[MTLskyline]

MLB exec ‘impressed’ by showing in Montreal

Michael Grange
March 29, 2014, 6:06 PM

Congratulations to the city of Montreal and the nearly 100,000 fans that put on a two-day baseball party that anyone who was there won’t soon forget.

If the goal was to prove that the city still held a torch for baseball and the prospect of the return of the Montreal Expos, consider it mission accomplished. No one can question the passion on display for a pair of exhibition games between the Toronto Blue and the New York Mets.

The games were tight to the final out and with the ‘home’ team, the Blue Jays winning 5-4 and 2-0, respectively. More importantly, the crowds were massive, loud and heartfelt.

And the right people took notice.

"My mandate was to come here and assess for [MLB commissioner Bud Selig] the state of the avidity for major league baseball to see how the facility looked, how the games were staged and the general enthusiasm for baseball [in Montreal]," MLB executive vice president John McHale Jr. said.

"And I’m going to tell him that things were better than even I expected. I was very, very favourably impressed."

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http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb...g-in-montreal/