Michael Cuddyer didn't always recognize the faces in the crowds at his Great Bridge High School baseball games, but he knew the people were there to see him.

When he and John Curtice were projected as first-round draft picks in 1997, fans turned out in droves to the Norfolk-area high school to catch a glimpse of the potential big leaguers.

"Pretty much everybody in the community came out and watched us," said Cuddyer, now in his fourth major league season with the Minnesota Twins. "It was awesome. Not only for [Curtice and me], but for the whole area itself."

Having seen firsthand how crazy the area is about baseball, Cuddyer thinks it's the perfect place for a major league team.

Norfolk is one of a handful of locales in contention to acquire the Montreal Expos when the team is relocated. Northern Virginia and Washington are considered the front-runners to get the team, which is expected to begin play in its new home in 2005.

Las Vegas; Portland, Ore.; Monterrey, Mexico, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, also have been mentioned as possible sites. An official decision by Major League Baseball is expected before the end of this season.

Some currently involved with Major League Baseball and familiar with the area say selling Norfolk short might be a mistake.

Baltimore Orioles first-base coach Rick Dempsey, who played for 24 seasons in the majors, witnessed firsthand the area's affinity for baseball when he managed the Triple-A Norfolk Tides during the 1997 and '98 seasons.

"They're baseball people down there," said Dempsey, who compiled a 145-139 record while coaching the Tides. "That's all they have right there, really, is baseball. They did well. They drew well, and they had a lot of fan support. There was a lot of interest in that area."

The Hampton Roads region, which consists of Norfolk, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach and 13 surrounding cities and counties, has been spurned twice already by professional sports.

In 1996, the area tried unsuccessfully to acquire an NHL expansion team. Five years later, the NBA's Charlotte Hornets considered relocating to Hampton Roads before moving to New Orleans.