Full Description
Blue Monday: one of the most unforgettable days in Canadian baseball history.
Danny Gallagher leads readers up to that infamous day in October 1981 when Rick Monday of the Los Angeles Dodgers hit a home run off of Montreal Expos pitcher Steve Rogers in the ninth inning, giving the Dodgers a berth in the World Series. Readers will be taken back to 1976 when a five-year plan for winning the National League championship was set in place by the Expos with the hiring of experienced manager Dick Williams. Gallagher examines old narratives about Blue Monday and talks to all the key players involved in the game, unearthing secrets and stories never before told.
Contents
Foreword by Larry Parrish
Introduction
Part I The Long Lead-In
Chapter 1: Expos Sign Williams, Pursue Jackson
Chapter 2: The Discovery of Tim Raines
Chapter 3: The 1977 and 1978 Seasons
Chapter 4: Coming So Close: 1979 and 1980
Part II 1981: The Year That Was
Chapter 5: Is This The Year?
Chapter 6: Did Valentine Not Want To Be Great?
Chapter 7: Season Torn Apart By Strike
Chapter 8: Tommy Hutton Released
Chapter 9: Williams Fired, Fanning Hired
Chapter 10: Rogers Speaks Out About Williams
Chapter 11 The Biggest Triple in Expos History
Part III The National League Division Series
Chapter 12: Taking On the Phillies: first 4 games
Chapter 13: An Unexpected Pre-game Pep Talk
Part IV The National League Championship Series
Chapter 14: Dodgers Take Game 1
Chapter 15: Game 2: Ray Burris Slighted, Pitches Masterpiece
Chapter 16: In Montreal: Dodgers Hate "The Happy Wanderer"
Chapter 17: Game 3: Jerry White Hits Big Homer
Chapter 18: Game 4: Dodgers Tie the Series
Chapter 19: Conspiracy Surrounds Postponement of Game 5
Chapter 20: Game 5: The Big One
Chapter 21: Monday, Blue Monday, and That Hit
Chapter 22: Cromartie Reduced to Tears
Chapter 23: Jerry White: The Final Out in Game 5
Part V After Blue Monday: The Long Fade-Out
Chapter 24: Reardon's Secret Is Out
Chapter 25:Bronfman and Others on Pitching Rogers
Chapter 26: Bill Lee Opens Up
Chapter 27: An Eventful Season for Francona
Chapter 28: Don't Blame Rogers
Chapter 29: Dick Williams Calls Rogers Out
Part VI Rick Monday: The Guy Who Hit That Homer
Chapter 30: Showing His Emotions
Chapter 31: The Wrath of the Fans
Chapter 32: Cutting Ties
Chapter 33: Beanball
Chapter 34: Rescuing the U.S. Flag
Chapter 35: "We are the Champions"
Part VII After All That
Chapter 36: A Special Tribute to Three 1980 Expos
Epilogue: The Return of Baseball to Montreal?
Acknowledgements
Sources
Image Credits
Index
