Keep baseball in Ottawa

[Hal Johnson]

How about the Marlies? They get like 3 or 4 fans a game.

[Big Wooly Mammoth]

there's an update on http://ottawalynxblog.com/ for those who are following the story.

[Booche]

Mr. Darwin said he believes Mr. Pecor and Mr. Bostwick did everything they could to keep baseball here in the nation's capital.

He blamed the city for the team's departure, saying that parking for the stadium has always been a problem.

[Hux]

So if there were 2,500 empty parking spots out there you really think it would change anything?

The team (and their allies) have to blame the city for selling off parking spaces, it's their only way of winning the lawsuit.

In which they only cite "the city never replaced more than 600 parking spaces at the stadium that it sold between 1998 and 2000 and was obliged to provide as part of the lease agreement"

So they sold off 600 out of 2,500 spaces leaving 1,800 when the team was barely drawing 2000 a game and this is the best they can come up with to lay blame at the city's feet?

The team istelf says they require 1 parking spot for every 4 fans in attendance.

Something doesn't add up.

[M.O.B.E]

have any of you ever been to anything in Toronto? parking is almost always a factor and that doesnt seem to hurt anyone's attendance.

Vic Mentioned the Marlies. They have more parking at Ricoh Coliseum than they know what to do with and they still dont draw a crowd.

In the end the product on the field and the total package of events on gameday has alot to do with attendance. When team owners don't care and city officials don't provide any help either, whats there to attract the fans and keep their attention? Product is all that is left. I have never seen the Lynx or watched baseball in years because it bores the shit out of me but when I do go to a game there has to be something besides the stop and start game to keep my attention.

[Freak By Night]

First of all, why is this thread not in the sports forum?

Instead of focussing on the parking issue, we should look at the myriad of factors that killed

Triple A baseball in Ottawa:

- the parking sucked

- public transit to the stadium sucked

- the stadium staff treated the fans like crap

- the MLB lockout in 1994 reduced interest in baseball all over the continent, but the Expos (with whom the Lynx were associated) got totally screwed by that lockout

- the team eventually were no longer associated with the Expos.

- It's still snowing here in Ottawa in April, when the Lynx opened the season

- increased interest in the Senators in the late 90s meant more competition for the entertainment dollar.

- the city owned the stadium, which meant the team owner couldn't make money from other events the stadium could have hosted

[Davey Boy 2.0]

Out of curiosity there hux, how much did your season ticket go up in price over the years?

perhaps that was a determining factor as well...

[AD]

Skratch, the mascot, was one of the dirtiest things I've ever seen. No way would I let one of my kids (if I had kids) near him / her / it. The Goulbourn Sanitation Trash Monster was pretty effing cool though. Not to mention that tiny truck that delivered water to the umpires. They didn't do nearly enough with that.

[Booche]

You got it Freak. There were a ton of factors and while I dont want people to assume I am making parking out to be the be-all/end-all problem, I also dont think it should be ignored. I agree with Hux about the 'fairweather fans'. Hell, I was one of them. He and I went to an opening day a few years ago and I swore I wouldnt do that again. It gets facking cold outside!

But this is sadly interesting.

"On Saturday, April 16, 2005 the Lynx opened their home schedule playing a doubleheader on an early summer like spring day. Lynx management turned away hundreds of cars that fateful day – thousands of people interested in connecting once again with the Lynx discovered there was no place for them to park."

[Davey Boy 2.0]

i remember a 25¢ hotdog being cold too. never returned after that outrage

[ollie]

The Goulbourn Sanitation Trash Monster was pretty effing cool though.

And functional, with kids able to toss their trash into his mouth.

Not to mention that tiny truck that delivered water to the umpires. They didn't do nearly enough with that.

Now you're talking!!

Edited October 3, 2007 by Guest

[Northern Wish]

I was listening to the talk radio show in town last week when this was being discussed and they had some interesting statistics on baseball vs. soccer participation amongst youth in this city.

Over the past 10 years baseball registration is down 22% for the 5-16 year old age group, while during the same period soccer was up 37%.

Maybe baseball sucks, not the Lynx specifically?

And yeah the 0.25 hot dogs were ice cold......

[Hux]

Out of curiosity there hux, how much did your season ticket go up in price over the years?

perhaps that was a determining factor as well...

That's what I'm saying, I've been to more games than anyone I know and never had probs with parking, hell Booche was still working at Toys R Us when I started going to Jetform Park....

[M.O.B.E]

And yeah the 0.25 hot dogs were ice cold......

There's nothing worse than ice cold Lips and Assholes smothered with I mean at the ballpark.

[Big Wooly Mammoth]

http://ottsun.canoe.ca/News/OttawaAndRegion/2007/10/05/pf-4551499.html

October 5, 2007

Lynx put on legal notice

By DEREK PUDDICOMBE

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."

The city and the Lynx have an operation and maintenance agreement in place until 2009.

IRON PIGS

The letter says the city has been following the details regarding the perceived sale of the team to a business group in Allentown, Pa., and that there appears to be "overwhelming evidence that the Ottawa Lynx intends to play its home games next season in Leigh Valley, Pa., as the 'Leigh Valley Iron Pigs,' in breach of your client's obligations."

The city could penalize the Lynx almost $3 million if the organization doesn't fulfil its part of the contract.

The Lynx, meanwhile, have launched an $11-million lawsuit against the city, claiming the city didn't honour some of the guarantees it negotiated to help the team stay in town.

Miles Wolff, commissioner for the Can Am Association of Professional Baseball, wants to bring a franchise to Ottawa and met with city officials earlier this week.

Wolff said his league could have a team playing by 2008, but they need to know the status of the Lynx first.

----------------

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.

continued here