MONTREAL -- Montreals baseball fans will get a chance to applaud the 1994 Expos for their memorable, strike-shortened season. Will Grier Jersey . Former manager Felipe Alou has confirmed to The Canadian Press that he and other members of that dominant squad will be at an exhibition game next March at Olympic Stadium. Alou says he doesnt know exactly whats planned but hell be sure to make it up from the spring training camp of the San Francisco Giants, for whom hes a scout. He said the details still need to be ironed out with former Expos star Warren Cromartie, who is spearheading the event. "I know hes trying to reach other players from that team, but I dont know who he got. He told me hed be in touch after the season," Alou said in a phone interview. A news conference is scheduled for Tuesday when Cromarties Montreal Baseball Project will also introduce some results of a feasibility study on baseball in Montreal, commissioned by the local board of trade. The Expos were enjoying the best season in their history in 1994 -- with an outfield of Larry Walker, Moises Alou and Marquis Grissom, and a burgeoning Pedro Martinez who entered the season as the teams No. 4 starter. They had the best record in the major leagues, at 34 games over .500, when the season ended prematurely in mid-August. And for a number of key regulars, that was it. The Expos were dismantled before the next years Opening Day, in one of the periodic fire sales that crushed the spirits of the local fan base. The Expos played in a mostly empty stadium before moving to Washington a decade later. Major League Baseball will make a brief return next March, as Olympic Stadium hosts two exhibition games between the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets. The tickets have only been on sale for a few days but more than 40,000 total have already been sold for the games. That ensures a far better draw for the exhibition matches than what the Expos generally got for regular-season games in their final years. Alou, a former National League manager of the year and a three-time all star during his playing days, maintains the city should have a big-league franchise. "I always said Montreal would be a good city for Major League Baseball," Alou said. He added that there were whispers about minor-league baseball coming to Montreal, but he didnt buy it. "Montreal is a big-league city," Alou said. "Its a big-league city for hockey and I think it can be a big-league city for baseball." Theres one glaring prerequisite, though, for making baseball work there, Alou said: a downtown ballpark. The Olympic Stadium is located in the citys east end, away from central transport hubs. Its location required a lengthy night-time commute for fans who lived on the other side of the city core, or off the island. "I dont believe that any city that had Major League Baseball for 34 years went on without building a downtown major-league stadium," Alou said. Location wasnt the only problem, he said. He also suggested the cavernous concrete creation from the 1976 Olympics wasnt exactly propitious for baseball. "We never had a stadium in Montreal," Alou said. "Fans were fantastic to show up at Jarry Park and Olympic Stadium, but they never had the feeling to witness Major League Baseball in a Major League Baseball stadium." Alou remained popular with local fans throughout his time as Expos manager, as he compiled a record of 691 wins and 717 losses through various fire sales from 1992 to 2001. He later managed the Giants from 2003 to 2006, with a record of 342 wins to 304 losses. Baseball has crept into this falls municipal election campaign, with both main mayoral candidates speaking vaguely about the possibility of courting a new team. Alou said it wont work without a new ballpark. "If they get a team with no stadium, its going to fail," Alou said. "We cant go back and do the same mistakes." Ryan Kalil Youth Jersey . Numbers Game looks into the Wild getting Matt Moulson from Buffalo. The Wild Get: LW Matt Moulson and LW Cody McCormick. Brian Burns Youth Jersey . Toronto announced the deal with the restricted free agent on Saturday. The terms were not disclosed. http://www.thepanthersofficialstore.com/authentic-sam-mills-panthers-jersey/ . Browns owner Jimmy Haslam announced the move with Young on Monday during a speech at a Pro Football Hall of Fame luncheon.TORONTO – There may come a time in the next few years when the Houston Astros are a good baseball team. That time, however, is not now and with apologies to the "Its Early" crowd, with whom we typically should all agree hardly removed from opening day, this three-game home set with the Houston Astros is important to the Blue Jays. Nobody is suggesting that, say, if Toronto gets swept its season is over. But a check of the math tells you it doesnt help. The Blue Jays, by virtue of their perch in the American League East, have the unenviable task of playing 76 of their 162 games against their four divisional opponents. They get the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles 19 times each, a veritable meat grinder that can chew up and spit out the hope for a successful season all by itself. Lets say, for the sake of argument, the Blue Jays go 38-38 against their own division. That leaves 86 games against non-divisional opponents. To get to 90 wins, which likely wont be enough to win the division and may or may not be enough to capture one of the two wild card spots, Toronto would have to go 52-34. So far, after splitting a four-game series in Tampa Bay and disappointingly dropping two of three at home to the Yankees, the Jays are 3-4 within the AL East. Houston marks the first non-divisional opponent and due to the make up of the schedule, this is the only time the Astros will visit Toronto all year. It doesnt matter whether its April, June, or the intensity filled months of August and September, Houstons only here once and when they visit the Jays need to make hay. More than anything, manager John Gibbons wants his club to better protect home soil. "Ive always said you cant bury yourself early," said Gibbons. "Especially in this division, its an uphill battle and its real tough to come back. Were trying to get off to a good start and with more games at home itd be nice to finish up good at home. Youve got to play good at home, its no secret. Hold your own on the road and play good baseball at home." JEKYLL AND HYDE ROTATION The biggest question facing the Blue Jays (3-4) heading into the season centred on the starting rotation. Could it hold up in the toughest division in baseball? In the wins, Dr. Jekyll rules the day. When Torontos lost, Mr. Hyde rearrs his ugly face. Will Grier Youth Jersey. . Heres a look at the numbers through the first seven games: In the three wins, no runs allowed in 20 2/3 innings pitched. April 1: Drew Hutchison, 5.1 innings pitched.April 2: Mark Buehrle, 8.2 IP.April 5: R.A. Dickey, 6.2 IP. In the four losses, the starts have allowed a staggering 20 earned runs in just 16 innings pitched (11.25 ERA, averaging four innings pitched per start): March 31: R.A. Dickey, 6 earned runs in 5 innings pitched.April 3: Brandon Morrow, 4 ER in 5 IP.April 4: Dustin McGowan, 4 ER in 2.2 IP.April 6: Drew Hutchison, 6 ER in 3.1 IP. ROTATION JUGGLING Mondays off day has afforded manager John Gibbons the opportunity to flip R.A. Dickey and Dustin McGowan, meaning Dickey will start Thursdays series finale against the Astros and McGowan will open a three-game set in Baltimore on Friday night. "Thatll split up Morrow and McGowan," said Gibbons. "The two guys were watching a little bit. Put Dickey in the middle and he can eat some innings, anyway." Dickey has repeatedly said he prefers pitching under a roof, although Gibbons denied the forecasted cool conditions outdoors in Baltimore factored in to the decision. REYES UPDATE Jose Reyes, eligible to come off the disabled list from a strained left hamstring on April 16, ran the treadmill and took ground balls during batting practice on Tuesday afternoon. "Ill know better when I start running and see how Im feeling," said Reyes. "For now, Ill just take it day by day and see what happens." Reyes has been hitting to maintain his batting stroke but still has yet to run at full speed. When Reyes is ready to play, he expects to appear in at least a couple of minor league rehab games before returning to the Blue Jays. JANSSEN UPDATE Casey Janssen, out with an abdominal/back strain, doesnt think hell be ready to come off the diWASHINGTON - Washington Nationals centre fielder Denard Span had surgery for a sports hernia, and the team expects him to be ready for spring training in February. Charley Taylor Redskins Jersey .Both the Nationals and Span tweeted about the operation on Wednesday.Span batted .302 last season for the NL East champions, with 31 stolen bases and a Nationals-record 184 hits, which tied for the league lead. Trent Williams Redskins Jersey . The Islanders own the fifth pick in the 2014 draft but had until June 1 to decide whether to keep it or defer to 2015. The selection was packaged in the teams deal for Thomas Vanek on October 27, 2013. Art Monk Jersey . Poti played in 824 regular NHL games with four teams in his career; the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, New York Islanders and the Washington Capitals. https://www.redskinssportsgoods.com/Womens-Sam-Huff-Inverted-Jersey/ . The 28-year-old from Rochester, Alta., was selected by the Redblacks from the Saskatchewan Roughriders roster in the 2013 CFL Expansion Draft.MIAMI -- Following a memorable afternoons work, Milwaukee Brewers rookie Jimmy Nelson left Marlins Park with a souvenir baseball and a plane ticket for a trip back to the minors. Nelson earned his first career victory in his season debut Sunday, pitching 5 2-3 scoreless innings in a spot start to beat the Miami Marlins 7-1. The Brewers gave Nelson a game ball and sent him back to Triple-A Nashville, which was the plan before the game. "He was really impressive -- dominant stuff," teammate Ryan Braun said. "A guy whos that good, you know youll see him again soon." Rated the Brewers top prospect, Nelson was recalled to start for Yovani Gallardo, who is nursing a sore left ankle. Nelson allowed five hits and three walks, but Miami went 0 for 7 against the 6-foot-5 right-hander with runners in scoring position. "Hes got really good stuff," manager Ron Roenicke said. "He let a lot of balls get away from him, but he made some great pitches when he needed to and threw some great sliders. With him its just going to be a matter of trying to command the ball, and not let so many balls get up and away from him." It helped the rookie that he had a 5-0 lead before taking the mound in the second inning. Braun led the way with four hits, including a double and a triple. The Brewers slugger, who has been nursing a sore right side, came into the game 5 for 27 on their trip. Jonathan Lucroy had two doubles and a triple to hike his average to .331. Khris Davis doubled twice for the Brewers, who totalled 14 hits, seven for extra bases. Marcell Ozuna broke up the shutout by hitting his ninth homer in the ninth off Francisco Rodriguez. Miamis Randy Wolf (0-1) made his first start since September 2012 and was treated harshly. The 37-year-old left-hander, who is trying to come back from the second Tommy John surgery of his career, gave up nine hits and six runs -- four earned -- in five innings. "This is not the first time Ive had a bad game," Wolf said. "The only thing I can take out of this game is that things got better as the game went on." Wolf was filling in for ace Jose Fernandez, siidelined earlier this month by a season-ending elbow injury. Bryce Love Redskins Jersey. NL Central leader Milwaukee won two of three games in the series and improved to 18-6 against the Marlins since the start of 2011. The Brewers went 4-6 on their longest trip of the season. Miami fell to 20-8 at Marlins Park, still the best home record in the majors. Nelson hit 94 mph on the radar gun and was at his best pitching from the stretch. He loaded the bases in the fifth but escaped by retiring Derek Dietrich and Giancarlo Stanton. "I think it was a classic case of being effectively wild," the Marlins Casey McGehee said. "It was kind of a weird outing. He was giving the appearance that he was all over the place, but then when he was in the zone he wasnt in the fat part of the plate. His stuff was certainly there. Theres a lot to like about the kid." Nelson twice struck out Stanton, the major-league RBI leader. But the rookie wasnt too impressed with himself. "I battled myself mechanically all day," Nelson said. "I didnt have my best stuff. But youre not going to be at your best every time out. This is good experience. You remember the good and the bad, build off that and build confidence, and hopefully next time up get deeper into games." Gallardo is scheduled to rejoin the rotation and start Wednesday against Baltimore. Before Nelsons season debut, the Brewers were the only NL team to use just five starting pitchers this season, and hell return to standby status. "We like our guys," Roenicke said, "but if something happens with an injury, we feel really good about bringing him back." Notes: INF Irving Falu will be recalled from Nashville to take Nelsons roster spot. ... The Marlins had two infield hits to increase their season total to 59, most in the majors. ... Miami will begin a three-game series Monday at Washington, with RHP Nathan Eovaldi (3-2, 3.41) scheduled to start against RHP Tanner Roark (3-2, 3.42). ... The Brewers return home to begin a three-game series Monday against Baltimore, with RHP Kyle Lohse (6-1, 2.67) scheduled to face RHP Chris Tillman (4-2, 4.21). ' ' ' sabled list when hes eligible on Sunday. "Probably not," said Janssen. "I dont know the exact date but Ive got to get on a rehab somewhere; hopefully shortly thereafter." Janssen expects only to need one or two minor league rehab games before hes back with the Blue Jays. If he continues to progress, its not unreasonable to expect Janssen to return mid-to-late next week. ' ' '