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Bills Toronto Series’ failure might pay off for Toronto Blue Jays fans

Toronto Blue Jays fans likely already know there's a good chance one of the strangest affiliations in baseball could end in less than a month. It bears sharing why the timing and the tide is different for a move which makes too much sense: having their top farm club in nearby Buffalo rather than in far-flung Las Vegas.

The Buffalo News reported Sunday that the Buffalo Bisons and New York Mets are unlikely to renew, opening the door for a Blue Jays/Bisons alignment. There was hope that would happen in 2008 when the Jays' agreement with Syracuse ran out, but they ended up affiliating with the Las Vegas 51s, meaning Jays fans couldn't make a quick road trip to see their future stars play. What's changed now? The diminished possibility of Toronto bogarting the Buffalo Bills, as sportswriter Mike Harrington pointed out on Wednesday.

"There's no question about it, they're going to sign with the Blue Jays ... I think realistically it's an American League East town ... I've had e-mails and tweets from people pointing out they see more Blue Jays gear in the stands [at Coca-Cola Field] anyway.

" ... You don't want to align with Toronto when Toronto might be trying to take your NFL team. I really don't think that's a factor anymore. I mean, Toronto doesn't have a stadium for a NFL team, for one thing. There's a lot of backlash because of the Maple Leafs and their fans coming to town for Sabres games. There's a lot of people who don't want to be, quote-unquote, 'minor league' to Toronto. But I think the timing is right. The Bisons have seen their attendance drop.

" ... There's no question there's going to be some of that backlash but I think over time that can be mitigated ... The games can be seen on the Extra Innings package. They're not blacked out here." (Sportsnet Radio FAN 590)

Please remember that the Jays' search for an affiliate in 2008 coincided with the first season of the Bills Toronto Series, also brought to you by Rogers Communications, Inc. Even though Southern Ontario is a hotbed of Bills fans, having a game in Toronto has proven to be little more than one-off event. Scratch a Canadian who became a Bills fan during their salad days in the 1980s and '90s and the typical response is they prefer the team being in Buffalo.

In other words, the telecom's failure to make Toronto look like a viable NFL market might have paved the way a Buffalo/Blue Jays alignment. The Jays' baseball operation might end up with a more favourable arrangement in spite of their ownership; not only is Las Vegas very far away, but the stadium is one of the worst in Triple-A.

If all goes according to plan, Diehard Jays fans will have reason to drive down the QEW highway to watch their team's prospects. It might sound like crumbs, but after 12 years under the team's current ownership, Jays fans know to take what they can get.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.