In this episode we rank our favorite siblings from the world of sports. The brothers and sisters that left their mark on their sports but that also hold a personal connection with us. Also in this episode: the mailbag, The NHL skills competition, the Pro Bowl and Tom Brady retires.
A couple of episodes ago Josh commented that he thought that 1994 was the best ever year for music, so the guys decided to countdown their favorite songs from 1994 to see just how good a year it was for music. Also in this episode: Has Josh found the best designed bottle? The Mailbag, Netflix’s The Watcher and a puzzling email.
I was born and raised in Montreal and I’ve been a Montreal Expos fan my entire life. I would come to learn the hard way that being an Expos fan meant having to deal with many disappointments. The team never won a World Series and participated in the postseason only once. That was in 1981, when they lost to the LA Dodgers in the best-of-five National League Championship Series. I’ll never forget watching (on TV) Rick Monday hit a home run off Steve Rogers in the 9th inning of Game 5. It’s heartbreaking that this is one of the most memorable moments in the history of the franchise. The only other equally indelible moment was when the Expos played their final game in Montreal on September 29, 2004 before eventually moving to Washington, DC.
Despite the disappointment of 1981, the Expos had three future Hall of Famers on their roster (Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, Tim Raines) and things looked promising at the time. Surely the team was destined for greatness. They were, after all, dubbed the team of the 80s. I was young and naïve. How was I to know that there would be no more playoff appearances.
As a kid, I practically grew up at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. I went to countless games year after year, always hoping that “This year will be different. This year we’re going to win it all”. I went to so many games that the fans in section 111 recognized me every time my friends and I snuck down there after purchasing bleacher tickets. (We were on a student budget)
Before I was old enough to go on my own, my dad would take me to games. My mom didn’t like baseball but she did take me to one game. Back then, I was more interested in the hot dogs than the game itself. But as I got older, my focus shifted and I would live and die with every pitch. When the team would win, I was in the best mood. But when they lost, I was no fun to be around. I was usually grumpy for the next 24 hours, until the first pitch of the next game.
The first few times I went to Olympic Stadium, I thought it was the coolest place on earth. I was even lucky enough to attend the MLB All Star Game in 1982. But now that I’ve been to beautiful ballparks like PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Camden Yards in Baltimore and Oracle Park in San Francisco, I realize that Olympic Stadium is a dump. But in August 1994, the Expos had the best record in baseball (74 wins, 40 losses) and were on pace to win 105 games. That summer, “the dump” was packed and it was loud and there was no better place to be. Somehow, 45,000 screaming fans transformed the cold, cavernous, concrete stadium into a warm and inviting ballpark. But of course, just as Expos fans were getting excited about a postseason berth, a labour dispute shut down the season. There would be no World Series for the first time in 90 years. A few months later, the team was stripped of its parts. Their best players were traded away or left via free agency. Yet another disappointment.
In the spring of 2015, the Toronto Blue Jays played a couple of exhibition games at Olympic Stadium and I had the opportunity to “pay back” my dad for taking me to all those games when I was a kid. We took the metro to the stadium just like we had done in the 80s. It brought back so many good memories.
I’ll be shocked if Montreal ever gets another MLB team. But if they do, you can be sure that I’ll be at the home opener.
Skip and Josh react to the first three games of the Stanley Cup finals where the Tampa Bay Lightning have won the first three games pretty convincingly.
Skip and Josh react to the Montreal Canadiens game six overtime win over the Las Vegas Golden Knights. The Habs have advanced to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in 28 years.
Skip and Josh are back and start the show by explaining their self imposed ban on new episodes for the past two weeks. They discuss the Montreal Canadiens series wins over Toronto and Winnipeg and the upcoming series vs. the Vegas Golden Knights.
The guys countdown their favorite Montreal Canadiens players, roughly from the past forty years. Also in this episode: More about the start to the NHL season, the NFL playoffs and listener mail.
Skip and Josh countdown their favorite fries. What makes a great French fry? Are local establishments better than chains? And let’s not forget about condiment etiquette. Also in this episode: The NBA finals, the MLB playoffs, the Lightning win the Stanley Cup, a proposal for daylight savings time and remembering Van Halen.
The city of Montreal is famous for many things, especially its rich history of food. In this episode Skip and Josh countdown their top seven Montreal food institutions.
Additional links that were discussed in this episode:
In this episode: Duke vs. North Carolina, more on the Astros cheating scandal, MLB’s new playoff proposal and the Mookie Betts trade is finally official. Plus, Josh has a new favorite store and a CFL team tries to get rid of its cheerleaders. Recorded February 15th, 2020.
In this episode Skip and Josh discuss the recent tough stretches for the Canadiens and Maples Leafs. In the NFL the Eagles and Cowboys both keep losing and Skip is wondering if we are seeing the final days of the Patriots dynasty, meanwhile Josh declares that the NBA is a joke. There’s also some Duke basketball talk and the some MLB news involving the Rays and baseball in Montreal. Recorded December 7, 2019.
In this episode: The guys give their final thoughts on the world series, the roller coaster ride of the Washington Nationals and the events of games 5-6-7 including Max Scherzer’s sore neck, the controversial interference call at first base, Bregman and Soto carrying their bats, AJ Hinch’s bull pen management, the marvel that is Howie Kendrick and who really deserved to be named the series MVP. Skip has a very emotional and angry response to the Nat’s championship and their link to the Expos. Recorded November 2, 2019.
In this episode: An intense twenty minute discussion on the news that the Tampa Bay Rays are exploring the idea of playing half of their games in Montreal. Does this idea make any sense for either city? What does this ultimately mean for the return of baseball to Montreal? Also news and notes from the NBA draft, the NHL draft and NHL awards. Recorded June 22, 2019.
This special episode was recorded on location at the iconic Orange Julep in Montreal. The guys discuss the Raptos first NBA Championship, the reactions in Toronto and all across the county, the future of Kawhi, Klay’s injury and of course the commercials. Meanwhile in the NHL the Blue’s are Stanley Cup Champions; Did Ryan O’Reilly deserve the Conn Smythe? How much did Josh love the shots of Brad Marchand crying and the Blue’s real MVP Laila Anderson. In other news Big Papi got shot, the going rate for a hit and a brief movie review with an appearance by the guy enjoying his Julep one table over. Recorded June 16, 2019.
Recorded August 13, 2018. In what only can be described as a perfect storm of sports podcasting the Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball team landed in Toronto this week and not only was Josh at Coach K’s press conference he asked the first question! He then followed that up by catching up with NCAA basketball guru Jay Bilas. The guys also catch up on all the big sports news since their last recording session: Sox-Yanks, MLB Trade deadline, Johnny Manziel and Vlad’s Hall of Fame speech. There’s some big controversy in Josh’s fantasy baseball pool and some listener feedback on a few sports songs that didn’t make the cut.
Recorded Sep 30, 2017. Skip and Josh preview the upcoming NHL season with none other than hockey writer David Alter who has been a contributor on The Fan 590, Sportsnet, MapleLeafs.com, National Post & The Athletic. The Leafs have big expectations this year in Toronto and David breaks down the goaltending situation, how the defencemen stack up, the progression of all the young stars and the acquisition of Patrick Marleau. Elsewhere in the Atlantic division: How will the Habs do this season? Are they better or worse than last year? Do they have enough depth on the blueline? How will Jonathan Drouin fit in? And are Habs fans destined for another season of solely relying on Carey Price? The guys discuss the contenders and pretenders in the Metropolitan division where the Penguins are still the team to beat. In the Western conference, can Connor McDavid and the Oilers contend? Can the Predators make it back to the finals? David also has a pretty radical idea about how to change the playoff format which is something that Skip and Josh fully endorse.
Skip and Josh discuss the Toronto sports scene with the Leafs, Raptors and Jays all sharing the spotlight, then the guys preview the playoffs in the NHL and the NBA. In the NHL the guys go over all the first round match ups, the lousy playoff format, the lack of rivalries, and the first ever good between period interview (thank you Justin Williams!). In the NBA the guys go over the MVP race, the origin of the triple double and the playoff match ups. Download this Episode (right click, save link as)