A call to arms
Posted by Carl on September 6, 2007
I detected some amusement on the other end of the line.
“I guess I’m not the first person from Ottawa who’s called today?”
“No. No sir, you’re not.” came the reply, with a thick southern accent.
Unable to sit around and wait for the press to tell me what had happened with the CanAm bid, I was determined to get out ahead of the story. Maybe even to get the story. I had called the offices of the CanAm League in North Carolina, hoping to arrange an interview with League Commissioner, Miles Wolff.
“Mr. Wolff’s not at this location. Let me get you the number.”
Two minutes later I was calling Quebec City, home of the Capitales de Quebec, one of two teams he owns. To my surprise, I was transferred immediately to Mr. Wolff. I was caught completely flat-footed; I just wanted to schedule an interview but due to his busy schedule, he suggested we just do it there and then. What the heck, how many opportunities am I going to get?
I pressed ahead, identifying myself, my m.o., and gave him the blog address. Apparently convinced that I was a “Friend of independent baseball in Ottawa”, he answered the questions in a very straightforward manner. I asked about his thoughts about the recent bid to put a roof over the Stadium and convert it into a soccer/concert venue. It made no financial sense to the commissioner - “You’ll never get that kind of money back.” He was at a loss to explain why the CanAm bid was being shelved; he found out about the Mayor’s change of heart through the media. He characterized Lynx Stadium as the best baseball facility in Canada, “a gem”. The deal that in July seemed to have an “80-90%” chance of succeeding, called for an inflatable dome in winter managed by Thunderbird Management Inc. and soccer would be played in the off-season. The grass would be replaced with the new “Field Turf”. Lynx Stadium would be open year round and would be the home for Baseball Canada.
I wondered aloud if the Stadium Group bid wasn’t just a red-herring, with the City’s real intent being to sell or lease the land for office/retail space. It seemed to touch a nerve.”If that’s the case, why doesn’t the City just sell off all it’s parks and recreation facilities? Stadiums, museums, concert halls - those are what makes a “good” city great. There’s a reason why stadiums are going up in the United States; baseball stadiums can be important.”
Here’s the killer: The CanAm League deal has no strings attached. It wasn’t contingent upon finding a local owner, arranging funding or any other proviso. As has been widely reported, they would undertake a five year lease agreement with the City, picking up the remainder of the Lynx lease at the same cost - even though they were only playing 50 games.
Here’s another: Even though he couldn’t guarantee he would have a local ownership group in place, or ANY owner for that matter, the CanAm League would still honor the lease - even if not a single pitch was thrown. The plan was for the “Grays” - a travelling road team with no current home park, to play at Lynx Stadium.
So what went wrong? As recently as two months ago there was a meeting with the Mayor and four or five members of his staff. Mr. Wolff left that meeting with, in his own words, “an 80-90%” certainty that the CanAm League was coming to Ottawa for 2008. The Mayor was on board, his directive to staff was “to make this happen”. And what about that “gag request”? According to Mr. Wolff, there are always political and contractual considerations, particularly in this instance. They were asked to keep it quiet until all the i’s were dotted and the t’s crossed.
I asked what he thought the chances of the CanAm League playing in Ottawa were next year. With some resignation, he now thought they stood at “less than 50%”. They need to know by the end of September what’s happening, with the first week in October being the absolute “drop-dead” date; they have to set their schedule.
My questions then for my local councillor are: “What kind of proposal do you favor - a guaranteed five year agreement or what appears to be a hastily thought out proposal that raises more questions than it answers . Apparently, Mr. D’Angelo of Steelback Brewery fame is NOT on board.
More importantly,
“What kind of Ottawa do you favor - one that preserves it’s recreational spaces at no cost to the taxpayer, or one that sells them off for office space and big box retail?”
The real head scratcher - Why does Jacques Legendre seem now to be in favor of bringing a huge influx of traffic into his ward?
My God. This City never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
Mr. Wolff took some positives away from Monday’s game, arguing that it should be regarded as proof positive that people will show up for baseball. And he offered this bit of advice for local fans of baseball: “People who want to see baseball in Ottawa are going to have to let their politicians know. Public pressure is what it’s going to take now.”
September 6, 2007 at 8:19 pm
Wow. Mr. Wolffs dealings with City Hall sounds like an episode of Three’s Company. You know, the one where where Jack overhears something Janet said and takes it the wrong way and then when he approaches Chrissie about it, she gets the wrong impression and tells Janet what Jack said and… well, all heck breaks loose, right?
Bottom line: When is Mrs. Roper gonna step in and straighten things out in that crazy apartment complex?
September 6, 2007 at 8:29 pm
I’m thinking it’s more like “Gilligan’s Island”. (And we preferred the Don Knotts, Mr. Furley era, BTW.)
Mrs. Roper will be making a guest appearance soon enough.
September 6, 2007 at 8:31 pm
Three days after Labour Day? Go Go, Grass Roots!
Ahem.
September 6, 2007 at 8:33 pm
Nice score Carl! Miles Wolff is a baseball legend, I greatly admire his accomplishments. Wolff started Independent pro baseball in 1993 launching the Northern League. According to Sports Business Journal in May of this year, 8 million are expected to attend Independent League games this season. As well, Wolff was owner & publisher of Baseball America for 18 years. To say that Mr. Wolff is very well respected in the baseball industry is an understatement.
Your Q & A answers a few questions that I had. Primarily, who would own the team? I didn’t know that Wolff owned the “road” team in that league, I had guessed that the owners in the league owned it collectively, a la what MLB did with the Expos. So if Mr. Wolff is paying the salaries for the “road” team, he may as well find them a home and sell some tickets.
I think that a Can Am League franchise could survive here. As Naete pointed out on his blog, the attendance here for Triple A in the summer months is sufficient to support a Can Am team. It also makes a lot of sense for the Can Am League to put a team in this market. Currently there is 1 Cdn team - Quebec City - and the remainder obviously in the US. If the US teams have to cross the border to play in QC, logistically / $$$ wise, it makes a lot of sense to play a second series while you’re up here.
Before anything happens, Pecor and the City have to cut a deal. Pecor has to get out of the lease and I don’t think the City will let him out of it until they settle the $10 million dollar or so parking lawsuit. I think somewhere there is a middle ground. The City will decrease the penalties for leaving town early in turn for some give from Pecor on the parking dispute. I think the City holds the cards. Pecor has made a commitment ( I know the sale isn’t finalized ) to sell his franchise to some guys in Allentown ( Craig Stein & ??? ). If he doesn’t deliver this franchise to these fellows for the next season I have to think he will be in DEEP, DEEP, water with these guys. Does he need a second lawsuite on his hands? In a nutshell, Pecor needs a deal.
Lastly, I’m glad you’re still blogging, and you’ve got some chutzpah (sic?) calling Miles Wolff.
P.S. What do think of the column in the City section of The Citizen today lamenting Ottawa’s failure to support The Lynx and all pro non hockey sports franchises in this city.
September 6, 2007 at 9:02 pm
Pete,
They’re looking for a local owner - I’m not sure who owns the Grays, it might be MW, but I’m not sure (didn’t ask). There should be lots of “middle ground” on the lease/lawsuit issue - but that requires both sides to be “reasonable”. A tall order for one of the parties. I think the real question is whether the City will take MW and the CanAm League up on their guaranteed offer and let the Lynx go, or turn the CanAm League down and fight with the Lynx. Which makes more sense for the taxpayer. Hmmm…. let me think.
I haven’t seen the Citizen article, but I’ll look. Thanks!
September 6, 2007 at 9:08 pm
Citizen article - link?
September 6, 2007 at 9:42 pm
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/opinion/story.html?id=694fb355-82d9-46a3-ba74-f25187a53fd4
Try this?
September 6, 2007 at 10:20 pm
Carl,
I’m very impressed with the initiative you’re showing here. Just today I was reading some older installments of the blog, in particular the Media Day post where you were very nervous at the prospect of interviewing and reporting in a more traditional sense. This is REALLY sticking your nose in there. As Pete said, Miles Wolff is an extremely important man and really the best ally you could hope for in terms of the future for professional baseball in Ottawa.
Again, if there’s ANYTHING at all I can do to help from a distance, just let me know.
-Bob
September 6, 2007 at 10:44 pm
Pete,
Some interesting information at the Can-Am League website. They have a mileage table between each of the cities in the league.
The closest team to Wolff’s Capitales is Nashua, New Hanpshire at 363 miles or about a six hour drive. Not only would Ottawa (and a much talked about possible expansion to Montreal in 2009) help consolidate Canadian roadswings for United States-based clubs, but also lessen the travel burden immensely on the Quebec squad.
Here is some discussion on the topic of a suburban Montreal based Can-Am team with a pasted article in French for any bi-linguals or francophones who peruse Carl’s blog: http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?t=55934
I couldn’t read it, but I got the jist from the ensuing discussion.
From what I understand, Trois Rivieres has a completely identical stadium to Quebec City. Not sure of its condition these days (both stadia are over 60 years old), but I’m told its a viable venue.
-Bob
September 6, 2007 at 11:06 pm
Carl, I incorrectly concluded that when you said MW owns 2 teams and that the “road” team would play here that he owned it. What is the 2nd team he owns?
As for MW’s offer to assume the Lynx lease and extend beyond it’s current commitment….would that require the approval of council? My understanding is that the current lease has 2 years remaining, if MW wants 5…does it go to a vote? Who would carry the ball ( pardon the football metaphor ) on council for an extension of the current lease? I’ve not seen 1 councillor speak out on MW’s behalf. A lot has changed politically since the stadium was constructed. We now live in the amalgamated city and I don’t know if there is support in the suburbs and rural areas that are now part of Ottawa. I also question how straightforward it is for MW to “take over” the lease, what with the lawsuit unresolved…can a lease be signed over with a lawsuit over said lease underway? Any lawyers out there?
Hey Bob, I hadn’t heard the Tros Rivieres aspect, that is encouraging though.
September 6, 2007 at 11:21 pm
Regarding Bob’s post about older stadiums…
I went to a few Capitales games two seasons ago while on vacation in Quebec City. Indeed, it is an old ball park but was renovated in recent years. I enjoyed that the upper levels, with benches built like church pews, which is somewhat fitting in Quebec, were general admission.
While in the tourist type parts of town, on the strip near our hotel, I asked around about baseball in the city. Most folks couldn’t answer my queries. And this was not a language barrier, having an Acadian girlfriend at hand. It seemed to me that Les Capitales were somewhat off the radar. Once we arrived at the yard, however, it was fantastic. The fans (and barkers) were literally dancing in the aisles. Total FUN!
The experience compared to any small-town American minor league baseball setting. Around 1000-1200 rowdy fans. And a team whose players were there all season. Not being a farm system, the locals got to know their boys week to week and cheered for them with gusto.
It would be way cool to enjoy this type of atmosphere here in Ottawa. And we wouldn’t need our parkas and toques for the early part of the season.
I reckon we could pull this off, given the chance.
September 7, 2007 at 4:52 am
Bob,
re: comment#8. Thanks for the compliment. Media Day was more or less for fun (so I turtled a bit), this is something a bit more serious. Monday hit me surprisingly hard; a lot of people are affected by this bit of jockeying down at City Hall and I feel a duty is owed. I’ve become a little more forward as a result!
Pete,
According to the CanAm League website he owns Quebec and Burlington, North Carolina. But there doesn’t appear to be a CanAm team playing there (N.C.); maybe this is the “mailing address” for the Grays. We’ll find out.
As far as the mechanics of the lease, I’ll have to consult my copy but I imagine a change would require the approval of council. I gathered from my discussion with MW that few in council (maybe none) were aware of the negotiations which were taking place with the Mayor’s office.
September 7, 2007 at 5:00 am
Found it - the Burlington Royals is the other team (Rookie League affiliate of the KC Royals).
September 7, 2007 at 9:24 am
Hey C, FYI the Citizen published a letter today on the City Editorial page from Legendre, looks like he is distancing himself from the soccer dome / concert venue idea.
The decaying Frank Clair Stadium is also in the news this week, as you well know. Will this have any impact on the City’s future plans for the baseball stadium once Pecor and the City come to a settlement?
September 7, 2007 at 10:03 am
Fellas,
Some interesting reads.
One speaks to Patrick’s assessment of the atmosphere in Quebec City. It’s about halfway down on this page: http://quebec.sabr.org/2000.htm
Here’s an excellent set of photo tours and a history of minor league baseball in Quebec: http://www.digitalballparks.com/Eastern/Quebec1.html
and Trois-Rivieres:
http://www.digitalballparks.com/Eastern/TroisRivieres1.html
By the looks of things, the Trois-Rivieres stadium is in as good condition as Quebec’s.
Beyond the point Patrick makes about players not being exposed to promotions and demotions between various levels of affiliated minor league ball, a quick look at the Capitales roster reveals something else.
8 players are from Quebec, 1 from Ontario, and certain veterans like Eddie Lantigua now reside permanently in the city. The entire coaching staff appears to be French-Canadian. I’d imagine that this local recruiting of ballplayers is a factor that could help to improve rooting interest of Canadians.
-Bob
September 7, 2007 at 4:00 pm
The CItizen article, though somewhat supportive of letting Can-Am “foolishly” giving it a go, also misses the point. Any re-incarnation of baseball in Ottawa will not be by attracting the fans that were here 10 years ago, it will not in any way be replicating the AAA experience. The author rightly points out that there are many who love baseball here, you saw a lot of them this past weekend, the grey-haired fellows in shorts and high socks. They used to pack the ballpark, they brought their families, wives. They listened to all the games on the radio. They had come back for the memories, of Montreal and the glorious days when the Lynx came to town.
But their kids are gone, wives would rather not come anymore, heck, I bet some haven’t been in years.
Miles Wolff’s leagues are all about fun, value, entertainment and families. Promotions, cheap
prices, cheaper (we hope) beer, and teams which try to win. In many ways, you needed to be a die-hard to watch AAA. I am. I’ll miss it dreadfully. BUT. When I listen to games on XM, it seems every other night I hear the announcers talk about guys who played independent ball last year, these are guys who got hurt, overlooked etc. It’s decent baseball (330,000 Winnipegger’s can’t be wrong), the whole reason for the success of this guy, is that it is everything organized ball isn’t. I’m sure they’ll welcome me - the die hard - but they’ll also entertain my family and stir up interest in other non die-hards, which is seemingly what didn’t happen before. And they can survive on 2,000 a night. That and Baseball Canada finding a home, I think it’s all we can wish for now.
September 18, 2007 at 4:46 am
[...] Here’s another: Even though he couldn’t guarantee he would have a local ownership group in place, or ANY owner for that matter, the CanAm League would still honor the lease - even if not a single pitch was thrown. The plan was for the “Grays” - a travelling road team with no current home park, to play at Lynx Stadium.” [OttawaLynxBlog, September 6] [...]
September 22, 2007 at 4:55 pm
[...] venue that lucrative a venture? I don’t think the numbers work out, nor did others (”You’ll never get that kind of money back“). So what’s going on? I believe part of the problem for Mr. Butler is that he [...]