Grüße und Vorstellung » played a big part of the lack of success

MONTREAL - "The Rock" summed it up best. Chris Manhertz Jersey . "It feels like I havent left," said Tim Raines, the former long-time Expo, current Blue Jays roving instructor and should-be Hall-of-Famer, just moments after stepping onto the turf at Olympic Stadium. While Raines was referring to the memories that came flooding back, he may have meant it literally. Nothing much has changed about the Big O. Its the same ride to the Pie IX stop on the famous Montreal Metro. The walk from the station to the stadiums dimly lit concourse is no different. Then, you emerge through one of the section corridors into a time capsule. The yellow seats, so often empty in the Expos final years, serve as a reminder of days gone by when fans would rap them up and down to make a clanging sound. The scoreboard, which still sits above the centerfield batters eye, hasnt been updated. Its not high definition or LCD or anything else that resembles what fans enjoy in the stadia of today. The players are different. Well, for the most part, if you consider that Blue Jays utility infielder Maicer Izturis made his major league debut in a Montreal uniform on August 27, 2004. Everything else is the same. "I was joking if they wanted me to do any fan mail," said Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos, a Montreal native whose internship with the Expos, which included the responsibility of answering fan mail, launched his career in baseball. "I was getting ready to go." There was little chatter around the stadium of the 1994 players strike, which happened at a time when the Expos were 74-40, good enough for the National Leagues best record. The resurgent New York Yankees were the talk of the American League that year. What a contrast, those two organizations, in the two decades since. The Expos are gone, the proverbial stick of dynamite given to that 94 team by an uncommitted ownership, the 1995 club a shell of its former self. The Yankees have missed the playoffs only twice since. It took 10 years after the strike for the Expos, which experienced a kind of walking dead status once the likes of Larry Walker, Pedro Martinez, Moises Alou and others left town, to die off. The fans, descendants of the people who watched Jackie Robinson play in their city before he broke Major League Baseballs colour barrier in 1947, were subjected to annual speculation about their franchises relocation. Finally it happened in 2005 with the city of Washington, D.C. receiving a third crack at getting baseball right (the Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers each descend from failed Washington Senators clubs.) "I think the issues were, and its no knock against the stadium, but the location of the stadium, the fact it wasnt a retractable roof," said Anthopoulos. "Growing up in this city, like you would in Toronto but its a lot colder here in the winter, the winters are long and any bit of summer you can get you want to be outdoors. Its a tough sell to go all the way to the east end and be indoors for a ballgame." This is a 48-hour period for the Blue Jays and Mets to work out the final kinks before the start of the regular season. Just as importantly, its a chance for Montrealers to experience what once was and to pay a posthumous tribute to their beloved Gary Carter, which they did on Friday night. On Saturday, its the 94 Expos turn to feel the love. Larry Walker, Moises Alou and future Hall-of-Famer Pedro Martinez will be among those on hand. One can only hope this weekend serves to exorcise the demon just a little bit. Luis Rivera, the Blue Jays third base coach who played his first three big league seasons with the Expos from 1986-88, doesnt forget. "The crowds, they were loud and there was a lot of whistling, which I do a lot," he said. "It was about sometimes 20-thousand, 30-thousand, 40-thousand. I remember when Pasqual Perez used to pitch it was a packed house." Tim Raines, The Rock, he remembers too. "Its a very good baseball town," said Raines. "My first 10 years here we averaged two million fans a year. They dont just leave. I think ownership back in the day, right at the tail end, played a big part of the lack of success that they had here." Warren Cromartie, the former Expos great, has said the exhibition weekend is the first step toward the return of Major League Baseball to Montreal. Maybe hes right and one day well be able to say, "Les Expos sont la!" Maybe hes wrong and this is nothing more than a pipe dream. For the moment, its just nice to be back at Olympic Stadium. Captain Munnerlyn Jersey .J. -- Richard Sherman, Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch deservedly draw the attention for what theyve done in getting the Seattle Seahawks to the Super Bowl. Luke Kuechly Jersey . -- Los Angeles Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton will be sidelined for at least two weeks because of a strained calf muscle, and pitcher C. http://www.cheapjetsjerseyssale.com/?tag=torrey-smith-jersey-sale . That time around, the cage is as much a part of baseballs daily routine as a beer and a hotdog is to a fan in the stands. Coaches, scouts, broadcasters and other media hover, tossing verbal barbs, telling stories and sharing laughs. Occasionally, especially in spring when the atmosphere is relatively laid back, the list of invited guests expands and on this day, Gibbons welcomed two men strongly influential in his life.WINNIPEG -- Blake Wheeler shared the joy Wednesday night. "Ive told you guys a million times, I almost get a bigger joy out of seeing other guys score than scoring myself," he said after putting away the winner at 1:42 of overtime to beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-4. Earlier, he set up Andrew Ladds second goal of the night and Eric Tangradis second goal of the season. In all, Wheeler finished the night with his 35th assist and team-leading 24th goal, cementing his position as the Jets scoring leader with 59 points. Evander Kane also scored for Winnipeg. It was a big night for the Jets as well (32-30-9), as they claimed a little more ground in their uphill climb to the playoffs. They still sit two points behind Dallas and four points behind Phoenix, which now holds the eighth and final wild-card berth. For Colorado (44-20-6), the loss let the Chicago Blackhawks move past them and claim sole possession of second spot in the Central Division after a 4-0 win over the St. Louis Blues. Winnipegs playoff hopes remain a longshot, given the teams it will face as it closes out the season, but it was a big lift nonetheless to take the season series against Colorado 3-2. "It was a big win for us, especially for the goals we gave up," said Ladd. "Were not that bad of a team. Weve played some good hockey of late and we havent got the results." As for his own game, it was also a good night with his 20th and 21st goals of the season. "First one, we had good transition out of our end and I got the puck and a little space and got a good shot off. And the second one, Wheels made a great play driving down and I found some open space and put the puck on the net again." Colorado coach Patrick Roy gave Wheeler credit for his patience in holding the puck and waiting for the right moment to score the winner. "Both teams had good chances," said Roy after his second loss in a row. His homecoming to Montreal ended in a 6-3 loss to the Canadiens Tuesday night. David Mayo Jersey. "At the end they made a great play. Wheeler I thought made a really good play and scored a nice goal." It was the fourth time out of the five games theyve played this season that the Jets and Avalanche couldnt settle it in regulation time. Ryan OReilly, Gabriel Landeskog, Nick Holden and Cody McLeod scored for Colorado. It also was rookie goaltender Reto Berras first start since he was acquired by Colorado from the Calgary Flames at the trade deadline. Landeskog said Berra deserved credit. "I think he made some huge saves in the third when we really needed it the most," said Landeskog, who scored the tying goal for Colorado at the end of the first period to make it 2-2. "I remember my first game with Colorado, certainly a lot of nerves." It didnt help Winnipegs chances that defenceman Zach Bogosian joined the lengthy scratch list, which already included Dustin Byfuglien and goaltender Ondrej Pavelec, who are listed as day to day. Replacement Paul Postma was grabbing a cup of coffee when he got word he had to play. He responded with two assists, including one on Wheelers overtime goal. "Its not too hard to get pumped up in front of this crowd," he said. The Avalanche had their own no-shows as Paul Stastny was out after playing in Montreal on Tuesday following a four-game absence due to injury. They also lost forward John Mitchell in Montreal. But injuries and tough schedules arent uncommon at this time of year and no one was using them as an excuse. "Every teams playing a tough schedule right now and March and Aprils going to be tough for everybody," said Landeskog. Notes: Despite the disparity in their NHL rankings, the Jets and Avalanche went into Wednesdays game with two wins each in their season series, although Colorado had the only win in regulation time. Even the regulation win was decided by one goal. 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