matthewweaver.com | mlb ballparks

Ballpark:
Olympic Stadium (known locally as "Stade Olympique") was opened in 1976 as the main venue of the Summer Olympics. Infield seats and an outfield fence were added in 1977 to host the Montréal Expos, who had been playing at nearby Jarry Park ("Le Parc Jarry"). The massive, spaceship-like structure is a masterpiece from the 1970's art deco era. The colors inside are very bright, with banana yellow seats, vivid green Astroturf and a neon colored scoreboard that reflects off the shiny roof. All in all, the stadium just looked strange as most cities built retro-styled outdoor ballparks.

Originally an outdoor facility, the stadium was domed in 1988 with a large Kevlar sheet. It was supposed to have been a retractable dome, but that plan was soon abandoned. Except for the 1998 season, the stadium remained domed from 1988 to the Expos move after the 2004 season.

In the big money 1990's and 2000's, the Expos fell behind most other Major League teams, causing fans to spend their time elsewhere. By the end of the Expos franchise, the average game attendance was just over 3,000 fans and the team did not have TV or English-speaking radio contracts. Concessions were limited and the facility itself was showing a bit of neglect. Fortunately, the fans that did bother to come made a lot of noise by banging the folding seats and blowing noise makers. The game I attended reminded me of an international soccer game.

Despite the outdated facility and the sparse crowds, Stade Olympique was a fun place to see a game. Where else could a person see "America's Pastime" played in the unique French Canadian culture of Montréal. Seeing a game there was like no other place in the world. All of these qualities elevated my grade of the stadium from a fail to a "C-" rating.

Unfortunately, the lack of fan support and the inability to construct a new stadium caused Major League Baseball to move the team to Washington, D.C. after the 2004 season. The ironic thing to me is that the Nationals will play their first 3 years in a worse park - RFK Stadium - than what they had in Montréal!

Though the Expos are gone and baseball is a thing of the past in Stade Olympique, I am going to keep this page as a memorial to a once decent stadium that became a dinosaur in the age of new MLB ballparks.

How to get there (like it matters anymore):
Take a flat rate taxi from Aeroport Pierre-Elliot-Trudeau (formerly Dorval) to downtown Montréal. From there, take the Metro train East to the Blvd Pie IX station at Parc Olympique (Olympic Park). Follow the tunnel up to the underground entrance of the stadium. If you can't read the French directions at the Metro stations, the ticket sellers usually speak English and were surprisingly helpful.

City:
Before the Expos left for the States, Montréal was the only non-English speaking city in Major League Baseball. Despite the stereotype of the residents as rude, most of the people I met switched over to English very quickly when they realized that didn't speak the local language.

The city sits on a large island in the middle of the Saint Lawrence Seaway with an 800 foot hill in the center of the island. The hill, named Mount Royal (hence the city's name), was once used as the defensive position against possible invaders. A large, cosmopolitan city sprung up on the flat lands around Mount Royal and many beautiful churches and buildings remain from the early days of Montréal. The Old Port ("Vieux-Port") is a major attraction with a waterfront promenade and plentiful biking and skating paths. The city has a great transit system and plenty of cultural and historical sights to see. I highly suggest visiting there!

Stuff to do while there:
Hiking to the top of Mount Royal is a popular activity for tourists and residents alike. The hill provides panoramic views of the downtown and outlying parts of the city, as well as the Saint Lawrence River. The Vieux-Port is a great place to walk around and get views of the city and riverfront, including a Clock Tower dedicated by Britain in the early 1900's. There are many beautiful buildings in downtown, like the Notre Dame Basilica and Place Vauquelin, and Olympic Park (Parc Olympique) houses a large botanical garden and other interesting sights.

Story:
I met my friends Chris and Severine for dinner prior to the game. We went to a Mexican restaurant in the heart of the city and listened to the Mexican performer sing songs in Spanish and thank the patrons in French ("Merci"). Almost surreal for an English speaking American. :)

Fun facts:
All announcements were made in French but the traditional 7th Inning Stretch song "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" was played and sung in English.

The Expos mascot was named "Youppi" and was quite popular with the local fans and their children. Though I was never sure what it was supposed to be, I guess it was a similar creature to "Slider" in Cleveland or the "Phillie Phanatic" in Philadelphia.

In their final two seasons (2003-2004), the Expos played 22 games per season in San Juan, Puerto Rico at Hiram Bithorn Stadium. It was pretty bizarre to see a team from French speaking Québec, Canada playing in Spanish speaking Puerto Rico. Fortunately, many of the Expos players were Dominican, so they were at least in their home "neighborhood."

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Matt at the spaceship-like
Olympic Stadium in Montréal
May 13, 2000

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A 4-photo mosaic of the interior
May 13, 2000

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Olympic Stadium from 3.5
miles away on Mount Royal
May 13, 2000

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Stade Olympique and the
Biôdome in Montréal
May 13, 2000

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The funky looking kevlar roof
May 13, 2000