Matthew Ross speech from the Montreal Baseball Project Gala honouring the 1994 Expos

The following is my speech from the March 29, 2014 Gala that honoured the 1994 Montreal Expos, as put on by the Montreal Baseball Project:

Bon soir. first I want to thank the Montreal Baseball Project, the Montreal Board of Trade, Ernst & Young and BCF for their tireless and ongoing efforts to bring baseball back. 

In the fall of 1993, when I was 15, the Expos finished the season on a torrid pace, narrowly missing the promised land. It created a ripple in the Montreal sports scene, a real curiosity. But with the Canadiens still ruling as the reigning NHL champs, Nos Amours were still a distant second fiddle among my peers. It wasn't cool to wear Expos hat or shirts. 

And then 1994 happened. By June, it was hard to ignore the special feeling that was beginning to grip the city. All of a sudden, not only were the Expos cool, but they IT! Teens were staying out late and going to the Big Owe on school nights, and the once skeptical guy next to me in homeroom now had a Larry Walker jersey. 

And then it happened, the season was gone and so too was the magic. Or was it? 20 years later, the story of the 1994 Expos has reached mythical proportions. They are the James Dean of baseball history, having died young and never reaching full potential. 

But out of this unfulfilled season has risen immortality. Much like the spirit of Gary Carter, it's something that both the Montreal Baseball Project and ExposNation have and will continue to draw on.

A full 20 years after the 94 Expos were beginning to light the fire of sports fans  in this city, if today's pre-game reaction at Olympic Stadium was any indication, I think it's safe to say they have helped to make the game cool again in Montreal. 

From the bottom of mine and my committee's hearts, merci beaucoup.  

Warren Cromartie on Expos Gala

Montreal Baseball Project Feasibility Study

Montreal baseball news is bittersweet

Labatt Park - The Expos home that never was

As hardcore Montreal baseball fans, and closet fans who've not thought about the past time in several years, unite surrounding Warren Cromartie's recent Montreal Baseball Project press conference announcement, the whole thing is bittersweet for me.

I miss it. I miss it a lot. When the Expos left, I cried it out and moved on. Many years passed. I rooted somewhat for the Red Sox and it was okay. But something in me was awakened in July 2010, the month of Andre Dawson's Cooperstown induction. A TEAM 990 bus filled with passionate fellow baseball fans, complete with my dad alongside me, really ignited something from within. Combine that with the Annakin Slayd Remember the Expos anthem, and my Expos fever was out of control. Since then, I have done everything in my power to promote, encourage and perpetuate the Expos and the game of baseball in my city - and beyond.

Recently, limited free time has been spent searching for something to latch on to, be it video clips, interviews on my show with former players, story-sharing with fellow fans, etc... But it's never enough. It's a tease and it doesn't completely bring back the relaxed yet exciting feeling of walking into a ballpark, plunking down in my seat and taking in the sights and sounds, and appreciating all of the athletic yet cerebral action on the field.

So when I was able to cover a few baseball related items for the Montreal Gazette last summer, it was such an incredibly proud time in my career as a communications professional.

One of the things that I covered was the Rodger Brulotte story on how he had been approached by a group wanting to bring baseball back to Montreal. We never got any names out of him, and the story died off somewhat.

Then we had the group with Marc Griffin and Eric Gagne trying to build a minor league stadium in conjunction with Baseball Quebec. Many months later, we don't hear much out of them, either.

Now comes Warren, and his infectious passion and eloquence. Are we destined to once again hear nothing for months on end, following his June 1981 Expos celebration? I hope not.

As an impatient person by nature, it's hard to swallow these euphoric baseball city developments, only to once again be disappointed. It's almost like reliving the 1994 season. Such pain.

So two things need to happen here. First, all of these various factions have to get together and be on the same page, working as one cohesive and powerful lobby group. We saw how the Winnipeg Jets were reborn. Wow, that group was a well oiled machine. They brought in the Manitoba Moose, built an arena and then slowly impressed the NHL. Now that's how you resurrect a franchise.

The second aspect is a showcasing of fan passion. The world needs to see the city get excited and really WANT a team back in this market. As it is, the rest of Major League Baseball thinks that no one cares about the game here. Can you blame them? Something viral and magical and proactive has to take place. And I am not so sure any of these baseball factions can make it happen.

Anything's possible, we all know that. But we're looking at a six-run deficit in the bottom of the eighth inning with two outs.

Former Expos broadcasting legend Jacques Doucet is right. The Montreal Baseball Project does risk negatively impacting the Griffin and Gagne efforts. It's my hope that even if these two camps aren't working together, that they can at least cooperate and be kissing cousins.

Finally, I've thought a lot about the Brulotte-protected group trying to bring a major league team back. It just doesn't make any sense at this point why they would not want their names out there. With the current buzz happening, it would behoove them to take advantage of the climate and the people working towards baseball's return, and to go all out. I've often speculated that it's one particular media conglomerate, with multiple platforms to disseminate baseball content on.

Sadly, as the months go by and the curtain is not pulled back for the reveal, I doubt more and more the legitimacy of this group. That's not to say I am not rooting for its existence, ready to support the efforts in any way possible.

Time will tell how this all plays out. All I know is we are sans baseball for another summer and it sucks.

Listen to Game Points with Matthew Ross on TSN 990 Radio in Montreal every Tuesday 9pm-12am and Sunday 6-8pm. Follow on Twitter @TSNmatthew