the National League for the 1969 season and

MINNEAPOLIS -- Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig can envision Montreal making a bid to return to the major leagues. The Expos joined the National League for the 1969 season and remained in the big leagues through 2004 before moving to Washington and becoming the Nationals. While the Expos failed to draw one million spectators to Olympic Stadium in any of their final seven seasons, a total of 96,350 fans attended a pair of exhibition games there in March between the New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays. "I think they would be an excellent candidate in the future. No question about it. That was very impressive," Selig said Tuesday during a question-and-answer session with the Baseball Writers Association of America. "They have much work to be done," he said. "Theres certainly in my case no hard or angry feeling toward Montreal. We tried to keep a team there. Its a long story now. But I thought that was marvelous." The Expos once fielded competitive teams and were able to draw over two million fans a season to Olympic Stadium in the late 1970s and early 80s. They reached their competitive peak in 1994, when a team featuring Larry Walker, Marquis Grissom, Pedro Martinez and John Wetteland had the Expos at 70-44, the best record in baseball, only to see the season and playoffs cancelled by a player strike. Then came the fire sale of top players and a series of disinterested owners, and the attendence steadily dwindled. The Expos averaged less than 10,000 fans in their last season in 2004, split between Montreal and Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Montreal once again being mentioned as the site of a major league team is a relatively recent development, but the successful pre-season series, which included a tribute to the 94 Expos, and the emergence of the Montreal Baseball Project led by former Expo Warren Cromartie appears to have put the city back on baseballs radar. 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TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger addressed the Dion Phaneuf rumours on TSN Radio 1050 Monday, saying although the Leafs may not be “shopping” their No. 1 defenceman, he is not considered untouchable and GM Dave Nonis would be willing to listen to offers. “The Toronto Maple Leafs are not shopping him,” Dreger said. “Theyre not shopping Jake Gardiner and Nazem Kadri, but teams know that if theres an offer made – or the right offer made – that Toronto would consider that.” Dreger noted he had spoken with Nonis over the weekend, with the GM saying the team isnt engaged in active conversations regarding Phaneuf, and have not done so since this past trade deadline. Fellow TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie also weighed in on the Phaneuf rumours, saying that although there have not been any recent conversations, the Leafs would not be opposed to a trade. “I think under the right circumstances, the Leafs would move him, and I think at various times over the course of the year they flirted with that notion, but I dont think right at this moment, the Toronto Maple Leafs are in a hard-sell on weve got to get rid of Dion Phaneuf and go in a different direction, but theyre all ears if somebodys interested,” McKenzie said. Comparing Phaneufs situation to the Jason Spezza rumours that have surfaced recently, both Dreger and McKenzie agree that of the two captainns, Spezza is the more likely candidate to be dealt as the longtime Senator is reportedly open to a change.dddddddddddd Despite owning a seven-year, $49-million deal that kicks in next season, the Leafs captain does not have a no-movement clause, giving GM Dave Nonis the flexibility to potentially unload him. In reference to the culture change comments made by Leiweke, The Globe and Mails James Mirtle said whether its a deal involving Phanuef or some other pieces on the Leafs roster, change is likely to happen. “If youre keeping the coach, then something else has to change, and I dont think theyre just going to change the assistant coaches,” Mirtle told TSN Radio 1050. “It makes sense to look at what kind of value he has on the market.” Despite having his detractors, Mirtle said Phaneuf is still a valuable piece that has misused by the Leafs. “Phaneufs got limitations certainly, and the Leafs dont particulary work around those limitations that well,” Mirtle said, referencing how Phaneuf has been successful being a second-pairing defenceman that can contribute in an offensive way. “It seems in Toronto theyve tried to recast him as this defensive stalwart – Shea Weber-type – that can kill penalties and play against other teams top lines, 25-26 minutes a night and Ive never understood why thats the case. “You can have a six or $7-million defenceman that doesnt do it all and still get value out of him.” Mirtle mentioned Edmonton, Dallas and Minnesota as potential landing spots for Phaneuf, saying he would fit in nicely in a No. 2 role behind Ryan Suter with the Wild. 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