RIP John Marzano

A man known more for his career as a baseball analyst than as a baseball player, John Marzano was found dead two days ago at the age of 45 at his home in Philadelphia.

I recall Marzano as being a very personable guy when I was a kid. He played for the Red Sox in the late '80s/early '90s, and I remember him chatting with fans before the games while doing his warmups, always signing autographs for kids around the dugout. He was a backup to Tony Pena for a few years, and that duo has always remained my favorite defensive catching tandem (with apologies to Varitek/Mirabelli, despite the two rings).

One of my all-time favorite memories is a game I attended on July 7, 1991, a game which saw the Red sox win 7-4 over Detroit. I was 11 years old at the time. In the second inning of this game, Roger Clemens gave up back-to-back moon shots to Pete Incaviglia and Rob Deer into the net above the Monster. So, in obvious retaliation, he nails the next batter (John Shelby, who batted .154 that season) in the back with a fastball that made an audible impact from the stands.

Shelby didn't just charge the mound--he sprinted out after Clemens (who stood there like a dumb lump) with a bat in his right hand. I was prepared for Clemens' head to be the next item whacked into the screen when Marzano leveled Shelby with an NFL-style tackle. The benches and bullpens then--of course--cleared, and what followed was a hilarious pushing-and-shoving match, followed by a jolly little pigpile on the mound. Instead of a Yankees-Sox boxing match, we got to see a fight worthy of an elementary school playground, with Cecil Fielder and Mo Vaughn sumo wrestling over by the first base bag. It culminated in a pile of bodies at the center of the diamond, who oddly didn't seem to throw any actual punches. When Clemens didn't get ejected, Sparky Anderson lost his mind and flipped out on the umpire. While 34,000 fans chanted "Throw him out!" in unison, the umps needed little swaying, and Shelby and Anderson got tossed, while Clemens went on to perhaps his weakest victory of his third Cy Young season.

It was a memorable game for an impressionable kid. That day etched the name "John Marzano" in my mind as a gamer, as well as a childhood favorite.

Opening Day in Montreal

Apr 1, 6:35 PM EDT

Montreal Opens Labatt Park In Style

By ALEXANDER POUTINE
Associated Press Writer

MONTREAL, QC (AP) -- After a six-year delay held up by the complicated sale of the Montreal Expos by failed businessman Jeffrey Loria to Stephen Bronfman, the Montreal Expos celebrated the long-awaited opening of Labatt Park by pounding the Philadelphia Phillies 11-6.

Nick Johnson's tiebreaking RBI double off Tom Gordon highlighted a five-run ninth inning--a satisfying opening before the sellout crowd of 36,287 long-suffering fans.

"The 1994 pennant was stolen from us, and then we had to sit by and watch the offseason firesale," commented fan Francois Cochon. "Things looked pretty bleak for a long time--but that relocation proposal in 2003 seems like a distant memory."

Thanks to private investors and mounting public pressure to excommunicate Loria without compensation, the jewel at the corner of Peel and Saint-Jacques opened to rave reviews.



Providing relief from the current trend of "retro" ballparks, Labatt Park features a unique post-modern design, incorporating rare dimensional symmetry and a one-of-a-kind glass facade with the best elements of the throwback park: limited seating (smallest in baseball) that is close to the field, open air, natural grass, and a city sightline rivaled only perhaps by Pittsburgh in all of Major League Baseball.

In stark contrast to the weather-screening, rooftop blocking owners of Chicago's Wrigley Field, Labatt's unique construction offers many views from the outside to the inside, lending a sense of closeness and intimacy to not only the players and the playing field, but to the surrounding community.


And located a mere two blocks from the Molson Centre, "The Big L" has inadvertently become a part of North America's finest urban sports complex.

"I've long believed that Montrealers will support a team that has a chance to win," said former manager Felipe Alou, who threw out the first pitch to Hall of Famer Gary Carter. Forgive Alou for his error: Montreal fans have showed support for even the mediocre clubs, ranking seventh in the NL is attendance during the 1980s.

With a new stadium and the security of knowing "nos amours" are nowhere near leaving town, the city of Montreal can now breathe a sigh of relief, welcoming a new age of Canadian baseball in the Labatt Park Era.