The Red Sox on Saturday "swept a two-game pre-season series" against the Blue Jays in front of a crowd of 53,420 at Montreal's Olympic Stadium that "topped the 52,682 that turned out" Friday night, according to Bill Beacon of the CP. It is the third year that the Blue Jays have "ended the pre-season with a pair of games" at the ballpark (CP, 4/3). In Boston, Jason Mastrodonato noted Baseball HOFer and former Expos P Pedro Martinez addressed the crowd on Friday and said, “I hope tonight is a statement that Montreal is a baseball city ... Whatever we can do to bring baseball back to Montreal, we need to do it. And we need to do it now.” Martinez "went as far as to pledge his own money to the cause." He said, "Anything I can do to help. I know that if they go for a baseball team here, they’re going to need a representative and I’m willing to do anything to join, to do whatever. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to do but whatever I can do, I’d love to to see Montreal have baseball back" (BOSTON HERALD, 4/2).
TAKING SMALL STEPS: The GLOBE & MAIL's Sean Gordon wrote the odds of MLB returning to Montreal "may be improving," but they are "still slim." No ownership group "has yet revealed itself publicly to pay the billion dollars or more it will require, there is no firm stadium plan and no prospect of government financing" (GLOBE & MAIL, 4/2). In Boston, Nick Cafardo notes the Montreal Baseball Project must show MLB a plan to put Olympic Stadium "in the past." It also "needs strong ownership, which is why during this weekend we’ve seen prominent people from Montreal in attendance, showing MLB there is ownership potential waiting to buy in to a team." A return to Montreal "seems like it might be years away." But even if it is, the Montreal movement "is not deterred." The city "wants to be ready with stadium plans and financing and an ownership group if and when it does happen." Montreal "must stay relevant," and these exhibition games "make the city relevant." They have been a "smashing success" (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/3).
SIGN OF THINGS TO COME? In Montreal, Jack Todd wondered if the two-game exhibition series is "another down payment on the return of baseball to Montreal" or just a "windfall for the Blue Jays and Evenko." This weekend's massive turnout "comes with more questions attached." Todd: "Are we really making progress here?" Fans paid C$25-99 "for meaningless games between two teams that aren’t even based in this city." If fans listen to Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre, they will believe that things "are moving slowly but inexorably toward the day when the Expos return." Asked once again if MLB in Montreal could work, Coderre "didn’t hesitate." He said, “If you build it they will come" (MONTREAL GAZETTE, 4/2).
