Ottawa Baseball Stadium

FFX-ME · #1 Posted **Dec 9, 2007, 11:18 PM**

Just a heads up for those who havent heard, pro baseball will be back in Ottawa in 2008 but it wont be with the internationnal league and the lynx but with the canam league which also has a franchise in quebec city and are planning on placing a team in Montreal by 2009. They are currently searching for a manager, a name and players. They will start playing at lynx stadium the 22nd of may against New Jersey.

PLAY BALL!!!

Mille Sabords · #2 Posted **Dec 10, 2007, 1:50 AM**

Not a big baseball fan, but happy for the city and those who like the sport. Any details on the team's name, logo etc.? Is this an expansion franchise or a relocated one?

FFX-ME · #3 Posted **Dec 10, 2007, 1:00 PM**

Theres not a name yet but I have a feeling its going to be the lynx with different logo, lol. It is an expansion franchise and with its appearance the road team the greys will dissapear but Ottawa will not have their players, they are currently searching for some home talent, I'll post articles for those interrested:

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/...d-2f34aa6d5a6c

http://www.canada.com/components/pri...e3bf27&k=45104

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/...TS07/312010055

their new website on the can am site:
http://www.canamleague.com/teams/ottawa.php

from the quebec capitales website:
http://www.capitalesdequebec.com/ind...n=9&idnews=191

gatt · #4 Posted **Dec 11, 2007, 2:27 AM**

very popular in Quebec city.but here?

FFX-ME · #5 Posted **Dec 11, 2007, 1:57 PM**

Hey, we had 7800 people at the last game, all can am stadiums cant even fit that many people, we only need to average a couple thousand per game to be set, and ive heard there are already near 1000 seasons tickets sold

FFX-ME · #6 Posted **Feb 16, 2008, 2:49 AM**

The new name and logo is out for the OTTAWA RAPIDS our new baseball team

eemy · #7 Posted **Feb 16, 2008, 5:19 AM**

Good name! It's about time the rapids along the Ottawa were celebrated.

Yroc · #8 Posted **May 16, 2009, 7:05 PM**

What will become of Lynx Stadium / Jetform Park?

isaidso · #9 Posted **May 17, 2009, 5:24 AM**

What happened to the team? Was it a lack of interest in baseball by people in Ottawa? You'd think a metro of 1.1 million could easily support a team. Some teams in MLB are in metros not that much bigger than that. Milwaukee? Kansas City?

m0nkyman · #10 Posted **May 17, 2009, 8:15 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by isaidso

What happened to the team? Was it a lack of interest in baseball by people in Ottawa? You'd think a metro of 1.1 million could easily support a team. Some teams in MLB are in metros not that much bigger than that. Milwaukee? Kansas City?

Metro Kansas City is 2.2 Million, Milwaukee is 1.7 million, but an immediate hinterland of well over 2 million.

Mille Sabords · #11 Posted **May 19, 2009, 3:02 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by isaidso

What happened to the team? Was it a lack of interest in baseball by people in Ottawa? You'd think a metro of 1.1 million could easily support a team. Some teams in MLB are in metros not that much bigger than that. Milwaukee? Kansas City?

More to the point, we're not a baseball nation. People just weren't going. In the days we were the farm team for the Montreal Expos there was a good reason for baseball fans to follow the team, but since we were switched to being the farm team for the Baltimore Orioles, it was more like "whatever". Not like they didn't try: prices were great, the stadium is cozy and pleasant, close to downtown, getting there was no hassle. People just weren't going. Like the Phoenix Coyotes, you can try a sport outside its natural market but there's only so much money an owner can lose.

The former Ottawa Lynx are now the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.

Ottawade · #12 Posted **May 19, 2009, 10:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mille Sabords

Not like they didn't try: prices were great, the stadium is cozy and pleasant, close to downtown, getting there was no hassle.

It's so true, you used to be able to get tickets for as low as $4 and in the days when the team wasn't filling the stadium you could pretty much sit anywhere and nobody would give you a hassle.

Honestly, if the stadium had free wi-fi my office probably would just work out of the stadium on sunny game days

highdensitysprawl · #13 Posted **May 20, 2009, 6:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mille Sabords

More to the point, we're not a baseball nation.

A very true statement. I was living in Toronto in the early 90's and sure people got on the bandwagon etc to cheer those guys playing glorified rounders but the novelty of sitting through 81 home games quickly lost its appeal with the non die hard fans.

Canada and Ottawa is, and will be for many years, a hockey nation. The glorious game played far and wide from the Chocolate Box in Buenos Aires, to the Bernabau, to Old Trafford to even the glorious nation of Kazakhstan is gaining momentum throughout Ottawa and I suspect in 10-20 years will be the most popular for the non-CFRA audience and those who don't listen to Jim Rome.

kwoldtimer · #14 Posted **May 21, 2009, 12:48 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mille Sabords

More to the point, we're not a baseball nation. ...

But we are the nation of the first recorded game of baseball (1838)!

Jamaican-Phoenix · #15 Posted **May 21, 2009, 6:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

But we are the nation of the first recorded game of baseball (1838)!

And the oldest baseball stadium. It's in London, Ontario.

osbort · #16 Posted **May 22, 2009, 12:44 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by highdensitysprawl

A very true statement. I was living in Toronto in the early 90's and sure people got on the bandwagon etc to cheer those guys playing glorified rounders but the novelty of sitting through 81 home games quickly lost its appeal with the non die hard fans.

Canada and Ottawa is, and will be for many years, a hockey nation. The glorious game played far and wide from the Chocolate Box in Buenos Aires, to the Bernabau, to Old Trafford to even the glorious nation of Kazakhstan is gaining momentum throughout Ottawa and I suspect in 10-20 years will be the most popular for the non-CFRA audience and those who don't listen to Jim Rome.

Also very true.

isaidso · #17 Posted **May 26, 2009, 3:48 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by m0nkyman

Metro Kansas City is 2.2 Million, Milwaukee is 1.7 million, but an immediate hinterland of well over 2 million.

Exactly! Ottawa should be able to draw 10,000 for baseball without even trying.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mille Sabords

More to the point, we're not a baseball nation. People just weren't going. In the days we were the farm team for the Montreal Expos there was a good reason for baseball fans to follow the team, but since we were switched to being the farm team for the Baltimore Orioles, it was more like "whatever".

Not a baseball nation? Cultural disinterest is probably at the root of the problem, but it's not that Canada isn't a baseball nation. The problem is Ontario. Ontario doesn't see past hockey, but this tunnel vision for hockey isn't a fact nationally. In other parts of Canada, other sports are part of the culture as well.

It's a mistake to conclude that the rest of Canada simply mirrors Ontario. It wasn't till I moved to Ontario that I realized how big hockey was in other parts of Canada. Where I grew up, hockey was completely off many people's radar. I've tried warming to the game, but it's just doesn't resonate culturally for me. It's always been football, basketball, and baseball.

ottawatraffic · #18 Posted **Jun 5, 2009, 3:13 PM**

Anybody have ideas for the stadium. It would be a shame to let this community asset go to waste

p_xavier · #19 Posted **Jun 5, 2009, 10:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by isaidso

Exactly! Ottawa should be able to draw 10,000 for baseball without even trying.

Not a baseball nation? Cultural disinterest is probably at the root of the problem, but it's not that Canada isn't a baseball nation. The problem is Ontario. Ontario doesn't see past hockey, but this tunnel vision for hockey isn't a fact nationally. In other parts of Canada, other sports are part of the culture as well.

It's a mistake to conclude that the rest of Canada simply mirrors Ontario. It wasn't till I moved to Ontario that I realized how big hockey was in other parts of Canada. Where I grew up, hockey was completely off many people's radar. I've tried warming to the game, but it's just doesn't resonate culturally for me. It's always been football, basketball, and baseball.

I lived in New-Brunswick most of my childhood, they actually scrapped most of the baseball fields to put soccer fields instead. There is zero interest in Quebec, so when you have 2/3 of Canada's population that doesn't care about baseball, who's interested in it?

ottawatraffic · #20 Posted **Jul 18, 2009, 6:09 PM**

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/...120/story.html

hopefully something will happen with this place. I dont know about the concert facility idea in the comments...indoor facility for 12-17k sounds like the scotiabank place to me