My Turn at Bat: The Sad Saga of the Expos

Rating:
Summary: Brochu passes the buck, but gives valuable insight
Review: Brochu gives valuable insight to his tenure as Expos president and the multiple dismantlings of the team -- including the disintegration of the downtown stadium plan. However, too much of this book is him defending himself from gripings of the limited partners and the media. Brochu's continual passing of the blame gets tiresome, however much truth is in it. I wish there was a book out there with both sides of the story, as the one-sidedness comes through in "My Turn At Bat." I am convinced after reading, however, that Brochu wanted to keep the Expos in Montréal, despite conspiracy theories that state otherwise. The truth is obviously somewhere in between Brochu's account and that observers saw when the team was sold to Jeffrey Loria (whom I think DID want to move the team) in 1999.

Rating:
Summary: Why the Expos are going to Washington
Review: Most helpful insight: This book is for fans of the business of baseball. Sort of a Barbarians at the Gate in Montreal. The book has it's fascinating political spins too.

What I learned and found most interesting was that the government/structural issues in Montreal appear as powerful as the cultural issues. Of course hockey will always be the dominant sport in Canada; baseball is way down the list. However, the Montreal Canadians faced (and continue to have) similar problems as the Expos.

Yes, Brochu wastes a great deal of ink defending himself (time he should have been spending coming up with a better title than My Turn at Bat!) Still, it is worth the read.