the 1994 NL EAST n FALL CLASSIC Champion Montreal EXPOS...what could have been..so TALENTED and LOADED at every turn for NOT.

The real true SPORTS FANS always reflect back in time at their favorite teams or games to get a perspective on what could have been. Unfortunately for some FANS and Cities reflecting on things in the past isn't always the best thing to do. See the BLUEDUDE Intellectual Property is my BRAIN and I can go back about as far as seeing a RAPTOR or a caveman in my backyard or shall I say the back end of my cave.

This team and story has been sitting on the BLUEDUDE'S Mind for quite sometime and I have to get it out of my mind and off my chest. What ever happened to the best ever Major League Baseball Team to never Win the WORLD SERIES and they probably would have. This wasn't from a monumental collapse in September or them losing a tight divisional race. The mighty 1994 Montreal EXPOS were stopped by that dreaded word of a WORK STOPPAGE....the MLB Strike of 1994.

To this day I recall maybe the best Outfield I have ever seen from left to right....Moises ALOU, Marquis GRISSOM, and Larry WALKER. All three of these EXPOS Outfielders were 5 Tool and the 4th OF was Rondell WHITE, who is currently married to former PALE HOSE and AMAZINS' Skip Jerry MANUEL's Daughter, who was also a 5 Tool player.

Then you move to the infield the EXPOSE had Cliff FLOYD, Mike LANSING and Wil CORDERO. The Starting Rotation was led by a Top Trio of hurlers in Jeff FASSERO, Ken HILL, and a young Pedro MARTINEZ. Then when you call down to the PEN it was John WETTELAND as the CLOSER and Mel ROJAS as Half Closer/Half Set-Up Man.

The 'SPOS were lights out and before the Work Stoppage on August 12, 1994 they were 74-40 through 114 games and running away with the SHOWS best record.

Ironically they were led by Moises' Father Felipe ALOU and how did Rondell probably meet Jerry Manuel's Daughter...he was the 3rd Base Coach for the EXPOS at the time.

the BLUEDUDE also remembers to this day in 1993 the EXPOS had 3 of the TOP 5 Baseball Prospects in the MINORS in then Outfielders Cliff FLOYD (1991 Chicago SUN-TIMES ATHLETE of the YEAR... ALL-STATE in BASKETBALL and ALL-AMERICAN in BASEBALL for Thornwood HS in South Holland ILLINOIS and had signed a baseball scholarship to play for the Wichita STATE SHOCKERS before turning Pro out of High School), Rondell WHITE, and Curtis PRIDE, who had an Hearing Aid in his left ear and was absoultely ridiculous himself patrolling the Outfield.

At the time of the Work Stoppage the BRAVES were ONLY 6 Games back and they had that Monster of a STAFF and a young one in Greg MADDUX, Tom GLAVINE, Steve AVERY, and John SMOLTZ. The BRAVES that season were led by that Pitching Staff, Terry PENDELTON, David JUSTICE, and Crime Dog McGRIFF...Fred McGRIFF.

Looking back on it as they played in OLD OLYMPIC STADIUM in Montreal QUEBEC...the 'SPOS were the TEAM to beat and the Odds on favorite to win the FALL CLASSIC as they were so talented and Loaded at every turn. For the People of MONTREAL it brings back bad memories with the good memories as they had their best team ever that year even better than the Late Gary CARTER, Andre "the HAWK" DAWSON, and Tim "ROCK" RAINES led EXPO Teams of the 80s.

Now you know the 1994 NL EAST Champs and Fall Classic Champions were the Montreal EXPOS gone but never forgotten in MONTREAL and the BASEBALL World.....go 'SPOS and OLYMPIC Stadium