Blue Jays President & CEO Mark Shapiro thinks that an All-Star Game “might be coming to Toronto in the near future,” according to SPORTSNET.ca. Shapiro appeared in the Sportsnet TV booth during last night's home opener against the Mariners, and when asked about potentially hosting a Midsummer Classic, Shapiro said, “We’re working on that one. The commissioner is coming at the end of the month for a visit, not by mistake because we want to show him what we've done here and (we) feel like there's a good chance of that happening in the next four or five years.” He added he is “feeling optimistic on that one.” Shapiro: “I'm not exactly sure what the year will be, and it's been a long time for Boston and Chicago as well ... but we're on the list.” The MLB All-Star Game has not been hosted in Toronto since 1991. During a spring training press conference in February, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred mentioned that Toronto is “among the candidates to host one of the final two All-Star Games he is scheduled to award before his retirement.” The Blue Jays have been “pushing to host an All-Star Game for a couple of years” and a glimpse of what could be in the city came earlier this year when Toronto hosted the NHL’s version of the contest (SPORTSNET.ca, 4/8).
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