Thanks for this info Mick.

Let me tell you how devastating this would be. As everyone probably knows Ottawa is the last AAA team in Canada.

Canada has a very good history supporting AAA teams and introducing top players to the majors.

Recently Canada has lost the Edmonton Trappers, Calgary Cannons and my formerly beloved Vancouver Canadians.

When the Canadians left for Sacramento it was a devastating loss. This was our connection to the majors. Gave us a reason to follow the career progression of dozens and dozens of ballplayers.

In early May I was in Ottawa for some meetings with Transport Canada. I made it a point ot get out and see a Lynx game. Reasons? They were playing Syracuse and its AAA ball, which I just love. Player on the way up and way down with a million stories of players a hitch in their swing away.

The Batters Box should consider stepping up to the plate and figure out a way to help save the Lynx. Maybe the Jays can help. Heck, maybe the Jays can move there and kick a bit more into the pot.

It seems to be in Canada that if a puck is not involved, people don't care. Baseball continues to die a slow death north of the border. We've seen the Expos leave as well as Calgary and Edmonton's Triple A teams, London's Double A team, and Single A teams in St. Kitts, Hamilton, Welland, and Medicine Hat. At least Vancouver's Single A team is doing well but they lost their Triple A franchise previously.

As for Ottawa's owner for wanting to leave, I don't blame him. The city of Ottawa has made more than enough chances to step up to the plate and support the team but they won't. It's not like ticket prices or parking are unreasonable and the calibre of ball is pretty good. From what I understand, the reasons the Lynx haven't moved already is the lack of Triple A markets and that they would have to pay a penalty to break the stadium lease. It must be a hell of a penalty to pay if the owner would rather lose a million a season to keep the team there instead of breaking the lease. It'll be a sad day when the Lynx leave but unlike the Expos, the city can't blame anyone but themselves when they do head south of the border.

The Lynx may be selling 2,300 tickets per game to various commercial and government outlets, but I've never seen 2,300 fans at any game I've attended, unless they're coming in that famous Blue Seat Disguise. The departure of the Lynx seems to me like a foregone conclusion, and though I'll hate to see Triple-A baseball leave town, I think everyone (especially David Newhan) will be the better for it in the long run.

Somebody, and I forget who, suggested that Ottawa would be a good place for a short-season team, and I think that's a great idea. There's almost no point trying to attract anyone to an outdoor sporting event here in April and May, and the weather is cold and wet enough those two months that it hampers the developmental time and training young players need. But a short-season team that started up after the draft, in mid-June, might be ideal: hockey season would be all but over (the Sens would be done, at any rate), sports fans would be looking around for another sporting attraction, the weather would finally be great, and (I presume) the maintenance costs of a Low-A team would be much lower than for a Triple-A club.

The only real obstacle would be distance: Ottawa is still an awfully long way from most places, even in Canada (five hours from Toronto if you're lucky), and though northern New York is fairly close, query whether other teams would feel the need to make that kind of trip on a regular basis. But if the distance and money made sense, once the Lynx were gone I'd try to interest the NY-Penn League in locating a franchise in the Nation's Capital. It's a nice enough ballpark (though it does need a serious reno and facelift), and it'd be a shame to see pro baseball disappear from here entirely.

But the thing is that they never didn't get crowds. When the stadium opened in 1993, they got some of the best crowds in the minors. What happened?

I find it difficult to imagine that it was the stadium. It is nice, but sterile with the concrete, but that can't be the reason. The team's been decent, is it the location? demographic?

JBrumfield's pretty much got it: it's not a baseball town or even a non-hockey sports town. When the novelty wore off, so did the crowds. (The CFL's Renegades will be singing this tune soon enough.) Politics is the only game that really gets the blood pumping in this town.

Granted, the club's marketing has been dismal for years now -- they don't seem to know what to sell. But the local sports media, which has to pitch in to support these kinds of teams, has never cared for baseball and wouldn't blink an eye if the Lynx left: it'd just mean more pages in the sports section for pull-out posters of Daniel Alfredsson, and that's what sells papers hereabouts.

Have I mentioned here before how the Ottawa media is, across the board (TV, radio, newspaper), just pathetic?

the local sports media, which has to pitch in to support these kinds of teams, has never cared for baseball and wouldn't blink an eye if the Lynx left

I remember going to a doubleheader in August of 2003 when the Lynx played Pawtucket in a battle for first place in their division. The Lynx won both games, which ultimately helped lift them to the division title, but it was the Renegades who were the top story in the papers and I don't think they weren't even playing that night. Nice coverage.

I'd love to see pro ball continue in Ottawa but I think the best they can hope for is independent ball. I agree that Single A is the best solution but if the NYP won't go back to St. Catherine's or Welland, I can't see them going to Ottawa. If I recall correctly, the league didn't want to go to London after the Double-A Tigers left because of travel concerns. It would be great if a short-season league could be set up in Ontario but I'm not holding my breath.

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hmmm what to say...
As a former employee of the Lynx, I think that this was absolutely inevitable. The fans havebn't been there and there are imperfections with the team.
As for the St Kittz/Welland team in my adopted university town, we need it bad. There's nothing to do around here and with the plethora of baseball fans and sport management students that could provide employees in exchange for class credit it would be huge for the community. Let's face it, St Catharines isn't exactly the most booming town and if not for the students and the plethora of bars downtown, there would not be much

I lived in Ottawa for 4 months a couple years ago when I was working on a gov't contract and had the pleasure of catching a Lynx game when I was in town...

Great quality of ball and great fans...all 20 of them at the stadium. The fans who did support the Lynx seemed to love the team but their following never picked up...

It's sad to see Canada lose these minor leauge teams especially at a time when Canadian baseball is starting to regain some post-strike life.

With budding young players scattered throughout the majors - especially when mixed in with big names like Gagne and Bay who get the press - I would expect the small market CDN teams to get some more of the much needed support...

It's just sad that when these players are peaking, when we will have the chance to make some noise in the new World Cup of Baseball the small market franchises won't be here. Thats the real shame, when the support finally comes around there will be no where for the fans to turn to...

Or maybe I'm just being a bit idealistic?

My city was once home of the AAA London Tigers (Detroit Tigers affiliate) but they moved to Toledo :(

I wish I could edit comments...

I'm so used to putting AAA but I meant to only put AA :p

Also to be a little more technical, the team moved to Trenton and became the AA Trenton Thunder (NY Yankees) and Toledo only switched from being Boston Red Sox affiliates to Detroit Tigers

Actually, the Hens -- I used to live 100 yards from their stadium -- have never been a Rex Sox affiliate. Detroit, then Philadelphia, then Minnesota, then back to Detroit. The Red Sox have pretty much always been in Pawtucket.