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BASEBALL LIVES IN OUR CITY

BASEBALL LIVES IN OUR CITY

Everything to Know About ExposFest

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Exposfest memorabilia

Some of Exposfest organizer Perry Giannias’ personal Expos memorabilia collection

What Is ExposFest?

ExposFest is a charity fundraiser geared towards kids and fans of the Montreal Expos.

The event is organized by Perry Giannias, an avid Expos memorabilia collector. Several former Expos players and other baseball personalities will be present at the event.

Activities will include batting cages for kids, face-painting, live music and much more.

There will be opportunities to get autographs from former players and there will be a silent auction for many pieces of memorabilia.

All proceeds go to the Montreal Children’s Hospital and the Kat D DIPG Foundation. The money is being raised to fight DIPG.

What Is DIPG?

DIPG (Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma) affects children between the ages of 5 and 9. It is an aggressive form of brain tumour.

There is a zero survival rate among children affected. The median survival rate is under 12 months. Surgery to remove the tumour is not an option since it would cause a quicker death.

Who Is Kat D?

Catherine “Kat D” Demes was a five-year-old girl affected by DIPG. Her death inspired Perry Giannias (her uncle) and his family to create the Exposfest fundraiser event.

Who Will Be at ExposFest?

The following players will be at the event:

Other guests include:

  • Jacques Doucet (the former voice of the Expos)
  • Matthew Ross of ExposNation
  • Jeremy Filosa of 98.5 Sports Radio
  • Jonah Keri (Sportwriter and author of Up, Up and Away)
  • Mayor Denis Coderre
  • Marc Griffin
  • Annakin Slayd Farrar
  • Youppi!

Why Should Anyone Go To ExposFest?

Let the man himself, Perry Giannias, tell you.

How Much are Tickets and Where Do I Buy Them?

Children under 12 years old get in for free accompanied by an adult (one per adult). General admission tickets are $7. $10 gets you entry and an autograph from Bob Bailey or Rondell White. Access to the VIP lounge with all of the players between 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM costs $150 and there are limited tickets left.

You can buy tickets here.

Where is ExposFest Happening?

ExposFest is at Plaza Centre-Ville / Evo Centre at 777 Blvd. Robert-Bourassa near Bonaventure Metro station.

Find out more about the event on the official website.

Read MTL Baseball‘s profile on Perry Giannias here.

Everything to Know About the Montreal Baseball Hack Day

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Montreal Baseball Hack Day

The Third Annual Montreal Baseball Hack Day is on March 25

Last year, I had the privilege of attending the Montreal Baseball Hack Day. The third annual instalment of the event is coming up next weekend, so here is everything you need to know leading up to the event.

What is the Montreal Baseball Hack Day?

According to the event’s website, the Montreal Baseball Hack Day is a day for creative minds to collaborate on baseball-related projects to create better ties between the local technology and sports communities.

Participants have one day to design and code a functional project that could be (but is not limited to) a website, an app, a tool, a simple web app or a data visualization.

At the end of the day, the work is presented to the judges and winner and runner-up will receive prizes (and bragging rights).

When and Where Does It Take Place?

The Montreal Baseball Hack Day takes place March 25, from 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM at the Belgo Building Breather Space.

The address is 372 Saint-Catherine Street West, Suite 105, Montreal, Quebec H3B 1A2.

Who Can Participate?

Anyone who is a baseball enthusiast!

While the event will surely appeal to digital developers and coders, Warren Wilansky, the event organizer, hopes that those who don’t have a coding background also register.

“Even if you aren’t a developer or a designer, if you are a baseball fan, you would have a lot to add,” Wilansky assures. “You can help to shape a project from a baseball perspective or even as an end user. Look at it as an opportunity to learn from and collaborate with new people.”

Who Are the Judges?

This year’s judges are:

“We wanted judges that covered different and diverse members of the sports and baseball community. (They represent) media, fans & the arts,” Wilansky explains. “We also thought it would be interesting to have people who are not necessarily from technical backgrounds so that they would judge the value of the projects from their unique perspectives.”

What Are the Prizes?

The winning team will take home an annual MLB.TV premium subscription for up to four team members. They will also receive four tickets to the upcoming Toronto Blue Jays vs Pittsburgh Pirates exhibition games at Olympic Stadium.

The runner-up will receive a 12-month Super Premium subscription to Baseball Prospectus for up to four team members.

What’s the Schedule of the Event?

  • Registration, Meet and Greet, and Coffee
  • Welcome, Introductions, and Pitch
  • Design and Code
  • Lunch
  • More Design and Code
  • Presentation, Judging and Awards
  • Let’s go for a beer!

Where Do I Sign Up?

You can sign up here!

You can check out the article I wrote about last year’s event on the Plank site. Also, check out MTL Baseball‘s profile on Warren Wilansky here.

I hope to see you at the Montreal Baseball Hack Day!

Baseball Is in the Air in Montreal Despite the Cold Weather

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Although we’re still dealing with temperatures below zero and either freezing rain or snow, baseball is in the air in Montreal. Spring Training has started in Major League Baseball, which has always meant the end of winter to me. Sure, we may not have a professional team gearing up for its season, but there is plenty of baseball activity on the horizon in our city. Here’s a sampling of what’s happening around Montreal in the next few weeks.

An Event for Baseball and Tech Fans

The Third Annual Montreal Baseball Hack Day is on March 25.

Last year, I had the opportunity to discover an event that flew under the radar for most baseball fans. Plank, a local web design firm located in downtown Montreal, hosted its second Baseball Hack Day and offered me an opportunity to write about it.

The Baseball Hack Day is a fun event geared towards baseball fans who are tech-oriented. Participants work in teams (or alone) to produce either a website, an application or a web tool with a baseball focus. They have only one day to produce a functional end result to the judges.

I was amazed by the work presented last year and I can’t wait to see what is in store this year.

The third annual Montreal Baseball Hack Day takes place March 25 at the Belgo building downtown. If you’re into coding and are a huge baseball fan, you can sign up for the event here.

MTL Baseball plans on attending again this year, so you’ll get to read more about it over the next few weeks.

Baseball Weekend is Coming Back

Baseball is in the air in Montreal at Olympic Stadium.

Baseball fans make the annual pilgrimage to Olympic Stadium during Baseball Weekend.

The biggest weekend of the year for Montreal baseball fans is right around the corner.

Of course, the Toronto Blue Jays will be hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates for an exhibition series on March 31 and April 1 at the Olympic Stadium. It will be the fourth straight year that the Blue Jays play an exhibition series in Montreal to close out Spring Training.

The games offer baseball fans in Montreal their only chance to see Major League Baseball. Those who miss the Expos should attend the games in order to send a strong message to commissioner Rob Manfred that Montreal deserves a second chance at having a major league team.

MTL Baseball will be there to speak with fans before the games. Be on the lookout for me if you want to share your passion for baseball with everyone. I’ll make sure to provide you all with quality coverage of the games.

To cap off the weekend, the second annual Exposfest will take place on April 2.

Bill “Spaceman” Lee joins an impressive lineup of former players at this charity event aimed at raising funds for DIPG cancer research.

You can purchase tickets here.

MTL Baseball will have much more coverage of this event so stay tuned in the weeks to come.

For those who can’t wait for the snow to melt to hit the field this summer, these events are a perfect way to kick off the baseball season.

Baseball is in the air in Montreal and MTL Baseball is excited to share this city’s passion for the game with all of you.