PAINFUL BEGINNINGS The Montreal Expos completed their first decade in National League with a milestone victory. Before a sparse crowd of 6,182 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, left-handed pitcher Ross Grimsley defeated Cardinals by a margin of five to one. It was Grimsley's twentieth win of season, making him only pitcher in Expos history to reach that select plateau. Despite Grimsley's career year, 1978 campaign was marred by disappointment. When a newspaper writer wished Dick Williams a good winter, Expos manager replied, sure hope so, because I had a horse--summer. In their first ten years as a Major League entity, Expos had yet to escape second division in NL East. Having never won more than 79 games in a season, team's composite record from 1969 to 1978 was 705 wins and 907 losses, an anemic .437 winning percentage. The 1977 season, Expos' first at new Olympic Stadium, featured strong hitting from Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, Warren Cromartie, and Ellis Valentine as well as veteran leadership from Big Red Machine--castoff Tony Perez. Unfortunately, a weak rotation and an unreliable bullpen limited Expos to 75 victories, leaving their performance 26 games behind division-leading Phillies. In 1978 Expos acquired pitchers Grimsley, Rudy May, and Darold Knowles; but these acquisitions added just one victory to team's 1977 win-loss record. Starter Wayne Twitchell was bewildered by result. We had so much talent. I can't understand why we didn't win more than 76 games. The Expos were a disgruntled lot, both on and off field. In an era of escalating salaries, general manager Charlie Fox was a hard-line negotiator on contractual matters. He was nostalgic for his years with Giants' organization, a time when reserve clause dictated that players had little choice but to accept management's offer. But Expos had heard enough Willie Mays stories. Darold Knowles had already vowed not to return to team as a free agent in 1979. By conclusion of decade, Del Unser, Rudy May, and even Tony Perez followed him out of Montreal. A fracas with union representative Steve Rogers made Fox a convenient scapegoat for Expos' shortcomings in 1978; but even with him out of picture, Expos had other problems. In a player survey, Montreal ranked third only behind Minnesota and Toronto as least popular destination for free agents. A list of player grievances included delays going through customs on every road trip, skyrocketing cost of living, unfamiliarity with French language, an uncertain political situation, and high taxes. None of these factors were within players' control. Warren Cromartie complained that American, Canadian, and Quebec taxes ate up 52 percent of his paycheck. Moreover, Cro felt unappreciated in a city where baseball played second fiddle to Montreal Canadiens. Meanwhile, Olympic Stadium had already become an unpopular playing facility. Its proximity to St. Lawrence River resulted in unusually chilly temperatures in April and May, playing surface was hard, and there was an impersonal feeling about place. Richie Hebner compared playing in Big O to playing in the world's largest toilet bowl. Perhaps most disconcerting to club owner Charles Bronfman was that Expos lost approximately $2 million in 1978. Only four NL teams--the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, and Philadelphia Phillies--claimed to have made a profit that year. Despite author Peter C. Newman's assertion that Bronfman was wealthiest owner in Major Leagues, Seagram's scion had little patience for a balance sheet marred by red ink. With $7 million already budgeted for salaries, rising airline and hotel costs, and a declining Canadian dollar, Expos projected that they needed to attract 1.7 million fans in 1979--a quarter million higher than their attendance record--simply to break even. …