[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 129 (Wednesday, September 18, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10869-S10870]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO THE VERMONT EXPOS

 Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I stand here today to pay tribute to 
Vermont's only professional sports team, the Vermont Expos, who won the 
New York Penn League baseball championship last week.
  In 1994, the Vermont Expos arrived in Burlington thanks to my good 
friend Ray Pecor, who worked exhaustively with State and local 
officials to bring professional baseball back to Vermont. He wanted the 
Expos to be a team the entire State could be proud of. Now,

[[Page S10870]]

after just 3 years in Vermont, the Expos are champions.
  This year, the Expos played with a never say die style. They came 
from behind regularly to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. In the 
championship series, the Expos came from behind to win in three of 
their four playoff victories. This never say die attitude not only made 
baseball extremely exciting in Vermont this summer, but helped the 
Expos develop a mystique that many teams take years to build.
  The gritty style of play the Expos showed throughout the year 
reflects the attitude of their manager, Kevin Higgins, who had the 
responsibility of molding a team of rookies into a championship ball 
club. After the Expos beat the St. Catharines Stompers, 4 to 3, on 
Wednesday to win the championship, Higgins acknowledged that ``these 
are the best fans in the league and I think they know it.''
  The workmanlike efforts of the Expos also reflect the hard work of 
their General Manager, Kyle Bostwick of St. Albans, and his 
predecessor, the late Tom Racine of Burlington. These two men were 
major factors in bringing a championship ball club to Burlington.
  Never before have I seen a community become so attached to a team so 
quickly. Take John Douglas of Colchester, who housed Expos teammates 
Jamey Carroll and Shannon Swaino for the season. Douglas said he treats 
the two young men as if they were his own.
  But the bond between the team and their fans goes beyond the cool 
summer nights at Centennial Field. It stretches into the very culture 
of our State. In Vermont, we take pride in our work ethic. We believe 
that hard work will be rewarded. In all my years of following 
professional sports, I have never seen a team that so typified the 
culture around them. I can honestly say this group of young ballplayers 
will never be forgotten.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Vermont Expos 
and their fans for winning the 1996 New York Penn League championship. 
Now there are two ``Champs'' in Vermont.

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