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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.
"I don't think [Northern Virginia and Washington] can compete with [Hampton Roads'] hunger," Cuddyer said before the Twins played the Orioles Saturday at Camden Yards. "They've got the Baltimore Orioles up here. They've got the Ravens. They've got the Redskins.
"Down there, they don't have anybody. So I think if you put a team down there, they can get some fan support."
The closest thing the area has had to a major sports team was the American Basketball Association's Virginia Squires, which called Hampton Roads home from 1970-76.
Julius 'Dr. J' Erving made his professional basketball debut with the Squires before his Hall of Fame NBA career with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Now the area is home to a handful of minor league teams--including an A-League soccer franchise in Virginia Beach, an arenafootball2 team in Norfolk, an American Hockey League organization in Norfolk, as well as the Tides.
In fact, the area is probably more famous for its homegrown athletes, which include NFL quarterbacks Michael Vick and Aaron Brooks, NFL hall of famers Lawrence Taylor and Bruce Smith, NBA all-star Allen Iverson and Cuddyer.
But having players to cheer for on television doesn't measure up to the pride that comes from having a professional team close by, Cuddyer said.
"It's kind of frustrating when you don't have a home team to root for," said Cuddyer, who grew up a Yankees fan. "You've got the Orioles. You've got the Braves. You don't really have that home team to root for, and there's a large population down there.
"I think it's enough to have a big league team. They need a team down there to root for."
The Hampton Roads area is home to an estimated 1.6 million people, according to 2003 U.S. Census Bureau data. That's slightly fewer than the estimated 1.7 million in Northern Virginia.
But it's unclear whether Hampton Roads' population will translate into adequate attendance figures to support a pro team.
Norfolk-area fans haven't exactly been packing the stands lately to see the Tides, whose home stadium, Harbor Park, holds 12,000 spectators. The Tides drew an average of 6,532 fans per game through June, according to ILbaseball.com. There are six teams in the International League that draw more per game.
But having a nationally recognized product like Major League Baseball could drive the numbers up. A major league team would be another attraction for nonlocals to flock to for entertainment.
According to norfolkmlb.com, the Norfolk Baseball Co.'s Web site, more than 15 million tourists visit the Hampton Roads area annually.
Like Las Vegas, Norfolk is hoping to pull fans from the scores of visitors who converge on the Norfolk-Virginia Beach area during the summer months.
"You've got Virginia Beach down there. There's a lot of tourists that come there in the summertime and spend a lot of time there," Dempsey said. "They get a big draw."
Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire spent parts of four minor league seasons in the early '80s playing in Norfolk for the Tidewater Tides, which changed its name to the Norfolk Tides when the team moved from Met Park to Harbor Park in 1993.
"I had a blast there," he said. "I felt like I could have run for mayor, as many years as I spent down there."
He's just one of the dozens of current big league coaches and players who passed through Norfolk on their way to the majors.
There's certainly a baseball history there. Many with ties to Norfolk hope major league baseball is in its future.
"I think it's a great baseball town," said Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson, who spent seven seasons with the Tides from 1980-86. "There's no question that they could support a [major league] team there."
To reach NATHAN WARTERS: 540/374-5446 nwarters@freelancestar.com