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“I think we’re close.”

With those words, as optimistic as any he has uttered, Stephen Bronfman Monday evening pointed his finger as squarely at the once and future Montreal Expos as he ever has.

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“There’s a feeling in the air,” Bronfman also told a squadron of reporters on the field before the first of the Blue Jays annual exhibition tilts, this time against the Milwaukee Brewers. “It’s spring. I have a spring in my step.”

The timing could not have been more auspicious, following events last week to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the original Expos, the club first owned by his father, Charles Bronfman.

Given the sense of occasion and the cautious, step-by-step approach Bronfman has taken to what once seemed an impossible task, those were pretty strong words, even if what Bronfman had in mind (which wasn’t clear from the context) was acquiring the land for a new ballpark, not the imminent arrival of Major League Baseball in this city. Bronfman remained cautious, warning that he didn’t want to lead anyone down the path with false expectations.