What a beautiful tribute. I was a passionate expos fan from day one. I still have the program that my father brought back from that opening series against the Cardinals at Jarry Park. I didn’t know Rodger, but felt like I did. I couldn’t conjugate Avoir or Etre when I arrived in Ottawa as a journalist in 1988–French was my bete noire in school—but it was in the midst of the Meech Lake crisis and I was horrifically embarrassed about that. I started French lessons with a tutor Ottawa around 1990, and the next year spent most of the summer in Jonquiere doing French immersion. I learned to express myself OK, but comprehension was a real problem. Then I decided to listen to expos games in French on the radio. And that was the breakthrough. I finally met Roger at one of those expos caravans when it stopped in Ottawa the winter, that horrible winter, of 94-95 when they sold off all their star players for pennies on the dollar. It was a depressing night, listening to management try to justify their actions. But I got to talk to Felipe and had him sign my expos cap. And we talked a bit about their prospects. And then I approached Rodger, shook his hand and told him how much he helped me. That was it. He just smiled.
Thanks Peter. The story you tell about yourself and your Expos fandom makes me smile. Rodger was a friend and a constant reminder of what we lost when the Expos left … and now he is gone. It hit me, and many other friends who worked with him, very hard.
Very well done. I know little of Rodger, but now look forward to listening to this.
What a beautiful tribute. I was a passionate expos fan from day one. I still have the program that my father brought back from that opening series against the Cardinals at Jarry Park. I didn’t know Rodger, but felt like I did. I couldn’t conjugate Avoir or Etre when I arrived in Ottawa as a journalist in 1988–French was my bete noire in school—but it was in the midst of the Meech Lake crisis and I was horrifically embarrassed about that. I started French lessons with a tutor Ottawa around 1990, and the next year spent most of the summer in Jonquiere doing French immersion. I learned to express myself OK, but comprehension was a real problem. Then I decided to listen to expos games in French on the radio. And that was the breakthrough. I finally met Roger at one of those expos caravans when it stopped in Ottawa the winter, that horrible winter, of 94-95 when they sold off all their star players for pennies on the dollar. It was a depressing night, listening to management try to justify their actions. But I got to talk to Felipe and had him sign my expos cap. And we talked a bit about their prospects. And then I approached Rodger, shook his hand and told him how much he helped me. That was it. He just smiled.
Thanks Peter. The story you tell about yourself and your Expos fandom makes me smile. Rodger was a friend and a constant reminder of what we lost when the Expos left … and now he is gone. It hit me, and many other friends who worked with him, very hard.