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The nostalgia is wonderful. Seeing a massive crowd out for baseball in Montreal is tremendous. Hearing the applause when Boston Red Sox veteran David Ortiz steps into the cage for batting practice is great fun.

Seeing a crowd of 52,683 pack the Olympic Stadium to the rafters to watch the Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 in 10 innings of an exhibition game – it’s overwhelming.

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But what exactly is happening here? Another down payment on the return of baseball to Montreal? Or simply another windfall for the Blue Jays and Evenko?

Walk into the ballpark and it’s oh-so-easy to believe. It smells of baseball. Okay, maybe it’s just the popcorn – but it takes you back to hundreds of games in this place, losses and triumphs, huge cheering crowds and days when there were a few thousand scattered around the stadium and the only sound was the clacking of empty seats.

For those like myself who covered the long, agonizing death of the Expos for years, it’s impossible not to look out at this throng and wonder: Where were you when this franchise was going down the drain?

And, perhaps more importantly: If they build it, will you really come?