Ottawa Baseball Stadium

[rocketphish]

Committee endorses city-preferred tenants for next Ottawa Stadium lease

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Updated: December 3, 2019

A partnership between the owner of a Winnipeg baseball club and the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group should be granted a lease for the Ottawa Stadium, a city committee decided Tuesday.

No councillor on the finance and economic development committee asked a question about the proposed deal, which passed unanimously.

Council will need to sign off on Dec. 11. A vote in favour would direct city staff to negotiate the lease.

The memorandum of understanding between Sam Katz, who owns the Winnipeg Goldeyes, and the city calls for a base rent of $125,000, with inflationary increases starting in the third year. The city is committing to cover all operating, utility and maintenance expenses associated with baseball. The tenant would be responsible for costs of maintaining and operating the administrative offices, scoreboard, parking lot and taking care of event cleanup.

The lease would last 10 years with the possibility of two five-year extensions.

Katz is operating under the name Field of Dreams Enterprises. OSEG has joined Katz as a local investment partner.

Professional baseball probably wouldn’t return to the stadium until 2021. The Katz partnership is eyeing a new team for the independent Frontier League.

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...ed-tenants-for-next-ottawa-stadium-lease

[J.OT13]

This says "if you don't contribute to the Mayor's re-election campaign, don't bother doing business in Ottawa".

[harls]

Professional baseball probably wouldn’t return to the stadium until 2021. The Katz partnership is eyeing a new team for the independent Frontier League.

Wonder how that's going..

[phil235]

Originally Posted by harls

Wonder how that's going..

Could be a blessing in disguise. They miss this year where fans are going to be very wary of attending live events, take the time to get things properly organized, and start up in 2021. I actually think this is an ideal situation, provided they have the financing to get through.

[J.OT13]

Game on! City inks 10-year deal with OSEG, Winnipeg group to bring pro baseball back to capital

OBJ, Sep 22, 2020 5:09pm EDT

The City of Ottawa says it has struck a deal with a Winnipeg-based group and the owners of the Ottawa Redblacks and 67’s to bring professional baseball back to the capital.

In a memo to the mayor and councillors on Tuesday, economic development boss Steve Willis said the city has finalized negotiations with the Winnipeg Goldeyes baseball club and the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group on a 10-year lease at Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton Park beginning in 2021.

Under the agreement, the partnership will pay the city $125,000 a year in base rent for the 10,000-seat stadium. The new tenants will also be required to pay the city more than $473,000 in outstanding debts accrued by the previous team that occupied the park, the Ottawa Champions.

Under a lease that was signed in late 2013 and was expected to last for 10 seasons, the Champions had been paying the city a total of $358,000 a year to rent RCGT Park. The city was also slated to receive 10 per cent of all gross concession revenues that exceeded $1.2 million per season, $1 for each car that parked in the stadium lot and 50 per cent of all net naming rights that surpassed $200,000.

The city tore up that agreement and replaced it with a new one aimed at saving the Champions hundreds of thousands of dollars a season after the club fell behind on its rent.

Tax exemption

The memo said the new group will operate a team in the short-season Frontier League “or a league of similar calibre.” In an interview with OBJ late last year, Goldeyes vice-president and chief operating officer Regan Katz would not reveal which league the team would likely play in.

According to the memo, the city will share the use of the park with the new tenants. The new baseball ownership group will be responsible for cleaning the facility, while the city will take care of all capital maintenance and repairs.

The city said the new tenants will be exempt from paying municipal taxes on the property provided that “business activities taking place at the stadium are related to baseball and other related events.”

In addition to bringing baseball back to the capital, the new tenants also plan to host “a number of non-baseball special events,” the memo said, noting such events “provide the opportunity for increased use of the facility and revenues for both the tenant and the city.”

Rival bidders

The Goldeye-OSEG partnership beat out a rival group of local investors ​– Rob Abboud, portfolio manager with Wealth Strategies, Fred Saghbini, a project management consultant, and Rob Lavoie, the regional operations manager of Play it Again Sports franchises across the city ​– that had also sought to revive baseball at the stadium.

Willis says the city’s economic development department will continue to look at other ways to attract “a more diverse mix of sport uses such as lacrosse and cricket, increased college and university access and other community options” to the ballpark.

While the memo said the Goldeyes and OSEG plan to “focus on building a profitable business venture,” professional baseball has had a checkered past in Ottawa.

The city cancelled the Champions’ 10-year lease agreement to play at the RCGT Park midway through the 2019 season and switched to a game-by-game payment structure after the club fell behind on its rent.

The Champions joined the independent pro Can-Am League in 2015 and captured the league title the following season. But the team failed to catch on at the box office, drawing fewer than 1,800 fans per game last season.

Ottawa’s stadium was previously home to a franchise called the Fat Cats, which was part of the semi-pro Intercounty Baseball League from 2010-12 under a different ownership group. The city also had another Can-Am franchise known as the Rapidz, but that club lasted just one season before folding in early 2009.

RCGT Park opened in 1993 as the home of the Triple-A Ottawa Lynx, which played in the International League for 15 seasons. The Lynx were the top minor-league affiliate for a number of major-league franchises, including the Montreal Expos, the Baltimore Orioles and the Philadelphia Phillies, before folding after the 2007 season.

https://obj.ca/article/local/sports-and-...-year-deal-oseg-winnipeg-group-bring-pro

[phil235]

They definitely picked the right year to take off.

[Harley613]

Ok so we have had:

The Ottawa Lynx which were a AAA team in the International League from 1993-2007

The Ottawa Rapidz in the Can-Am League for the 2008 season after which they were renamed the Ottawa Voyageurs, but they team folded before playing under that name.

The Ottawa Fat Cats in the Intercounty Baseball League from 2010-2012.

The Ottawa Champions in the Can-Am League from 2015-2019

Now a new team will play in a league 'equivalent to the Frontier league'.

This is so confusing. How many professional baseball leagues are there?!?

I know nothing about baseball FYI. I tried to piece this together with Wikipedia.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Harley613

Ok so we have had:

The Ottawa Lynx which were a AAA team in the International League from 1993-2007

The Ottawa Rapidz in the Can-Am League for the 2008 season after which they were renamed the Ottawa Voyageurs, but they team folded before playing under that name.

The Ottawa Fat Cats in the Intercounty Baseball League from 2010-2012.

The Ottawa Champions in the Can-Am League from 2015-2019

Now a new team will play in a league 'equivalent to the Frontier league'.

This is so confusing. How many professional baseball leagues are there?!?

I know nothing about baseball FYI. I tried to piece this together with Wikipedia.

Can-Am is part of the Frontier League. I assume the plan is to (re)join this but are giving themselves an out. I think it would be considered well above the Intercountry league which is total amateurs.

Back in the day we had AAA which is only one level below the Majors (roughly equivalent to Majour Junior though technically already drafted so AHL equivalent but almost all baseball players spend a bit of time in the minors so you see the future stars as well). AA one below and A one below that. All these other leagues Ottawa has been in since the end of AAA are below A with guys who have little to no hope of ever moving further.

We would of course never build the stadium we have for such leagues but since it's already there I guess it is worth using for sometime even though the land is worth a lot more repurposed for another use.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

All these other leagues Ottawa has been in since the end of AAA are below A with guys who have little to no hope of ever moving further.

I think there are exceptions to that rule. Last year Philippe Aumont went directly from the Champions to the Blue Jays' system and had a decent chance of making the team this year, but for COVID. But the majority of players are heading in the other direction - they have played in major league systems, sometimes with games in the majors, but are no longer the property of major league teams. I've seen the level of play described as somewhere between A and AA.

The advantage of the independent leagues is that they typically have shorter seasons that occur primarily in the summer, which is key in our climate.

[rocketphish]

New ownership group confident it can reverse Ottawa's pro baseball curse

By: David Sali, OBJ
Published: Sep 25, 2020 5:38pm EDT

The owner of Ottawa’s newest pro sports franchise doesn’t seem the least bit fazed by the city’s reputation as a baseball graveyard.

Citing the capital’s hefty per-capita income and solid economy, Sam Katz told OBJ this week he believes he can succeed where a litany of other owners have failed and make the sport viable in Ottawa over the long haul.

“The bottom line is Ottawa is full of opportunities,” said Katz, the owner of the minor-league Winnipeg Goldeyes and the former mayor of the Manitoba capital.

“We very much believe in Ottawa and the citizens and the corporate community. I think they’re going to see something very different than what they’ve seen in the past, and I hope they’re going to love it and they’re going to want to come back over and over again. It’s up to us to do the work, and that’s something we’re not afraid to do.”

Katz is partnering with the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group in the new franchise, which will compete in the independent 15-team Frontier League beginning next season. The group recently signed a 10-year agreement to lease city-owned Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton Park on Coventry Road, which seats roughly 10,000 fans.

Katz says his track record proves he can make baseball work in a mid-sized Canadian city where the sport has had a checkered past. Many skeptics initially predicted the Goldeyes would never last when that team was launched in 1994, he noted.

“When we brought baseball back to Winnipeg, everybody said, ‘Forget about it. It’s not gonna happen,’” he said. “The bottom line is, people came.

“My background is basically sports and entertainment. I believe that the public … is always looking for quality and affordable family entertainment. It’s up to you to motivate people to come to your event and make sure that when they come to your event, they want to come back.”

The entrepreneur and former politician said OSEG, which owns the CFL’s Redblacks and the OHL’s 67’s, will offer valuable expertise on what works when it comes to building a successful sports business in Ottawa.

“They certainly have assets that they bring to the table, and we will use those assets as best we can,” he said.

The decade-long lease at RCTG Park will start on Jan. 1, 2021. The city will receive $125,000 annually over the first three years, with inflationary increases kicking in after that. As part of the agreement, the new tenants will also pay the city more than $473,000 in outstanding debts accrued by the previous team that occupied the park, the Ottawa Champions.

The new group will be exempt from paying municipal taxes, provided that “business activities taking place at the stadium are related to baseball and other related events,” the city said earlier this week.

Katz said he plans to host a range of other events at the park to help generate more revenue for the club. The new lease-holders will split non-baseball-related revenues with the city.

Exactly what types of additional activities will be held at the stadium next year will depend on the success of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, he added.

“When we started this, we had all sorts of things in mind,” Katz said, naming baseball camps, concerts, festivals, children's shows and weddings as a few examples.

“What we’re going to have to do is wait to see what we can and can’t do come springtime when we start playing baseball.”

The city said in a memo this week it will continue to look at other ways to attract “a more diverse mix of sport uses such as lacrosse and cricket, increased college and university access and other community options” to the ballpark.

Derrick Moodie, the director of the city’s corporate real estate office, said Friday the lease also contains provisions to allow portions of the stadium’s parking lot to be used for other purposes such as affordable housing.

Moodie said the city is confident Katz’s group can make the new franchise a winner on the field and at the box office.

“I think anytime we’ve got a facility that’s not being used to its potential and we’ve got an opportunity to use it for its potential, it helps the city in a number of ways,” he said.

https://www.obj.ca/article/local/sports-...oup-confident-it-can-reverse-ottawas-pro

[Hybrid247]

I'd love to see Ottawa get a AAA team again but the only chance of that happening is if Montreal gets the Expos back.

[rocketphish]

Ottawa's new pro baseball team gets a name

Tim Baines • Postmedia
Publishing date: Dec 03, 2020 • Last Updated 18 hours ago • 2 minute read



Ottawa’s new professional baseball team will be called the Ottawa Titans Baseball Club.

The Titans held a Name the Team Contest, receiving more than 1,200 entries and 700 different name variations. Multiple entries suggested Titans; one of them will be awarded a grand prize through a draw, the others will also be rewarded with a prize.

So why Titans?

“There were a lot of animal names that came up,” said Titans co-owner Sam Katz. “One of the key things for us was the word would be the same in English and French, that was important to us. When you look at the definition of Titans, there’s (Greek) mythology (a race of gods). There’s strength and wisdom in Titans. Plus, we had people working on the logos and when they showed us this one, it stood out. The feedback we’ve gotten is very positive, people are saying they love it.”

The team will align with a traditional look in the Ottawa sports market, with a colour scheme of red, white and black – similar to those of the CFL’s Redblacks, OHL’s 67’s, and NHL’s Senators.

“It was important (to keep the colours),” said Katz. “It seems to be the tradition there and why would you (go away from) tradition?”

The Titans logo features a muscular red slugger, standing above the Parliament buildings, with a Canadian maple leaf tattooed on its bicep. The logo and name exemplify the history, strength, and pride in the Nation’s Capital, with a twist of fun. A secondary logo will see the initials O and T used on both the teams’ uniforms and caps.



The Ottawa Titans are scheduled to hit the field in Spring of 2021 playing in the Frontier League, a partner league of Major League Baseball. It’s expected the team will announce player signings in the next week or two.

Recent team names for Ottawa baseball teams have included Champions, Fat Cats, Rapidz and most prominently – the Lynx. Pro baseball in Ottawa dates back to 1951 when the New York Giants located their Triple-A affiliate at Lansdowne Park.

Merchandise, ticket packages and sponsorship opportunities for the Titans will be available early in 2021.

https://ottawacitizen.com/sports/basebal...ttawas-new-pro-baseball-team-gets-a-name

[kevinbottawa]

As someone who does branding, that logo looks like something a kid put together. Only good thing is a lot of teenagers and early 20 somethings like to call Ottawa "OT" so they might sell some hats with the secondary logo on it. Otherwise, it's all unimpressive.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by kevinbottawa

As someone who does branding, that logo looks like something a kid put together. Only good thing is a lot of teenagers and early 20 somethings like to call Ottawa "OT" so they might sell some hats with the secondary logo on it. Otherwise, it's all unimpressive.

I agree. The main logo is a bit childish. The secondary is better, but I wish their was more contrast (a slightly darker red, black around the parameters). I was a big fan of the Champions logo.

Good to see this moving forward. Hoping we can get back to our regularly scheduled sporting events in 2021.

[OTSkyline]

In the first logo, one of the erect towers looks more like the player's erect ______. I can't unsee it now

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

In the first logo, one of the erect towers looks more like the player's erect ______. I can't unsee it now

I was thinking it looked like his fly was open, but yeah.

[Brannwagon]

The new cap design is okay, but after seeing this I can't help but realize how subtly amazing the Champions' logo and colour scheme was.

Hopefully some higher quality renders will be released soon.

[J.OT13]

https://news.sportslogos.net/2020/12/03/frontier-league-introduces-ottawa-titans/baseball/

For comparison.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottawa_Champions


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottawa_Fat_Cats


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottawa_Voyageurs


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottawa_Lynx


https://minorleaguegeek.com/ottawa-lynx/

[HighwayStar]

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

In the first logo, one of the erect towers looks more like the player's erect ______. I can't unsee it now

Then don't look too closely a the "T" going into the "O" in the second logo :o

[J.OT13]

LET'S PLAY BALL: Ottawa Titans optimistic 2021 baseball season will go ahead
Tim Baines • Postmedia
Feb 17, 2021

The toughest opponent for the Ottawa Titans Baseball Club in 2020 isn’t any of the other Frontier League teams; it’s the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Titans co-owner Sam Katz is confident his expansion team will soon be playing home and away games, as planned.

The 2021 schedule, which was released Wednesday, has the Titans opening their season May 27 – at home to the Tri-City ValleyCats. Several things have to happen for that to go as planned, but Katz, who also owns the Winnipeg Goldeyes, says everything is pushing ahead in a positive way.

“All the owners are excited, we’re all ready to move forward,” said Katz. “God willing, that’s what we’ll be able to do. I can tell you this, our goal will be to play baseball; the Ottawa Titans will play baseball this season.

“I’m ecstatic the schedule has been released. By the same token, we all know there are still some challenges out there. Hopefully, those will be rectified and we’ll be able to cross the (U.S.) border and vice-versa; of course that’s beyond our control, but it’s certainly our goal and our intention. We have a complete COVID-19 protocol plan in place for the Ottawa Titans at our ballpark, it’s ready to roll. Now we’re just going to wait and see.”

The U.S-Canada border standstill is one roadblock, but it’s not as big an issue as the 14-day quarantine rules in place. Said Katz: “Fourteen days is not going to work. The good news is in the US of A, these players will probably all be getting vaccines long before you and me.”

It’s not easy trying to formulate a plan in the midst of a pandemic that has, at times, included lockdowns, stay-at-home orders and businesses shut down for lengthy periods of time. With COVID rates sliding and the hope that more and more Canadians get vaccinated in the coming days, weeks and months, Katz has kept hope.

“It’s almost like you’re an air traffic controller and there are a lot of planes trying to land; that’s the best analogy I can think of at the moment,” he said. “We’re trying to land a few, which will obviously make things much more black and white. Last year in Winnipeg, we put together a COVID-19 protocol plan and it was approved. The No. 1 criteria was the safety of our fans, our staff and our players. As you go along in time, the plans even get better as things come up.

“This is a very changing environment, but I do know this — as far as the venue goes, it can be totally safe where we can play baseball games with fans in the stands. It could be 20 per cent fans, it could be 25 per cent it could be 30 per cent … but that will be determined later on. I’m sure the other sports franchises in Ottawa — whether it’s football or soccer or whatever the case may be — are exploring what the opportunities are and what percentages will be allowed. Restaurants are opening up to 25 per cent capacity with social distancing, they’re indoors. We’re outdoors, we have many entrances and exits and we can do cohorts. To have 2,000 people, maybe more, should be a piece of cake.

“If you want to interpret it as optimism, so be it, I just think it’s very realistic. Going down the road, you never know what could happen. We’ve seen the ups and downs. We’re hoping things will get better and we’ll be able to do more people as things get safer. Whatever the government dictates is what the government dictates and that’s the protocols we’ll be following.”

Katz said he intentionally hasn’t had meaningful discussions with either the Manitoba or Ontario governments. He wanted to see the infection rates go down and the provinces get into a better place. Now it’s on his plate to make contact and start talking to government officials in both provinces.

The Goldeyes played their 2020 American Association season out of North Dakota, a scenario that won’t/can’t happen in 2021.

“We played there in the hope things would change and we’d have the opportunity to go back,” said Katz. “But as you know, the border never opened so we stayed there and played our games. We’re not in a position to do what we did last year again. Just think of any business, you’ve had no revenue for like 20 months, but all your expenses are still there. It just doesn’t work.

“Our goal will be for the Goldeyes to play in Winnipeg and for the Titans to play in Ottawa. And right now we’re optimistic that will be a reality. We don’t know about the border situation, but there are discussions going on. I’m sure there will be recommendations coming forward in the near future. The key thing is to keep the number of COVID cases down and the number of hospitalizations down and that will have a major impact on everything.”

“You will be hearing, the words ‘Play ball’ in Ottawa this summer.”

OTTAWA TITANS SCHEDULE

May 27 vs. Tri-City ValleyCats, 7PM

May 28 vs. Tri-City ValleyCats, 7PM

May 29 vs. Trois-Rivières Aigles, 4PM

May 29 vs. Trois-Rivières Aigles, 1PM

May 29 vs. Trois-Rivières Aigles, 7PM

June 1-3 at Québec Capitales

June 4 vs. Sussex County Miners, 7PM

June 5 vs. Sussex County Miners, 4PM

June 6 vs. Sussex County Miners, 1PM

June 8 vs. New Jersey Jackals, 7PM

June 9 vs. New Jersey Jackals, 7PM

June 10 vs. New Jersey Jackals, 7PM

June 11-13 at New York Boulders

June 15-17 at Trois-Rivières Aigles

June 18 vs. Québec Capitales, 7PM

June 19 vs. Québec Capitales, 4PM

June 20 vs. Québec Capitales, 1PM

June 22 vs. New York Boulders, 7PM

June 23 vs. New York Boulders, 7PM

June 24 vs. New York Boulders, 7PM

June 25-27 at Trois-Rivières Aigles

June 29 vs. Tri-City ValleyCats, 7PM

June 30 vs. Tri-City ValleyCats, 7PM

July 1 vs. Tri-City ValleyCats, 1PM

July 2 vs. Washington Wild Things, 7 PM

July 3 vs. Washington Wild Things, 6PM

July 4 vs. Washington Wild Things, 1PM

July 6 vs. New York Boulders, 7PM

July 7 vs. New York Boulders, 7PM

July 8 vs. New York Boulders, 7PM

July 9-11 at Québec Capitales

July 13 vs. Sussex County Miners, 7PM

July 14 vs. Sussex County Miners, 7PM

July 15 vs. Sussex County Miners, 7PM

July 16-18 at New York Boulders

July 20-22 at Washington WildThings

July 23 vs. Québec Capitales, 7PM

July 24 vs. Québec Capitales, 6PM

July 25 vs. Québec Capitales, 1PM

https://ottawacitizen.com/sports/basebal...istic-2021-baseball-season-will-go-ahead