Apr 1, 6:35 PM EDT

Montreal Opens Labatt Park In Style

By ALEXANDER POUTINE
Associated Press Writer

MONTREAL, QC (AP) — After a six-year delay held up by the complicated sale of the Montreal Expos by failed businessman Jeffrey Loria to Stephen Bronfman, the Montreal Expos celebrated the long-awaited opening of Labatt Park by pounding the Philadelphia Phillies 11-6.

Nick Johnson’s tiebreaking RBI double off Tom Gordon highlighted a five-run ninth inning–a satisfying opening before the sellout crowd of 36,287 long-suffering fans.

“The 1994 pennant was stolen from us, and then we had to sit by and watch the offseason firesale,” commented fan Francois Cochon. “Things looked pretty bleak for a long time–but that relocation proposal in 2003 seems like a distant memory.”

Thanks to private investors and mounting public pressure to excommunicate Loria without compensation, the jewel at the corner of Peel and Saint-Jacques opened to rave reviews.

Providing relief from the current trend of “retro” ballparks, Labatt Park features a unique post-modern design, incorporating rare dimensional symmetry and a one-of-a-kind glass facade with the best elements of the throwback park: limited seating (smallest in baseball) that is close to the field, open air, natural grass, and a city sightline rivaled only perhaps by Pittsburgh in all of Major League Baseball.

In stark contrast to the weather-screening, rooftop blocking owners of Chicago’s Wrigley Field, Labatt’s unique construction offers many views from the outside to the inside, lending a sense of closeness and intimacy to not only the players and the playing field, but to the surrounding community.

And located a mere two blocks from the Molson Centre, “The Big L” has inadvertently become a part of North America’s finest urban sports complex.

“I’ve long believed that Montrealers will support a team that has a chance to win,” said former manager Felipe Alou, who threw out the first pitch to Hall of Famer Gary Carter. Forgive Alou for his error: Montreal fans have showed support for even the mediocre clubs, ranking seventh in the NL is attendance during the 1980s.

With a new stadium and the security of knowing “nos amours” are nowhere near leaving town, the city of Montreal can now breathe a sigh of relief, welcoming a new age of Canadian baseball in the Labatt Park Era.

Originally published at Chinmusic.net