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PORT PERRY STAR -- Wednesday, August 8, 1990 -- 7 Viewpoint ER a REET 5 He ee ADIEU, LES EXPOS? ___It looks like Montreal is going to have a tough time hanging on to its National League baseball team, les Expos. And what a pity that will be if the team next sea- son ends up in Denver or New Orleans, or some oth- er city south of the border. The principal owner of the team, Charlie Bron- fam, who paid a paltry $10 million for the franchise back in 1969, has made it clear he wants to sell. And he has set September 1 of this year for somebody in Quebec to step forward with the mega- bucks to keep the franchise in Montreal. It just won't happen. Right off the bat, the $100 million price tag is a trifle steep, even with the inflated dollars of 1990. ~ And sad to say, if recent years are any indica- tion, the people of Montreal have all but given up on major league baseball. Despite the fact Expos were contenders much of last season, the team drew under two million paying customers. And it doesn't look much better this season. The Expos are still not out of the race in the NL East, yet continue to play in front of crowds that fill less than half the 50,000 seats in Olympic Stadium. Some observers suggest that the Montreal sports fans, perhaps the most fickle and critical in North America, have never forgiven the team for its failures to win a World Series back in the "glory days" of the late '70's and early "80's. And what glory days there were with the likes of Gary Carter and Andre Dawson in their prime; Jeff Reardon, the finest reliever in the business; the sen- sational rookie Tim Raines; Tony Perez, Larry Par- rish; and a host of other outstanding players that even included Pete Rose for a couple of seasons. There may be some truth to that thesis, though | think more to the point, the political climate is hurting the franchise. In these days of heady nationalism in Quebec and Montreal, it's just not fashionable to get overly excited about a bunch of uni-lingual guys playing an American game. The team itself may be partly to blame. To my knowledge, there has never been a native Quebecois on the roster, not even a pinch-hitter or a utility in- ielder. Personally, it's going to hurt to see the Expos pack their spikes and chewin' tabacca, and pull out of Olympic Stadium. I've been a dye-in-the-wool fan since the team first came on the scene, followed them through the early lean years, then lived and died on every pitch through the late '70's and early '80's. One of the sad- dest sporting moments in my life was that Monday af- ternoon when Rick Monday of the Dodgers hit a home run in the top of the 9th to knock the Expos out of the playoffs. Blue Monday, they called it. The big stars began to get restless. Dawson was shipped to Chicago, and somehow his gimpy knees made a remarkable recovery on the grass in frigley. Carter went to the Mets, found a new life and helped win a World Series there. Reardon disappeared to the American League. And Tim Raines never quite achieved the super- star status predicted for him from the moment he broke into the league as a 19-year old rookie. Many players in both leagues have clauses in their contracts allowing them to veto a trade to Mon- treal. And last season, all the money in Quebec would not have kept Mark Langston, though in rer- trospect, it was just as well. Hey, did you ever attend a game in the old Jarry Park. It was more like being at a family picnic than a major league ball game, cheering on Rusty Staub and the rest as they stumbled through nine torturous innings. Great fun and nobody seemed to care about the final score. And when the team moved to the Big O, it was an absolute delight to take in a game or two. The aisles are wide, the seats comfortable, there is ample leg room, and the vendors bring real "biere froide" right to your place in the stands. Once the Blue Jays came into the American League in '77, |, like many other Canadian baseball fans, pined for the day when the Jays and Expos would meet in a World Series. Vin Scully would be rendered speechless trying to broadcast an "all- Canadian" series. But it never came to pass, and it won't this sea- son. As for 1991, | fully expect the Montreal Expos will be gone. Too bad. The big loser will be the province of Quebec and the city of Montreal. Both are desperate to show off to the rest of the world. Yet one has to wonder what big-time investors must think, especial- ly American investors, about a city that can't or won't support a major league team. Perhaps Bronfman will be able to pull a rabbit from the hat and find a Quebec buyer, but | doubt it very much. The franchise that once was the darling of all Canada, will soon be just another asterisk in the annals of sport oddities: a group of English-speaking foreigners, playing an American game in a nationa- listic city where French is the only language. Shame on you, Monteal, for letting this happen, the city where Jackie Robinson first played as a pro. Remember When? 45 YEARS AGO Thursday, August 23, 1945 On Thursday, August 23 at 8:30, another informal reception will be held to say "Welcome Home" to the men and women of the Armed Forces. Mrs. R. Bently and daughter have returned home from a pleasant holiday in Muskoka District. Mr. and Mrs. Crane have moved to Port Perry. Mr. Crane is to be Principal of Port Perry High School. 35 YEARS AGO Thursday, August 18, 1955 Spending a vacation in Britain are Mrs. Aleta MacFarlane and Miss Gladys Joblin. The 5th annual Starr-Dymond picnic held at Greenwood Park, attracted the largest attendance ever, with an estimated 800 present. Miss Donna Samells, Port Perry, was the winner of the Garden Umbrella Table and four chairs in the Lion's Club draw recently. Marie Taylor, A.R.C.T., R.M.T., has attained the highest marks in the Province of Ontario in her Pipe Organ examina- tions in June. Mr. and Mrs. Roy C. Honey have moved from Toronto to Port Perry and have purchased the bungalow on the corner of Perry and Scugog Street. Roy has been a railway mail clerk in charge on the Ottawa and Toronto night train for fourteen years. 30 YEARS AGO Thursday, August 18, 1960 Mac Christie, R.R. 4, Port Perry, was televised doing chores at Christie Brothers Farm, one morning during the past week. The picture will be shown on Country Calendar. Miss Beatrice McNab of New York City, Mr. Tom McNab of Toronto, Mr. and Mrs. O.W. Hancock of Ottawa, were recent guests of Mrs. C.C. Jeffrey. Mid-afternoon blazes at the home of Russell Hood, Scugog Island, completely gutted the house and destroyed much of the furnishings. 25 YEARS AGO Thursday, August 12, 1965 Mrs. Charles Dyer of 118 Lilla Street, Port Perry, was the lucky winner of the Port Perry Lions Club Lawn Umbrella Set which was drawn recently. Miss Dominion of Canada, Carol Ann Tidey, will be present at the 100th Anniversary of the Blackstock Fair. Miss Tidey will Tum to Page 12 Lette I'S to the editor ET TE JE BE Tourist facilities lacking in Scugog To the Editor: I am employed at the Scugog Chamber of Commerce tourist in- formation booth at the lakefront. Before I worked here I believed the myth that Scugog was made for tourists. Working here, I have found that it is not. True, fishing and shopping are big to Scugog's economy, but there is not much else. Not only do we lack many attractions, but we lack many of the services for tourism. There are few accom- modations in the Township. During Festival Days, all these places were full thus forcing us to recommend accommodation out- side the Township. Where one stays is also where one eats and Religion in British schools To the Editor: In correspondence from friends who reside in Ontario, I have recently been asked what hap- pens about the teaching of Religious Education in State con- trolled Schools in England in con- temporary society, which has in- creasingly become secular and pluralist in the last twenty or so years. The question has been ad- dressed to me because, until my recent retirement, I have been the Head of Religious Education at a large Comprehensive School in my city for twenty-four years. In 1944 a far-sighted Education Act was passed which stated that each school day should begin with Tum to Page 10 shops and spends money. Therefore all the people we sent elsewhere took their money with them. To me, there is no reason for this. Scugog has the best potential for money making. Scugog has a lake. This fact alone is the biggest advantage Scugog has. It is also the most neglected advantage. Cruises, lakeside resorts with hotels and cottages, more proper- ly groomed public beaches etc. - are all lacking on Scugog. Most Muskoka and Kawartha lakes, no matter how small and out of the way have many of these attractions. On land, there are few campsites, parks and attrac- tions, like museums in Scugog. I think the Ministry of Natural Resources should make the crown owned land at the top end of the island into an official Provincial" Park. Anyone on 7A on Friday afternoon will tell you there cer- tainly is the traffic flow through Scugog to make these attractions profitable. Tourist places such as beaches, recreation centres, and restaurants are all needed by the residents of Scugog as well. The trick is to provide the places for tourists and residents alike, but to have the tourists pay for them. I applaud the Scugog Chamber of Commerce for opening this booth. I believe it is a start to changing the myth of tourism in * Scugog to a reality. Yours sincerely, Jeffery W. Brown FIRE-TURN UP6IDE DOWN Ng Pa 7 pn" mm