A blog by A.J. Gonzalez

(Here are some excerpts from a blog that I typed up in March 2019 named "The Other Montreal Screwjob".)

[.......The '94 Expos were actually a team that was on the rise........they showed the baseball world that the Expos can be a powerhouse.........Unfortunately, the strike cut down any hope of the Expos achieved their goal of the promised land as the World Series was cancelled......The World Series win could have been a godsend for the team that was dealing with stadium issues and financial hell.........It's a sad tale of a team with baseball riches and a very loyal fanbase......In 2005, the Expos moved to Washington D.C. to become the Nationals and they are prospering in the D.C. area.]

When I typed this eight months ago, it was in the middle of Spring Training and Bryce Harper had already defected to the Philadelphia Phillies and proclaimed during his introductory press conference by mistake that he was ready to deliver a title to D.C. Maybe he saw the prophecy before everyone else. The Nationals weren't on anyone's radar to be a contender unlike past years with Harper on their roster. In fact, many viewed this team could even be in the bottom of their own division. Yes, even worse than the Miami Marlins. And during the first half of the season, it seemed like everyone was correct on that prediction as the Nats went 19-31 at one point and completely OUT of any playoff conversation. A certain network covering MLB had segments on how Washington should just blow it up and start over with prospects and set themselves for the future.

Sports can be a funny thing, sometimes.

At the end of the 2000s, the Nationals were AWFUL. just AWFUL. In 2009, they were able to secure the #1 pick and land a generational talent fireballer from San Diego State in Stephen Strasburg. The following season, Washington was again, pitiful. Again, landing the #1 pick to select another generational talent in Harper. In 2011, the Nats struck gold again in the draft with the selection of Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon. GM Mike Rizzo had the Nationals going in the right direction with their talent in the farm system (Note to MLB organizations, this is how you build championship teams) and did have a player on the roster who was on the verge of a breakout season. Ryan Zimmerman was the organization's first draft pick as the Nationals and has been a mainstay with the team for 14 seasons, earning him the name "Mr. National". In 2015, they signed a teenager from the D.R. named Juan Soto. Rizzo did score a huge free-agent coo in Max Scherzer and brought in a cupboard of cheap free-agents to cover for Harper's departure. The managerial situation has dicey, but I think they found the right person to steer the ship in Dave Martinez. Despite many free-agents on the roster and many tough decisions entering the off-season, the Nationals beat the odds and delivered a long-awaited baseball championship to the Nation's Capital.

If you're a Montreal fan, this is bittersweet. What I mean is that is bitter and sweet. 25 years ago, the Expos were on the verge of delivering a title there. A title win would have been paramount on the Expos' future. It ended prematurely and caused MLB to limit Montreal's chances of contending again. With the Nationals' triumph, the former Expos' franchise came through....and it seems as the fans in Montreal feel as this is theirs also. Personal note: You won't agree with that last statement I just made, but think about that if your team left the city you cheered them on).

So, now that the Nationals have added to a championship pedigree to the city as the Capitals won the Stanley Cup last year and the Mystics winning the WNBA Championship last month, we can see if the Wizards and Redskins can do it next. For the Wizards, it might take a while. The Redskins.....HAHAHAHAHA....and that's another story for another time.

(Check out the blog "The Other Montreal Screwjob" on our website)

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