1994 Ultra #36 - Ron Karkovice"Thank you. Thank you. That's right, I hit .228 last year! That's one point better than my career average! Yes, we are supposed to be the best team this year. What am I doing here? Well, Carlton Fisk retired and I took over for him. Am I worried about a strike? Nope, this team is too good around me to let that happen."
But that's what did happen. The strike claimed the rest of the 1994 season, where the White Sox and Expos were favored to meet in the World Series.
Would the Expos still be in Montreal if the city experienced a World Series appearance? I think that could be possible. They might have found the revenue to keep their good players intact for a run at World Championships. In an alternate universe, I believe that is what's happening right now. The Expos would be meeting the Mariners in the World Series in another reality.
In another reality, Ron Karkovice would be an outstanding catcher, hitting .393 and throwing runners out at record pace. Unfortunately, the over hyped Officer Karkovice hovered around the Mendoza line and had a better reputation for throwing out runners than he actually had.
Still, it's easy to look at these players from a 2008 perspective. Things were radically different in 1994. You could still hit near .200, at some key positions, if you could play (or at least fake) excellent defense. These were the days where I could dream that anyone could make a Major League roster. Silly me. I now know better. It's still fun to dream though.
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