OT: so, baseball coming back again? (All things Fat Cats)

[littleD]

In the form of the Intercounty Baseball League?

Might be old news, but just coming across it now.

Baseball is expected to return to the Ottawa Stadium this year, after a group proposing to use the facility met the city's requirements and signed a one-year lease.

The Ottawa Stadium Group (OSG) has been proposing to bring an Intercounty Baseball League team to the stadium, which could also host Can-Am League games, women's semi-professional games and community events.

"OSG has come to the table and said that they will provide an exciting brand of baseball," said Orléans Councillor Bob Monette, a strong advocate of bringing baseball back to the Coventry Road stadium, where the Ottawa Lynx Triple-A and Ottawa Rapidz independent baseball teams used to play.

Ottawa Citizen

Too bad I started enjoying baseball again basically the exact second AAA baseball left the city. Enjoyed going to the Rapidz games as well when they were around for their short stay. I'm sure I'll check this out, but the level of league seems to get worse every time Ottawa gets a team.

IBL website hasn't really been updated in some time. Looks like their 2009 season began in May. Teams are all in Ontario - Barrie, Brantford, Guelph, Hamilton, Kitchener, London, Mississauga, Oshawa and Toronto.

Click to read more...

 

[TheHMan]

Did the Rapidz manage to finish their first game before they left town?

 

[littleD]

Yeah, they got a season in. Or was it two?
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[Marty Straka]

I worked for the Promotions and Street Team for the Ottawa Rapidz.. they lasted one season and probably would have lasted longer but the Management and Owner of the Team were AWFUL didnt know anything about baseball or how to run a baseball team.. heck I could have done a better job at it and I was their employee.. but never the less.. it was an awesome job and I miss baseball in this city.

 

[Leachman]

The Rapidz had pretty cheap boxes. 250 would get you a luxury box for you and 12 of your friends. Had a few good one there. I have a Rapidz O hat. Rapidz, lol bad name.

 

[CapitalCityGoofball]

Went to a Lynx game a number of years ago...it was one of their last seasons. Friend went to get beers for the guys (there were 8 of us). He came back with "Smirnoff Ice" because they "ran out of beer". This was the 4th inning. Oh and they ran out of hot dogs too. Pathetic really.

I wish the new team success, but I guarantee it will be a tremendous flop.

 

[SilverSeven]

Fans dont like AAA ball?

Lets try a crappier league!

Hmm, they dont like this either....

I know! Lets try an even worse league!!!!

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Are they going to pay us to go watch? It would be hard to be any cheaper than the Lynx games, and those were pretty high quality which this wont be.

Did the Rapidz manage to finish their first game before they left town?

You are thinking of the Voyageurs. Slated to replace the Rapidz in 2009. They just couldnt find an owner.

 

[danishh]

at this point, its not about the fans, its more about just having a tenant for an empty stadium. I'm sure they dont expect stellar fan support or anything.

 

[SilverSeven]

True enough. Talk about a waste of land. They dont even do concerts.

Its a shame, I remember going to so many games when I was a kid. The place was always PACKED.

 

[Bobby Blowhard]

at this point, its not about the fans, its more about just having a tenant for an empty stadium. I'm sure they dont expect stellar fan support or anything.

thats half the equation. a tenant for the stadium gives the city a little more ground to stand on in face of pro commercial development elements. the overbrooke community association is dead set against commercial expansion and the vanier parkway simply can not handle any additional traffic.

 

[DJB]

So Baseball is back again to fail once more?

And since we are bringing back spots teams that fail, why not bring back the Renegades/Roughriders as well. But this time maybe we can have the Lynx/Rapids play at the very same time on the very same field as the Renegades/Roughriders.

That way maybe more then 50 fans will show up to the game....

 

[littleD]

So Baseball is back again to fail once more?

And since we are bringing back spots teams that fail, why not bring back the Renegades/Roughriders as well. But this time maybe we can have the Lynx/Rapids play at the very same time on the very same field as the Renegades/Roughriders.

That way maybe more then 50 fans will show up to the game....

back at you for thinking a CFL football team in this city won't draw fans.

 

[Marty Straka]

So Baseball is back again to fail once more?

And since we are bringing back spots teams that fail, why not bring back the Renegades/Roughriders as well. But this time maybe we can have the Lynx/Rapids play at the very same time on the very same field as the Renegades/Roughriders.

That way maybe more then 50 fans will show up to the game....

The Average attendance at the Rapidz games hovered around the 3000-4000 range in a 10,000 seat stadium.. which isn't half bad for a team that sucked hard and had a terrible owner who knew nothing about owning a baseball team.

 

[danishh]

True enough. Talk about a waste of land. They dont even do concerts.

Its a shame, I remember going to so many games when I was a kid. The place was always PACKED.

baseball in this city went downhill the second the expos left montreal.

 

[Dick Whitman]

The Average attendance at the Rapidz games hovered around the 3000-4000 range in a 10,000 seat stadium.. which isn't half bad for a team that sucked hard and had a terrible owner who knew nothing about owning a baseball team.

Uhh, no it didn't. Average was just over 2,000 people. If it were 3-4k, you can be sure the rapidz would still be playing baseball here.

 

[Marty Straka]

Uhh, no it didn't. Average was just over 2,000 people. If it were 3-4k, you can be sure the rapidz would still be playing baseball here.

Well if you look at the attendance averages in the Can-Am League.. just over 2000 people a game.. is pretty much the norm.. and those teams are still in business. the only reason they aren't in business is because Zip.ca had absolutely no idea what they were doing when they bought the Rapidz and the Owner was a complete ********* and an idiot.. who knew nothing about running a baseball team

 

[SilverSeven]

Well if you look at the attendance averages in the Can-Am League.. just over 2000 people a game.. is pretty much the norm.. and those teams are still in business. the only reason they aren't in business is because Zip.ca had absolutely no idea what they were doing when they bought the Rapidz and the Owner was a complete ********* and an idiot.. who knew nothing about running a baseball team

Care to elaborate on that a little? Zip.ca is hardly a company that runs a bad business.

 

[Marty Straka]

Care to elaborate on that a little? Zip.ca is hardly a company that runs a bad business.

I worked for them during the summer.. and the guy they appointed to run the team.. did not know how to market the team or appeal to any general audience. He was clueless.. and wasn't a very nice guy to say the least. They practically Gave away tickets to try and get people to come to games.. thinking that was a good idea.. but once you start giving away 5000 tickets to every game.. that really doesn't generate any revenue. When working for the promotions team.. we were sent out to the most random festivals.. where you probably wouldnt find anyone interested in Baseball.. Like... we went to the Ferrari festival to try and sell tickets.. Now i don't know about you.. but im pretty sure in Little italy.. they are much more interested in watching Soccer then going to a baseball game... and the ticket sales that we accomplished there. proved it. They just didn't know what they were getting themselves into when purchasing this team. I was also told that the guy who did the research for Zip.ca to purchase this team told them it probably wasn't a good idea in the first place.. but Rob (the owner of the team wanted to go forth with it anyways) For the Record.. they bought the Ottawa Rapidz for 2$... assuming over 1 million dollars in debt with it.

 

[SilverSeven]

Italians tend to love baseball in the states......and the Ferrari festival is a very summery thing. Makes sense to me.

The issue is that no one cares about baseball in Ottawa. No matter who owns the team. This isnt the CFL we are talking about here, where there are major ownership issues.

If 5000 tickets were given out per game, and they average 2000 fans, that should tell you the issue isnt the ownership, its the product.

 

[DJB]

back at you for thinking a CFL football team in this city won't draw fans.

back at you for beleiving that CFL football will survive here in Ottawa...

 

[Alfredsson11]

Professional Baseball in Canada won't thrive.

 

[Canadian91]

To all those that are saying that Pro Baseball won't work in Ottawa. Your right.

INDEPENDENT Baseball, however, will work. The Rapidz finished third in their league in Attendance, averaging around 3,000 a game. That is more than enough fans to support an independent baseball team. So, good luck to the OSG group who is trying to bring baseball back to Ottawa.

O, and a quick Wikipedia of the Intercounty Baseball League will show that most of the teams in that league play to just hundreds of fans a game if that. So please haters, go away.

 

[littleD]

back at you for beleiving that CFL football will survive here in Ottawa...

Yeah, it only survived for about a 100 years. What am I thinking?

 

[SilverSeven]

O, and a quick Wikipedia of the Intercounty Baseball League will show that most of the teams in that league play to just hundreds of fans a game if that. So please haters, go away.

How many of them have to pay the lease on a 10,000 seat stadium?

 

[Canadian91]

back at you for beleiving that CFL football will survive here in Ottawa...

4 words...

The Ottawa Rough Riders