Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - The Russ Taylor Father's Day Special: Toronto Mike'd Podcast Episode 1507

Episode Date: June 16, 2024

In this 1507th episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike chats with Dave Van Horne and two of Russ Taylor's children about Russ and why he belongs in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. Happy Father's Day. Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Ridley Funeral Home, The Advantaged Investor podcast from Raymond James Canada, The Yes, We Are Open podcast from Moneris, The Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball Team and RecycleMyElectronics.ca. If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Toronto Mike at [e-mail]

Hey, Dad? You want to have a catch? I'd like that. Welcome to this special Father's Day episode of Toronto Mic'd. Joining me is Ford C. Frick award-winning broadcaster Dave Anhorn, who spent 32 years calling Montreal Expos games from their inception through the 2000 season and Russ Taylor's daughter and son, Leslie Taylor and Chris Taylor. Welcome Leslie and Chris. Thank you. Thanks Mike. Nice to be here. And welcome back Dave. Dave, you were my guest for episode 1499 and that deep dive into your career was fantastic. Thanks for hooking up with me again so quickly

well the amazing thing is after that one hour with me you're still on the air so somebody wrote me and said there was three hours of content in that one hour episode so I think that's a good point of Ben. Yeah, and there's still so many expose fans in in Canada Oh actually all around but in Toronto a lot of us displaced Montrealers Well every day every day I see expo hats. Yeah in Montreal not a day No, but not a day goes by where I don't see a handful of expo hats Yeah, and shout out to the, uh, to Steve Cole, who's listening. I believe he is the person behind the expos in the wild Twitter account that

likes to take photos of expose hats in the wild and share them on, uh, yeah, whenever I see them, I send them off to him. Awesome. And it's funny here just to set the table before I try to get out of the way, Russ Taylor's other child, Leslie and Chris, your youngest sibling is also an FOTM. So shout out to Carolyn Taylor. And if people want to hear a deep dive with Carolyn, that's episode 1,332.

But Leslie, this is your first visit to the TMDS studio, right? This is the first time you've been here. Yeah, I've never been to, to New Toronto before. Really? And has it met your expectations, your lofty expectations? You know what? It's a little bit smaller than I thought it would be. I was picturing a much New Toronto or the studio. The studio.

Oh, yeah. Well, this is what I've heard. And I want to say hello to Chris. Chris, it's the first time we've met. Where in the world do we find you today? I'm in Montreal. How appropriate. Okay, perfect. So, and Dave, you were inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame on June 21st, 2014. So congratulations on that honor. That's well deserved. Well, thank you. That means a lot to me because, you know, at the time that I left the Expos, I had for 32 years, I mean, I'd spent over half my lifetime broadcasting Expos baseball. And so to be honored by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame was major.

It stands right there with the honor I received at Cooperstown. Excellent. And one glaring omission from the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame is that Russ Taylor has not had the same honor bestowed upon him. And my goal today, like I said, I'm going to try to stay out of the way. And I'm going to let you three talk about Russ and make the case as to why he should be inducted into the Canadian baseball hall of fame. And Leslie, since you're the oldest of the Taylor kids, you're going to rub that in, right?

But only, right, Chris, only a year, right, Chris? One year. Yeah. Still in three weeks. Year and three. Still that counts. Okay. So you're the oldest. I'm wondering if you would start us off by maybe telling me a little bit about your dad, Russ Taylor,

who sadly passed away far too soon at the young age of 51 back in August, 1977. How old were you in? In 77, I was 13 or 13 and a half. Yeah. So set us a start us off here. And then again, I'd love to hear you and Chris and Dave Talk about Russ Taylor and make the case for getting Russ Taylor into the Canadian Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Okay. Well, I'll just start by saying I mean he was always a sports guy and so, you know more recently I mean it's been 40 what seven years or whatever that he's been gone. It's a long time. And people's memories fade and the people who remember him are not necessarily around anymore, not all of them. That's why I'm so appreciative that Dave is here because there's so few people who were still around who remember him and remember listening to him and the impact that he had.

But he was a sports guy. He did a lot of Olympics before he did baseball, did local sports, probably his very first big thing having to do with baseball, and Chris might correct me on this, but he would have only been about 20 years old when Jackie Robinson made his debut in Montreal with the Royals, so he was always involved in sports writing back then. And then in 1952, he was the one who convinced, I don't know if it was the CBC or some other radio station, to cover the Little League World Series from Williamsport,

Pennsylvania, because there was a team from the Montreal area who was playing. And it was the first time that an international team, a non-U.S. based team was playing in the little league world series. So he was involved in that. That team did not win, but they were participating. I don't know, Chris, if you have any more or even Dave, have any more memories of that? Well, I think it was a CFCF. Was it for CFCF? Okay. It was CFCF. Yeah, I do know from talking to Russ early when we first got together and we were going over our backgrounds. I do know that he, he spent a lot of time at the L'Ormier Downs as well, following the Montreal Royals. Yeah, that's right. Yeah,

and the broadcasts for the Royals and in the, in the final years. And yeah, and so baseball was all, like Leslie had mentioned, Jackie Robinson, I think dad started off as a technician, I think in 1948 at CFCF. And then he didn't get into baseball coverage, well, till the Little League World Series, but then toward the end of the 50s, I think the Royals ended in 1960. He was doing Royals broadcast then. Yeah. Okay. Amazing. Now, let's talk about expos

now. So your dad, Russ, and then we can bring Dave into this because Dave was there since the beginning 1969. So your father's involvement with the Montreal Expos, is that from the get go? Is it just that because he was a local broadcaster who was involved in baseball already? Yeah. Yeah. He was the first one hired. And I think Dave might've mentioned this in the episode that you had with him last week or the week before. And he was hired first and then Dave was brought on after. Okay. So he's like sort of, I don't know if we can call him employee number one, but he's He was hired first and then Dave was brought on after. Okay, so he's like sort of, I don't know if we can call him employee number one, but on the broadcasting side, he's probably employee number one.

Yeah, on the broadcasting side. And the other big impact that he had was even as late as August of 68, the expo still didn't have a stadium to play in. Delormier could not be accommodated. They couldn't expand it to have the number of seats that were necessary. There was also a stipulation that a roof would be put on by 1972, that there'd be some type of a dome stadium. It was not capable of doing that. And then the other stadium was called the Autostad, which was where the Alouettes played. That was also not suitable.

So for a variety of reasons. So it was my dad and Marcel, is it? Dejardin. Dejardin, they were both sports writers in Montreal who took Warren Giles, then president of the National League and John McHale president of the baseball club up to Jerry Park. In Wikipedia, cause I was looking at it this morning, Wikipedia said it was Jean Drapeau,

the mayor of Montreal, who encouraged them to look at Jerry Park. And I'm like, I don't think so. I think we need to, we need to get someone on that and correct that. Well, I know a guy. You know, a guy. Rosie Gray, Tio. But Dave, what's your memories of Russ Taylor's involvement in, you know, the Expos playing their home games at Jerry Park? At the time that I was hired Spring training was almost over. There were just a few games left to be played over in the Tampa Bay area the Expos were going to break camp in West Palm Beach where they had shared a spring training facility with the Atlanta Braves and

Actually, it was only about a week or ten days prior to that that I was hired and the first thing I did after I turned in my my notice to by my boss in Richmond was to make contact with with the Expos and the only contact that I had with them was a fellow by the name of Ray Blomquist. He was placed in charge of radio broadcasting both French and English that first year. And he told me, he said, well we have already hired a broadcaster, we have Russ Taylor on board, and he said I need you to meet Russ, and he said I need you to come up here to Montreal, get signed in and everything so we can pay you and

I said, okay I'll get I'll get to Montreal so I got to Montreal met Russ for the first time It was a whirlwind couple of days. We didn't even have a chance to drive up to To Jerry Park we were spending all of our time with the people that were hired to sell radio and sell advertising on the radio broadcasts. And then we had to fly to Tampa because the team had left West Palm Beach and Russ and I flew to Tampa and got started with the expos there.

We watched a couple of exhibition games. And then the National League, remember back in those days it wasn't ML exhibition games and then the National League remember back in those days it wasn't MLB it was the National League and the American League they were separate entities who played under the same umbrella but they were separate entities well the National League decided to welcome not only Taylor and Van Horn but the entire Expos team to baseball by having them travel to Tampa Bay, then out west to Vancouver and play a couple of exhibition games, then into Milwaukee, Wisconsin to play a couple of exhibition games. And by then,

Russ and I have toured the United States. We're now headed to New York to finally play that first game So it was a whirlwind tour But it was it was great for me because Russ and I did a lot of talking and I have said to this day I would not have had the success in montreal That I had had it not been for Russ Taylor being beside me. Because Russ not only talked to me about the broadcast history in Montreal with baseball and so forth, but all across Quebec, all across Canada, told me things I had never known before and introduced me to Canadian baseball and it just

wouldn't have been the same without him and then they often told story that opening day April 8 1969 I'm standing beside Russ of course in the broadcast booth and they're getting ready to play the anthems and when they played the Canadian anthem I looked over to Russ and he had tears streaming down his face and I thought this game this day this event of Montreal entering Major League Baseball is much bigger than I ever thought it was or dreamt it was just by looking at Russ I could see it on his face yeah no I think that was a culmination moment of a lifetime's dream

where he loved baseball so much. He loved the city and to have a team in Montreal, that was the pinnacle for him. And, you know, so I can understand why, you know, he had made it as a father too, and everything had come together for him at that point. Yeah. He just, he loved, I mean, baseball baseball baseball and Olympics were his two big loves I mean he liked all sports, but those were the two that he was really drawn to and he really Got behind I mean he used to teach us about baseball stuff He used to give us little quizzes like I still remember one of the quizzes that he gave me

He's like how can a pitcher not have pitched a ball to home plate and still be the winning pitcher in a game? And that was like the little quiz he would give me. And I'm like, Oh God, I got to figure this out. How, how could that happen? And, and I figured it out. Like, you know, he picks someone off first base and then in the bottom of the ninth or whatever, the home team came up to win and that's how they did it.

So I mean, he would always give us like little quizzes and stuff like that. Well, I was going to ask you at a personal level, this is for you, Chris and you Leslie, but when you hear Dave Van Horn, you know, the voice of the Expos talking about your father and the way Dave talks about your father, I'm wondering, because this is Father's Day, the pride you must feel, like I have this secondhand pride sitting here and I can't imagine what it's like to be in your skin, the pride you must feel, like I have this secondhand pride sitting here and I can't imagine what it's like to be in your skin, the pride you must feel hearing these words about your father from Dave Anhorn. It means a lot to me.

It does. Sometimes, you know, you think you have a lifetime of memories and you try to think of the words to come through that bottleneck, you know, and I've grew out that bottleneck in time and have a lot of things to say. But Leslie sent me an email, said, Oh, Dave's going to be interviewed by Mike. And he said, do you have any questions for Dave? Because Leslie sent a question. I said, I got a million questions for Dave.

Think of one. But yeah, I mean, it does. It means so much just to Dave make this effort. Thank you so much for coming out today. As I've said before, Chris, and I have repeating myself, but I was just so lucky to have your dad as my partner. I mean, we had never known each other. I was an American. He was a proud Canadian. We got together and he was so welcoming to me. He could have he could have sat back and said, you know Hey, wait a minute. This is a Canadian team. I'm the Canadian broadcaster Why did they have to bring an American in here to sit him down beside me never entered his mind at least?

Certainly not to bring that up to me. He was just so welcoming and I don't have to tell you guys how much fun your dad was. He had a great sense of humor. He not only loved the game, he loved the people in it. He loved meeting the scouts and the people behind the scenes that weren't in a major league uniform or on the major league field. He loved everybody involved in major league baseball and he would go around that first year especially and introduce himself and sometimes I was with him to everybody that he would meet in the different cities that we traveled to and he was just so outgoing

and so pleasant all the time. He never had a bad day. Well, he was a real people person. And my younger sister Carolyn has got that from him. She just has tons of friends and is very likeable. I mean, we're likeable too, but not to that level. Leslie and I are likeable, but we're not on that level. And but yeah, my dad was,

was, had tons of friends. And you remember from his funeral, the amount of people from the sports world. And there was a Stanley cup champion coach there and a world series champion manager and a, and a great cup, uh, you know, uh, champion coach Sam Metchanderry was there. Yeah. So yeah, baseball team, including two hall of famers, hall of famers from all the sports world. And uh, yeah, he was, he was loved. I, you know, I've often thought about, you know, just how well respected he was. And it's, it always caused me a bit of,

I would say like, I don't wanna say anxiety, but I was wanting to just sort of back away from that because I was worried if I ever say something that would, you know, blemish his reputation or whatever. So I was kind of stepped back from that world and I'm very grateful that I had him as a father and to see so much love for him to this day. One of the things that we've got a recording that was done by Dick Irvin, the great Dick Irvin, the day he died, and they kept referring to him as like the old pro.

That's kind of what he was known as because even though he was 51 even though he was 51 when he died and, you know, Mike, you're approaching 50. What day is it? And Chris and I are already past that. So, um, we, uh, you know, we kind of look at that and go, Oh, wow. And like to be considered old at 50 or whatever, but he was very much an old soul. And so they referred to him as the old pro, but you know, at the, at his funeral, um, I can't remember who did the eulogy, but somebody said that he actually was more of a young amateur because he never

lost his love for the sport he was never jaded about it he you know was as enthusiastic about it at the end as he was at the beginning of his career the one thing and I get this from him as well he was a real stickler for the rules like he didn't like it if people tried to bend the rules around, you know, in the sport or whatever, he was, he was very much a by the book kind of person when it came to sports and, and baseball. He was old school in the baseball broadcast booth before anybody referred to anyone being old school, but Russ kind of Russ kind of got that going because everybody liked him around the league. He became very good friends by the way.

He probably mentioned the name Jerry Doggett to you guys because he would always seek out Jerry after he'd say hello to Vince Scully. Jerry Doggett was Vince's partner and he and Russ just hit it off. Not that that was the only person in broadcasting the head office for us everybody did but he became uh... really good friends because they had something in common they had this time to montreal the dodgers were tied to montreal and uh... the people that were in the dodge organization had

montreal ties and ross of course was power montreal tie as we went around major league baseball. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And that was another thing that uh that Dick Irvin mentioned in his tribute was the fact that when when my dad was um announced as being you know the uh one of the members of the broadcast team for the Expos everyone everyone in sports media in Montreal was really happy about it because they were like, you know, not that it was like, oh, you know, Dave, no disrespect to you.

But it was like, yeah, all is right with the world. I think those are the words that Dick Irvin used. It's like, you know, all is right with the world when one of our own gets to be the voice or one of the voices of our hometown and only Canadian baseball team at the time. Those of us who knew him always felt that when he became the announcer for Montreal's major league baseball team, it proved there was some justice in the world after all. And just to let the listenership know really quickly

that I will put the entire Dick Irvin tribute to Russ Taylor at the end of this episode. So you can allude to it and then people can hear it for themselves. And just before I pass the mic right back to Dave Van Horn, as I'm listening, I just want to, a quick personal question, I suppose, for you, Leslie, and you, Chris. But do you find Father's Day's difficult? Like, to lose your, you were very young when you lost your dad. Sounds like a great dad. Like, I'm learning so much about Russ Taylor.

I love this very much. 51 years old, like you pointed out, that's next year for me. And I can't imagine, I can't imagine. So I'm wondering, is it difficult for you on Father's Day that you can't pick up the phone and call your dad in Montreal and say happy Father's Day? Like I said, it's been 47 years, right?

So I've lived many more years without him than with him. We were also very lucky to have some good father figures in our life. Like my mom's brother, my uncle Clive, was like, he was a father to us because he and my dad were very, very close because my uncle Clive didn't have any brothers. My dad had, I don't know, five brothers, four or five brothers. Um, but my uncle didn't have any brothers. So they were like brothers, um, uncle Clive and, and my dad. And so, um, he was like the father, you know, so that was, uh, you know, I always thought of uncle Clive as an older brother, but you did. Well, yeah, because I'm a Carolyn. So here's Carolyn.

I remember her sending me a father's day card. She had one. She made one in school and I sort of became the father, I guess, for Carolyn being eight years older. And I used to take her back and throw her fastballs and she could hit. I mean, with with not a baseball tennis ball, we throw fastballs and she could hit. I mean, with not a baseball, tennis balls, we'd throw fastballs and she could hit. She learned how to hit. So that was our little, I guess I kind of became the surrogate father figure, even though I was an older brother. But I don't think that if you go back to the day,

I guess those first few years after he died, it was very difficult. And then, you know, the wounds heal, but just talking about it now, it brings back the memory, the emotions. But for many years, it was, it wasn't so hard. No, I think the thing that makes me choke up more than anything is actually that scene in Field of Dreams. When Kevin Costner meets his late father and he's like, Hey, dad, want to have a catch? I'm like, Oh, that's like, like a gut punch, you know, when you, yeah, cause we used to do that. Yeah. We used to do that.

Oh my goodness. Now, Chris, you said earlier in this, that you were asked by your sister, if you had a question for Dave, when he was on Toronto mic to his debut a couple of weeks back. And then you said a question, I have a million questions. Right. This is your opportunity, my friend. Like I'm going to just back off the podcast? I mean, I'll let you go ask a million. I will tell you this. I will let you go till I run out of hard drive space on this Mac book here. But please, Leslie and Chris, you got Dave Van Horn here at some point. We're going to make our pitch for why Russ Taylor should be in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. But pepper Dave with your Russ Taylor questions, questions

about your dad. Well, okay. So here's one just on the heels of what we were talking about, which was when dad was hired. Was there anybody else, Dave, you know this, if there was anybody else who was considered like from Canada, that is to say it was considered to perhaps be, you know, on the level in terms of baseball knowledge, experience in broadcasting, knowledge of the city. Was there anyone else around? Because what you were saying was, gave the, well,

gives me the impression that John McHale didn't hire you to the very end. And was there no one else around that could have competed with my father for that for that job I don't know well I'm not sure I can guess at this I never saw a list of those who had applied for the job I had heard back in that those days that March of 1969, I had heard that there were over 300 applications for the broadcast job. I don't know how many of them were from Canada as opposed to from the United States. So I can't answer that.

And I never saw the collection I just remember the one the one quote from John McHale driving back from the visit to Jerry Park with Russ and in the car and Jim Fanning was along for that ride and John said as they approached the downtown area because everybody was staying at the Windsor Hotel at the time. That's where Expo's headquarters were briefly. And John said to Ray Blomquist, I think they were not on the phone, but I think Ray was in that car as well. And he said, Ray, what do we have in the way of broadcast English broadcasters other than Russ who's already been hired and Ray said we've got 350 some applications John said I can't go through 350 some applications he said get that whittle down to ten and there was a fellow by

the name of Lou Martin who had been hired by John to come to Montreal from Richmond, Virginia to be John's eyes and ears on the construction site of Jerry Park. And Lou Martin popped up and said, I can save you looking at those numbers of applications, he said, in Richmond there's a fellow doing the Braves games by the name of Dave Van Horn, why don't you take a look at him? And John did. And that's how lucky I was that Lou Martin happened to be in that car returning to downtown Montreal and mentioned my name and that led to my interview with John and

subsequently being selected to work alongside Russ Taylor. So Lou Martin was one of the unsung heroes of Exposed Baseball. Absolutely. Lou was at the time, John took him out of Richmond, Lou was the general manager of the Richmond Braves. That's the AAA club that I was broadcasting for in the late 60s, 66, 67 and 68. And John took him up there to to be his eyes and ears as I said on the on the construction project. But I never saw a list or heard Ray Blomquist or subsequent directors of broadcasting there ever go over that list. And Russ and I never talked about it.

I'm sure there was competition for Russ's position with the club as well. I have a suspicion there was one thing that was going on behind the scenes at that time keep in mind it's 1969 and i think somebody said to john in that front office a montrealer you can look at all these broadcast applications and look at broadcasters everywhere, but don't look at Toronto As you know Toronto and Montreal had this tremendous heartfelt Like a rivalry Rivalry, thank you for the word. Yeah, and and and so he said they didn't want to entertain any uh... bringing any uh... toronto broadcaster over to do the games that i i heard that and uh... i said

figures because once i got to know what things were like between montreal and toronto it did fit right in but uh... but nonetheless it was a magnificent selection by john McHale to go with Russ Taylor. I think that they probably, just like Russ with everybody, they probably hit it off right away. And John enjoyed the background that Russ had had in baseball going back to his teen years and his knowledge of baseball in Montreal his knowledge of Montreal his knowledge of the politics of Montreal and Quebec and

That was so impressive. I'm sure to John just as it was to me Excellent. Yeah, I think that that's one of the maybe overlooked things when it comes to the role of a broadcaster in any capacity any sport or or non-sport environment is the just the knowledge they have of the environment that they're in. And I think that might be one of the things that's maybe overlooked about my dad is all the stuff that maybe happened behind the scenes, that happened before the Expos even played their first game and the contributions that he made in that regard

and the fact that he was chosen so quickly or so early before a lot of other pieces were in place with the team kind of speaks to how integral he was to the success of the Expos in their first season. Okay I have another one of my million questions. So the up, up and away call, I had heard this, Dave, you can correct me if I'm wrong, but I had heard that you were toying with the idea of using up, up and away. And my dad loved it. He said, Dave, do it, go for it. But you were hesitant to use it.

So one day he used it on a call and you got really angry with him You said I was that was supposed to be my call And you said well look if you're not going to use it I'm going to use it and that was his way to get you to use it now. Is that a true story or not? I I I do remember that happening and and I was not mad at him I was I was taken aback because we had been discussing this call I was taken aback because we had been discussing this call. And I had not yet used it. I think it was probably late April before I used it.

And I think it was more the shock that this is the call that I had come up with and we had discussed. And Russ jumped in there with it. And I'm glad he did because I got to hear what it sounded like. Yeah. I liked it too. Yeah. So, uh, I went with it, but I don't, I don't think I was ever ever really angry with your dad. He may remember me as being angry. I was more in shock. Okay. Over the fact that was a fact that I heard that the big right hander holds at the belt

kicks and deals at 1-0 Dawson swings Chris this is amazing, but that's a great question. And that story is, that's a wild story. Like I can't believe we just got that. So how many left in that million questions keep going. Oh, all right. Well, another one I remember was a few years into the sea into the seventies. I don't remember which year it was.

We went to our families, Dave's family and our family went up to Montreux and for the All-Star break. And Tim McCarver joined us for that, him and his family. And I thought it was kind of an odd mixture because the time McCarver was a catcher, he was a ball player. And why was he hanging out with these old broadcast your types? Did he show an

interest at that time in broadcasting? Do you think your influence may have had an effect on him and his decision to be a broadcaster? I don't know that either one of us influenced his decision, but I know that he knew his career was winding down and This was something that he wanted to do and of course he went on to become one of the outstanding baseball analysts of all time and but I remember that summer and going up to Trompe Blanc and the good times that we had and that that summer and going up to Tromble and the good times that we had and that Tim and his wife at the time were there. And so he was, he was always, uh, uh, close to those of us that have had an

association with the expos like Tommy Hutton and some others. And, uh, yeah, it worked out well for Tim McCarver. That's for sure. Dave, you just brought up, you just mentioned something that kind of, um, just sort of twigged a memory is this idea of broadcasters versus analysts. So in today's sort of, um, you know, arena it's typically you've got a broadcast person and then you've got someone who's usually coming from the sport itself to act as an analyst, someone who's played the game and stuff. But things were different when you guys started because you both were broadcasters. Yes.

That wasn't uncommon. For example, we used the Dodger booth as an example, Ben Scully and Jerry Doggett were broadcasters and not players. I mean, Ben played college ball, but it wasn't uncommon, especially back during the, it wasn't until the 70s and 80s that former athletes, former baseball players started to move into the broadcast booth either on television or on radio.

So that was something that happened in our time as Russ and I broke in. And it was one of those things that it spread like wildfire afterwards because people enjoyed hearing from the people who had been down on the field, who had been through everything that was to go through in baseball. They've been on the field. Now they were in the broadcast booth talking to the fans and the fans really took to that. Right. So was it like 74 or 75 that Duke Snyder joined the broadcast team? It was. He first joined on a part-time basis and then that became full-time. And Duke,

to his credit, it wasn't his first broadcast job. He was one of the initial San Diego Padre broadcasters when they came into the league at the same time that the Expos came into the league, 1969. So he had had some broadcast experience and of course a wealth of knowledge and great history with the Brooklyn Dodgers and so forth. So he brought a lot to the table, but yeah it was at about that time. As a matter of fact, for a short period of time, all three of us were in the booth at the same time. You may recall that. Yeah, I do. I do. And, you know, one of the other things I was noticing was I was listening to a few broadcasts the other days and some old tapes and

So I could hear my dad Calling the game and you calling the game and I think the thing that so impressed me about you Dave and I heard it in my dad's voice as well as the cadence of Broadcasting baseball knowing when to pause when to let the crowd cheer The pace at which you deliver the information to the audience was so special and he had it, you had it. And sometimes I'd listen to the old tapes and say, is that my dad or is that Dave? I couldn't tell.

And then I'd wait for a few inflections in the voice. Oh yeah, Dave's voice is a little bit higher. And, but, you know, so that's the thing that I find just so special about baseball's broadcast. I hear you, and one of the things that I thought about, not at the time that it was happening, but in later years when I started to think back to the years that Russ and I shared the booth was how easily we worked together and fit together and had the same

cadence. We didn't have anybody in that booth yelling and screaming. We had two baseball broadcast people that grew up listening to baseball from the 40s and 50s and and and copied the pace and the feel of the game from those people not the voice but copied the pace and the feel and Russ and I we started out that first day April 8 1969 we had that pace of play between us and never left us and until we were split up before we get back to Chris and Leslie's questions and Again, I am thoroughly enjoying this conversation you're having with Dave Van Horn

but let's hear some Ross just I'd like to hear Russ Taylor's voice if that's cool and Leslie you send me some clips. Yeah. How about Hammer and Hank? You want to set it up possibly? I think he was, Hank Aaron was sort of on his way to his record breaking home run. And I think he was within 20 of the record at that point when he hit this one. The old 714, right? Yeah. That big, big, big record.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Here's some Russ Taylor. Hard hit drive deep in the center field. What ball is going? Going up! Hold on for a second there. He now needs 17. A three run play.

Has him out of range. Take a 7 to 1 lead. Wow. Okay, 17 to go. To, I guess, to match Babe Roofs, uh, seven 14 there. Leslie, I was wondering if I could play the, uh, the call of a rusty stop, uh, throwing a runner out and then there's a, uh, interview. That's my favorite. That is my favorite. Classic. Yeah. All right. So, but the deal is I'm going to play the call and then I'm going to play the interview and then I'm gonna play the

Interview and then I need to hear all three of you comment on this. Okay. Yeah Here's Russ Taylor's call of the throw the one one Here's a high fly ball and a short right field near the line stop Is under let's see whether he can make the throw here comes a throw to the plate they got up at the plate a terrific throw by Rusty Starr okay and then i also have an interview from Russ on Rusty, we'll call this one. Here we go. Rusty, right after you made the throw, you made a beeline for the clubhouse. And this brought a lot of laughter from a lot of people in the stands.

They're all wondering, there's a long wait, perhaps about five minutes. And finally, when you arrive back in the stadium, it reminded me of times of watching the Olympic marathon after the marathoner runs 26 miles, 385 yards, whatever the distance is, everybody is waiting in suspense for the man to reenter the stadium for the final kick home. And that's just how it appeared in a big war went up in the crowd when you made your appearance. Tell us just what happened. Well, Russ, a combination of things. Really when I made the throw, I kind know overextended myself and I guess my pants were a little too tight and I tore them a little bit and I've also had a little

trouble with my stomach so I just I went inside and you know as nature calls sometimes I just told the umpire said I've got to go change my pants when I went inside I just you know had to do my little thing there and so it took me a little while to get back out okay Rusty thanks very much and congratulations once again. Russ that's an all-timer. I've been speaking with Rusty Staub. Now stay tuned for the post-game scoreboard show with Dave Van Ornn coming up in just one minute.

Yeah he could not contain his laughter. I had to do my little thing. It was crazy because as Russ described as soon as the ball was thrown to the plate and the out was called the inning was over and Rusty instead of heading to the dugout headed down The left field line from right field cut across the field And I don't know if it was the second base umpire or the third base umpire but one of them said to him where are you going because they knew that's where the clubhouse was down the left field line through a little gate and the

clubhouse was around the corner under the left field bleachers and so rusty told him he said I gotta go change my pants. And then as Russ described, I made this grand entrance back into the stadium with this shiny pair of white home pants on. Is that 69 or 70 or when was that? Oh, good question, Chris. I don't think, Rusty was there for three years, I don't think it was the first year. It could have been

69 or 70 but I'm leaning toward 1970. The reason why I asked that question is because it's a legendary story in my family, at my house. And growing up as a kid, I remember my dad recounting that story to me when I was a young boy. And of course, I loved Rusty Staub. He was my idol. And well, one day we had the good fortune of picking up Rusty Staub.

He lived at Westmount Square, sort of down just off of De Meze and Earth. And so we picked him up to take him down to the ballpark. And there he was, Rusty Staub, sitting in the front seat in front of me, this grand orange hair right in front of me. I said, I'm going to ask Rusty Staub this question. I said, and my parents had always told me the story, said that, that the time the time rusty stopped split his pants That's what they said. They said he split his pants and I'm like, oh, okay. So I thought it was a so I asked rusty I said rusty Tell me about the time you split your pants

Everybody just laughed in the car and I didn't really understand what had happened I just thought he had torn his pants and that was it I and I didn't really understand what had happened. I just thought he had torn his pants and that was it. So I didn't know that. I didn't know that. Yes. Were you in the car? I don't know. Maybe you wouldn't remember that vaguely remember. Yeah, I have a bad memory.

Chris, that's why you're here. You've got the memory. Any more questions here for Dave? We've got Dave Van Horn here talking Russ Taylor for Father's Day. This is awesome. Dave Van Horn Well, practical jokes. My dad liked to play jokes and he loved it when people played jokes on him. I was reading in the obits the other day from after my dad passed away. Dave was telling a story and I'd love him to tell it again about when Dave

trolled my dad and convinced him that the wrestlers that he had to broadcast the wrestlers who were wrestling on the dugout or something like that. That was that was one of the put-ons with right he loved them he loved every one of them so the Expos were getting ready to head out on the road, and one of the things they had scheduled for Jerry Park while the team was on the road was a full-scale wrestling match. They were promoting ticket sales for this wrestling match. So I got thinking, and I talked to Ted Blackman I said I said they've got these wrestlers come in here they're going to be in seats behind home plate I've got to do something with that and Ted said tell Russ he's got to describe the wrestlers and I said yeah, I'll see what. So my mind was a whirl and I went down to the broadcast booth thought about it and I said, Russ, by the way, I forgot to tell

you this, John McHale called me in the office this afternoon and tonight there's going to be two wrestlers that are appearing next week when the team's gone in the matches that are taking place at Jerry Park, they're going to be sitting behind home plate and they're going to break out into a fight behind home plate. And it's during your innings, so you've got to describe this fight that's going on between the two wrestlers and I'll give you, I'll get the names for you behind home plate while you're I'll get the names for you behind home plate while you're doing your innings there." He looked at me like I was crazy. I said, well, John said, we've got to do that and it's set up for that inning and that's

your inning, so you've got to describe this. And then I said, after you do all all that I'll jump in and do a ticket promo announcement but you've got to describe these russes and rush through his pencil down he stood up pushed his chair back he was visibly upset and he said I'm not going to do that and I said well this is orders from John McHale this is what he wants done and Russ said well I'm gonna go find John and if he makes me do that I will quit right here tonight on the spot I will quit this job I'm not a wrestling

promoter I'm a baseball broadcaster and he stormed out of the booth going to look for John McHale so I got up slowly and I'll look to see which way he had gone you one or two ways if you turn to the right you're going to go down the steps that lead from the broadcast booth behind home play to Jerry down to the main concourse or if you go to the left you're going to the press box first whatever reason he went to the left and there stood Ted Blackman down there right at the head of the writer's section and Ted said Russ what's wrong and Russ told Ted and

Russ said well, that's tough job you but don't go Looking for John McHale and quit your job, right?'t quit over. He said, I'm not going to do this. I won't be a part of this tawdry promotion of wrestling. And he turned away from Ted and he started heading down the end. And now I'm down there as well. And Ted says, you got to take him up the hook. He's going to go find John and scream and yell at him. I said, Russ doesn't scream and yell. Ted says, take him up the hook he's gonna go find John and scream and yell at him I said Russ doesn't scream and yell Ted says take him off the hook so I caught

up with Russ and I took him off the hook and he just broke out into that big belly laugh of his and he thought it was the greatest put on he'd ever been a part of I think he had said something, you had told him that, that he had to tell the on his, come on down and see the brutes this Saturday night. Yeah. And then there was the Jerry Park security squad that was supposed to come down and fight the wrestlers or something that happened like that. So yeah, I think that was part of the story that I concocted for Russ that he had to describe.

Oh, wait, because you set it up. You set it up. You said that, oh yeah, describe how the wrestlers are going to wrestle on the Axel's dugout and the security detail would come down and they'd get beaten up and then Russ would come out and say, come see the Brutes this Saturday night. Yeah that was that was about it and uh but he loved it. I know he told the story often and I sure did and uh yeah it was a it was a put on and Russ loved put-ons. Yeah yeah. You got any more there Chris? Yeah yeah I'd like to know about some of your favorite restaurants. Do you have any food stories?

My dad liked to eat, as you know, and you. I'll tell you, I'll tell you one. I could tell you many, because when we had off days on the road, especially, we would go out to dinner together. And one of his favorite places was a steakhouse in Chicago, Gene and Georgette's and we went there often. So we're at Gene and Georgette's and we both ordered a steak and all the trimmings that come with it and everything and this was actually in 1969 and one of the first couple of times that I've been out to dinner with Russ

now I will be the first to admit that I'm a very finicky steak eater I do a lot of work with the knife and fork in trimming anything that I think might be fat or Gristle off the steak before I start to eat it and About the time I finished my process of doing all that, Russ was pushing his plate away and it was empty. I said, Russ, when did you start eating so fast? And he said, well you have to understand. He said, I grew up in a household with five other people at the table and none of us were allowed to have seconds on any food

Until our plate was clean So I learned to beat everybody else to the remaining food by cleaning my plate Before anybody else could even think about cleaning their plate and he said I've been eating fast ever since then yeah Yeah, there were nine kids in my dad's family. So it was, there was a lot of jostling for position. And then he turned around and would do the same thing with us. He would say things like, Oh, look at that bird out the window. And we turned to look out the window and he'd steal food off our plates. Like stuff like that. That stuff. Oh my goodness. All right. Now, um, before we're going to, I know how I want to close this episode,

but I don't want to end this call. And Chris is like, I didn't get a chance to ask this question. I've been wondering for how many years or Leslie, you too, of course. I know Chris has the memory in the family. I'll do, I'll defer to Chris. My, uh, my, I've, I think I've said my piece, like, so Chris, again, I don't want to leave any of these questions, you know, on the cutting room floor, so to speak. So this is your chance. I think at this point, it's more wanting to share good memories. Yeah, really than questions. And, but definitely and thank Dave for all the years that I listened to Dave, even after my father passed away.

I listened to, I wouldn't say every game, but I listened to all over the world. I listened to Dave on the internet in 2000 from Singapore. And I actually, I had to log off a computer, shut down a computer to download the real player player so I could listen to Dave and Dave's talking about, you know, the amazing qualities of the internet and saying that's the great thing about the internet. You just never know who's listening. And he'd got an email from a Woody Freiman, I guess from his farm in Kentucky.

And I'm like listening. I'm listening, Dave. You got no way of telling us. Just so many great memories and the calls, the games, the players. And, you know, it was terrible. My mom, my mom loved Dave so much. And, and back when the Expos were a really good team in the, in the late seventies, early eighties, my mom, we'd be watching the game and Dave would be doing the broadcast on TV.

And then my mom would sort of saunter in, oh, are they winning? You know, and say, yeah, they're winning. But the moment my mom would come in, it's that everything would unravel always, you know? And I said, well, so it was, we thought she was cursed. It was like a hex or something. But one day we ran into Warren Carmardi at some function and Crow took the hex off and after that everything was good That's great, that's great

That's great should I play Leslie you sent me some clips but maybe I could play another one Is there another one of these clips you'd like me to play? Um, I'm pretty much about like, okay, so we got a Grand slam call. Yeah, the grand slam. so we got a grand slam call that I get the grand slam. Let's hear a grand slam call from us. Taylor, the pitch to Bailey are to hit ball deep in the left field going way back is Aaron. That ball is gone. A grand slam home run for Bob Bailey on the first pitch and the X balls are back in the game. Okay, the grand slam for Bob Bailey. That's amazing. And what about Boots Day?

Single. Yeah, I think because that was a game. I don't know if it was game winning or they took the lead or something. It was a pinch hit. Definitely a pinch hit. Let's hit the excels went. That's good. The score of 6-5 Boots Day with a pinch hit single. One of our favorites Charles Frederick Day. Yeah. Boots Day. Yeah. I was going to say in the days before we called those walk-offs right I always think of when

Joe Carter hits touches them all in 93. Much love to the late-grade Tom Cheek. Speaking of play-by-play analysts who didn't play professional baseball, that was Tom Cheek and Jerry Howarth too. So that's how it was back then. When Dave and Duke would be doing the television broadcasts, my dad and Tom Cheek would be doing the radio. And that's where I first was introduced to Tom Cheek. And then the Jays landed in Toronto. I guess it was in 77. And Tom moved over there at that point, but he always sounded great. And I was like, I love listening. I say, Dave, I hate to admit this, but when you'd be doing the TV broadcast, we turn the sound down and then we turn up my dad and Tom Cheek, but it wasn't anything personal. I think he couldn't take that personally.

You're listening to your dad. It would be strange if you didn't do that. I'd argue. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And we did in the episode I did with you, Dave, uh, we talked at great lengths about your relationship with the late Tom cheek and it sounded, sounded wonderful as well. Well, Tom was twerking in Burlington, Vermont, as I think everybody knows, or at least back in the day they knew that. And when we ran into some situations where we had trouble covering all of the innings that needed to be done when I was working television and at the time we

were always going to Plattsburgh, New York and Burlington, Vermont during the winter on the caravan and we'd be there to sell tickets. And Tom Cheek would always be the host of the luncheon that we would all go to. Russ and myself and everybody else with the Expos and the players that they took down there would go to luncheon. Tom would be the emcee. So John McHale asked me, he said, do you have any suggestions as to who could work with Russ when you're on television and I said number one on my list would be Tom Cheek down in Burlington and so one thing led to

another they got a hold of Tom Cheek and Tom Cheek started that series of broadcasts with Ross when I was doing TV with Duke and was there only like one or two games a week that were on TV? Maybe one, sometimes two? Yeah, the television schedule was not very, but when we first started out, I think the TV schedule was somewhere between 15 and 18 games for the year. Right. That grew a little bit a few years later to where there were 20, 25 games.

And then it continued to grow until, I don't know, I'm going to say the most we ever did was probably 35, 40 games on TV. So a question for Dave. I had memories of those early broadcast, TV broadcasts being on Wednesdays and Saturday. Yes. Are there any, is there any like video footage of those old games from Jerry Park or even the road games from the 70s? Well, you know what? Thanks to the CBC, the answer is no. the the number of times that we were looking to get a video of of games I didn't acquire a video of a game that I did on CBC until Dennis Martinez's perfect game in 1991 yeah so yeah it was it was tough back in the day. Russ and I

when the game on April 8 1969 was over I don't know who said it first but I think I turned to Russ and I said Russ because he knew everybody at the radio station that had carried our games at CKGM. He said, I said, you've got to call over there right now and get copies of the of the audio of our broadcast. Said get one for you, get one for me, and we got to get one to give to John McHale so the ball club has has won. So we got back to the hotel, Russ said I'll meet you at the bar as soon as I make this call to Montreal about the tape and he called Montreal and he asked

the question, you know, can you make some tape copies of the broadcast so that Dave and I can have one and John McHale can have one for the club, for the record. There's a long pause on the phone and the voice replied, we didn't record the game. Wow. Wow. What a shame. So game one, 1969, April 8th, first exposed game in history, about 10 to 15 years later, I got a call from a guy in Chicago who's a baseball nut and who has spent most of his life, you're nodding your head yes Mike, who has spent most of his life recording games. He had a recording of the first game, the April 8th game.

And so we belatedly, I was able to get a copy of that. And it's not even the entire game. It starts, as I recall, the tape starts with Russ doing the lineups and then myself a few innings I think Russ is on there for a few innings and then long about the seventh or eighth inning it just sort of petered out we never got the the final score or anything on that tape we've been able to piece it together since then but there was this station in Montreal and I know this was a new gig Major League Baseball on the air but my goodness they didn't record the game. That is wild here. My dad had worked on, he had taped

the station CFCF had all the tapes of the games, but obviously not the opening game. Maybe they started recording them after that because they realized they had messed up. So that's why he was able to compile a lot of that old footage. And he put together what was going to be a record, a promo record that he was going to sell or have this the baseball team sell, which was a retrospective on the Expos, maybe the first five years or something like that. And it was a compilation of Dave and my dad in the broadcast booth calling all the great

calls. But they said, we can't do it. And then why not? And they said, because the French French broadcast they hadn't recorded theirs So that was that just a thing in those days that just not to record well, I Don't know I can't speak for the for the stations and I and I'm not too sure I know that there was always an issue in those early years between the stations that broadcast

the French feed and the English feed. There was always something going on there that wasn't healthy from a broadcast standpoint and had trouble getting a lot of replays and so forth that we tried to collect and then we're told the same thing well we can't put this together and publish this unless we also have a French version and there is no they didn't have the ability to do that so that was that was tough but I to this day remember rush coming down to the bar and saying you're not going to believe this I said try me he said I called the station they didn't record the game I looked at him and I said I know what this is this is a put on

you're putting me on you're trying to get me. But it's not gonna work. When do we get the copies? He said they didn't record the game. And so that was the end of that. Wow. In 69, you know, that's about a decade too early for when many many homes had VCRs and you would have had many people recording a big event like that in 69. You're lucky you got any recording at all. Now, Chris, I heard you were going to say something there, but just to set the table here.

So when we were going to close by going around the horn around the van horn, if you will. Okay. So we're going to go Leslie, then you, Chris, and we're going to close with Dave, Okay, so we're gonna go Leslie then you Chris and we're gonna close with Dave Essentially a pitch to get Russ Taylor in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame But just before we do that around the Van Horn, I'm wondering if Dave What are your memories of the Taylor kids back in the back in the day in Montreal? well, I had fun memories of seeing them at times coming to the ballpark and then coming up to the booth area after the game was over and so forth.

The thing that I remember most was it happened in 1976. My wife, Nancy Lee, and the four boys, we lived on the West Island. So we were out there on the West Island and unfortunately at the Montreal Neurological Institute my wife passed away following brain surgery and I was left with four boys and it was a whirlwind time there in February and early March of 1960 1976 and I say that because out of the clear blue, here comes Russ Taylor with his kids in tow in the car. And he came to the front door of our place there in Kirkland and he said, round the boys up, he said, I'm gonna take everybody down to see

the progress being made at Olympic Stadium. So they can get a look at it and see what the future home is going to be like and where it is and everything. And he did that. And my boys have never forgotten it. I never forgot it. I didn't go along because I was up to my ears in other things, but I know that the boys to this day have, whenever the name Taylor comes up, they mentioned that, how much that meant to them

to spend that time at that horrible time in their life with the Taylor kids to go see the progress at Olympic Stadium. Dave, that was awful. That was awful. I remember it very well. And I remember Nancy was such a cool woman. And I remember when we drove in the car that day,

there was, you could hear a pin drop. We drove out, it was a miserable day out to the Big O and your boys were there and we didn't say much. We just drove around the Big O and watched the progress. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I remember my mom was very fond of Nancy as well. They were very good friends.

She taught me the term a hat trick. I'd never heard that term before and she I'd scored a hat trick in my league and I said I scored three goals and she says, oh, you got a hat trick. I said, oh really? What's that? It's three goals. All right. Yeah. I said, oh really? What's that? It's three goals. All right.

Yeah, I'm sorry for your your loss there as well and that's a That's a great story though a great memory of the tailors and it's it's nice to hear that when the tailors are brought up There's a great positive positive feelings attributed to that. Okay now Chris I'm and I guess we give you one last question here before we go around the horn. I know I promised an hour, but this was too beautiful to contain in one hour. So do you have one final question for Dave and then we'll go around the horn because it sounds to me as an independent observer here that Russ Taylor belongs in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. So we're gonna make our pitches.

But Chris, do you have a final question for Dave. I probably do. And but I'm now I'm drawing a blank. That's okay. It's there's been I found this to be this last hour to be like, funny, interesting and emotional. I was really touched by a lot of these stories I heard. And there were moments there even that story that Dave just told where I could feel my body like goosebumps on my body I could feel it in my core here so this was a very like a beautiful tender episode Leslie you're here in the basement yeah reach out and mess up your

hair here my helmet hair here my bike ride over that's the only way my hair yeah rocks his helmet hair. Your dad belongs in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. Yeah for a couple of reasons. So Dave's in the Hall of Fame, Jacques Doucet is in the Hall of Fame who was the French broadcaster for the Expos. So it's about time that Russ Taylor gets into the Hall of Fame. I think we tend to think about longevity when we're talking about impact in in broadcasting or in anything and Dave certainly had longevity. My dad did not have longevity

it was only like six seasons or seven seasons of broadcasting. But I think impact wise, you know, we talked about this right off the top, his impact on baseball in Montreal, not just the Expos but with the Royals as well. And I think that that makes him deserving of being included in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. included in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. The 2-0. Hard hit ball deep into the field. That ball is going. It is gone! We've got a tie ball game.

Bob Bailey has just hit it out. Exposed 5, the Dodgers 5. What a poke by Bob Bailey. A dramatic ninth inning home run. His 22nd of the year by Bob Bailey. A dramatic ninth inning home run. His 22nd of the year. For Bob Bailey, five RBIs. A standing ovation here at Jerry Park. What a clutch by Beats into the bleachers.

Chris. Yeah. Well, it's very subjective because he's my dad, but I can tell you why I want him to be in the Hall of Fame. And certainly, you know, as my father and my recollections of him, just I grew up, you know, nurtured in baseball, fertile baseball. He was always talking about baseball. But when you go back to what he did originally, which was to get CFCF to broadcast that little

league world series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and then on to the great Montreal Royals broadcasting there. And then in that hiatus period, you know, between when the Royals left and the Expos arrived in 69, he was accumulating his connections in baseball and he was hired like that by McHale because as was mentioned earlier, the people in the business, they knew that my dad was the guy and I was asking Dave that question. I said, well, who else would have they hired at that time? I mean, there must have been other people that knew baseball as well as my dad. But was there anybody who had the experience and the knowledge and sort of the Montreal

aspect that my father did? And I don't think there was. That's why it was so difficult for John to find someone else until he fortunately got Dave. So, yeah, that's I guess that's what I would say. And I think, you know, cause he, he, he died at 51. He never really got to completely flush out his career. Um, so, um, that's, I think that's the thing kind of holding them back.

I've said, otherwise you would have a lot of people now, I suppose, we're voting that would have strong or fond memories of my father that might not know who he is. Well, we're educating people today. And before I turn to Dave Van Horn to take us home, can you tell me about the photo I see over your right shoulder? So this is for you, Chris. Sorry. Yeah, yeah.

Sorry. My right shoulder. Yeah. Oh yeah. So there he is. He's with Jackie Robinson. So that's your dad, Russ Taylor, my right shoulder. Yeah. Oh, yeah. So there he is. He's with Jackie Robinson So that's your dad Russ Taylor with Jackie Robinson. Yeah. Yeah, he's I Guess it was a photo taken looks to me in the 1960s at some point. I know my dad was doing sort of teletepe broadcasts of the World Series from New York at some point

would have been maybe late 50s or early 60s along with a Japanese broadcaster. And so he was still involved in that point. He must have met Jackie along the way during that time period. Well, it's a great photo, man. That's awesome. Yeah, it's awesome. I love it.

All right, Dave. Thanks again, Dave, for returning to the program. Thank you, Chris and Leslie for doing this for a Father's Day special. Now, Dave, why does Russ Taylor belong in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame? Well, all of the things that we have we have mentioned, you know, the person who was primarily responsible for the league when they were about to move the franchise before it ever existed in Montreal they were about to move it to Buffalo or any number of other cities that were mentioned as a

possible place to relocate that franchise and Russ came in and and uh... certainly made it made a day career saving decision or expose fans everywhere by finding jerry park and taking john in the group up there to see it uh... that's just one small thing that he did his pride in canada his pride in mont, and the history of Canada and Montreal when it came to baseball.

Russ was always just so proud of being a Canadian number one and a baseball fan number two. And it was wonderful, although a short lived time that I had to to work with him I wish it had gone on forever I wish he and I had been able to spend our entire careers doing that and by the way speaking of pictures I'm going to try to show this to you because I think it is a collector's item now the the oh yeah I think that's a postcard I might have one of those. I've got it right here. Oh wow. You probably have it. You have that. Yeah. But I'll tell you what you might not have as I move it. It's autographed by both of us. Nice. I don't have the autograph. Wow. Wow. So I grabbed by both of us.

So I cherish. I cherish that. You can get a shot of this, maybe. And you see that. Oh, that's the parade photo. Yes, yes. The parade photo. Yeah, I guess it was was it after was it before the first season

or after the first season that there was a big parade in Montreal for the ex-post? It was it was was it after was it before the first season or after the first season that there was a big parade in Montreal for the X it was it was early in the season. Okay but the The parade was not March 8th. A lot of people think the parade was March 8th Excuse me April 8th Because the team was in New York, so there was no parade there for the Expos. When they came home on the 14th, there was no parade, but a few days after that, the

team had a day off and then they held the parade. I remember reading and hearing at the time that there were well over 150,000, some people guessed as many as 200,000 people came out to line the downtown Montreal streets for that parade. Wow. I remember that. I remember that because I remember that the whole thing culminated at Place de la Marie and there was a huge crowd of people and expo players dressed up.

And I remember meeting Jim Gosger and he gave me his Donald Duck impersonation. That's my memory. Chris, you have a way better memory than I do for stuff like that. That's why he's here. And Leslie, thanks for riding over here from, from let from appropriately named Leslieville. Leslieville. Yes. And we're going to take a photo by the Toronto tree.

And Chris, good to meet you. Thanks for joining us from Montreal. And of course, Hall of Famer Dave Van Horn. Hopefully one day, Dave, you'll be joined in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. You'll be joined by Russ Taylor and all the Taylor kids can be in st. Mary's there for the induction ceremony That's my hope. That's my dream. Thank you so much for doing this Well, it's it's my honor and privilege to spend time with you guys. This one means a lot to me to have

both Leslie and of course Chris on board. So guys thank you very much I appreciate it and I'll continue to do all I can do. I have a vote, I have one vote, we get the we get the ballot each year and we're asked to list one through ten ten weight giving to number one on through ten and I have had Russ on my ballot I think every year that I've that I've voted I can't go back to the first couple years memory fails had him on all my ballots. I think that it goes without saying that it's Toronto weighted just because of its location and the number of people that are involved

and I'm not blaming the Blue Jays, Toronto baseball for anything. I'm just saying it is weighted heavily there, but it's gotten a little bit better, particularly in the writers department, the last few years. So maybe the door is slowly being pushed open and maybe this will be the year I know I'm going to continue to work at it and continue to talk to my fellow voters about Russ Taylor Dave Dave. Here's an important question for you Was my dad involved in organizing the Pearson Cup which was the the meeting between the Blue Jays and the Expos I I'm not sure I can answer that Chris. I don't I don't recall

I mean, of course, I remember the Pearson Cup and I thought he had something to do with organizing that he might he might well have had something to do with it because you know he was he was close to he was close to and and regarded fondly by John McHale, and I think John would have listened to everything and anything Russ had to offer in the way of promotion for baseball. So it could have been that the Pearson Cup was one of those things that Russ was involved in. I think back a lot of days now and can't remember age 84, whether or not I remember seeing pictures of something or I actually saw it happen in baseball. And I go through that all the time. Yeah. Yeah. So if you are out there listening to us right now, this Father's Day episode of Toronto

Mike and you have a vote, please consider voting for Russ Taylor to have him inducted into the Canadian baseball hall of fame. He's worthy of this honor and it's long overdue. So if you have a vote, use it wisely, vote for Russ. Thank you, Mike. Thank you. Terrific job, Mike. This is Dick Irvin, sports director of CFCF radio in Montreal with the pregame show on this Expos broadcast of the Expos-Atlanta Braves doubleheader, which will come your

way with Dave Van Horn and Duke Snyder from the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. This morning all of the people connected with the Expos and everyone connected with sport of any kind in Montreal and indeed in Canada were shocked and saddened by the news of the sudden death of Russ Taylor. Currently the Expos director of communications and for the first eight seasons of the Expos, their play-by-play broadcaster on radio along with Dave Van Horn and latterly Duke Snyder as well. Here at CFCF Radio the archives contain many moments that Russ shared with all of us and the Expos broadcast crew have requested that we play a few of those moments for you now.

In the broadcasting business in Montreal, we always referred to Russ Taylor as the old pro. His association with CFCF goes back into the early 50s and before perhaps, his love of sport goes back much further than that. One of his earliest jobs was as a radio technician at the Montreal Forum and it was there he heard a broadcaster from the Maritimes doing an amateur game. A few years later, he recommended that same broadcaster to those handling Canadians broadcasts and that is how Danny Gullivan came to Montreal. Russ was the morning sportscaster for many years in CFCF radio and when television arrived he became part

of that scene too. But first and foremost Russ's love was baseball. When they were looking for a place in which to play major league baseball in Montreal it was Russ Taylor who told Warren Giles and John McHale about Jerry Park. He was with them the first time they walked into the park. He was there the first and last times the Expos played there. He was the play-by-play man alongside Dave Van Horn and latterly Duke Snyder from the first game through to the end of last season when he became the director of communications for the ball club.

Russ loved Jerry Park. He loved the broadcasts and he loved baseball. And he was one of the broadcasters at a microphone when Hank Aaron hit one of his record setting home runs. Hard hit by deep in the center field. That ball is going, going up. Home run by Hank Aaron. He now needs seven Bs.

A three block blast has the amount of raise. Take a seven to one lead. Well, Russ, like everybody else, could get excited when Hank Aaron hit a home run, but not the way Russ Taylor could get excited when the Expos hit a home run, especially if it was a grand slam. The pitch to Bailey.

Hard hit ball, deep into left field. Going way back is Aaron. That ball is gone. A grand slam home run for Paul Bailey on the first pitch. And the Expos are back in the game. Russ was one of the few homegrown play-by-play men in baseball. He loved the life, he loved the travels, he loved sitting around talking baseball, playing trivia, and he loved the Expos. The 2-0. Hard hit ball deep into the field that ball is going it is gone

we've got a tie ball game Bob Bailey has just hit it out exposed by the Dodgers 5 what a poke by Bob Bailey a dramatic ninth inning home run his 22nd of the year for Bob Bailey. Five RBIs. A standing ovation here at Jerry Park. What a close fight beats into the bleachers. All-in-two. Brewer is ready. The pitch. Day. Ground ball right side.

Face it. The expose went by a score of 6-5. Boots Day with a pinchhead single. The last time Russ Taylor worked on an X-Bowl's broadcast two nights ago, and the X-Bowls defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 13-0. Perhaps, if you want to look at it that way, a fitting end to Russ' broadcasting career. Those of us who knew him always felt that when he became the announcer for Montreal's Major League Baseball team, it proved there was some justice in the world after all. Today was Russ Taylor's birthday. One and one pitch on the way. Swung on, Sharpe-Brinder, Wills has it, bobbles it, throttle first, in time, he did it! A no-hitter, a no-hitter! A no-hitter for Bill Stoneman!

Well, Russ Taylor took off immediately and Russ this is quite a historic night and you had an opportunity to talk with Bill Stoneman. Yes I did, honestly goodness. I was standing by the exposed dugout. I didn't want to put a jinx on him or anything. I was standing in the crowd and to hear the crowd cheering with every pitch was really something to hear down there and as soon as As soon as Maury wheels made that final put out bubble the ball slightly and threw over to tie client at first base I dashed out on the field followed Bill Storman into the dugout and I recorded the following interview with him Here I am with Bill Storman. He is just bitch. No no hit, no run game. Bill, how do you feel?

I feel great. It's the greatest thing yet. What were your feelings when you let that last pitch go to Duran Johnson? Well, I thought he was looking for it and he was and it just happened to be hitting the right place. More he had knocked it down. My ear went right in my mouth. More he did a beautiful job. He's great. He's the greatest. Bill, did you realize you had a no hitter going? I realized it. From where? All along. Oh, I would say maybe from the third or fourth. He's great. He's the greatest bill. Did you realize you had a no hitter going? I realized it from where

I would say maybe from the third or fourth What were your feelings? He has started the bottom half of the ninth inning the fans gave you a standing ovation here. I It just weakened me a little bit. I never had anything like that. I just I just couldn't believe it I really couldn't believe it bill. Have you ever pitched no hitter before never? You know you pitched a great game in Chicago last week until the team got into a little trouble. Rusty Stobb is just empty. That can't appear all over you. That's all right.

He can do that every time we win a game. Congratulations once again. Thank you very much, Russ. The 1-1. Here's a high fly ball in the short right field near the line. Stobb is under. Let's see whether he can make the throw. Here comes the throw to the plate.

There he goes! Here's a high fly ball in the short right field near the line. Stobb is under. Let's see whether he can make the throw. Here comes the throw to the plate. They got up at the plate. A terrific throw by Rusty Stobb. Oh man, what a throw. A standing ovation for Rusty Stobb as they got got Leon Jones at the plate. McBride is up yelling, Starve has made a magnificent draw. Well, Russ, a combination of things. Really, when I made the throw, I kind of overextended myself,

and I guess my pants were a little too tight, and I tore them a little bit. I've also had a little trouble with my stomach, so I just went inside, and as nature calls sometimes, I just told the umpire, I said, I've got to go change my pants when I went inside I just you know had to do my little thing there and so it took me a little while to get back out. Okay Rusty thanks very much and congratulations once again. That's an all-timer. I've been speaking with Rusty Staub.

Now stay tuned for the post-game scoreboard show with Dave Van Ornn coming up in just one minute.