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Éric Gagné with the Los Angeles Dodgers
A Frog in California
 
The baseball season has finally started and we can
now concentrate on our "Puerto-Montreal" Expos as well as following
the feats of Eric Gagne, the infant prodigy of Quebec in Los Angeles.
Eric had the pleasure to describe to us his little world, all Americanized.
The baseball stars call us Frogs, ignore Wayne Gretzky and think our
wives are those hairy French women who don't shave!
Article by Nadia Fezzani
Tell me Eric, do your team-mates know where Quebec is located?
There's a group of people who think I'm French, from France! Today,
three quarters of the guys know; it's been about five years that I've
been with them! But there are many people who still don't know where
Quebec is really located in Canada. They don't know it's the North-West…
huh… North-East. You see, even I don't know where it's at anymore!
[laughs]
"My team-mates don't even know that Canada is on top of the United
States!"
If you look behind, you could have been with the Expos. With
some retirement, are you happy that it didn't work out?
Very happy! Just because of the uncertainty that rules the Expos.
Who are you most afraid of when you are on the pitcher's mound?
Barry Bonds. Besides that, there's not really anyone I'm afraid of.
I think Bonds is the one I have the most respect for, because of what
he's achieved in the past and what he's still succeeding in doing today.
Have you ever hit a player intentionally?
Intentionally… I did it in the AA. It happened maybe four times.
I remember the big rivalry with Kansas City. Our coach liked when we
were aggressive. One time, a guy hit a double. A Latino. Then he started
to speak in Spanish. I didn't understand anything, but I kind of knew
what he was saying, and I didn't really like it. The next hitter was
Erubiel Durazo…
With all of the users of illegal substances and the scandals
here and there, do you think the pitchers would have advantage to use
steroids?
Oh no! There's not many people who have advantage to take this! It's
good for nobody.
Have you ever been on top of the field thinking: "Yep…
I'd have stayed on the bench right now…"?
No, not yet. It has never happened because it's in the tough situations
that I really like it. I remember when I was younger and John Wetteland
of the Expos got on the field, I was all excited! It's these types of
situations that I always like to face.
Now that you live in California, have you met Hollywood stars?
Yes, many. I've met Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock, two years ago, as
well as Wayne Gretzky, Stifler from American Pie, and Charlie Sheen.
There was also Axl Rose who wanted to meet with me because of the song
Welcome to the Jungle that plays every time I go on the pitcher's mound,
here in Los Angeles!
Coming from Quebec, do you see something that we don't see from
the American life in general?
Yes, a little. I find the Americans to be often perceived as the bad
ones. I think about the war; they are really hated. Personally, what
I like about Americans is that they live in a country where they are
united, which is a little different in Canada. [laughs] In Quebec, it's
more like in the United States, because we are a big family. We talk
about being separatists or the French language. I think it's more familiar
in Quebec for that.
In which group do Quebecers fit in, in professional baseball?
Pretty much all of them! [laughs] My locker is between those of two
Japanese and my neighbours are Latinos. So me, I'm in the middle of
all that!
Do you hang out with Quebecers in Los Angeles?
I don't really hang out with Quebecers here, but there is Ian Laperriere
that I know very well. I have also met Luc Robitaille four or five times.
We don't really go out together because when our season starts, their
season ends. So we don't really have time to see each other.
Tell me, how does it feel to be "perfect"?
It's fun! Perfect in baseball… It's hard but it's fun… There
are however a lot of expectations after.
Is it still hard?
Yes, especially because there are expectations from the public and those
that you give to yourself. I think that's the hardest part because you
start all over, every year. Look at Jose Theodore. He's had a big year,
and then after that he comes back and he obviously wants to do better
than the previous year. Then he tries to push himself too much and when
you force too much you can come to a point where you lose yourself.
Back to the locker room, what's the last joke you heard about
frogs?
It's mostly English-Canadians who make those kind of jokes. There is
Quantrill who always calls me the Frog, but there was not really any
joke. It's more into hockey, I think, where they call you that because
there are more Canadians. Americans don't even know why we get called
the Frogs. Besides, why do we get called the Frogs?
I have no idea!
[Laughs] That's why I take no offence to that. I have no idea why they
call me that. [Laughs] They rather think that we are French people from
France or Europeans. So, they imagine we don't shave our armpits.
Quantrill, you say he calls you the Frog?
He calls me the Frog because he knows, because of hockey. He comes from
Toronto, but he too has no idea why he's calling me that.
Have your team-mates ever showed you they don't know anything
about hockey?
Oh yeah! You know Wayne Gretzky? He's a celebrity in L.A.! Two years
ago, he came into our team's locker room. Everybody was there. Nobody
recognized him, except for Quantrill and I! That's unbelievable. C'mon,
it's still Gretzky! He was there, at the back of the room, sat alone.
Nobody knew who he was, so he probably wondered what was going on! Quantrill
and I went to see him and told him, "Welcome to L.A.!"
If you could meet a deceased celebrity, who would it be?
John F. Kennedy.
You have certainly not read our last article on him! That'd probably
change your mind!
Why?
Because it talks about his disturbed sexual side.
What, he's gay?
No but…
Marilyn Monroe, that's positive! [laughs]
I will send you a copy and you'll tell me if you have the same
opinion of him.
I've never had any opinion! I'm just curious. I'd like to meet him
to know how it was to be president and how you feel when having a country
in your hands. It's almost being God, you know!
Ok, but it could be any deceased president.
Yes, but he's been one of the best president there's been. I'm certainly
not going to say Bush! [laughs] An oily…! [No comment!]
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