ON BASE WITH FANS
Thousands fill seats of the Big O to watch Toronto vs. Pittsburgh exhibition series
It’s the bottom of the seventh inning and Maxime Auger is frantically trying to buy a ticket to see the end of the Pittsburgh PiratesToronto Blue Jays game at the Big O.
He has just taken the bus from the Laurentians with his wife and baby to see the next best thing to an Expos game — but the bases are loaded and the Interac machine won’t work.
“It won’t be like this at the stadium downtown,” he says with certainty and frustration. “And I’m sure we’ll get 25,000 fans per game.”
Asked if his infant son is an Expos fan too, he says, deadpan: “He’s not just a fan, he’s going to be pitching for them in 2033.”
It’s a level of enthusiasm for Nos Amours investors are hoping is widespread in Montreal, despite the departure of the Expos for Washington, D.C., some 12 years ago.
Earlier this week, news reports suggested everything was in place for the Expos to return, including designs for a downtown stadium, at least one billionaire wanting it to happen, and support from two levels of government — cue Mayor Denis Coderre, who donned an Expos uniform this week.
The exhibition game between the Pirates and Jays was a chance to gauge that other essential ingredient: the fan base.
There were 43,000 people in attendance for Friday night’s game, and then 52,202 Saturday afternoon when a “We’re ready!” sign was hoisted behind the dugout.
Among them were three French women who have been watching the Blue Jays on television and wanted to see their first live game. Two friends from the West Island wore Blue Jays uniforms, saying they had transferred from the Expos.
“If they bring baseball back to Montreal, it has to be elsewhere,” Tamra Canty-Currie grumbled, unhappy about the prices for tickets at Olympic Stadium (“To an exhibition game!”), hotdogs ($6.75!) and beer (“It’s extortion!”) — not to mention the fact people who step outside to smoke are not allowed back in.
“Look at how many people are here to support the Blue Jays,” her friend Ayden Tavares said. “Where’s our baseball team?”
Then there was Lance Campeau and his seven-year-old son. A former radio producer for AM 600, Campeau used to listen to Expos games from the control booth.
“That’s how I learned about baseball,” Campeau said. “When I started listening to three-hour ball games, that’s when I understood the game. It’s theatre of the mind — the commentator paints a picture for you.”
The game has evolved, of course — or at least the broadcasts have, which increasingly are carried over the Internet, which is also an ideal forum for the statistical side of the sport, Campeau said.
“It’s a numbers game, and that doesn’t always appeal to people,” Campeau said. “But today, data is king. This is custom-fit for the information age.”
Asked what he truly loves about the sport, he gets philosophical.
“Baseball’s a game of crescendo — you feel the build up to the pivotal moment. … Everything in life is telling me to hurry up,” he said, “and baseball is telling me to slow down and enjoy life.”
It’s a numbers game … today, data is king. This is custom-fit for the information age.