Expos Story in the Edmonton Examiner

Despite being victims of controversy, the Edmonton Expos will come home smiling from the World Masters Games in Sydney; Australia.

Kept out of the championship final because of a mid-tournament rule change, the Expos captured the bronze medal with a decisive 10-0 win in the third-place game Sunday.

Tournament standings were to be based on points earned in both the preliminary and relegation rounds, but because of uneven scheduling, organizers instead ranked teams by overall winning percentage. That dropped the Expos from second to fourth, and out of gold medal contention.

"It hasn't lessened the experience one bit, although we are going to pursue the Games officials to ensure that the way they schedule the games doesn't result in this happening to any other teams in the future," Expos infielder Gerry Dawidowski says via email from Sydney.

The Expos won 7 of 9 games at the Masters, including their last five. The 15-member team consisted of a core group from Edmonton, along with players from the United States and Australia recruited to round out the roster.

"Everyone was there for the right reasons," Dawidowski says. "There was a minimum play rule in effect and no one complained about playing time. As well, every single player came through in one way or another; at the plate, on the bases or defensively. It was amazing to see."

The team may reassemble for future tournaments, Dawidowski says.

Article by Brian Swane, Edmonton Examiner - October 21, 2009.