If Montreal Gets Stadium, Indy Team Will Follow

     The Frenchcounterpart to the word “if”, I am told, is “si”.  Well, si got considerable attention north of the United Statesborder this week.

      Miles Wolff,the commissioner of  the Canadian-American League, which this corner tends to shorten to Can-Am, sat down to talk baseball in bustling Montrealthis week, along with some of the city’s businessmen, one of whom is former Montreal Exposshareholder Mark Routtenberg. Oh, yes, the former Cy Young Awardwinner and Quebec Provincehero Eric Gagnealso was part of the meeting.

     This little session was well reported, especially by the French-speaking media, and at least one United States-based outlet came away talking about the possible formation of a new professional baseball league in Canada.

      A good many “ifs” are necessary, Wolff explained Thursday afternoon from Winnipegwhere the other league he heads up, the 14-team American Association,would play one of its season-opening games in a few hours.

       “We are (still) working to get a ballpark built in Montreal”, the commissioner said, and if that could be accomplished one day other developments could follow.  “There seems to be a lot of baseball interest in Montreal now”, Wolff said, a growing trend after the pain of losing its major league franchise at the end of ’04.

      If a stadium some day becomes a reality, Montreal most likely would join Quebecin the Can-Am League and perhaps down the road all of Canada’s baseball-playing cities (except Toronto, which is in the American League) could be part of a country-wide league.  Calgaryand Edmontoncurrently are part of the North American League,which debuts later this month.

Rene Rivera Latest to Jump to Majors in a Year

       To say that making the jump from an Independent league to the majors in a single season is music to the ears of those running the non-affiliated brand of professional baseball would be a vast understatement.  But it happens.        

      Catcher Rene Rivera,who had not been in the majors since the last of his 53 games with Seattlein 2006, was with the Camden (NJ) Riversharks(Atlantic League) at this time one year ago.  While defense is the 27-year-old Puerto Rican’sbest attribute, he also hit seven homers and drove in 19 runs in only 82 at-bats (.280) for Camden.

      With all-everything Joe Mauerstill sidelined with injury, Rivera is now with the parent Minnesota Twins. He has caught three of the last five games since his contract was purchased from Triple-A Rochester, NY. 

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Southpaw Cochran Now 5-0, 1.66 in Triple-A

      Tom Cochran’sminor league credentials are getting better, virtually by the appearance.

      The crafty left-hander, a onetime Pitcher of the Year in the Can-Am League (Worcester, MA)who also has spent three seasons in the Frontier Leagueand limited time with Lancaster, PAof the Atlantic League, threw 5.2 innings of no-hit baseball his previous time out.  He came back Thursday afternoon, and ran his International Leaguerecord to 5-0 with another strong outing for Cincinnati’stop farm club in Louisville.

     Cochran’s scoreless streak ended at 16 innings, but he allowed only three hits and two runs in six innings to stymie Rochester,5-2.  The 28-year-old has a 1.66 earned run average, and has allowed only 11 hits in 21.2 innings.                             

        (This is an excerpt from the column Bob Wirz writes year round on Independent Baseball.  Fans may subscribe at www.WirzandAssociates.com , enjoy his blogs, www.AtlanticLeagueBaseball.com and www.IndyBaseballChatter.com , or comment to RWirz@aol.com .  The author has 16 years of major league baseball public relations experience with Kansas City and as spokesman for two Commissioners and lives in Stratford, CT.)