Ottawa's strange love affair with baseball may be about to take another twisted turn.
There's rumours floating in minor-league circles that none other than the New York Yankees could be moving their Triple-A affiliate to the nation's capital for the 2012 season.
The move, according to the Ottawa Citizen, is possible because the Yankees' current affiliate in Scranton won't have a stadium for next season.
There are three options being floated around: Lehigh Valley, Rochester and Ottawa. But the first two already have Triple-A teams, so Ottawa would certainly be the easiest choice for a one-season stop-off for the baby Bronx Bombers.
If the plan comes to fruition it would be another chapter in the spotted life of Ottawa Stadium, formerly JetForm Park (then Lynx Stadium, and Rapidz Stadium.)
Baseball's recent history in Ottawa traces back to 1993, when the city thought it was in the middle of a sports renaissance. What better time than the mid-90s to bring baseball to the Ottawa-Quebec area, right? The Ottawa Lynx, the triple-A affiliate of the Montreal Expos, brought in almost 10,000 fans per game and were the toast of the International League, winning a league championship in 1995. The Lynx kept afloat until 2007, when the team moved to Allentown, PA (the depressing place from the Billy Joel song about a town where nobody has a job).
From there, the stadium became home to a series of vagabond clubs. The Ottawa Rapidz of the Can-Am league moved in for 2008, but the Rapidz went bankrupt, and a new Can-Am team never came to fruition. In 2010, the Ottawa Fat Cats took over, with the newest entry in the Ontario-based Intercounty League once again making a huge splash. The Fat Cats drew over 2300 fans per game in a league where attendance is usually in the hundreds. But the team doesn't have a lease for 2012 yet.
In fact, the only team with any use for Ottawa Stadium right now is the University of Ottawa club team, which plays in the Canadian Intercollegiate Baseball Association. Not to say the CIBA isn't much of a going concern, but the Gee-Gees, who don't have varsity status, only play eight home games - including four this weekend.
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