OT - Ottawa Baseball Returning 2015
- Thread starter FuriousSenator
- Start date
DrunkUncleDenis
Condra Fan
- Mar 27, 2012
- 11,820
- 1,682
Woooo Can-Am.
Ultimately and unfortunately, no one will really care. The Lynx were cool for a pretty long time, and people came out to the ballpark when they were actually winning. After changing affiliates, and the losing started, everyone just kind of lost interest. Same thing with the other franchises - it was a shiny new toy for a while, then it fell by the wayside.
I was a huge Rapidz supporter. My friends and I used to go all the time. Tickets were super cheap, beer was too ($4.50!!!), those were the days. It's actually a ton of fun to go with a bunch of friends and heckle the opposition. Players would actually engage you too and have fun with it since it's so bush league.
I really hope things work out for this new CanAm team, but IMO it's only a matter of time before they fold and move on as well.
In order to have any long-term success in Ottawa, the team must in some way be affiliated with the Jays. I don't see any other way around it. But I guess at least they're trying.
Fandlauer
Registered User
FuriousSenator
Registered User
It's such a shame that we couldn't attract the AA Jays affiliate. The stadium itself in Ottawa is pretty damn good considering it sits empty literally all the time.
Add in the fact the LRT will connect almost directly to it and you've got Ottawa's most accessible sports venue...
Legend Killer
Registered User
- Nov 15, 2007
- 3,575
- 1
Scrub*
Team Canada
- Dec 28, 2008
- 9,289
- 2
I don't know, the Ottawa Rapidz were a Can Am calibre team but only lasted 1 season.
Then the thought with the FatCats in the IBL league were that more local players on the team would bring more fans, but the team still lost money.
Can AM league will be better quality baseball but who knows how many local players will be on the team, or if it will work out any better than the Rapidz or Fatcats.
The city had to choose taking down the field or stadium or putting it to use. Still hoping for Blue Jays maybe in 2018-2019
.
Larionov
Registered User
The city's "solution" for the baseball stadium reminds me of what they did for years at Lansdowne. Instead of spending what needs to be spent to get it up to standard, just go cheap and do the minimum. They took a look at what it was going to cost to get that stadium back to "AA" standards, got queasy, and decided to go the bare basics, Can-Am route. I hope this works, but I'm not optimistic...
pepty
Let's win it all
- Feb 22, 2005
- 13,457
- 215
Did the Fat Cats lose money? They were ready to come back but got the heave ho from the city.I don't know, the Ottawa Rapidz were a Can Am calibre team but only lasted 1 season.
Then the thought with the FatCats in the IBL league were that more local players on the team would bring more fans, but the team still lost money.
Can AM league will be better quality baseball but who knows how many local players will be on the team, or if it will work out any better than the Rapidz or Fatcats.
The city had to choose taking down the field or stadium or putting it to use. Still hoping for Blue Jays maybe in 2018-2019
For some reason I enjoyed the Fat Cats and I think they were the only ones to have a connection to the fans, its too bad they got turfed.
Neil Patrick Harris
Now sponsored by Zoom™
Not that I was aware of. As far as I heard, the Fat Cats were the strongest draw in IBL.
As for why they were kicked out? It's because the team really seriously thought they could get a Jays affiliated team. Now they had to scramble to get any tenant they could and its in the league that failed here once already and has fallen in size to five teams since we left. Not exactly brimming with confidence over this plan.
Scrub*
Team Canada
- Dec 28, 2008
- 9,289
- 2
I heard they did I can't confirm it. If they didn't lose money you would really have to question why they didn't want them to come back for another 3 years.
MainDotC
Depth Defenceman
No matter what the sport - people will not come to watch a poor product on the field. They better focus less on marketing and more on solid team management.
pepty
Let's win it all
- Feb 22, 2005
- 13,457
- 215
They thought they were going to get a blue jays affiliated double A team.
But they didn't.
Fat Cats weren't happy at getting bounced.
canadiancreed
Exiled from paradise
FuriousSenator
Registered User
I think it can do well with the right marketing. More needs to be done to promote series against say Les Capitales de Quebec City (which is actually a half decent draw over there).
I agree with some posters saying it should have been renovated for AA. Damn the cost.
I agree with some posters saying it should have been renovated for AA. Damn the cost.
FuriousSenator
Registered User
Also in case anyone doesn't realize. The old Can-Am League (aka the one with only 5 teams in it) was very recently absorbed by the much bigger American Association of Independent Professional Baseball (AAIPB) which is a significantly bigger league with better attendance and a bigger footprint.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Association_of_Independent_Professional_Baseball
The Ottawa team will be joining Trois-Rivieres and Quebec City as the three Canadian teams in the league.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Association_of_Independent_Professional_Baseball
The Ottawa team will be joining Trois-Rivieres and Quebec City as the three Canadian teams in the league.
Canadian91
Registered User
Fat Cats did make a profit in their last season - ironically the one before they were tossed from the stadium. City did a very poor job of handling the situation IMO, the Fat Cats could've played for at least two more years (2013, 2014). They took a gamble in kicking them out and it turned on them big time.
While it is unfortunate that it ended up this way, I'm convinced that in the long run Can-Am will be good for the city and ultimately much easier to keep around than a Double-A team would have been. Many people find this league to be a bad choice, but if I had to choose a pro baseball league and had the pick of the litter, I'd still choose Can-Am.
While it is unfortunate that it ended up this way, I'm convinced that in the long run Can-Am will be good for the city and ultimately much easier to keep around than a Double-A team would have been. Many people find this league to be a bad choice, but if I had to choose a pro baseball league and had the pick of the litter, I'd still choose Can-Am.
danielpalfredsson
youtube dot com /watch?v=CdqMZ_s7Y6k
- Aug 14, 2013
- 16,575
- 9,269
I think a problem with baseball as a draw in Ottawa, is it's extremely long and boring for children who aren't brought up around the sport. It's not like hockey, where the game is 2 hours give or take, and you can still kind of enjoy the shenanigans without knowing the rules.
I remember being brought to multiple Lynx games as a child. If I recall, they had dirt cheap tickets. Practically free. Once I went as a part of my summer camp, all the kids were extremely bored, and the camp made a group decision to leave early.
Another time I went, and my family signed me up to do the half time gimmick where you race against the mascot in an obstacle course. I think it might have been rigged, or the mascot was really bad at the obstacle course despite doing it multiple times, because I fell flat on my face but I still won. I remember being disappointed, thinking I might get a hat, a baseball, or maybe even a shirt. They gave me a 6 pack of Pepsi as a prize. With the benefit of hind sight, I wasn't very good at the obstacle course so maybe that was all I deserved. It still seems sort of cheap.
The only way I could see baseball thriving in Ottawa is if they started from the grassroots level and got more kids involved in the game. Or if the Blue Jays ended up getting really hot for a few years, and much like the Raptors in the early 2000's with basketball, inspired more kids to get into the sport.
I remember being brought to multiple Lynx games as a child. If I recall, they had dirt cheap tickets. Practically free. Once I went as a part of my summer camp, all the kids were extremely bored, and the camp made a group decision to leave early.
Another time I went, and my family signed me up to do the half time gimmick where you race against the mascot in an obstacle course. I think it might have been rigged, or the mascot was really bad at the obstacle course despite doing it multiple times, because I fell flat on my face but I still won. I remember being disappointed, thinking I might get a hat, a baseball, or maybe even a shirt. They gave me a 6 pack of Pepsi as a prize. With the benefit of hind sight, I wasn't very good at the obstacle course so maybe that was all I deserved. It still seems sort of cheap.
The only way I could see baseball thriving in Ottawa is if they started from the grassroots level and got more kids involved in the game. Or if the Blue Jays ended up getting really hot for a few years, and much like the Raptors in the early 2000's with basketball, inspired more kids to get into the sport.
I was all excited about the prospect of AA and am having trouble getting worked up about Can-Am. The city really over-promised and under-delivered given that it sounded like a done-deal for so long. The connection that developed between the city and the Fat Cats is not something that happens very often with small semi-pro or amateur teams. I wish the new team all the best but I think they are facing an uphill climb.
I am looking at the Can-Am League web site. The good thing is that they play interlocking schedules with other Independent league teams so we will probably see Winnipeg in here too. The bad thing is that other than those 'inter-league' periods, you play the same teams over and over and over again. In 2014 there are only four teams in the Can-Am League and the schedule is almost comical to see.
Hopefully the door is not permanently closed on AA and a failure of the Can-Am league won't mean the end of the stadium (not that I'm hoping for it to fail, I will still attend games like I did for the Fat Cats and hope for the best).
I am looking at the Can-Am League web site. The good thing is that they play interlocking schedules with other Independent league teams so we will probably see Winnipeg in here too. The bad thing is that other than those 'inter-league' periods, you play the same teams over and over and over again. In 2014 there are only four teams in the Can-Am League and the schedule is almost comical to see.
Hopefully the door is not permanently closed on AA and a failure of the Can-Am league won't mean the end of the stadium (not that I'm hoping for it to fail, I will still attend games like I did for the Fat Cats and hope for the best).
OttawaSenators11
#25 FTW
- Oct 10, 2010
- 6,086
- 1,079
If it's not an MLB affiliate, i don't care
I would like to watch up and coming prospects
I would like to watch up and coming prospects
Last edited:
Stylizer1
SENSimillanaire
FuriousSenator
Registered User
That's actually pretty cool that Ottawa will play Winnipeg a few times at least.
The Goldeneyes are right up there in terms of Canadian baseball teams.
Highest attendance out of any independent team in 2013 (American or Canadian): http://www.goldeyes.com/news/news-releases/557-goldeyes-attendance-leaders-once-again and better than most of the AAA sides too!
pepty
Let's win it all
- Feb 22, 2005
- 13,457
- 215
Winnipeg is also a member according to the link.
EDIT I see that is covered in above email. But will Ottawa play Winnipeg or will they be in a division with teams that are closer geographically and New Jersey say play in a division with Ottawa.
I wonder how the divisions will look to cut back on travel times as most
teams to be in the US midwest.
At least this time Ottawa shouldn't have to pay for travel for the other teams as the Fat Cats had to for the southern Ontario teams when they came to Ottawa.
The Fat Cats had some fans here so maybe they can bring some of their players on the team.
FuriousSenator
Registered User
A quick glance at 2014's Can-Am Division season shows the teams from the old Can-Am League playing against all the other division teams including the Winnipeg Goldeneyes.
http://www.canamleague.com/schedule/june.php
So I assume Ottawa will play them, as well as all the other teams of the Independent League.... this might actually work marketing wise...
Canadian91
Registered User
If it's not an MLB affiliate, i don't care
I would like to watch up and coming prospects
Many major leaguers get their start in the Can-Am League. Example: Steve Delabar was a pitcher for the Brockton Rox in 2008 http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/team.cgi?id=12fe7219 he pitched against the old Rapidz at Ottawa Stadium that year.
Ad
Latest posts
-
-
-
Speculation: Offseason coaching thread: Should they stay or should they go?- Latest: CheckingLineCenter
Upcoming events
-
BET ON ONLY ONE HORSE Kentucky Oaks (Gr. 1) - USA NetworkWagers: 6Staked: $1,140.00Event closes- Updated:
-
-
-
-