Jarry Park and the 1976 Montreal Expos
Jarry Park opened in 1960 as a 3,000 seat park for the AAA Montreal Royals. Around the same time, the Los Angeles Dodgers terminated their contract with their longtime minor league franchise, and the Royals ended up moving to Syracuse, New York. Leaving the new park without a permanent tenant.
The city of Montreal was awarded a National League expansion franchise in May 1968, contingent on ownership finding a place to play. Eventually -and desperately- the mayor settled on housing the Expos at Jarry Park. With a $3 million dollar expansion to approximately 28,000 seats to be completed by April, 1969. With renovations, Jarry Park would come close to meeting Major League Baseball's minimum stadium requirements.
The Expos were only supposed to play at Jarry Park for four years, until a domed stadium could be built. The National League office kept pressuring Montreal about their stadium situation, but never threatened to move the team. The domed stadium wasn't built in time for the 1973 season, as planned, so the team forged on at Jarry Park, drawing some decent attendance figures from 1969 through 1975. People stopped going in 1976 as the team had regressed and the park was poor at best.
I found this on You Tube. Someone shot some excellent pre-game footage of an Expos Padres game at Jarry Park from August 1969. I'm a big fan of this taper making sure to get stadium footage in addition to just showing players. Gotta love the mustard yellow Padres road uniforms...
Montreal was awarded the 1976 Olympics, and would need a huge stadium built to accommodate the games. The logical conclusion was the Expos would use the stadium after the Olympics. However, Olympic Stadium was plagued by problems and was barely finished in time for the 1976 Olympics. Saying nothing of the problems the stadium caused the Expos during their stay...
But I'm more interested in the 1976 Montreal Expos baseball team right now, so that's where we are going. (I'll get back to Jarry Park as well...)
Montreal would play their final season at Jarry Park in 1976, before moving into Olympic Stadium for the 1977 season. They went a terrible 55-107 in 1976, but were a very young team that was poised to take off. Their record for 1977 at Olympic Stadium was 75-87, an improvement by 20 wins.
I don't have the full team set of 1976 Topps, so I'm only highlighting some of the players I have. I'm missing center fielder Ellis Valentine and left fielder Bombo Rivera (before he played for the Twins) from the starting lineup...
Rogers spent his entire 13 year career with Montreal, playing from 1973-1985, going 158-152 with a 3.17 ERA, during that span. 1976 was a year of bad luck for Rogers, posting a record of only 7-17, despite a good ERA of 3.21 in 32 starts. He won at least 15 games in 5 different seasons, with a high-water mark of 19-8 in 1982.
Fryman pitched for 18 seasons in the Major Leagues, but 1976 was his last productive season as a starting pitcher. Fryman led the Expos in wins, going 13-13, with a 3.37 ERA in 32 starts for the 1976 season. After the year ended, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for future Hall of Famer, Tony Perez. He bounced to the Cubs, then was traded back to the Expos as a relief pitcher in June 1978. He continued his career with Montreal until retiring after the 1983 season.
The #4 starter in the Expos 1976 rotation, Carrithers went 6-12 with a 4.43 ERA in 34 games (19 starts). After the season, his contract was sold to the Minnesota Twins. Carrithers only pitched in 7 games for Minnesota in 1977, then was released in Spring Training 1978.
A former phenom that quickly flamed out. Blair was a 5th round draft pick out of high school in 1972, then made the major leagues at age 20, starting 22 games (11-7, 3.27) for the 1974 Expos. Blair pitched the entire 1975 season in Montreal, then bounced between the Expos (only 5 games) and AAA Denver Bears in 1976. The next few seasons, Blair battled control issues and did not appear in the major leagues until his final 5 games with the San Diego Padres in 1980.
Montreal's first round draft pick in 1970, Foote was the Expos starting catcher from 1974 until June 1977, when he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, after being replaced by Gary Carter. Never a strong hitter, Foote batted .223/.277/.360 in 369 games with the Expos. His 1976 numbers of .234/.272/.340 in 1976 was pretty much average for his career.
The trade of Rusty Staub to the New York Mets in April, 1972 (Staub for Tim Foli, Mike Jorgensen and outfielder Ken Singleton.) shocked Expos fans. Staub was an immediate favorite during the 1969 expansion season. At least the trade brought back three key pieces to the mid-1970's Expos teams...
First baseman Mike Jorgensen developed into a steady regular in Montreal, batting .254/.365/.756 in his 6 seasons with the Expos. After a 1977 trade to Oakland, Jorgensen played mostly as a backup/utility player for multiple teams, until the 1985 season. After playing in his only World Series games for the St. Louis Cardinals, who lost to the Kansas City Royals in October 1985, Jorgensen retired.
Acquired from the Texas Rangers in December 1974, Mackanin was the starting second baseman from 1975 through the 1976 season, hitting 20 home runs during those two years, but was regulated to the bench for 1977, getting in only 55 games. The Expos had signed free agent Dave cash to play second base for the 1977 season at Olympic Stadium. Mackanin spent 1978 in AAA Denver, before the Expos lost on him on waivers in September 1978, to the Philadelphia Phillies. Mackanin wrapped up his career after two more seasons with the Minnesota Twins in 1980 & 81. Mackanin is currently the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies.
The former #1 overall draft pick in 1968, Foli was acquired in the Rusty Staub trade and was the starting shortstop for Montreal until an April 1977 trade to the San Francisco Giants. (Seems like the Expos turned over their entire roster as soon as they moved into Olympic Stadium...) Foli batted an overall .246/.283/.303 in his 6 seasons (710 games) with Montreal, batting .264/.281.366, with a career high 6 home runs in 1976.
The Future Hall of Famer had been transitioning from right field to catcher, under the tutelage of Barry Foote, for his first few seasons in Montreal. 1976 was spent splitting his time between left & right field and catcher, though it was a lost season at the plate. Carter batted only .219/.287/.309 in 91 games. When the Expos moved to Olympic Stadium for the 1977 season, Carter was the catcher for 146 of those games. From 1977-1984, Carter was a superstar for the Expos. Unfortunately, they couldn't afford to pay him as such, and he was traded to the New York Mets after the 1984 season. After a five year run in New York, Carter played a season in Los Angeles and another in San Francisco, before returning to play his final season as an Expo in 1992.
Gary Carter was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003, the first player inducted as a Montreal Expo.
Signed as an amateur free agent in 1972, Parrish was the starting third baseman for the Expos from 1975 through 1981, when he was traded to the Texas Rangers. The move was to make room room for Tim Wallach to take over (and be the Expos everyday third baseman through the 1992 season). Over 967 games for the Expos, Parrish hit .263/.315/.426, with exactly 100 home runs. As a 22 year old in 1976, Parrish played in 154 games at third, hitting .232/.285/.363 with 11 home runs. In total, Parrish played 15 seasons in the major leagues, seven in Texas after the trade, then a few months in Boston to wrap up his career in 1988.
An outfield prospect who was just coming into his own with Montreal, before his career stalled. For the 1975 season, Mangual batted .245/.340/.361, with 9 home runs and 33 stolen bases, as a 23 year old in 140 games. Mangual started the 1976 season hitting .260/.403/.353 in 66 games, then was traded to the New York Mets in July. Inexplicably, his career flamed out in New York, and he played his last major league game in 1977, at age 25. Mangual payed in the minor leagues through 1984, mostly with the California Angels oganization. He posted good numbers in many of those years, but never received another shot at the Major Leagues.
Frias was strictly a utility player who got in 723 games over 9 seasons with the Expos, Braves, Rangers and Dodgers. Signed by the Expos in August 1969, Frias had already been in the minor league systems of the Giant and Dodgers. He found a home in Montreal for 6 years of minimal playing time, batting .246/.283/.303 over 710 games.
My friend "Name Redacted" Star used to pronounce his name: "Pee Pee Fries". Which still makes me laugh...
A former 11th round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals, Dwyer put in an 18 year career at the Major League level. The Cardinals traded him to the Expos in July 1975, and he was traded to the Mets in July 1976 (with Pepe Mangual). Dwyer got into 110 games with the Expos during this stint, hitting three home runs.
Fast forward to 1988... After 8 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, Dwyer was traded to the Minnesota Twins on August 28, 1988. They acquired him for their failed run at the Oakland A's for the division championship. Dwyer hit .293/.464/.463 in 20 games for the Twins in 1988.
Dwyer was re-signed by Minnesota for the 1989 season, and hit an exceptional .316/.390/.404 in 88 games, mostly serving as a backup outfielder, DH and pinch hitter. The Twins traded him back to the Expos on August 28,1989. They acquired him for their failed run at the Chicago Cubs for the division championship. Dwyer hit .300/.364/.400 in 13 games for the Expos in 1989.
Montreal traded Dwyer BACK to the Minnesota Twins on January 12, 1990. Unfortunately, the magic was over... Dwyer hit only .190/.320/.238 in 37 games, before he was released on June 22, 1990. Dwyer retired as a player, then began a coaching career in the Twins organization.
When he re-signed with Minnesota for the 1989 season, buying a 1975 Topps Jim Dwyer rookie card became my mission for much of the offseason. I couldn't look to ebay in 1989, so it took some effort. My goal was to get Dwyer's rookie card signed at a Twins game that season. I eventually found the card, but Dwyer was a tough player to find after games. I rarely saw him exiting the Metrodome when most of the others did. I managed to get him to sign in the Summer of 1989, just before he was traded back to Montreal. He made a comment about how it was a really old card of him and he hadn't seen one in a while. Seemed like a nice guy.
After the 1976 Olympics, Montreal was focused on converting Olympic Stadium into the new home field of the Expos, who would open the 1977 season there. The team on the field was poised to develop into a contender, and with a solid core of young prospects (that would eventually spawn 3 Hall of Famers in Gary Carter, Andre Dawson and Tim Raines), the future looked bright.
Highest of optimistic hopes were dealt a blow when free agent outfielder Reggie Jackson almost -then didn't- signed a long term contract with Montreal after the 1976 season. They were sniped at the last minute when George Steinbrenner convinced the future Mr. October that New York is where he needed to play. The money offered was comparable, Jackson simply chose the bigger stage of New York. Obviously, he did well for himself as a Yankee, but I've always wondered what adding Reggie Jackson to those Expos teams of the late 1970's-early 1980's would have meant to the city of Montreal...
While researching this story, I stumbled into this 1989 documentary: Les Expos Nos Amours - The Jarry Park Years (1969-1977). Narrated/hosted by noted Expos fan, Donald Sutherland. It is a very well put together documentary, with highly informative interviews with many of the key players involved in the first two decade of Expos baseball.
Ariel view of pre-renovation Jerry Park, pre-renovation... This is basically the layout of the former ballpark when I visited. In 1995, Jerry Park was nearly completely intact from it's Expos days. Except the playing field was covered by various tennis courts, tents and temporary bleachers. Parts of the original center field fence are still visible, and it looks like some of the warning track can be seen there as well.
I visited Montreal twice (1995 & 1996) on the Jay Buckley Tours, and on July 19, 1995, the bus took us out to Jarry Park. After a brief conversation with the head of the site, we were allowed to go inside the park for a brief look around. On this day, Jarry Park was being prepped for the 1995 Canadian Open Tournament tennis matches that would start in five days. But he said we could come in and look around the home plate area for a few minutes.
Our bus parked in front of this fence, with the home plate grandstands of Jarry Park just beyond it.
Approaching the grandstands. This is the oldest part of Jarry Park, the original 3,000 seat section that was built in 1960 for the Montreal Royals.
Until 1969, the home plate grandstands were all that made up the park. When it was decided the Expos would play here in 1969, additional stands were quickly built to expand capacity from 3,000 to 28,000. You can see the stands that follow the third base line on the left side of the picture.
The stands down the first base line. These sections were not attached to the grandstand. The guy in the blue hat would be Jay Buckley himself. Say hi, you're famous!
Standing roughly where home plate was, looking back at the original Jarry Park pressbox.
Where the home plate grandstands end, and the first base stands begin. As I mentioned, they were prepping the park for 1995 Canadian Open Tennis Event, that would begin on July 24th. If you look closely at the scoreboard hanging off the pressbox, Andre Agassi is listed. According to stuff I looked up, he was the #1 seed going into the tournament. In five days, the big haired Nike guy would be tennissing it up, right where I took this picture.
The section of first base stands, looking pretty much like they did when built in 1969, except being cut by a divider to section off the stands facing the main tennis court.
Looking down the first base line... The wall in front of the seating area begins roughly where first base used to be. The former Jarry Park Expos scoreboard can be seen as the red du Maurier Ltee sign behind the stands. The same L-shaped swimming pool is still behind there today.
After the 1995 Canadian Open Tournament ended in August 1995 (less than a month after I was there), major renovations began on Jarry Park. This would see the demolition of the third and first baseline stands, as well as the bleachers in left field. The original home plate stands would stay, with added seating in front, tiered downward to the now dropped floor of the stadium. On the other sides, three tiered levels of seating would circle the main tennis court. Additional tennis courts and buildings would be built on the previous layout of the Expos version of Jarry Park.
In 1995, it looked very similar to where the Expos once called home. It would soon be unrecognizable...
Here is an aerial view of the Jarry Park tennis complex after the mid 1990's renovations. The only recognizable pieces dating back to the days of Expos games here are the curved roof on the Jarry Park pressbox (which had been completely redone), and the L-shaped swimming pool behind everything.
As an Expos fan living in Minnesota, getting a close look at the Expos first home ballpark, despite it now housing a tennis court for Andre Agassi, instead of home plate for Gary Carter. Being here shortly before all recognizable traces to it's past would be destroyed...
After our tour group left Jarry Park, we rode the bus up to Olympic Stadium, to watch that night's Expos game vs the Chicago Cubs.
The city of Montreal was awarded a National League expansion franchise in May 1968, contingent on ownership finding a place to play. Eventually -and desperately- the mayor settled on housing the Expos at Jarry Park. With a $3 million dollar expansion to approximately 28,000 seats to be completed by April, 1969. With renovations, Jarry Park would come close to meeting Major League Baseball's minimum stadium requirements.
Jarry Park image from Ballparks of Baseball
I found this on You Tube. Someone shot some excellent pre-game footage of an Expos Padres game at Jarry Park from August 1969. I'm a big fan of this taper making sure to get stadium footage in addition to just showing players. Gotta love the mustard yellow Padres road uniforms...
Montreal was awarded the 1976 Olympics, and would need a huge stadium built to accommodate the games. The logical conclusion was the Expos would use the stadium after the Olympics. However, Olympic Stadium was plagued by problems and was barely finished in time for the 1976 Olympics. Saying nothing of the problems the stadium caused the Expos during their stay...
But I'm more interested in the 1976 Montreal Expos baseball team right now, so that's where we are going. (I'll get back to Jarry Park as well...)
Montreal would play their final season at Jarry Park in 1976, before moving into Olympic Stadium for the 1977 season. They went a terrible 55-107 in 1976, but were a very young team that was poised to take off. Their record for 1977 at Olympic Stadium was 75-87, an improvement by 20 wins.
I was only 1 year old in 1976, so I will be doing this from memory...
Rogers spent his entire 13 year career with Montreal, playing from 1973-1985, going 158-152 with a 3.17 ERA, during that span. 1976 was a year of bad luck for Rogers, posting a record of only 7-17, despite a good ERA of 3.21 in 32 starts. He won at least 15 games in 5 different seasons, with a high-water mark of 19-8 in 1982.
Fryman pitched for 18 seasons in the Major Leagues, but 1976 was his last productive season as a starting pitcher. Fryman led the Expos in wins, going 13-13, with a 3.37 ERA in 32 starts for the 1976 season. After the year ended, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for future Hall of Famer, Tony Perez. He bounced to the Cubs, then was traded back to the Expos as a relief pitcher in June 1978. He continued his career with Montreal until retiring after the 1983 season.
The #4 starter in the Expos 1976 rotation, Carrithers went 6-12 with a 4.43 ERA in 34 games (19 starts). After the season, his contract was sold to the Minnesota Twins. Carrithers only pitched in 7 games for Minnesota in 1977, then was released in Spring Training 1978.
A former phenom that quickly flamed out. Blair was a 5th round draft pick out of high school in 1972, then made the major leagues at age 20, starting 22 games (11-7, 3.27) for the 1974 Expos. Blair pitched the entire 1975 season in Montreal, then bounced between the Expos (only 5 games) and AAA Denver Bears in 1976. The next few seasons, Blair battled control issues and did not appear in the major leagues until his final 5 games with the San Diego Padres in 1980.
Montreal's first round draft pick in 1970, Foote was the Expos starting catcher from 1974 until June 1977, when he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, after being replaced by Gary Carter. Never a strong hitter, Foote batted .223/.277/.360 in 369 games with the Expos. His 1976 numbers of .234/.272/.340 in 1976 was pretty much average for his career.
The trade of Rusty Staub to the New York Mets in April, 1972 (Staub for Tim Foli, Mike Jorgensen and outfielder Ken Singleton.) shocked Expos fans. Staub was an immediate favorite during the 1969 expansion season. At least the trade brought back three key pieces to the mid-1970's Expos teams...
First baseman Mike Jorgensen developed into a steady regular in Montreal, batting .254/.365/.756 in his 6 seasons with the Expos. After a 1977 trade to Oakland, Jorgensen played mostly as a backup/utility player for multiple teams, until the 1985 season. After playing in his only World Series games for the St. Louis Cardinals, who lost to the Kansas City Royals in October 1985, Jorgensen retired.
Acquired from the Texas Rangers in December 1974, Mackanin was the starting second baseman from 1975 through the 1976 season, hitting 20 home runs during those two years, but was regulated to the bench for 1977, getting in only 55 games. The Expos had signed free agent Dave cash to play second base for the 1977 season at Olympic Stadium. Mackanin spent 1978 in AAA Denver, before the Expos lost on him on waivers in September 1978, to the Philadelphia Phillies. Mackanin wrapped up his career after two more seasons with the Minnesota Twins in 1980 & 81. Mackanin is currently the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies.
The former #1 overall draft pick in 1968, Foli was acquired in the Rusty Staub trade and was the starting shortstop for Montreal until an April 1977 trade to the San Francisco Giants. (Seems like the Expos turned over their entire roster as soon as they moved into Olympic Stadium...) Foli batted an overall .246/.283/.303 in his 6 seasons (710 games) with Montreal, batting .264/.281.366, with a career high 6 home runs in 1976.
The Future Hall of Famer had been transitioning from right field to catcher, under the tutelage of Barry Foote, for his first few seasons in Montreal. 1976 was spent splitting his time between left & right field and catcher, though it was a lost season at the plate. Carter batted only .219/.287/.309 in 91 games. When the Expos moved to Olympic Stadium for the 1977 season, Carter was the catcher for 146 of those games. From 1977-1984, Carter was a superstar for the Expos. Unfortunately, they couldn't afford to pay him as such, and he was traded to the New York Mets after the 1984 season. After a five year run in New York, Carter played a season in Los Angeles and another in San Francisco, before returning to play his final season as an Expo in 1992.
Gary Carter was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003, the first player inducted as a Montreal Expo.
Signed as an amateur free agent in 1972, Parrish was the starting third baseman for the Expos from 1975 through 1981, when he was traded to the Texas Rangers. The move was to make room room for Tim Wallach to take over (and be the Expos everyday third baseman through the 1992 season). Over 967 games for the Expos, Parrish hit .263/.315/.426, with exactly 100 home runs. As a 22 year old in 1976, Parrish played in 154 games at third, hitting .232/.285/.363 with 11 home runs. In total, Parrish played 15 seasons in the major leagues, seven in Texas after the trade, then a few months in Boston to wrap up his career in 1988.
An outfield prospect who was just coming into his own with Montreal, before his career stalled. For the 1975 season, Mangual batted .245/.340/.361, with 9 home runs and 33 stolen bases, as a 23 year old in 140 games. Mangual started the 1976 season hitting .260/.403/.353 in 66 games, then was traded to the New York Mets in July. Inexplicably, his career flamed out in New York, and he played his last major league game in 1977, at age 25. Mangual payed in the minor leagues through 1984, mostly with the California Angels oganization. He posted good numbers in many of those years, but never received another shot at the Major Leagues.
Frias was strictly a utility player who got in 723 games over 9 seasons with the Expos, Braves, Rangers and Dodgers. Signed by the Expos in August 1969, Frias had already been in the minor league systems of the Giant and Dodgers. He found a home in Montreal for 6 years of minimal playing time, batting .246/.283/.303 over 710 games.
My friend "Name Redacted" Star used to pronounce his name: "Pee Pee Fries". Which still makes me laugh...
A former 11th round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals, Dwyer put in an 18 year career at the Major League level. The Cardinals traded him to the Expos in July 1975, and he was traded to the Mets in July 1976 (with Pepe Mangual). Dwyer got into 110 games with the Expos during this stint, hitting three home runs.
Fast forward to 1988... After 8 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, Dwyer was traded to the Minnesota Twins on August 28, 1988. They acquired him for their failed run at the Oakland A's for the division championship. Dwyer hit .293/.464/.463 in 20 games for the Twins in 1988.
Dwyer was re-signed by Minnesota for the 1989 season, and hit an exceptional .316/.390/.404 in 88 games, mostly serving as a backup outfielder, DH and pinch hitter. The Twins traded him back to the Expos on August 28,1989. They acquired him for their failed run at the Chicago Cubs for the division championship. Dwyer hit .300/.364/.400 in 13 games for the Expos in 1989.
Montreal traded Dwyer BACK to the Minnesota Twins on January 12, 1990. Unfortunately, the magic was over... Dwyer hit only .190/.320/.238 in 37 games, before he was released on June 22, 1990. Dwyer retired as a player, then began a coaching career in the Twins organization.
When he re-signed with Minnesota for the 1989 season, buying a 1975 Topps Jim Dwyer rookie card became my mission for much of the offseason. I couldn't look to ebay in 1989, so it took some effort. My goal was to get Dwyer's rookie card signed at a Twins game that season. I eventually found the card, but Dwyer was a tough player to find after games. I rarely saw him exiting the Metrodome when most of the others did. I managed to get him to sign in the Summer of 1989, just before he was traded back to Montreal. He made a comment about how it was a really old card of him and he hadn't seen one in a while. Seemed like a nice guy.
Graphic from USA Today Baseball Weekly. Date unknown.
Highest of optimistic hopes were dealt a blow when free agent outfielder Reggie Jackson almost -then didn't- signed a long term contract with Montreal after the 1976 season. They were sniped at the last minute when George Steinbrenner convinced the future Mr. October that New York is where he needed to play. The money offered was comparable, Jackson simply chose the bigger stage of New York. Obviously, he did well for himself as a Yankee, but I've always wondered what adding Reggie Jackson to those Expos teams of the late 1970's-early 1980's would have meant to the city of Montreal...
*****
While researching this story, I stumbled into this 1989 documentary: Les Expos Nos Amours - The Jarry Park Years (1969-1977). Narrated/hosted by noted Expos fan, Donald Sutherland. It is a very well put together documentary, with highly informative interviews with many of the key players involved in the first two decade of Expos baseball.
Jarry Park photo from Digitalballparks.com.
I visited Montreal twice (1995 & 1996) on the Jay Buckley Tours, and on July 19, 1995, the bus took us out to Jarry Park. After a brief conversation with the head of the site, we were allowed to go inside the park for a brief look around. On this day, Jarry Park was being prepped for the 1995 Canadian Open Tournament tennis matches that would start in five days. But he said we could come in and look around the home plate area for a few minutes.
Our bus parked in front of this fence, with the home plate grandstands of Jarry Park just beyond it.
Approaching the grandstands. This is the oldest part of Jarry Park, the original 3,000 seat section that was built in 1960 for the Montreal Royals.
Until 1969, the home plate grandstands were all that made up the park. When it was decided the Expos would play here in 1969, additional stands were quickly built to expand capacity from 3,000 to 28,000. You can see the stands that follow the third base line on the left side of the picture.
The stands down the first base line. These sections were not attached to the grandstand. The guy in the blue hat would be Jay Buckley himself. Say hi, you're famous!
Standing roughly where home plate was, looking back at the original Jarry Park pressbox.
Where the home plate grandstands end, and the first base stands begin. As I mentioned, they were prepping the park for 1995 Canadian Open Tennis Event, that would begin on July 24th. If you look closely at the scoreboard hanging off the pressbox, Andre Agassi is listed. According to stuff I looked up, he was the #1 seed going into the tournament. In five days, the big haired Nike guy would be tennissing it up, right where I took this picture.
The section of first base stands, looking pretty much like they did when built in 1969, except being cut by a divider to section off the stands facing the main tennis court.
Looking down the first base line... The wall in front of the seating area begins roughly where first base used to be. The former Jarry Park Expos scoreboard can be seen as the red du Maurier Ltee sign behind the stands. The same L-shaped swimming pool is still behind there today.
After the 1995 Canadian Open Tournament ended in August 1995 (less than a month after I was there), major renovations began on Jarry Park. This would see the demolition of the third and first baseline stands, as well as the bleachers in left field. The original home plate stands would stay, with added seating in front, tiered downward to the now dropped floor of the stadium. On the other sides, three tiered levels of seating would circle the main tennis court. Additional tennis courts and buildings would be built on the previous layout of the Expos version of Jarry Park.
In 1995, it looked very similar to where the Expos once called home. It would soon be unrecognizable...
Photo from StadeUniprix.ca
I was so glad I got to see the place a year before...
As an Expos fan living in Minnesota, getting a close look at the Expos first home ballpark, despite it now housing a tennis court for Andre Agassi, instead of home plate for Gary Carter. Being here shortly before all recognizable traces to it's past would be destroyed...
That was significant to me.
After our tour group left Jarry Park, we rode the bus up to Olympic Stadium, to watch that night's Expos game vs the Chicago Cubs.
This is getting a little long, so I'll tell that story another day...
Olympic Stadium on July 19, 1995.
And that doesn't look anything like a ballpark...
But I still miss it...
Nice to see Jim Dwyer get a small spotlight on the blogosphere. Jim was a local guy (south side of Chicago) and played in the farm systems for both Chicago clubs. He was a fairly close friend to my fathers family and patronized many of the same drinking establishment. As such, I always file away whatever cards of his I come across.
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