I think Dave Van Horne (and Dennis, and maybe his Dad, and a few others) would understand my deep feeling of loss over the Montreal Expos. It sounds silly to mourn the loss of a bunch of powder blue uniforms, a few hundred baseballs and some bats, but I miss that old baseball club so much it hurts.
I'm glad to see Van Horne moved on and continued an outstanding career. I saw a few articles about this today, and they touched on some of his great calls. For me, "el presidente, el perfecto!" remains the ultimate call and will forever hold a place in my imagination. I thank Dave Van Horne for that and so many other things, like those crazy Saturday night rainouts when the Expos had purchased the time and had to fill three hours. Crazy days, and I loved them all.
Congratulations, Mr. Van Horne.
thanks lt. loved the spos 2
ReplyDeleteInspired me to be a broadcaster as much as any hockey guy. Loved the Expos, love Van Horne. Nothing silly about it hurting still today lowetide. They were a part of my childhood too. I remember sitting at my dad's feet watching Van Horne call Expos games while my dad taught me the game.
ReplyDeleteI still love baseball... but not like that kid did. The sport broke my heart twice. The strike and the move. How do you come back from that?
Wonderful post lowetide. I miss the Expos something dear.
ReplyDeleteI grew up listening to Van Horne as well. I have not been able to find a team or a voice that makes me feel the same since the Expos left.
ReplyDeleteI am pleased he has been recognized as an outstanding broadcaster.
Yeah, sometimes I feel silly for actually missing the Expos so much.
ReplyDeleteI remember it being the fall of 98 or 99 the first time Brochu mentioned they might leave and I had this very weird feeling pass over me and it's not like I didn't realize that I loved baseball but until then I didn't realize just how much.
LT: how would they ever fill those three hours??
I feel your pain Lowetide. Ever since the day our beloved 'Spos packed up and flew south, my love for the game of baseball(at least at the major league level) died. I just can't put my sports loving heart behind any other team, and because of the way the team was treated in it's final years in Montreal, there's no way i could even think of investing in that team in Washington. They may claim the lineage of the Expos, but they're not the Expos.
ReplyDeleteHappy to see Dave Van Horne get his due. The man is a Canadian Icon(even though he's American) as far as i'm concerned, and deserves all the accolades in the world.
Also, not sure how many of you have seen this, and it may not suit most people's musical tastes...but it makes me well up damn near every time i watch it. Especially Dave Van Horne's sendoff at the end.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFX92ALqxlk
hope this shows up. if not, my name is linked to it as well.
Infamous, yeah someone had posted the link to that tribute a few months back, awesome tribute.
ReplyDeleteI posted a link in the same thread for a clip showing a panel in Concordia (including Van Horne) at the 5 year anniversary of their move about the demise of the club. Van Horne makes some really good comments/opinions on the move. Lowetide's picture is a still from that clip.
Van Horne made me feel good about the team, even when they were losing a game but he wasn't too homerish at the same time.
Congradulations Dave "UP UP and AWAY" Van Horne.
It's taken me until just now to realize that this isn't the guy from TSN with the moustache I remember growing up; that was Jim Van Horne. Relation?
ReplyDeleteLT
ReplyDeleteDave and Duke......spent countless hours watching them before the Al Gore. Have to admit that I LOVED to listen to Vin Scully, but largely because he was the best at what he did, but Dave and Duke on the tube was baseball to me.
Made bad teams bearable, made mediocre sound good and made very good teams well....just the best!!!
Never thought I would would have a worse baseball moment than Steve Rogers playing a little "hit this" with Rick Monday and then came the strike.
Pre Al Gore I used to go down to the U of A reading room and get old copies of the Montreal Gazette to read Spring League box scores.
What a great great selection
I miss the 'spos... I miss walking down Rachel st. to the big owe, timing an evening around the game, stuff like that.
ReplyDeleteI listened the french broadcast, mind you, but it's all the same. The Expos, for all their failings and their ultimate, sad death, never lacked misfits, interesting characters and had awesome play-by-play broadcaster in both languages.
*sigh*
I remember that triple play like yesterday. First one I ever saw.
ReplyDeleteMike Marshall came in with none out and the bases loaded and threw one pitch to end the inning. They did score one run out of it, as the 'spos turned the routine 6-4-3 (or maybe it was a 4-6-3, can't recall that detail) and the guy from third scored easily and for some reason the guy from second thought he would catch them napping and tried to come around, so Jorgensen made the throw to Bocc-a-belllll-a.
I listened to Van Horne call many many games in those years. He was a fine announcer. El perfecto was probably his finest hour.