Expos Historian Danny Gallagher Steps up to the Plate Again
Expos hero, Rusty Staub, once said, “When they do the autopsy on me they’ll find ‘MTL’ on a little piece of my heart.” Same is true for Expos fans, dare I offer – Take any Montrealer, and you’ll find a little piece of the Expos in their heart.
This lifelong fondness certainly rings true for Danny Gallagher, a sports journalist cum author whose fifth Expos book, Blue Monday, is set to be released on October 13. Blue Monday walks the reader through the team’s incredible five-year trajectory and subsequent heartbreaking loss for a berth in the 1981 World Series.
Meeting Le Grand Orange
Danny’s love for writing started in high school. He further developed his craft at Loyalist College in Belleville, Ont. with a degree in Communication Arts and as a reporter for the student newspaper, The Loyalist Pioneer. In a meeting he will never forget, Danny interviewed Rusty Staub, who at the time, was on a promotional tour in Belleville with the Bank of Montreal. It was a pivotal moment for the young journalist who learned early on to seize opportunities when they presented themselves.
Loyalist College student Daniel Joseph Gallagher interviews Expos legend Daniel Joseph Staub during promotional tour in Belleville, Ont. Photo courtesy of Danny Gallagher.
Danny’s journalism career started in 1972 as a beat writer for the Ottawa-Nepean Clarion. The next decade saw him playing adult-calibre ball and writing for papers in Ontario, Saskatchewan and Quebec.
It was while reporting on major junior hockey for the Regina Leader-Post, that Danny decided to take his career to the next level. He snagged a job covering the Expos at a new paper, The Montreal Daily News.
“Wherever you are, you always want to improve yourself and move to a different paper, to a different undertaking.”
It would turn out to be the perfect move. Danny wrote about the Expos from 1988 to 1994 and amassed a treasure trove of history, friends and insight that would later be the fuel for his books.
Danny enjoyed writing about the Expos; it was never routine but, however great a career is, its daily demands can take a toll. In a business where the rigours of travel can be daunting, the sense of community is essential, especially toward the end of the season. That’s why it’s crucial to be liked and respected as a sports journalist. Working together for months at a time, year in and year out can be stressful, but if the athletes feel appreciated and the relationship is simpatico, inevitably friendships develop and continue past moves and trades.
Case in point, Danny admired Dennis Martinez’s professionalism. They met in 1988 and to this day they still keep in touch.
“Dennis was one of the best quotes of all Expos players … he didn’t mind talking about certain situations … some players didn’t like him because he was outspoken, but the media loved him. That’s my love for Dennis Martinez, he was available for interviews, and he was a great pitcher too!”
Danny Gallagher with Expos’ player of the month Dennis Martinez. Photo from Remembering the Montreal Expos.
In 1994, Danny moved to Toronto as a freelance writer, reporting on baseball and general news for various media outlets but especially the Globe and Mail. He subsequently started acting in movies and commercials in 1995, became a member of ACTRA and published his first book in 1997, You Don’t Forget Homers Like That.
The Return of the Expos
Danny, like most Expos fans, can’t wait for the next Expos dynasty to play ball in Montreal, with high hopes that a new incarnation of Expos will indeed win that Pennant. However, for that to happen, the game plan for longevity needs to be solid. It’ll be a delicate balance between renewing the love Montrealers once had for ‘Nos Amours’ and igniting a sense of loyalty and passion for a new generation of Expos fans.
When asked how a new Expos team can succeed, Danny’s advice is pretty clear”…The new team must be willing to spend money to be successful. Money for a downtown stadium, and over time be willing to have a good budget to support good ballplayers.”
This past March, during spring training, Danny visited Rusty in the hospital in West Palm Beach, Fla. when the Expos icon was gravely ill. For a lifelong fan, it was heartening for Danny to be able to tell Rusty how much he admired him; it would be the last time. Rusty died several weeks later.
Danny Gallagher with his latest book, Blue Monday.
For a man who has never shied away from a challenge, Danny didn’t skip a beat when talking about what his dream job with the Expos would look like: “General Manager – contract negotiations, arranging trades, putting the roster together, that’s what I’d like to do.”
This answer is on par for a man whose career spans decades and ranges from athlete to sports journalist, to actor and novelist. Sure being at the right place at the right time is fortuitous, but taking risks to realise your dreams, that’s essential.
Danny still contributes to the Canadian Baseball Network and The Society for American Baseball Research with stories, but the art of researching and writing is what makes him happy. With at least two more Expos books in the works, it’s not hard to believe him when he says, “I’m going to be writing until the fingers can’t hit the keyboard … I’ll be a freelance writer until I’m 80 or more, or until I can no longer type.”
Follow Danny on Twitter: @dannogallagher7
Danny Gallagher’s book, Blue Monday: The Expos, the Dodgers, and the Home Run That Changed Everything
Caterina Salvatori is a freelance writer and interviewer for magazines and blogs. She loves to write and has just completed her second children’s picture book with dreams to have them published. A traveller at heart, she recently logged over 2000kms walking around Paris and completing the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage.