The Toronto Blue Jays intend to make a strong push to land either the 2010 or 2012 all-star game when Major League Baseball starts pouring over candidates in the coming weeks.

"We will be making the request once again," Blue Jays president Paul Godfrey said Tuesday in an interview. "We hope we'll get it in '10 or '12."

Cal Ripken Jr. was voted MVP of the 1991 MLB all-star game at Toronto.
(Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

The Blue Jays pursued the 2008 game that was awarded to the New York Yankees, so they could stage it one last time before moving out of historic Yankee Stadium.

The St. Louis Cardinals will be hosts for the 2009 contest at the new Busch Stadium and, with commissioner Bud Selig intent on alternating between American and National League sites from year to year, that means an AL city gets the 2010 and 2012 contests.

During all-star festivities in San Francisco last week, Selig said he hopes to award two or three games in the next couple of months. Godfrey isn't sure who else plans to bid, but there's talk that the Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Angels are also interested.

Like Toronto's Rogers Centre, Angel Stadium and Kauffman Stadium have undergone significant renovations in recent years.

Aside from the Yankees, Oakland and Minnesota are the only AL teams planning new parks.

"A lot of clubs who have got new [or renovated] stadiums are naturally using that as leverage," Godfrey said. "By the time '10 comes this building, I believe, will be sufficiently renovated that it will appear to many people as maybe not a new building, but to have undergone a pretty good facelift."

The Blue Jays were hosts for the 1991 all-star game, won the by the AL 4-2.

The Angels had the game in 1989, while the Royals haven't held the event since 1973.

The competition to land the all-star game has intensified in recent years.

"Back in the '90s, you might have a couple of cities call," Selig said last week. "The intensity today is unbelievable.

"I cannot keep everyone happy."

Godfrey isn't surprised, singing the praises of what the event can bring to a city.

"No. 1, I think it's great exposure for your city internationally," he said. "What a great way to expose the city of Toronto to the world.

"There are some benefits to the club of having the game played in this building, as well. But it's a great pride to host the city itself."