Article content

Much has happened since my last Opinion piece in the Montreal Gazette three years ago, when I confidently declared that baseball will return to Montreal. We’ve seen Stephen Bronfman and Mitch Garber step to the fore. We’ve seen three more years of successful Blue Jays preseason games. But most important, we’ve seen nothing but positive remarks from Major League Baseball, as it relates to the Montreal market. We’ve even seen a second consecutive Montreal mayor be open to the return of the Expos. So everything is on track, right?

Recent reports in both languages of an existing MLB team sharing its home games with Montreal have brought an inexplicable backlash from certain baseball fans and media members. We’ve seen it in articles, on social media and heard it on call-in shows. However, without the benefit of background and context, how can the general public or pundits pass judgment on the inner workings of the Montreal Group? Last week’s reporting contained no comments from any of the stakeholders, which just means that they aren’t yet ready to talk.