In Cleveland, Paul Hoynes notes while the Indians are just 1.5 games out of the AL Wild Card spot after last night's win over the Royals, the game drew the "smallest September crowd in the history of Progressive Field" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 9/10). Hoynes writes it will be interesting to see what team Owner the Dolan family "spends this winter after taking a beating at the gate." Ownership last offseason was "buoyed by the sale of SportsTime Ohio to Fox Sports along with an influx of national TV money coming in 2014." Better attendance this season "would have given the front office more room to deal" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 9/10).
BAY CITY ROLLING? In San Jose, John Woolfolk reported lawyers for the city's antitrust lawsuit against MLB "filed new arguments in federal court Friday supporting claims" that blocking the A's planned move to the city is illegal (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 9/7). The lawyers in their final arguments wrote MLB's exemption from antitrust laws "has been eroded by Congress and the courts and should not be used" to block the A's move to San Jose. The city's filing described MLB's antitrust exemption as "antiquated and oft-criticized." But it "did not say it should be overturned." San Jose argued that the exemption "has been narrowed in recent decades and no longer applies to the relocation of teams" (S.F CHRONICLE, 9/7).
NORTHERN EXPOSURE: In Toronto, Bob Elliott reported the Blue Jays "will help bring baseball to Montreal next season with a pair of pre-season games" against the Mets. The games will be "played in March at the Olympic Stadium which has not staged a big-league game, or a ball game of any kind since Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2004" (TORONTO SUN, 9/10).
