Mendes replies: The ire of the nation's capital I thought I'd never write these words, but it appears as though I have something in common with the Pope. We both ruffled the feathers of certain groups by making controversial comments last week. And like the Pontiff himself, I am also here today to write a somewhat ambiguous apology. In this very space a week ago, I suggested that Ottawa might be the worst sports city in the country. I specifically put a disclaimer in the article, saying that I was not trying to offend the die-hard sports fans of this great city. However, it appears that a great many of you were indeed offended by my comments. Judging from some of the responses posted here on the blog and coupled with the fact that I had to go on the radio to defend my position, I can safely announce that I will be withdrawing my candidacy for mayor at the upcoming November election. I would like to reiterate that I was not attacking the true sports fans in here Ottawa. I was just wondering aloud why there are so few of you out there in the 613 area code. But since some of you failed to get that point, I'd like to respond to some of your criticisms to my original article. There appear to be three points in which you have taken an issue with me. Your First Issue: "Mendes is an idiot. He says the Senators have a problem with season tickets - and yet the team sold out 33 games and played to nearly 100 per cent capacity." My Response: It's all well and fine that your team sold out 33 out of a possible 41 home dates. But the main issue I have is that a large portion of those tickets are being purchased as single games. The reality is this city should have a much higher season ticket base. When you have a significant season ticket base (let's say 13,500), you don't need to rely on the walk-up crowd as much. Ottawa is clearly a walk-up town - which is a very troubling label to have. That's fantastic for now when you've got the most exciting team to watch, but what about three years from now if the team isn't as competitive? This city is made up of hundreds of thousands of overpaid, underworked government employees that should have no problem shelling out a small percentage of their disposable income to boost the season ticket base. Your Second Issue: "Mendes is an idiot. He says the Lynx leaving Ottawa is a bad reflection on us. He doesn't know what he's talking about, since Triple-A teams left other cities like Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver." My Response: Let's take the Edmonton Trappers, the last Triple-A franchise to leave Canada, as an example. Contrary to what you might think, the Trappers did NOT leave Edmonton because of attendance issues - which is the ONLY reason the Lynx are leaving Ottawa. The Trappers were very popular in their city and usually ranked in the middle of league attendance. More than 10 million fans watched them play over the years - a mark that no other Canadian minor league franchise has reached and a milestone that many American minor league franchises have yet to attain. The main reason why the Trappers left Edmonton? Edmonton was in a terrible geographic location for a low-budget league with teams in the American south. And once Nolan Ryan and his family put in an incredible offer to purchase the team, their fate was sealed into moving to Texas. Ottawa fans have nobody to blame but themselves for the departure of the Lynx. In their last season of existence, the Trappers finished 66th in all of minor league attendance - not a bad place to finish, considering the fans knew the team was leaving. By the way, in that same year (2004), the Lynx finished 112th - just two spots ahead of the independent league team in Quebec City. Your Third Issue: "That Mendes is really an idiot. He actually thinks we should have supported the CFL teams despite the horrible ownership. This guy is a real moron." My response: In no way will I ever suggest that fans in this market should have paid any of their money for season tickets during this second Glieberman era. The losing football, the terrible promotions and the brutal sound system at the stadium were all reasons to avoid the team like the plague. But what I find troubling is the night of June 28, 2002. That was the Renegades first game ever, ending a six-year stretch without CFL football. At the time, there were no issues with the Watters ownership group as everyone just seemed happy to have football back in Ottawa. It should have been a no-brainer that the game against Saskatchewan was a sell-out. It should have been the toughest ticket in town. Instead, the game was played to a less than full Frank Clair Stadium. That should have been our first warning sign that there were troubled times ahead for CFL football in Ottawa. So there you have it Ottawa. That is my response to the issues you have with me. Once again, I'm hoping that the true sports fans in Ottawa don't take this personally. But as always, I'm sure some of you will be more angry with me after today's blog entry. And if that's the case, perhaps I should contact the Pope and see if the Vatican can lend me one of those bulletproof Pope-mobiles to drive around in. I might need a little extra protection going around Ottawa if this article angers some more people.
