April 24, 2021

By Danny Gallagher

Canadian Baseball Network

My new Expos book of memories Never Forgotten is a tribute to the 1981 Expos in this the 40th anniversary year of the team that almost made it to the World Series.

The book is slowly making its way into Chapters/Indigo stores after a month-long presence on Amazon. The 264-page book includes 47 chapters, close to 75 interviews and about 50 photos.

Close to 20 pages are devoted in Never Forgotten to Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame member Larry Walker, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in an indoor, TV-only ceremony July 25.

The chapter on Walker concentrates on 1984 when he was signed by late Expos scout Bob Rogers of Portland, Ore., after Walker appeared in two major tournaments: the Grand Forks International event in British Columbia and the World Youth Baseball Classic in Kindersley, Sask.

The book also devotes 11 pages to Chris Speier, who played seven-and-a-half seasons with the Expos. I think he's a worthy candidate for induction into the Canadian hall in St. Marys because he also starred for one season in the Intercounty Baseball League with the Stratford Hoods in 1969.

Among the others featured in the book are Ron LeFlore, Ron Hunt, John Boccabella, Don DeMola, Larry Landreth, Rudy May, Floyd Youmans, Darrin Fletcher, Orlando Cabrera, Pepe Frias, Ken Macha, Fred Ferreira and Charlie Fox.

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If you're into spicing up your collection of Expos memorabilia, think of purchasing a commemorative ring that honours the 1981 NL East championship squad.

The ring project is approved by Major League Baseball, which has a contract with Jostens to produce rings. The price of a ring includes your name, number, a warranty and a $10 charity donation. There are various price options and they can be viewed at jostenscanada.com/expos.

Former Expos majority owner Charles Bronfman was one of the first people to commit to a ring. He ordered a ring that will bear No. 83, alluding to the Seagram 83 rye whisky produced by his company for many years.

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Speaking of books, a reminder about the new Expos book produced in French by Fred Daigle, a reporter with La Presse Canadienne in Montreal.

With the help of 24 contributors/authors, including myself, Daigle has a book out called Chips! Peanuts! and Crackerjack!: 24 histoires savoureuses des Expos. The book is 6x9 and has 272 pages.

It will be available in bookstores, including Chapters/Indigo, beginning April 26. The book is published by Les Editions De L’Homme.

Some of the French bookstores carrying the book include Archambault, Renaud-Bray, Librairies Raffin, and some independent outlets. The book will be available mostly in Quebec but some parts of Ontario, including Ottawa.

“I hope the publisher thinks the sales are good enough to warrant an English translation in the next few months,’’ Daigle said in an interview.

My contribution to the book is a tale about Jeff Fassero and his friendship with Sean Berry.

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This writer's feature story about my 1971-75 Renfrew Red Sox teammate Jack Vooght earned me a runner-up prize for the Ontario Community Newspapers Association Best Sports Story for 2020.

Vooght, who is scuffling with a bad case of Alzheimer's, played senior ball in Ontario for 23 years, including stops in Guelph, Renfrew, Douglas, Deep River and Pembroke.

The story on Vooght was later reprinted on the Canadian Baseball Network website. The first-place winner was Dan McNeen of the Wingham Advance Times, whose story was entitled Creating a frozen masterpiece: The art of the ideal curling sheet.

Third-place prize went to Tara Jeffrey of the Sarnia Journal. She told the heart-warming tale of Tara Antle, a Corunna mom of two, who wasn’t about to let a COVID-cancellation of the St. Clair River Run derail her quest.