Only days after the conclusion of the recent World Series, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred was scheduled to fly to Portland, Ore., to meet there with officials interested in acquiring a big-league franchise. But the meeting was postponed until a later date because of the civil unrest that has besieged the troubled city since last spring. But Canadian Baseball Network contributor Danny Gallagher writes that the mere fact that Manfred was set to visit Portland is another clear indication the folks at MLB are seriously interested in Portland as a new franchise to add to the current 30-team roster.

Canadian Baseball Network writer Danny Gallagher writes that former Montreal Expos pitcher Bill Lee holds nothing back in a recently published book about him.

Canadian Baseball Network contributor Danny Gallagher shares that Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Murray Cook (Sackville, N.B.) has been let go by the Detroit Tigers after serving as a scout for them for 13 years.

Mel Rojas Jr., a left-handed hitter who stands at 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, batted .349, hit a league-leading 47 homers and drove in a league-high 135 runs for the KT Witz in this his fourth season in the Korean Baseball Organization. Canadian Baseball Network Danny Gallagher writes that Rojas Jr. might be a good fit with the Toronto Blue Jays.