SAVING OTTAWA SPORTS: CUTTING THE LYNX TO TRIPLE-A BASEBALL

The Citizen and the Sun both gave prominent play on Friday to the long death march of the Ottawa Lynx, Canada's last remaining Triple-A ballclub.

There's no nice way to say Lynx attendance is a running joke. How bad is it? It's so bad that when International League president Randy Mobley was asked about the possibility of the Lynx being a lame-duck franchise in 2007 if fans knew the club was gone, he shot back, "Are you suggesting there could be fewer fans going to games?" (Italics mine.)

The handwriting on the wall seems to point to the Lynx franchise being moved to Allentown, Pa., for 2008, since that city is building a stadium in hopes of landing the Philadelphia Phillies' top farm club.

What's really surreal to a newcomer is that you can never get an answer as to why there is such apathy toward the Lynx, who in a metropolitan area of close to 1 million people, have the worst average attendance (1,900 according to the Sun; 2,551 according to the Citizen) in the IL by a factor of two. After six months here, all I know is it seems to be contagious.

Now here's why this might not be so bad. Ottawa is no longer a viable Triple-A market (no need to eqivocate), but that's not to say minor-league baseball can't work in the capital.

It's not the public that's the problem; it's the product that's being offered, and this goes beyond the Lynx's mere on-field fortunes. The culture and mindset of this city is not geared toward supporting the feeder team for Baltimore, Maryland. (The Lynx is the top farm club of the Orioles.)

Upon moving here in the dead of winter, I initially thought about buying a 10- or 20-game flex pack and heading out to the ballpark as often as my work schedule would allow. Someone soon disabused me of buying a flex pack: "Get a $9 seat, since you can sit wherever you want." Ultimately, a 45-minute bus ride out to a nearly deserted stadium to watch the Baltimore Orioles fill-in players ply their dubious craft wasn't enough bang for the buck, even at $9.

Now, this is coming from a diehard baseball fan who will be sitting down in a few minutes to watch the first couple innings of a Blue Jays-Royals game, so you can't attack someone with only a casual interest in baseball for not wanting to partake of the Lynx. The most honest feeling toward Triple-A baseball in this town is to wish the organization and its employees well.

Triple-A is a good product. It's just not a good product here. Since yours truly is trying to debunk the common stereotype that Ottawa is a lousy sports town, I'm obligated to say that.

The answer to Ottawa's baseball woes can be glimpsed by looking west, to Winnipeg, home of Canada's most successful minor-league baseball operation, the Goldeyes of the independent Northern League The Goldeyes , despite being in a smaller city and having a higher top ticket price than the Lynx, frequently get crowds of more than 7,000 in their jewel of a downtown ballpark. (It's such a nice place to watch the game that even the fact it's called CanWest Global Park can't diminish the Zen-like experience.)

Or take a look east, to Quebec City, whose Capitales have the second-best attendance in the independent Can-Am League and are challenging for the second-half pennant. Quebec gets 3,300 fans per game; the top draw in that league gets 3,700. Ottawa could achieve that.

In short, going the independent-league route would solve almost all of the drawbacks of the Lynx experience:

• A shorter schedule (88 games in the Can-Am League) and a later start to the season means no more April and May games played in single-digit temperatures in front of double-digit crowds. (The Lynx once drew 58 people to a game, local lore holds.) It would also increase demands for tickets. If Eugene Melnyk was interested in running a baseball team, he could even promote the team during Senators games at Scotiabank Place.
• If Ottawa had a baseball-free summer, it would probably give the city time to add some more amenities to the stadium. The suggestion here is more interactive activities for kids and a sports bar with a view of the playing surface. Also, since crowds of 10,332 are no longer realistic (or necessary in an independent league), retrofit the stadium to between 6,000 to 8,000 seats.
• You identify more with the players in the independent leagues, since they tend to stay around longer and aren't just waiting for someone in Baltimore to pull a back muscle. How is that yours truly remembers more names off the 2003-04 Winnipeg Goldeyes roster than the current Ottawa Lynx, even though the latter group is much higher on the baseball ladder?
• It addresses the cultural issue that Ottawans are simply not eager to support what is, in effect, the B team for some distant American city. However, they would support a minor-league team if they felt a connection to it and felt that it provided good value for the money.

For an example of the latter, look no farther than the Ottawa 67s. Major junior hockey is a scaled-down imitation of the NHL, but despite the presence and success of the Senators, the 67's and owner Jeff Hunt have quadrupled their attendance in the past eight years. People support the team since it's good value for the money and they feel a bond with the players, who stick around for three to four years.

Sad to say, Triple-A ball in this town is a lost cause. You can say that with about 95% certainty, but don't say baseball can't succeed in Ottawa-Gatineau. It can, and will, with some well-thought-out tweaking.

That's all for now. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.