1994 - Storm Clouds on the Horizon

   I know it's been a while.......

 In case you missed my previous posts, or are just too lazy to scroll down and read them, I'm re-creating the 1994 Montreal Expos season using the classic board game Strat-O-Matic Baseball.
Both the Expos and Strat were fixtures in my youth, so this is a natual marriage to me.

 With a two year old and a newborn in our house in 1994, I did not get to follow the Expos as closely as I would have liked.  Jonah Keri's excellent history of the team, "Up, Up, and Away," as well as Danny Gallagher and Bill Young's superbly documented "Ecstasy to Agony: The 1994 Montreal Expos" have been fantastic memory joggers.

 There was both great anticipation and angst as the 94 season approached.  The 93 edition of the team saw its collection of rising young stars begin to hit their peak, as the team was in contention right up until the final days of the season, ultimately finishing 2nd to the Phillies with a very respectable 94-68 record.
  The 1993-94 off season would prove to be one of upheaval, though.
  Ace Dennis Martinez, whose 15 wins led the staff, departed as a free agent after the season, having becoming too expensive for the budget-conscious Expos.  A trade had been arranged in August that would send El Presidente to the Giants, but since the deal was after the trade deadline, Martinez had to clear waivers, and the Braves, gearing up for a pennant run, put in a claim.  The Expos then attempted to deal Martinez to Atlanta, but as a 10 and 5 man, he vetoed the deal, claiming that the Braves would not agree to a contract extension, and they only planned to use him as a sixth starter anyway.
  Nonetheless, the departure of the author of the only perfect game in Expos history did not sit well with the fans.  Their ire was only further provoked when leadoff hitter Delino Deshields, who some called the face of the team, was dealt to Los Angeles for a middle relief pitcher with a suspect shoulder.  Pedro Martinez would go on to win a Cy Young for the Expos before being dealt to the Red Sox, but fans were incensed at the deal.
  Added to this were the constant rumours that the club was on the verge of dealing slugging Canadian outfielder Larry Walker before he too became a budgetary burden.
  The off season drama continued as the talk that the architect of the team, GM Dan Duquette, was about to leave for greener pastures in Boston reached a head in January,  With the Expos unable to meet his demands for a new contract, Duquette bolted for the Red Sox as spring training was about to open.
 In the space of a few months, the team had lost its ace, one of its most popular players, its GM, and was on the verge of losing its best position player.  And lurking in the background was the growing specter of labour unrest, which had plagued baseball since 1981.
  What should have been an off season of growing enthusiasm turned into considerable frustration for Expos fans.  This was a team that was solid everywhere - starting pitching (despite the loss of Dennis Martinez), the bullpen, the starting lineup, and even the bench.  Players like Walker, Moises Alou, Marquis Grissom, Will Cordero, and John Wetteland were just coming into their prime.  And leading this group was Manager Felipe Alou, a longtime Expos minor league skipper who was just starting to build a legacy of his own.

  I will play a couple of exhibition games against the other team of my Canadian youth, the Blue Jays, this weekend, and update you all next week.  I'm using the advanced version of Strat, although I may give the super advanced version a try.  Both are more realistic than the basic version in terms of match ups, fielding, and base running.