Baseball Guru
03-02-2002, 09:46 AM
By BOB ELLIOTT -- Toronto Sun
JUPITER, Fla. -- The dream season sequence for the Montreal Expos, if you are an optimistic dreamer, goes something like this:
The Expos, operated by Major League Baseball in 2002, start fast, become America's Team, since everyone loves an underdog. Even Montrealers notice, and in a late rush the Expos make the post-season as wild-card winners.
Hollywood would buy that script.
"I'm a bit of a dreamer and my dream is playing in the World Series," Expos catcher Michael Barrett said yesterday. "I almost cried watching the World Series. Looking at the Arizona Diamondbacks and the New York Yankees, I was jealous of those guys."
The nightmare version of the Montreal Orphans goes like this:
In this their lame-duck season, the Expos draw less than the 642,748 fans they drew in 2001 -- which was less than seven minor-league clubs -- and superstar Vladimir Guerrero is dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers for, say, a backup infielder from double-A Huntsville.
"I put my faith and trust in this team and the people who are running it," Barrett said, after a nervous laugh. "If they trade Vlad, it would be hard to deal with."
Dealing Guerrero, or established Expos such as Jose Vidro, Javier Vazquez, Orlando Cabrera and Barrett, is what baseball people fear. Commissioner Bud Selig in effect now owns and controls two teams, his own Milwaukee Brewers and the Expos.
"Vladimir Guerrero is not going to be traded," Omar Minaya, the new Expos general manager, said. "We don't plan to have any of the key guys on the market."
The answer to a dream or a nightmare season lies somewhere in between in this the final year of baseball in Montreal.
Tony Tavares, the new Expos president, who used to run the Anaheim Angels, compares the Expos situation to a visit to his doctor.
"When the doc says you have six months to life, you either cry in your soup or you celebrate life," Tavares said. "We intend to celebrate."
Will Expos fans celebrate? Tavares has a big challenge, but Angels employees are confident he can find a way to decrease attendance, as soon as he learns how to berate employees in both official languages.
We can't think of a league operating a team since the Canadian Football League ran the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1991.
Expos players went through a difficult winter reading that the team would fall victim to Selig's grand contraction plan.
"The most common question I was asked this winter was which team do I hope picks me in the dispersal draft" Expos pitcher Carl Pavano said. "Eventually it clogged my mind, so I tuned it all out. A year from now I hope we're all together in Montreal."
Hall of Fame outfielder Frank Robinson is back in the managing saddle.
"There's talk we'll be in Washington a year from now," Randy Knorr, who hopes to stick as a backup catcher, said. "In Frank's first meeting he just asked us to play hard."
Minaya had a grand total of six baseball employees when hired Feb. 12 as the Expos GM -- Tim Leiper, manager at triple-A Ottawa, Randy St. Claire, pitching coach at Ottawa, Adam Wogan, assistant farm director, trainer Ron McClain, and public relations staffers Monique Giroux and Matt Charbonneau.
He had 90 to 100 jobs to fill -- from pro scouts to amateur scouts to minor-league managers and coaches to trainers -- and only 72 hours to get ready for spring training.
When former Expos owner Jeffrey Loria purchased the Florida Marlins in Selig's game of musical chairs, he took most of his staff, scouting reports and computers with him. He then fired most of the Marlins employees.
"We've probably hired about 20 people who were with the Marlins," Minaya said.
Minaya left the security of being the assistant GM of the New York Mets for the Expos position to become the first Hispanic GM. If he doesn't have a job as a GM in 2003, he will work for the commissioner's office.
"The Mets offered more money and more security, which was probably more comfortable for me," Minaya said, "but from a historical standpoint, to be the first Hispanic GM was more important for me."
Minaya is a hard-working evaluator who paid his dues with the Texas Rangers and the Mets. He deserved a GM job with a brighter future.
JUPITER, Fla. -- The dream season sequence for the Montreal Expos, if you are an optimistic dreamer, goes something like this:
The Expos, operated by Major League Baseball in 2002, start fast, become America's Team, since everyone loves an underdog. Even Montrealers notice, and in a late rush the Expos make the post-season as wild-card winners.
Hollywood would buy that script.
"I'm a bit of a dreamer and my dream is playing in the World Series," Expos catcher Michael Barrett said yesterday. "I almost cried watching the World Series. Looking at the Arizona Diamondbacks and the New York Yankees, I was jealous of those guys."
The nightmare version of the Montreal Orphans goes like this:
In this their lame-duck season, the Expos draw less than the 642,748 fans they drew in 2001 -- which was less than seven minor-league clubs -- and superstar Vladimir Guerrero is dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers for, say, a backup infielder from double-A Huntsville.
"I put my faith and trust in this team and the people who are running it," Barrett said, after a nervous laugh. "If they trade Vlad, it would be hard to deal with."
Dealing Guerrero, or established Expos such as Jose Vidro, Javier Vazquez, Orlando Cabrera and Barrett, is what baseball people fear. Commissioner Bud Selig in effect now owns and controls two teams, his own Milwaukee Brewers and the Expos.
"Vladimir Guerrero is not going to be traded," Omar Minaya, the new Expos general manager, said. "We don't plan to have any of the key guys on the market."
The answer to a dream or a nightmare season lies somewhere in between in this the final year of baseball in Montreal.
Tony Tavares, the new Expos president, who used to run the Anaheim Angels, compares the Expos situation to a visit to his doctor.
"When the doc says you have six months to life, you either cry in your soup or you celebrate life," Tavares said. "We intend to celebrate."
Will Expos fans celebrate? Tavares has a big challenge, but Angels employees are confident he can find a way to decrease attendance, as soon as he learns how to berate employees in both official languages.
We can't think of a league operating a team since the Canadian Football League ran the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1991.
Expos players went through a difficult winter reading that the team would fall victim to Selig's grand contraction plan.
"The most common question I was asked this winter was which team do I hope picks me in the dispersal draft" Expos pitcher Carl Pavano said. "Eventually it clogged my mind, so I tuned it all out. A year from now I hope we're all together in Montreal."
Hall of Fame outfielder Frank Robinson is back in the managing saddle.
"There's talk we'll be in Washington a year from now," Randy Knorr, who hopes to stick as a backup catcher, said. "In Frank's first meeting he just asked us to play hard."
Minaya had a grand total of six baseball employees when hired Feb. 12 as the Expos GM -- Tim Leiper, manager at triple-A Ottawa, Randy St. Claire, pitching coach at Ottawa, Adam Wogan, assistant farm director, trainer Ron McClain, and public relations staffers Monique Giroux and Matt Charbonneau.
He had 90 to 100 jobs to fill -- from pro scouts to amateur scouts to minor-league managers and coaches to trainers -- and only 72 hours to get ready for spring training.
When former Expos owner Jeffrey Loria purchased the Florida Marlins in Selig's game of musical chairs, he took most of his staff, scouting reports and computers with him. He then fired most of the Marlins employees.
"We've probably hired about 20 people who were with the Marlins," Minaya said.
Minaya left the security of being the assistant GM of the New York Mets for the Expos position to become the first Hispanic GM. If he doesn't have a job as a GM in 2003, he will work for the commissioner's office.
"The Mets offered more money and more security, which was probably more comfortable for me," Minaya said, "but from a historical standpoint, to be the first Hispanic GM was more important for me."
Minaya is a hard-working evaluator who paid his dues with the Texas Rangers and the Mets. He deserved a GM job with a brighter future.