Where we are - UPDATED
Posted by Carl on October 2, 2007
I have to say that after today, Miles Wolff has perfected the presentation of his Can Am League proposal - today he spoke with five City councillors, did a radio interview with the Team 1200, radio and television with CBC, television with CTV and print interviews with the Sun and the Citizen. Before I go any further, I think its important to thank Mr. Wolff for his efforts to keep baseball in Ottawa. Likewise for Jim Baba of Baseball Canada - this is the second full day he’s taken out of his schedule on our behalf.
Our meetings went well with all parties and some of the issues I had going in have been clarified. We still don’t know how or why things changed over the summer, and perhaps that’s not important. We do know that the lawsuit is a major stumbling block; council can’t consider any proposals until there’s a resolution of the legal issue - and it’s important to be clear here: The City has not yet sued the team. My understanding is that until the team “breaches its contract”, the City has nothing to sue them for. We do know that it’s likely that they intend to hold out for the $2.77M they say the team owes.
Fortunately, we weren’t just spinning our wheels today and there’s optimism that the issues will be resolved in time for the Can Am League to know - one way or the other whether they will field a team here in 2008.
There should be good coverage in both papers tomorrow and I will keep updating the blog as information becomes public.
*** UPDATE ***
I missed this earlier - Neate posts up on Miles Wolff’s visit and what it should mean to council and others. With respect to the media, today was the best response we’ve had so far. (I forgot to mention that CFRA also had a reporter interview Miles.) Radio, television and print - just about all we could ask for.
I know the blog is short on detail, but what I’m going to have to ask everyone to understand is that much of what was discussed has been done with the expectation that it would be kept confidential. Certainly many of the people on the other side of the table would be far less inclined to speak freely if they thought what they said would be reprinted in the papers or here on the blog. I want to respect that and not jeopardize what we all want to see happen - baseball here in 2008.
October 2, 2007 at 8:12 pm
Thanks for the update, Carl. I look forward to the press tomorrow. The Can-Am topic has been buzzing around the barber shop lately and the general consensus of the local gents is that it’s a good fit for Ottawa. Everyone agrees that it would be shameful for the ballpark to lay fallow (or worse) next season and beyond. And like you’ve mentioned in the past, Mr. Wolffs deal seems like a “no-brainer.” Here’s hoping that things can get worked out in the 11th hour, as it were.
October 2, 2007 at 10:29 pm
I assume the Lynx have complete control of the venue so long as they are paying rent. I wonder if they can sublet it to the “Grays”, and the Can-Am schedule could be rigged so it doesn’t
“conflict” with the “Lynx International League Scheduled Dates”. That could get the team up and going and hopefully flush the city out a little longer on this ridiculous position.
Imagine, city council of this nation’s capital not jumping all over an opportunity to host the country’s NATIONAL TEAM in a great venue AT NO COST to them. Reading one of Cal Ripken’s books the other day, Aberdeen MD and DOZENS of other cities were COMPETING TO PROVIDE such a thing for Team USA (which Cody, NC ended up winning by the way). To quote the title of the book, it is time for us as Canadians to “GET IN THE GAME” and COMPETE and PARTICIPATE in the types of things that make where we live COMMUNITIES and not just a collection of dwellings…