Don’t they?

Oh, the irony.

Councillors Maria McRae and Bob Monette had earlier stated their support for a revitalization of Frank Clair Stadium, but Ms. Leadman isn’t sure. While she watched the stands fall with a “touch of sadness,” she’s not in any rush to build them again.

Ms. Leadman said, “the many attempts have been unsuccessful. There has to be interest from the community.”

The original Ottawa Rough Riders franchise folded in 1996. The team returned in 2002 as the Renegades and the ownership changed hands in 2005, and in 2006. Then CFL commissioner Tom Wright announced the club had ceased operations.

“I would step cautiously,” Ms. Leadman said. “That’s a big investment and once you build a stadium, it’s there.”

Aside from the multiple CFL franchises, she noted that the city also had trouble supporting its AAA baseball team, the Ottawa Lynx, which has since relocated to Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Emphasis added (not that I expect you needed it).  So the City (with a capital C) wipes out the southside stands shortly after discovering that they’re no longer structurally sound - readers will note that “shortly” is a relative term, particularly when the City is involved.  Ms. Leadman’s comments though are pretty much gospel from the City’s perspective: the city had trouble supporting it’s AAA baseball team.  In fact it was the City of Ottawa that had the most difficulty supporting it’s AAA team.  As a politician, it’s prudent to look at the facts - and the fact of the matter is the CFL franchise has failed in this city twice, and has had several owners, some of whom were unmitigated disasters.  It may be unwise to invest a significant amount of taxpayers money into a new stadium (although I have no doubt that they will study the matter to death through the investment of a significant amount of taxpayers money into consultants).  But bringing Lynx Stadium into the discussion does nothing to strengthen Ms. Leadman’s argument.  First, the stadium is paid for and has been for several years.  Second, unlike Lansdowne Park, it hasn’t suffered from the City’s neglect: Lynx Stadium isn’t falling down and shouldn’t for the foreseeable future.  And finally, due to the hard work of Miles Wolff, Bruce Murdock, councillors Bob Monnette and Rob Jellett, and the unselfish nature of Lynx owner Ray Pecor, even though the Lynx left there’s still baseball being played at the stadium. 

It’s an interesting study in contrasts, Lansdowne Park and Lynx Stadium.  For one, they used dynamite to begin to destroy it.  For the other…, well, you already know.

And it’s long overdue.  A few days back I mentioned I’d update FOTL, Erin Nicks.  As some of you may know, Erin’s no longer writing for the Ottawa Sun.  I touched on this briefly a couple of times previously, but Erin was an immense help to me when I was preparing for “Media Day” last year.  She took time out of her extremely busy schedule to help a guy she didn’t know, with a mediocre blog about one of her pet causes. I’m still grateful, E.  And I still owe you and the Driver a beer.

Since we’re talking about Friends of the Lynx, Dave Gross is still blogging away over at The Dave Gross Sports Blog.  Neate continues writing Out of Left Field at his usual torrid pace and unmatched depth.  Former Lynx employee and out of towner, Todd Devlin is seen intermittently over at The 500 Level, blogging the Jays - I’ll touch base with you on that other “matter” soon, Todd.

And I wonder if anyone is screaming at the Richmond Braves  demanding to let them know what their plans are for 2009?  You know - like one of those letters a city might send to a minor league ball club that appeared ready to move, contingent upon a stadium being built in Allentown another city?

However, Minor League Baseball is limited in what it can do until the Braves, who have an option to remain in Richmond in 2009, release their rights to the territory. That decision will be based on the Braves’ confidence that construction on their new ballpark in Gwinnett, which just broke ground in late April, will be completed in time for Opening Day 2009.

One industry insider said it would not be surprising to see the Braves back in Richmond considering the short time frame Gwinnett has allowed to build its ballpark.

“In a perfect world you might have a decision by the end of the season, but it may not work that way,” said Purpura, the former Astros general manager who came on board with Minor League Baseball after Pat O’Conner took over as president in January. “I think as you get toward the end of the season, you (as a baseball team) have to have an idea of where you are going to be situated for the next season for sales and marketing standpoints in the new market. On the other hand, we’re not going to tie our hands with a date. Until the Braves release the territory, there is nothing to talk about.”

Cool.  Dealing with a situation like adults…

As part of an ongoing look at some of the issues still remaining, today the blog turns its attention to PPPs and the fairness component of the argument.  Now strictly speaking, Lynx Stadium was never a “Public Private Partnership” project, but it many ways it resembles one. 

Construction Financing

Lynx Stadium:  The City of Nepean and Howard Darwin.

Bell Sensplex:  Ottawa Community Ice Partners (which includes the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club, Ottawa Senators Alumni, and Morley Hoppner Group).

Ownership

Lynx Stadium:  Retained by the City.

Bell Sensplex:  Retained by the City (after 30 years).

Programming and marketing

Lynx Stadium:  Responsibility of the tenant.

Bell Sensplex:  Responsibility of the tenant.

Bumps in the road.

But here’s where their paths diverge - how the City dealt with the “debts” for each.  As part of the initial agreement between the City and Howard Darwin that saw Lynx Stadium constructed, Mr. Darwin was required to put up roughly $4.5 million of the estimated $17 million cost.  When the team was sold to Ray Pecor in 2000, a good chunk of that debt remained and it was transferred to Ray Pecor. 

In 2007, less than three years after it opened, the Bell Sensplex ran into financial difficulty and the City extended a lifeline in the form of a $1.4 million bailout.  This on top of the $250,000 pumped into the complex each year for thirty years.  The situation at a second PPP, the Ray Friel Centre, was worse.  In that instance, the management company (the PPP partner) is purported to have underestimated its operating costs while overestimating revenue at the same time.  As a result (surprise!), it claimed it couldn’t make a profit and planned to terminate their agreement with the City.  The bottom line result for the City?  $1.4M more for the Sensplex (with an exposure for the entire construction cost of approximately $25M) and $12M more for the Ray Friel Centre debt.

Fairness

Here’s where I take issue with the City.  Both PPPs were bailed out - I don’t think anyone would argue that point.  In the case of the Sensplex, it may be just the beginning of the bailouts, and not everyone on Council is happy about it -

Coun. Alex Cullen opposed the bailout, arguing that the city should take over and run the facility like community centres and hockey rinks built in the past.

“We owned them, we operated them,” he said. “And one of the reasons why we do so is to ensure, first of all, that we can provide the services that our public wants and that we are not in the business of generating a profit for our shareholders.” 1

“They have already drawn a million dollars out of the operating reserve. This after we guaranteed the construction of the facility through the municipal capital facilities agreement. We waived property taxes. We contribute toward their operating reserve. And we’re a guaranteed client for 2,400 hours of ice time a year. And they can’t make ends meet?” 2

                                                            [Councillor Alex Cullen]

And in the Lynx case?  You need to cast your mind back to 2000 and the amalgamation process.  As part of the agreement that brought the 12 regional municipalities together “(b)  all the assets and liabilities of the old municipalities on December 31, 2000, including all rights, interests, approvals, status, registrations, entitlements and contractual benefits and obligations, become assets and liabilities of the city on January 1, 2001, without compensation.  1999, c. 14, Sched. E, s. 5 (3).” 3.  So the initial construction costs owed by Ottawa ceased to exist.  To its credit, the City did negotiate a new operating agreement with Mr. Pecor when he took over the team, but did they disclose to him that they were about to unburden themselves of their debt to the City of Nepean - without compensation, while forcing him to continue to carry his share?  Not likely.  And while there was nothing compelling them to extend the same debt forgiveness to Mr. Pecor, one might think that the financial status of the Stadium and their own guiding principles could have been viewed as mitigating factors -

“Basically, I think the city has broken their own rules,” he said.
The stadium has been nothing but a good deal for the city, in his opinion.

“This ball park cost the city $16 million. When I left here, the city had received $17,600,000 in revenues generated from this park. From my point of view, the ballpark paid for itself … and it helped this street (Coventry Road) develop,” he said. 4

                                                   [Howard Darwin]

“It cost the city $16,900,000 to build, and it was paid off in 2001 thanks to revenue streams from sources such as major corporate sponsors, the 32 box suites, parking, attendance, the naming rights ($5 million over five years when it was Jetform Stadium until that deal ended), the larcenous $500,000 a year in rent the city was charging Darwin.” 5

[Earl McRae]

Remember:  “(The City is) not in the business of generating a profit for our shareholders.”  But if the Stadium has been paid off, isn’t the last unforgiven share of the debt actually a winfall for the City?  And more importantly, in my view anyway, why has the City shown a willingness to let everyone off the hook (i.e. The Sensplex, The Ray Friel Centre, themselves) except Ray Pecor?

More to come.

Footnotes:

1 - CBC Ottawa, April 26, 2007

2 - Daily Commercial News and Construction Record.

3 - City of Ottawa Act, 1999

4 - The Ottawa Sun, July 15, 2007

5 - The Ottawa Sun, August 25, 2006

Oh. Dear. God.

From Phillybaseballnews.com:

(Emphasis mine)

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that when Hixson refers to the “bad playing conditions” here in Ottawa, he means the weather and not the field or the facilities. And no, this will not be strictly a(nother) weather rant. First off, Joe Bisenius was injured for a good part of last season - that tends to affect your stats. Second, “many of the Phillies pitchers who were stationed in Ottawa had bad seasons” - but once again, many of them were injured (Zack Segovia, J.A. Happ, Matt Smith) or sidelined (Matt Childers) or moved on (Brian Mazone). So you had some guys being brought in who might have been better served playing in Reading. Third - was the weather really all that bad? Sitting in Philadelphia, you’d probably assume that it must have been bad in Ottawa, because, well, it’s in Canada so it must be cold. And in 2007, you’d be wrong.

April 17 - 6.6 C                     May 1 - 13C
April 18 - 12.5                      May 2 - 14.2
April 19 - 16.3                      May 3 - 14.8
April 20 - 21.1                   May 4 - 16.3
April 21 - 20.2                   May 15 - 12.2
April 22 - 23.7                   May 16 - 7.7
April 27 - 10.7                      May 17 - 10
April 28 - 10.6                      May 18 - 15
April 29 - 13                         May 19 - 22
April 30 - 11.1                      May 20 - 10.4
                                           May 21 - 16
                                           May 22 - 17.4

Grand total: 22 games. 10 games at >15C. 4 games at >20C.

Average game time temperature for April and May: 14.3C.

Only two games below 10C, and one of those was Opening Day.  And note: these were game time temperatures, not the highs for the day.

There are some that argue that cooler temperatures are actually a pitcher’s friend, since it reduces some of the muscular fatigue produced by the heat, typically found in the summer months.  Additionally,

Pitchers generally have worse control but higher strikeout rates and better luck with balls in play in cold weather. I’m not sure if this favors a certain type of pitcher in the postseason. It might be the case that a pitcher’s “stuff” is an important factor in how the weather interacts with their performance. For example, a pitcher who relies on breaking balls or changeups and are susceptible to control problems might be at a particular disadvantage in cold weather conditions.

From an offensive perspective, this evidence suggests patient lineups will fare well in cold weather when compared to free swinging lineups. Pitchers appear to throw fewer strikes in cold weather and a patient lineup may be more likely to take advantage of this result. Additionally, a batted ball is less valuable in cold weather than warm weather because a batted ball is less likely to fall for a hit or clear the outfield fences in below-55 degrees conditions.

There is still a lot of work to do in understanding how weather conditions affect baseball performances. I think this summary provides some insights into how the game can change in October.

And finally, it seems that our friend Chuck (whose work I generally like) wants to have it both ways.  Previously, he attributed the hitters’ poor stats to the weather.  Now how can everyone suck in the cold?  By definition, if a pitcher is struggling (in this case because of the cold) the implication is that the hitters are doing well - and vice versa.  A hitter who can’t hit in the cold, isn’t beating up on opposing pitching - because he can’t hit in the cold.

Yesterday over on the UCOB we played “guess the missing logo”.  The fun and games continue here on the UOLB today - an Easter egg hunt of sorts this weekend.  This one comes care of our friends in Reading - wanna play?  Good.  Let’s play “Find the missing city”!

Baseball’s hottest commodityPitching. It is the hottest commodity in baseball. Like precious stones, good pitching is dazzling, hard to find, difficult to replace and if you’re faking it like cubic zirconium, you’re not going to get away with it for very long. Last year we split up our pitching preview into two sections – starters and relievers. Then we told you that Julio De La Cruz and Patrick Overholt were promising starter and reliever prospects, respectively. Then De La Cruz spent all of 2007 pitching out of the bullpen and Overholt became a starter. So this year we’ll lump everyone that pitches together and try to paint a decently accurate picture as we go along. We’re going to go through over two dozen names this year. Six of them were invited to big league spring training and at least six of the remaining arms have been there at some point in there careers. Again, this is not set in stone. The R-Phils are likely to start the season with 11 or 12 pitchers on the roster. In 2007, 28 pitchers made at least one appearance for the R-Phils. Fourteen of them made at least one start. Those figures do not include rehab assignments. Righty Jason Anderson came to the Phillies as a Minor League free agent last year and appeared in 37 games between Reading (14) and Triple-A (23). He’s a hard thrower that has appeared in 32 career Major League games for the Yankees (26) and Mets (6). In almost 400 career games he made 51 starts and boasts a 3.39 ERA in the Minors. He’s a candidate to pitch at Reading, Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia. Righty Gary Knotts is a great story, a big league veteran and in big league camp. He was out of baseball in 2005-2006 due to injuries. His comeback in affiliated ball began in Reading last year. He showed he was healthy in three starts here, including a 9-inning one-hitter vs. Erie. He ended up in Triple-A and probably starts there this year. But we can’t rule him out to make the big league club or get caught up in numbers and pitch here again. Last year was a roller coaster ride for Zack Segovia. He made the big league club after a strong spring following a super 2006 in Reading and Clearwater. Once the big Phils got some arms back healthy, as expected, he was sent to Triple-A to continue his development. Things didn’t go well in Triple-A and he would up back in Reading. An offseason check up showed he needed surgery. He’s back and looking to prove he’s healthy and that last year’s struggles at Triple-A were a fluke due to the injury. We’re listing him here just to play it safe. This story was posted on February 28, 2008

(edited for length)

And it continues in their analysis of the catchers, infielders and outfielders.  The part of me that isn’t completely irritated by this wonders why they went through such trouble to avoid mentioning “Ottawa“.  Reading’s baseball following is pretty knowledgeable - it’s not like people would be confused with the new affiliation in Allentown.  Have we become like the embarassing “ex” that no one wants to mention? 

What is pretty clear though is that this isn’t a conspiracy theory on my part; every other city is mentioned - Clearwater, Lakewood, Philadelphia.  Maybe it’s just a bit of revisionist history on Reading’s part - excise any mention of Ottawa from Phillies minor league history and maybe they can convince people it never happened.

I still don’t get why they went through the trouble.  Or did I just miss it when our fair city was re-named “Triple-A, Ontario”?

Meh.  Move on  Carl.

“It was an awful lot of media attention for what was essentially a basic tree-trimming kicking off a Christmas fundraising drive. “

                                                 [Ottawa Sun, November 27, 2007]

No kidding.  A front page story complete with picture.  And let’s be honest, it wasn’t exactly a “slow” news day here in the Nation’s Capital.

Let’s hope that baseball gets the same amount of exposure come spring.

In what seems like an eternity ago, Miles Wolff met with a group of councillors down at City Hall.  When the now infamous “notification” issue came up (as in, “we can’t do anything until the Lynx tell us they’re leaving”), I was unable to hold back.   I explained to the councillor that the City had been negotiating with the team and that should they accept the agreement, the team was willing to drop their lawsuit.  He responded by telling me that was the first they’d heard of such an offer and, if true, they’d not heard it from the team.  When I produced a cell phone and offered to call a representative of the team and have him reiterate the offer, I was rebuffed.  A verbal agreement, it was explained to me, was only worth the paper it was written on.  How clever.

So, given the level of distrust between the two main parties here, it should come as a surprise to no one that nothing will be done based on good will - and certainly, no agreement will be ratified based on a telephone call or a handshake.  But given their conduct, that appears to be exactly what one party expects, and while they fiddle, the opportunity to have baseball here in 2008 goes up in flames. 

There’s no point in playing the “blame game” - yet.  There’s still an opportunity to salvage something from this mess, but at this point, for whatever reason, it will require one side to pick up a keyboard, hammer out a proposal and then hit the “send” key.

TODAY.

Well, it’s actually “High 4 p.m“, but that lacks a certain dramatic flair.

The city has delivered an ultimatum to the Ottawa Lynx.

On Tuesday, the city’s legal team sent a two-page letter to the ball club’s legal firm instructing them that if they don’t inform the city of their intention to play baseball in Ottawa for the 2008 season by 4 p.m. today, they will “assume that the Ottawa Lynx intend to breach its obligations to the city.”

                                                                                                            [Ottawa Sun, October 5, 2007]

But, according to CTV (via CFRA):

The city sent a legal request to the Lynx demanding an answer, adding no response will be treated as breach of contract.

It all begs the question: Why does the City need to know if the Lynx intend to breach the contract?  This should become clearer soon, but for now it’s worthwhile to note that this urgent “need to know” is not being driven by City council - unless a meeting has been held since Tuesday of this week when some councillors met with Miles Wolff.  No, I think this demand letter came from somewhere or someone else.

And if the City won’t consider an admission that they won’t play in 2008 as a “breach of contract” - what difference does it make?  Because according to the Mayor’s office they can’t negotiate with any party until the Lynx breach the contract.  So, if they are to be taken at their word, I guess they aren’t negotiating a deal with anyone behind closed doors right now.

But getting back to the question, my growing belief is that what the City ultimately wants is to take back control of the Stadium and throw out a “request for proposal” (RFP).  Which is what they will have to do if the current “operating agreement” (OA) ceases to exist - because once the “operating agreement” (OA) is gone - it’s gone.  The current OA extends to 2009, with a five year option.  But no one will be able to step in and assume an OA which is no longer in force.  That includes the Ottawa Stadium Group - unless the City decides it wants to “sole source” a solution and negotiate a new OA with a single group, rather than issuing an RFP.  Given how things have been handled with Lansdowne Park recently, this seems unlikely - if they did sole source Lynx Stadium to Ottawa Stadium Group without entertaining other bids, Council will have created a difficult precedent for itself.  Councillors Doucet and Hume might as well hand over Lansdowne Park to Minto and save their breath if they permit certain forces at City Hall to negotiate a new deal for Coventry Road without issuing an RFP.

And why won’t the Lynx just say what everyone thinks they already know?  The park in Allentown/Lehigh Valley is not yet complete.  Will it be finished in time?  Probably, hell - it’s likely.  But it’s not done yet.  The sale of the team has not gone through yet.  Will it?  I think so, but the fact of the matter is no one has turned over the keys yet.  It would be unwise in these circumstances for Mr. Pecor to give up Lynx Stadium, because he may yet need it.

So what’s really on the agenda down at City Hall?  I suppose Miles could send a letter, demanding to know by 4 p.m. today what they plan on doing with Lynx Stadium if the team is no longer being considered as the prospective tenant. 

But here’s the most interesting question:  To whom would he send his letter?

From yesterday’s Three Guys on the Radio (TGOR), a discussion about the Can Am proposal, and the now famous letter.  Sorry about the format, but until I figure out how to embed an audio player into WordPress, this is the best I can do. 

Sue me (pun intended).

*** UPDATE ***

“Sunlight is the best disinfectant.”

                                               United States Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis

Let me say it once again: I’m glad that all the facts have now come out.  Until the last couple of days, we’ve been getting parts of the story, in bits and pieces - but now, with the letter from Miles Wolff, we now have as complete an airing of the issues as we’ve had so far.  I encourage you to read the letter and listen to the discussion from yesterday’s podcast (i.e. the Youtube vid. above) -it was a little disheartening to hear “Stuntman Stu” trotting out the argument that only a few hundred people show up for games.  Quite apart from the fact that it’s entirely inaccurate - he has first hand knowledge that it’s not the freaking case!

Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd and Stuntman.  Sunday, July 22, 2007.  Attendance: 3,374.

As Neate pointed out in his post here, you now know one of the reasons why the Lynx in the person of Kyle Bostwick have been so reticent to declare they were leaving.  Couple the detail in Mr. Wolffe’s letter with the Mayor’s office’s response to the Can Am supporters,

“Thank you for your recent correspondence regarding the future of the Lynx Stadium.

Presently the Ottawa Lynx have two years remaining on their lease at the Coventry Road facility and despite recent media reports we have not been officially informed that they intend to breach their contract at this time.

Until such time as the Lynx breach their contract, discussions regarding the future of this facility would be premature yet we continue to review our options for the long term use of this facility.

The Mayor’s goal is to ensure that we protect the interests of the taxpayers while continuing to make this facility available for the enjoyment of the citizens of Ottawa. I continue to follow the developments and hope that we may find a solution that fulfills both of those goals.

Sincerely,

Lynne Manion
Administrative Services Coordinator
Mayor’s Office, City of Ottawa”    (emphasis added)

and it would seem reasonable to conclude that the City is equating an announcement that the team is leaving with a declaration that they intend to breach their contract.  I think that another inference can be fairly drawn:  “contract” is a euphemism for the “operating agreement” (or, what has widely been referred to as “the lease“), and once that contract is “breached” the City has a free hand and can issue an RFP (request for proposal) for Lynx Stadium.  At that point, the Can Am League has to get in line with everyone else - Wal Mart, Future Shop, the wrecking ball, and yes, the indoor soccer guy.

The Can Am League doesn’t need or want that contract broken - so don’t get fooled into thinking or demanding that the Lynx should call it quits.  Miles Wolff wants to live under the terms of the existing operating agreement, and possibly extend it further. 

Here’s one of the few questions now remaining: Is the City waiting for - or hoping for a breach? 

Finally, for today, the other trap all of us (including myself) need to avoid is acting as though “the City” was one homogenous entity, with a well directed plan concerning Lynx Stadium.  In fact, we now know that there is some support for the Can Am League proposal. 

We just need to keep the pressure on.

*** UPDATE II ***

The “first hand knowledge” link has been updated.

This isn’t sporting anymore.  I could make this stuff up, but it wouldn’t be nearly as crazy.

City slapped with another light-rail lawsuit

Third firm in consortium seeks $103.9M in damages

Hmmm.  City breaks an agreement, we get our collective a$$ sued.  Seen that movie before.

Doucet says O’Brien can’t be trusted

Claims mayor reversed his position, then said he’d deny conversation ever took place

Now this sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

OPP probe nears end
Investigation of mayor now in hands of Crown

“The Ontario Elections Act states if a candidate is convicted of a corrupt practice or of an offence under the Criminal Code in connection with an act that relates to an election, “any office to which he or she was elected is forfeited and becomes vacant.”

And this is just one day in the life of the City. 

Now look, I never intended to blog about municipal politics, and chances are you didn’t come here to read about them either so I’m going to try to give it a rest.  At least for a little while. And quite honestly, I sincerely hope we don’t lose the Siemens case (although I think we probably will), I don’t want gridlock at City Hall, and I don’t want to see the office of the Mayor of Ottawa tarnished with a criminal conviction. I’m not cheering for any of these things.

I’m just sayin’.

In the next few posts, look for a little bit of a primer for the upcoming Arizona Fall League, a “Who are the Grays” post, and whatever else I can whip up.