- Paperback: 250 pages
- Publisher: ECW Press (July 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 155022512X
- ISBN-13: 978-1550225129
- Product Dimensions: 22.8 x 15.5 x 1.9 cm
- Shipping Weight: 358 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #242,239 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Amazon.ca
Former Montreal Expos president Claude Brochu skewers his critics in My Turn at Bat, a tell-all that had Montreal sports journalists screaming bloody murder when the book was originally published in French in 2001. The upshot: pro baseball in Montreal--the city where Jackie Robinson broke pro baseball's colour barrier with the Montreal Royals in 1946, and where Roberto Clemente got his start in 1954--is in serious trouble. After a series of fire sales and the cancellation of the 1994 World Series (a debacle that Montreal fans felt robbed them of a pennant), Brochu left the franchise as one of the most reviled figures in Montreal baseball history. Taking his cuts in My Turn, Brochu articulately details how he juggled his cash-strapped ball club's endless financial crises--which basically boil down to decreasing revenue in Canadian dollars and escalating player salaries in American dollars. He admits his mistakes but points a finger at the fans, the players, and especially the Montreal media. He also says, contrary to the media coverage at the time, that much-loved former Expos manager Felipe Alou wanted out of Montreal.
My Turn at Bat may not convince diehard Montreal baseball fans that Brochu really had the best interests of the Expos at heart. They can point to the book's defensive tone and the author's continuing support of Major League Baseball's owners. Still, Brochu's is a cautionary tale for every other major-league franchise now struggling with similar problems--not to mention a hard lesson for baseball fans across North America. --Richard Burnett
About the Author
Claude R. Brochu is the former president of the Expos. Daniel Poulin is a retired sports journalist who has covered the Toronto Blue Jays and the Montreal Expos. Mario Bolduc is the author of two novels and a biography of Canadian tennis player Sebastian Lareau. They all live in Montreal, Quebec.
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Running the Expos behind the Scenes,
By A Customer
This review is from: My Turn at Bat: The Sad Saga of the Expos (Paperback)
Claude Brochu reveals just what it takes in running the Montreal Expos. The first-third of the book starts off well as details are provided on what are key ingredients to keep a sports franchise running: Mr. Brochu is appointed the chief of operations of an ownership consotium.The middle-third is still entertaining but the storytelling starts to get uneven. The good parts are the downtown ballpark project and his views on each of the partners of the consortium: they were either with him or against him. However, Mr. Brochu does not shed much light into some other significant events that happened to the team during this period (such as the hiring and competence of then General Manager Jim Beattie). The last-third imitates Brochu's last months on the job: everything starts to crumble. This is the most frustrating part to read. Only bits and pieces of a much larger puzzle are revealed. There is an appendix at the end, with copies of faxes and letters in response to serious issues that arose with the ball club during Brochu's tenure. All in all, a whole lot of what went on behind the scenes that was not originally revealed accurately (or without personal bias) by the Montreal press core finally is described in this book. The biggest surprise is who Mr. Brochu classifies in his good book and in his bad book.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brochu passes the buck, but does give valuable insight,
By
This review is from: My Turn at Bat: The Sad Saga of the Expos (Paperback)
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.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brochu passes the buck, but gives valuable insight,
By
This review is from: My Turn at Bat: The Sad Saga of the Expos (Paperback)
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.
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