb/Au Revoir tri-coloré Elb

I feel betrayed. I convinced myself it wouldn't happen. I remained hopeful to the very end. I am completely unprepared to deal with the deeper questions that Matthew brought up in an earlier blog. Did I love the players or did I love trying to save an un-loved team? I don't see myself supporting a team from Washington - I don't think I have it in me. I will have to be like those lone Brooklyn Dodger fans who couldn't love the team in Cali and couldn't replace it with another NY team.

Aside from the mayor of DC and a few other people who expect to do $well by this deal, who actually will be supporting the team in DC? I bet if they had a rally there to support the new team less than a hundred people would go and no one from Hawaii would show up, guaranteed.

Well, it is a sad day my friends. And it will be an even longer, colder winter mulling over where to place all my Spos love. Go Spos. -Mo.

One more to go in the Big O (this year)/Un plus à entrer à le grand O (cette année)

Montreal Expos - The Insiders:

I'll leave the relocation issues alone for the moment as I'm not sure what exacatly I'm feeling. Check out The Insiders for more information and some sensible takes on whether this will actually happen:

"(MT) Relocation Thread ( 1 2 3 ...64 )"

The 'Spos lost last night, 5-2. And in a pretty amazing boxscore showing, Juan Rivera (late of the Yankees) gets the only three hits for the Expos and drives in both runs. Wow.

On the pitching side, the two starters, Ohka and Valdez for the Fish, pitch similarly and keep their teams close. However, Rauch and Tucker both give up a run in a total of four innings where Florida's bullpen holds tight for 3 1/3 innings.

Attendance was 5,416. But tonight should be bigger.

Something I'd really like to see is the runs scored and runs allowed over the second half. And maybe see if anything can be correlated to their San Juan trips in the first half.

Later.

Stadium finances/Finances de stade

Baseball Prospectus | Articles | D.C. At The Bat:

"If MLB officials are to be believed--and at this point Bud's cabal should have less credibility than Ahmed Chalabi--then by the end of the week, the Montreal Expos will at last be turning in their tricolor M's for W's..."



This is a good, broken-down article on stadium financing. I would expect nothing less from baseballprospectus.

Later.

Where to now?/Où maintenant?

ESPN.com - MLB - D.C.'s wait for Expos almost over:

"Exactly 33 years after the Washington Senators played their final game, the nation's capital might learn on Thursday that major league baseball plans to return next season."

...

"The deal to move the Expos to Washington would be subject to government approval of funding for both a $13 million refurbishment of RFK Stadium and a new ballpark costing slightly over $400 million, which would be built along the Anacostia River in the southeast section of the city."

So what happens now? I've invested time in a team and they're moving. I've hated the way they were treated. I've loathed Bud Selig. But I have a certain attachment to the players now.

Should I continue following the team? Or am I a fan of Wilkerson, Schneider, Hernandez, Downs, Patterson and, of course, Carroll?

Well, here's rooting for the public financing to fall through.

Later.

News and Notes/Nouvelles et Notes

ESPN.com - MLB - MLB Power Alley:

"25. Expos"

Never got around to that last week. Good news that the Expos are out of the bottom 5.

Over the last 10 games (since the first Philadelphia series), the Expos are 4-6, despite scoring 43 runs and only allowing 36 runs. This equates to a record of 6-4 using the pythagorean method (explained at the bottom of Rob Neyer's index page).

They won one game by only a run and lost three by only a run. Unfortunately, I was at two of the one-run losses. This past Saturday and Sunday I was witness to great pitching and not so great hitting.

I'll post more on the games when I get my pictures developed.

This was the second time I've been to Montreal and really got to experience the town this time. Went to the Botanical Gardens, the Biodome, the Olympic Stadium Tower (for the second time), Old Montreal, Downtown... It was great.

Also stopped by the Encore Baseball rally. The Candian Press was there and filed this report, which includes an interview with a fan from Hawaii. He was standing right next to us - apparently New Jersey wasn't as exciting as the islands.

Very busy at work recently, so not too much time. Let's go 'Spos!

They take on the Marlins tonight, after another tough loss last night.

Later.

Now for the weekend/Maintenant le weekend (self translation)

So, Matthew and one or two other Bokers spent the weekend in Montreal. I dutifully report on the games played on Friday through Sunday as Matthew finds himself in absentia.

Friday the Spos actually hammered the Phillies. Sun-Woo Kim pitched 8 2/3 innings and came up big at the plate with a two run double. Brad Wilkerson put up twos in the following categories: AB, R, H, RBI and BB. Nicely done, Brad. Sledge went deep as one should with a name like that. Attendence: 5,481

Now, I fear that Matthew et al were only in attendence at the Saturday and Sunday one run losses. How frustrating. On Saturday, the Spos really should have won - I would even say they did win. However, due to an umpire error the Phils were able to score two runs in the top of the tenth. With two outs and Gary Majewski on the mound, Lou Collier hit a chopper to third baseman Tony Batista, who threw the ball quickly to Brad Wilkerson at first base, but umpire Mike Fichter called Collier safe. It was obvious on the replay that he was out by half a step. Attendence: 8,491

Sunday: Livan pitched well limiting the Phils to two runs. Big Man Sledge came up with two hits and the sole run for the Spos. Unfortunately, Corey Lidle out pitched Livan and got the win.
Of note: Over the course of these three games, Jamey Carroll got only one at bat. Attendence: 12,382 (2,382 fans did not get tuques)

News and Notes/Nouvelles et notes

In order to file a blog on the rally in Montreal, I checked out the on-line edition of the Montreal Gazette. There I found the headline pasted below. Now, while I wish the Yankees had hammered the Red Sox, I think that there's a need for better sports reporting in the city of Montreal. I suggest that Blogger extraordinaire, Matthew apply for a job at the Gazette. Curt Schilling allows one hit over seven as Yankees hammer Red Sox 11-4

But this is the article I was looking for: A few hundred Expos fans hold rally in Montreal in bid to keep baseball team A few HUNDRED fans and some of them were from the States! Where is the love, the loyalty, residents of Montreal? I am disappointed, indeed. Maybe it was too cold to go out, maybe some of the Expos fans are invalids, if so go to the Gazette's sports poll: http://www.canada.com/sports/baseball/expos.html and for the love of God and baseball support the team!

This following, fabulous Stat of the day comes from the Expos homepage: Since coming off the disabled list on July 15, right-hander John Patterson has struck out 71 batters in 65 1/3 innings. "Nasty," what else can you say?
Also from the home page: Did you know? Brad Wilkerson is the first member of the Expos to hit 30 home runs, score 100 runs and walk 100 times in the same season.

Interesting/Intéresser

ESPN.com - MLB - Preview:

"2004 Series: Tied, 7-7; All-Time series: Tied, 296-296."

Expos look to drag the Mets into last place tonight.

Not much free time the last couple of days.

Later.

Mets or Expos/Mets ou Expos

The New York Times > Sports > Baseball > On Baseball: Mets or Expos Will Be Crowned the N.L. Least:

"Forget Red Sox-Yankees. Never mind the National League wild card. Oakland-Anaheim, Los Angeles-San Francisco? Who cares? The most compelling race left is the pursuit of last place in the National League East.

"Major League Baseball's very own team, the Montreal Expos, has occupied last place since April 15, virtually the entire season. But now the Wilpon Nine, the no-longer lovable Mets, are threatening to displace the Expos and claim last place for themselves for the third successive season."

....

"Mets-Expos. Last place. Baseball fans live for this."

Ah, some lovin' from the NYTimes (reg. req'd.)

Later.

Useless Information/L'Information Inutile

ESPN.com - MLB - Stark: Really Useless Info:

MORE NEUTRALITY INFO: Incidentally, would it surprise anybody that, according to loyal reader David Hallstrom, the Expos have drawn three home crowds this year smaller than the Marlins drew in either "home" game in Chicago? They were May 4 (4,001) and 5 (3,609) vs. Colorado in Montreal, and June 16 (3,763) vs. Minnesota in San Juan.

...............................................................................
STILL MORE NEUTRALITY INFO: Thanks to slow-moving hurricanes and slow-moving MLB relocation committees, the Marlins and Expos managed to play each other in four different ballparks this season -- Stade Olympique (Montreal), Pro Player Stadium (Miami), Hiram Bithorn Stadium (San Juan) and U.S. Cellular Field (Chicago).

That got Expos public-relations virtuoso John Dever wondering whether that was some kind of record. But while the Elias Sports Bureau informed him (and us) that it wasn't, Elias also reported no two teams had done that since 1970, when the Pirates and Reds met at Forbes Field, Three Rivers Stadium, Crosley Field and Riverfront Stadium.

The all-time record is five parks, held by the 1889 Brooklyn Bridegrooms and Philadelphia Phillies.
...............................................................................

USELESS WHITE HOUSE INFO: How long has Major League Baseball owned the Expos? For 946 days (through Thursday). Which is so long, according to loyal reader David Hallstrom, that it's longer than the entire terms of five different presidents:

William Henry Harrison (32 days)
James Garfield (121 days)
Zachary Taylor (555 days)
Warren Harding (882 days)
Gerald Ford (895 days)

Next up: Millard Fillmore (968 days) and John F. Kennedy (1,027 days).

...............................................................................
Speaking of leadoff homers, guess which current leadoff man needs one more to move into the all-time top five for most leadoff bombs in a season? Nope, not Craig Biggio or Shannon Stewart. It's Montreal's Brad Wilkerson, who has hit eight this year. Here's the Sultan's complete list of leadoff dynamos who hit eight or more in a season:

Alfonso Soriano, Yankees, 2003 (13)
Brady Anderson, Orioles, 1996 (12)
Bobby Bonds, Giants, 1973 (11)
Jacque Jones, Twins, 2002 (11)
Rickey Henderson, Yankees, 1986 (9)
Craig Biggio, Astros, 2001 (8)
Barry Bonds, Pirates, 1988 (8)
Kal Daniels, Reds, 1987 (8)
Rickey Henderson, A's-Blue Jays, 1993 (8)
Rick Monday, Cubs, 1976 (8)
Chuck Knoblauch, Yankees, 1999 (8)
Alfonso Soriano, Yankees, 2002 (8)
Brad Wilkerson, Expos, 2004 (8) *

(* - through Friday)
...............................................................................

Next series is vs. the Mets, with the Expos 2 games back on them for last place.

Later.

Expected Win-Loss/Gagner-Perte Prévue

2004 Expected Win-Loss and Team Records for Starting Pitchers:

Two Expos are in the bottom 5 of unluckiest pitchers according to Baseball Prospectus. Listed below are the actual win-loss record of Zach Day and Livan Hernandez, followed by the statistic "LUCK" which defines how lucky or unlucky pitchers have been and the expected win-loss record of each pitcher.

Zach Day:
W-L: 5 - 10
LUCK: (-6.3)
ExpW-L: 10.2 - 8.8

Livan Hernandez:
W-L: 10 - 14
LUCK: (-6.7)
ExpW-L: 18.2 - 13.8

LUCK: Luck, as measured by the number of extra wins, and short losses the pitcher actually got, versus his expected record. LUCK = (W-E(W))+(E(L)-L)

Later.

Welcome back, Sledge/Bienvenue en arrière, Sledge

I know he didn't have the game winning rbi on Friday, but Terrmel Sledge racked up four rbis in his first game since hurting his pinky against the Marlins. Juan Rivera and Tony Batista each had three rbis and Wilkerson added another. JC went two for three scoring three runs. Batista's 100th rbi broke the 7-7 tie in the top of the ninth. The Spos scored five that inning sealing the win.

Currently the Spos are in a 5-5 tie against the Phillies. They just left bases loaded in the top of the tenth. I am thinking another late inning rally is about to happen. Come on Spos.

A-Gone/A-Gone

Sports | Baseball | canada.com

"The San Diego Padres quickly found a replacement for injured shortstop Khalil Greene, acquiring Alex Gonzalez from the Montreal Expos on Thursday night for a player to be named or cash."

Good, get rid of him. But I find later it says, "San Diego also gets cash from the Expos as part of the deal." I hope that's not true. He certainly did suck, but not so much as to have to pay to get rid of him.

Other quotes that made no sense if they were paired, but are both written in the article:

"Gonzalez should help."

"Gonzalez has played in 72 games this season with the Cubs and Expos, hitting .229 with seven homers and 24 RBIs.... Gonzalez began his big league career with Toronto in 1994. He has a career average of .242 with 128 homers and 494 RBIs."

Anyways, I lost my earlier bigger post, so this is probably a little disjointed. Jamey Carroll should get more playing time because of this, which is a good idea.

'Spos lost 4-3 to the Marlins in the rubber game of a 5-game series.

Also, I highly recommend Google Alerts.

Later.

twice as good/deux fois aussi bon

The Spos took the Marlins by storm yesterday! In game one, Patsy in his dominant mode struck out seven over eight innings and contributed to the 12 hits put up by the Spos by singling in the 4th. Helping his own cause, he did not allow a single walk. Patsy's single was foiled in a way as Brian Schneider advanced to third, but was tagged out - the third out of the inning - by Mike Lowell's successful execution of the "hidden ball trick." Brad Wilkerson, Ryan Church and Juan Rivera all homered in the victory. It was Church's first career HR. With a perfect segue into game two....Val Pascucci and Brendan Harris also hit their first career homers. But the real offensive star of game two was fan favorite JC. Getting a rare start, JC went four for five with two runs and two RBIs.

Possible keys to success? a) playing in Florida, but with homestand conditions in front of 12,608 fans. b) giving Jamie Carroll the chance to play an entire game. c) hidden ball trickery angered Spos who then whacked the hell out of the ball coming up with three HRs in each game.
Vote here for your favorite reason for the double header success. By the way, if you respond, please don't refer to the two wins as a "sweep." Winning both games of a double header does not (in my book) constitute a sweep.

I will be there/Je serai là

Ultimate attempt to save the Montreal Expos:

"MONTREAL, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ - Expos fans will have one more chance to change the course of sports history by showing their support to the Montreal team during a great gathering near the Olympic Stadium, on Saturday, September 25, from 3:30 p.m.

...

"It will be in front of the Pierre-Charbonneau Centre, on Viau Street, south of Sherbrooke Street, that Quebecers are invited to show their support, in a meaningful way, on September 25. The gathering is planned for 3:30 p.m.; it will be followed, at approximately 4:30 p.m., by a march in direction of the Olympic Stadium. In the evening, fans will be encouraged to come see the game against the Philadelphia Phillies."

Later.

D.C. Elections/Élections de D.C.

Baseball Musings: No Home in DC?:

"I'm all for private money to build stadiums. Maybe the groups interested in putting the Expos in DC could raise private money from all the K-Street lawyers in exchange for calling the team the Capitol Lobbyists!"

Looks like the elections in D.C. are going to affect the Expos going there. Just like Democrats to want affordable housing over baseball.

Later.

Another Expos Blog/Des Autres Expos Blog

Expos Baseball: Expos ignored again:

"Check out ESPN where Tomo Ohka pitches both ends of Montreal's double header today. Why is this historic feat going unrecognized? I tell you why. Expos bias. It's rampant.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/schedules


"But seriously folks, today Jekyll and Hyde Patterson starts game 1. This is the Expos last chance to truly impact the Wild Card race so play some good ball."

Let's go Patsy.

Later.

Late for work/Tard pour le travail

Montreal Expos News:

Work is looming large, so I'll make this quick (not that my other posts are really that in-depth):

"'I thought I made a good pitch to Conine, but the umpire called it a ball,' Ayala said. 'He said it was a little bit high. I didn't think so. It's part of baseball.'

"'Pitchers are walking people,' Robinson said. 'We battled back, but we don't get a chance to build on it. The [Marlins] go right back ahead. That's not the way you're going to win games, especially on the road. You've got to be able to hold them.'"

I think Ayala is a bit more calm about this. Is that a good thing?

"Ayala (5-11) leads the Major Leagues in relief losses."

Remember when Ayala was untouchable during the middle of the season? That was great.

Once again, errors cost the Expos w/ Scott Downs gives up 6 runs, but only 1 earned through 3 innings.

But it sure was exciting to have bases loaded in the 9th, trying to mount a come-back. I know some games will be won and some games will be lost, but avoiding the blowout is so much more fun to watch.

Late for work mainly because I was googling the Expos. Not too much of interest, this op-ed from WaPo on Angelos and the Expos and from the official site, a recap of Game 5, 1981 NLCS, which I believe you can listen to. You know, if you like suffering.

Later.

Later/Plus Tard

Montreal Expos Blog: Armas to make 100th start:

So I've been trying to support Montreal Expos Blog. And left a comment in the post linked above. So did Jean-Pierre Allard of Traveling Expos. And apparently he's on to me, using the sign off of:

"Plus tard"

Which much to my amusement means "Later" in french.

And to answer a question previously posed by Jean-Pierre, it was Brad Wilkerson who last hit for a natural cycle. Though Vlad has since hit for the cycle, but apparently in an unnatural way. I did not know the answer, but my sister's friend did. I'm not too sure of the circumstances regarding it.

Also, I've been meaning to thank D. Derder for his answer to the "elb" question asked in this post.

He commented, "About your question on the logo. Most Expos fans who have researched the question know that the logo's purpose is twofold. It is a stylized "M" for sure. It is also the initials of Charles' daughter, Elizabeth. So it's actually Elizabeth L Bronfman (the L standing for her middle name, which escapes me at the moment)."

Later./Plus Tard.

Expos on BaseballMusings/Les Expos en BaseballMusings

Baseball Musings: Wasted Effort:

"Sun-Woo Kim pitched seven great innings vs. the Marlins today. He only threw 90 pitches, 58 for strikes, but Robinson started the 8th with Joe Horgan on the mound. Things fell apart immediately. After the first two hitters reached on singles, the Expos defense fell apart. Four errors in the inning allowed the Marlins to score six runs on three hits. Maybe the worst one was by Batista, who with bases loaded and none out, had a grounder hit to him at third. He only had to touch the bag and throw home to get the runner (he had plenty of time), but he tried to do too much at once and never got control of the ball. All hands were safe, the Marlins had their first run, and the flood gates were about to open."

And indeed they did. Rough game to lose. Here's a funny comment from another baseballmusings Expos-related post:

Baseball Musings: Where are the Expos Today?:

"Here in Southern California, not home to many Canadians nor Puerto Ricans, I actually saw a car a while back with a decal on the back proclaiming pride in being 'Cana-Rican.' I heard that Stade Olympique was occupied by a motocross event. I gotta wonder what the level of French-Canadian interest is in motocross vs. baseball."

Nice to be in the news, but I wish it were under better circumstances.

If any readers are going to be at the Expos game on Sunday, September 26th, let me know - because I'll be there too.

Flying up on Friday to enjoy Montreal for the weekend. And then hitting the stadium for Tuque Day. Maybe I can hit up the Saturday game as well.

On an interesting note, it's not possible to get a flight out of Montreal after the game back to NY that night. Instead, we're staying Sunday night and taking the early flight back.

Later.

Mood-altering loss/Humeur changeant la perte

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap:

"Florida rallied with six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, taking advantage of four Montreal errors to beat the Expos 6-3 Monday at U.S. Cellular Field."

...

"A small but spirited crowd announced at 4,003 transformed the home park of the Chicago White Sox' into a foul-ball chaser's paradise. With the upper deck closed, most of the fans who spent $15 for a ticket -- $5 going to hurricane relief -- sat behind the dugouts and close to the field. There was a loud pro-Expos contingent, some dressed in Chicago Cubs attire."

Seems like the Expos had 6 runs dropped on them in the bottom of the eighth - on 4 errors! After not posting on the Braves series - because it makes me ill - I came back to this.

And a whole bunch of crap about how it's ok to make the Expos move around b/c they're used to it. And how the 25 mile hotel relocation was terrible for the Marlins. And unfair b/c they are in the thick of a wild card race.

Yeah? Well, as we've seen, the Expos are not rolling over and dying, despite all the attempts of MLB.

"But they had to leave their downtown Chicago hotel Sunday and move to one 25 miles away in suburban Arlington Heights, making their trip to Chicago's south side an hour by bus. But that's a small inconvenience for a team playing three doubleheaders in a span of 11 days as it tries to return to the playoffs."

...

"The Expos know more about moving around than any team in the majors. They've been on the verge of leaving Montreal and have played portions of their home schedule the last two years in San Juan, Puerto Rico."

And San Francisco. Oh, wait, they weren't even allowed the last-ups of the "home" team.

Even Tony Gwynn gets in on it. From his "Expert's Spin" feature:

"For the Expos, it's business as usual. They're rumored to be headed to Virginia and they've played home games in Puerto Rico, so they're used to playing home games away from home. But the Marlins are in the thick of the wild-card race. It's tough to give up home games when you're in a pennant race."

Great. Thanks, Tony. Way to discredit the Expos as ballplayers.

I can tell that my Expos fanatacism is starting to get too serious - it's affecting my moods.

Later.

More on Youppi/Plus sur des Youppi

Six-figure jobs for spring training - Mar. 18, 2004:

"'Sometimes if the team lost, fans would say, 'The best thing tonight was the mascot,'' said Deschenes, who once worked as Youppi for the Montreal Expos.

...

"Most baseball mascots don't make much. Starting salaries might be $25,000 plus benefits, and often entail a day job in the marketing office. Only the most exceptional entertainers, working for far-sighted teams, earn six figures."

I doubt that Youppi was ever a six-figure job, but he is a special mascot.

Later.

Triple-header?/Triple-en-tête?

ESPN.com - Montreal Expos - Clubhouse:

September 14 @ Fla

Game Times
2:35
5:05
8:35

Are they really playing a triple-header? Or is ESPN a little whacked out?

Update: ESPN was whacked out - they are only playing the 2:35 and 5:05 games. Phew.

Later.

ESPN.com - MLB - MLB Power Alley

ESPN.com - MLB - MLB Power Alley:

"Why aren't we calling them the Washington Expos yet? Pathetic."

OK, the Expos drop back to the Bottom 5 in the Power Rankings, but just barely - and ahead of the Mets.

Yesterday's shutout might push them back them up next week.

I'll have to take a look at their record last week to see if I should get upset on them dropping back down.

Next up: a series w/ Atlanta. Let's hope for Jean-Pierre's sake that they do well.

Later.

Spoiler/Corrompre-er

ESPN.com - Montreal Expos - Clubhouse:

From News and Notes:

"Some owners are pushing the baseball's senior executives to scrap the current relocation process for the Montreal Expos because they want the team to be sold to the highest bidder, The Washington Times reported. A group of owners, unhappy with three unprofitable years during the relocation quest, want commissioner Bud Selig and president Bob DuPuy to sell the Expos first. The new owners then would be responsible for determining the Expos' home and finishing negotiations on a stadium."

So, it looks like the Expos may be in Montreal again next year. And I'll be there later this year.

Downs pitches a complete game, 5-hit shutout opposing his hero, Gred Maddux as the Expos took the rubber game of the series. This also puts the Cubs a half game back in the wild card - can you spell "spoiler."

This moves Montreal 1.5 games behind the Mets for last place, as the Mets are shutout by the Marlins.

Later.

Six more games/six jeux supplémentaires

I tried to add this as a comment, but it never got posted. But, in response to Matthew's quest to get the Spos above the Mets in the NL East....the two teams still meet a total of six times which could easily make the cellar position change hands. I do recall a certain family member (and his friends) in early July thinking that the Mets (only a few games out of first at the time) were going to be contenders. Hmmm. Now they are fighting to stay out of the cellar. How times have changed for the poor Mets. Go Spos.

The Expos single A affiliate is the Savannah Sand Gnats. They have the ugliest mascot I have ever seen. They are also in last place, but could conceivable finish in second to last. Go Gnats.

Is this true?/Est-il ce vrai ?

Montreal Expos:

"The logo on their caps 'ELB' stands for Expos Le Basebol."

Well, here are some other takes on the famous "elb."

I always thought it was solely a stylized "M."

Later.

Second half surge/Deuxième montée subite de moitié

ESPN.com - Montreal Expos - Clubhouse:

New York 60-77 .438 21.5
Montreal 58-80 .420 24.0

The Expos are just 2.5 games behind the Mets, with three more in the loss column.

After excessive lobbying, the Expos got out of the bottom of the Power Rankings. So now I'm going to keep harping on their ability to overcome the Mets - my new second half goal.

The Expos look to take the rubber game from the Cubs today at 8:05 pm. Downs vs. Maddux. (That's Maddux, not Maddox.)

And what about Macier Izturis, 6-for-17 in last six games.

Later.

Late Night Game/Jeu De fin de nuit

Expos are up 7-5 on the Cubs, going into the bottom of the 12th after scoring 2 in the top half.

Juan Rivera singles, Mateo sacrifices him to 2nd. Brian Schneider singles in Rivera. Izturis singles, sending Schneider to 3rd - and then steals 2nd with Jamey Carroll at bat. Carroll then hits a sac fly, scoring Schneider. Wilkerson flies out to LF.

Now it's down to the bottom half of this extra inning game. Let's watch how this goes...

Horgan pitches to LF Calvin Murray who grounds out to 2nd on a 2-2 pitch. One out.

Corey Patterson, the top of the lineup, is at bat. And homers to right on a 2-2 pitch. 7-6 Expos.

Horgan induces Jose Macias, the RF, to ground out to 3rd on an 0-1 pitch. Two outs.

Nomar is up. Here comes the 1-1 pitch...

And then I switched to MLB Gameday (I was watching ESPN's GameCast) to learn the outcome.

Garciaparra singled, bringing up pinch hitter Ramon Martinez. He takes ball 1, and then grounds into a fielders choice at 3rd, with Nomar out at 2nd - Batista to Carroll.

Nice.

Kim pitches six innings, giving up 3 runs, none earned. Eischen goes a third, giving up one run. Ayala goes two thirds, giving up one run. Then Tucker and Cordero both pitched two innings of no-run ball.

Later.

Weekend Update/Mise à jour De Week-end

Baseball Prospectus | Articles | Under The Knife: Pennant Pain:

Written September 3rd:

"With the cancellation of the Cubs/Marlins game on Friday, and Saturday's tilt looking iffy, the Cubs stand to get a rest exactly when they needed it coming off of the turf in Montreal. Makeup doubleheaders could negate some of the advantage, but Nomar Garciaparra and Aramis Ramirez need all the healing time they can get, while older players can use rest anytime it presents itself."

Written September 6th:

Aramis Ramirez hits two two-run homers to sink Expos last night.

The 'Spos have been on a skid of late, losing Friday and Saturday before salvaging an extra inning game vs. Atlanta on Sunday. Sunday's game saw six pitchers (Hernandez, Eischen, Ayala, Horgan, Cordero and Tucker) hold the Braves to 6 hits over 12 innings.

Later.

Focus on the positive/Foyer sur le positif

In a 9-1 loss to the Cubs on Monday, SS Alex Gonzalez had an RBI. Go Spos.

Russian dolls, a pep talk and a win/Poupées russes, entretiens de dynamisme et une victoire

After thousands of fans were greeted with stackable Larry Parrish Russian style dolls (I am not sure why), and Frank Robinson gave his team a piece of his mind, the Expos took the field. Livan Hernandez pitched well, but the bullpen couldn't hold onto the lead. The Spos were able to tie the game up later and send it into extra innings. Tony Batista broke a 0-23 streak with a game winning double in the 12th. Robinson wasn't entirely sure his words of wisdom did any good and was quoted saying that the Expos won, "in spite of ourselves." Is Larry Parrish Russian? Do other teams give away Russian dolls? Is this the new bobblehead?

Baseball Tournament/Tournoi de Baseball

Through the power of the internet, three not-too-powerful websites have hooked up to play a little baseball tournament. The players are:

Karen of Complete and Total Bisch, Adam of Yankee vs. Yankee Hater and Matt of UberPlexer/Les Expos.

We all chose 5 teams for a bracket-style strat-o-something tournament. Adam is running it game-by-game and giving the highlights (the bracket will be updated here). To even up the brackets to 16 teams, Adam chose the 1906 Cubs - who better not go all the way because no one really owns them and the distribution of winner's beer would get messed up.

Now my alternate suggestion was the 1994 Expos, but Adam had already chosen the Cubbies. So I asked for an exhibition game with the tournament winner, knowing full well that the 1994 Expos weren't an "all time best" team. Adam, always a cruel and betting man, said he would run it - but the wager would be that if Expos lost, the background of his blog would be the box score of the 22-0 drubbing received by the Yankees three nights past. Now, let it be known that I am not representing the "Yankee Hater" part of his blog's title - so I politely declined the wager.

And how does Mr. Swankjob respond?

"Matt Carroll of Uberplex fame, also the author of Les Expos, challenged the tournament winner to face the 94 Expos to an exhibition. However, when i tried to make a bet with him, he backed out. The bet was that if the Expos lost (and they would have) then the Scoreboard of the Indians vs Yankees 22-0 rout would become the backround on my blog, for a limited time. The drunkard recinded the deal but hopefully a new one can be worked out."

So, while I feel that my poor Expos will not fare well against what in all likely hood will be the 1927 Yankees, I will take the wager with two conditions.

1. Don't leave it up as the background for more than a week. One damned game and that's all you stinkin' Red Sux/Mutts fans can think about. How about the larger picture of being in first place?

2. Take suggestions from the crowd on an appropriate (read: dastardly) wager should the 1994 Expos live the dream and atone for whatever sins they must have committed in the 1981 NLCS (See #9). You must be punished for your hubris should the Expos win. (And I'm sure the wager will be so good, you'll get the heebie-jeebies just thinking about having to fulfill it.)

Will you accept these conditions? I'll give you a day to think it over - just as I did with your stupid wager.

Later.

Nothing to say/Rien à dire

MLB Power Alley - Week 22

Not a thing to say about the Expos - and that's a great thing. The rubes over at ESPN finally got their acts together and took a long look at the strong second-half record of the Expos. And that resulted in a jump of four spots in the Power Rankings.

The Expos are now at number 23. (And, in what may yet still prove to be true, are ahead of the Mets.)

News is that Expos will still be playing in the NL East next year.

"If a decision is made soon, there still would be time to alter the schedule, according to the commissioner's office.... Baseball officials say commissioner Bud Selig hopes to make a decision on the team's future before the end of the regular season but won't set any deadlines."

They didn't play last night - so no game update.

Later.

What an ending/quelle fin

Scotty B should have been an Expo posted:

Wow, and Lauren, I mean Mo, you did miss a crazy ending with Hawk-Nose (aka Nomah) scoring on a wild pitch in the 11th and after an RBI single to score the second run, Endy Chavez shows off the cannon from center to get the third out at home trying to score. Oh, but it didn't end there. In bottom half, pinch-hitter extraodinaire Jamey Carroll busting a double and scoring one to cut the deficit. Anyway, and what's up with ESPN not posting the full box score. According to them they only played 10 inning and the big JC (Jamey Carroll? Jesus Christ? Coincidence? I think not) didn't even get up. I know it's the 'Spos, but come on. Oh, and I also think Dusty "Mr. I've got 1000 wins so I don't have to come up with an original thought" Baker should chalk this one up to luck and a wild pitch not that "oh, we just kept trying and finally broke through crap" you're supposed to keep trying, that's your job. Were you trying to get a wild pitch? Moron. Of course if Frank Robinson said that then I'd agree. He's way smarter than Dusty Dumbass.

Later.

Pride in losing/Fierté en perdant

Another tough one-run loss

On the topic of losing, I lost my post.

Expos lose it 2-1 with all runs coming in the 11th.

New Power Rankings later today.

Later.

good tv coverage v cubs/bonne assurance de television v cubs

For the second time in three nights the Spos are on ESPN. This is not because of their powerful offense, but rather because they are playing the Cubbies. So, I just turned the game on in the 9th and it was 0-0. Tony Armas, Jr. started and Chad Cordero was pitching in the 9th and still is in the top of the 10th. Kerry Woods started for Chitown and pitched eight. Juan Rivera just made a great catch in the gap in right field saving the go ahead run. And Endy Chavez is up for a web gem from an earlier play. Is Corey Patterson related to Patsy? The Cubs are all wearing rally caps in the dugout but they just can't hit our dominant pitching. Cordero just fanned Corey Patterson for the last out in top 10 - Patterson's fourth strike out of the game! I thought maybe writing up this blog would bring the Spos good luck, but so far in the bottom of the 10th Rivera struck out swinging and then there were two quick pop ups. So, I have to go to bed now. Good luck, Spos.

There's our All-Star/Il y a notre toute l'étoile

Livan shuts down Cubbies:

"Hernandez (10-12) gave up only three hits, while striking out three batters and walking four. He even collected two hits and drove in a run."

...

"Expos outfielder Terrmel Sledge went back, dove for the ball and made the catch.

"'It felt great to make that catch,' Sledge said. 'We have a lot of pride and we are just trying to win games. Anything I can do to help the team win, I'll try to do it.'"

...

"Maicer Izturis hit his first career Major League home run."

...

"Hernandez even talked about possibly winning the Silver Slugger Award after collecting his two hits on Tuesday. He is now hitting .269 with a homer and nine RBIs this season."

Basically the Yankees lost big last night, and I'm licking my wounds.

Later.