Fortunately for ball fans in Richmond, Virginia, it seems that there won’t be any shortage of suitors lining up to move in at The Diamond - just not AAA.  Interestingly, there’s another story in today’s Citizen about one of the teams rumored to be on the move in 2009 - the Syracuse Chiefs. 

“New York Senator Charles Schumer has begun lobbying for the New York Mets to move their Triple-A affiliation from New Orleans to Syracuse for 2009, and for the Blue Jays to move out. According to a report in the Syracuse Post-Standard, Schumer is close a friend of Mets owner Fred Wilpon and has been discussing the issue with him in recent weeks.”

The local angle, besides the Canadian part of the story, is the possibility that Ottawa could be in the running as the Chiefs new home. 

“Should the Blue Jays be forced to find new accommodations, it is possible Ottawa — and its Triple-A stadium — could be a destination the team might consider for its minor league team.

Jay Stenhouse, vice-president of communications for the Blue Jays, said the team would do its due diligence if forced to look for a new home for its affiliate.

“If we are faced with the situation of finding a new Triple-A affiliate, we will explore all the options available to us,” Stenhouse said in an interview.

But he stopped short of saying that Ottawa would be given special consideration should the Chiefs have to relocate. “We’d look at all our options,” Stenhouse said.”

Not to throw cold water on anyone’s hopes, but I just don’t see that as a possibility.  In addition to the reasons noted by Miles Wolff, I don’t think the International League would permit another franchise here in Ottawa after what’s happened over the last few years.  However, I still believe that a Jays connected minor league franchise is the only type of affiliated ball which could succeed north of the border.