January 1994
"...and so he swept her into his powerful embrace. She struggled, but not very hard, for she could no longer imagine a life without the barbarian's direct way of looking at life as opposed to the subtle nuances of the court where she'd been raised. Proud and willful, she turned her head away as he growled and leaned closer, lips brushing her ear and uttered the words every woman longed to hear..."
"Honey? Have you seen my tie?"
Kelly Mack looked up from her computer and spun. "You know not to disturb me when I'm writing!" She frowned. "What are you getting dressed up for?"
John 'Cat' Mack, one time Cardinal GM and now the head of Player Development for the Montreal Expos, searched his blue sportcoat and pulled it from a pocket. "Ha!" He turned to the bureau mirror and began tying. "Oh, Claude asked to see me. He didn't say why."
"But it must be ten degrees out! Sorry, negative twelve." She didn't care for the cold, and liked the metric system even less. She hadn't quite forgiven him for not joining the expansion Florida Marlins last year.
"Honey, if the team owner wants to see me, I should go."
"It's January! Spring training won't even start for another month! What could he want?"
Mack kissed his wife of eleven years. "I'll be back when I can."
*******
"John! Come in!" Claude Brochu rose from his chair. A native Quebecois, he spoke English with a thick accent, so 'John' came out as 'Zahn.' Brochu was forty-nine, a good looking man with greying hair in a nice suit. "I am sorry to have made you wait. I did not expect you so soon. I hope all is well?"
"Good, thank you. I came as soon as you called."
"Very good, John. Very good. Will you not have a drink?"
They drank and talked about family and friends, the Expos finishing second last year to the Phillies, divisional realignment, and growing antipathy between Acting Commissioner Selig and MLBPA President Donald Fehr.
"This Selig, he nearly destroyed the American League with his plans to contract in 1980, and now he is once more attempting to start something he may not be able to finish," Brochu said.
Mack nodded. As first California then Cleveland cancelled plans to leave, so the 'need' to contract subsided. American League owners almost did it anyway, just to oust the Milwaukee Brewers and their overly vocal owner, but finally decided the best interests of baseball lay elsewhere.
"But I did not bring you here in this cold to discuss politics, vicious as it oft is. I wished to inform you that Monsieur Duquette is no longer with the organization."
"What happened!?"
"I believe the Red Sox made him an offer he can't refuse?" Dan Duquette, general manager since 1991, was a Massachusetts native and jumped at the chance to go home and manage a big market team. Brochu leaned back and watched Mack's face closely. "What do you think of this?"
Mack shook his head. "Well, it's always bad to leave mid-contract, but best of luck I suppose. Does this mean I answer to Kevin now?" Kevin Malone was the Assistant GM and Scouting Director.
"No, monsieur. No. Monsieur Malone is a worthy candidate, but he is inexperienced and with our team so close to a division win, and the messiness with the players union? Non. Now is not the time to train. Now I do have someone in mind. An experienced manager, one who led his team to the series twice and won once."
Mack tried to remember teams that fit that description. Oakland won the Series in 1989, but also played in 1988 and 1990.. Who GMed back then?
Brochu couldn't decide if his guest was being modest or forgetful. "You, monsieur. The Cardinals, they lost to the Red Sox in 1979, and beat the Brewers in 1982? That is so?"
Mack looked away. "Yes, but you know August Busch fired me after that."
"Oui, he thought you were too eager to keep the team you had and so spent his money unwisely. Perhaps this is so, but I am willing to take the chance. The position is yours."
*******
Hello. Let's hope the .mog file doesn't corrupt this time. Grr...
This will be a Montreal Expos dynasty, starting in 1994. Like "Cardinal" was starting to head before .. :grumble: .. the baseball leagues and entire universe might change before we're done.
This dynasty assumes the events of "Cardinal" happened, but that in the intervening years (1979-1993) baseball returned to the 'original timeline.' Therefore if you haven't read 'Cardinal,' don't worry. Other than an occasional apparent error (like the Red Sox winning the Series in 1977-1978) this is the 1994 we all know and probably lived through. Baseball's just realigned into three divisions, the Marlins and Rockies are one year old, and there's a crippling strike on the horizon which hopefully our heroes can avert.
Historically the Expos finished second in 1992 and 1993, and led the NL East when the strike shut down baseball in 1994. Many theorize they could have won the Series. Heavy costs incurred from the strike (as well as reduced revenue from lower fan turnout) obliged the Expos to hold a 'fire sale' in '95 to control payroll. The team never recovered, fan support went through the floor, and after a buyout by Major League Baseball the team moved to Washington in 2005.
Let's see if we can do something about that...
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Originally Posted by Yankeesfan924
