Twice Fanning served as the field manager for the Expos. In 1981 he guided the team to their only playoff berth in a strike-shortened season. They beat Philadelphia in the first round, but lost to The LA Dodgers on that memorable "Blue Monday" when Rick Monday homered against ace Steve Rogers, who had been brought in by relief.
This was a special time for me, a reporter at the now defunct Sunday Express Newspaper at the time. I would actually go down to the team's dugout before games and Fanning would saddle up beside me and share all of his strategies. He introduced me to players walking by and consistently congratulated me on my stories, often recalling those early days at Jarry Park when he'd come to see Chuck and I.
Fanning did not get to conclude his Expos career in style.  In 1993 he was let go by then president Claude Brochu. You can hear part of the clip from a Fanning interview with the late Ted Tevan right here. He concluded his career in the game working for the Toronto Blue Jays.

A few days after my dad passed away two and a half years ago, the phone rang at my mom's house. It was Jim Fanning on the line to extend his condolences and remind our family how highly he thought of Larry.

Fanning only became a Canadian citizen in 2012, with Citizenship Judge George Springate doing the honours. See the clip below.
Here is another tribute to Fanning.