Miles Wolff, president of Ottawa’s newest baseball team, hopes to have all his bases covered by May.
The snow is stilled piled high around Ottawa Stadium, but inside preparations for the Ottawa Rapids inaugural season are underway.
“I’m glad we’re not starting on April 7, like the Lynx did,” said Miles Wolff, the president of the Ottawa Rapids. “We don’t start until May 22, and hopefully the weather will co-operate.”
The Rapids will need more than good weather to survive in Ottawa’s frigid baseball environment. The Lynx, Ottawa’s last professional baseball team, are headed south to a warmer climate, after low attendance numbers forced them to move.
But Wolff says he feels that there is a solid base of baseball fans for the Rapids to build upon. He hopes to increase local interest in baseball by creating a competitive ball club with strong ties to the community.
The Rapids will be competing in the CanAm League, which features eight teams from Canada and the United States. The league is run independently of Major League Baseball and fields players who were not quite talented enough to play in the majors.
Despite the lower caliber of the players available, Wolff is confident he can build a strong ball club in Ottawa.
While the Lynx were forced to rely on players sent to them by their major league affiliate, the Rapids have no restrictions.
“One advantage we have is we can sign players who are recognizable in the area,” Wolff said. “For example, we’re going to try and sign players who are on the Canadian Olympic team.”
One of the Rapids first signings was veteran pitcher Mike Kusiewicz. The Ottawa native is exactly what Wolff and the Rapids are looking for in a ballplayer.
Kusiewicz has played professional baseball for 14 years and earlier in March he helped Canada qualify for the Beijing Olympics. He pitched in the decisive game against Chinese Taipei, which Canada won 6-5.
“I know that we’re going to be competitive,” said Kusiewicz. “We want to win and win today. The Lynx were here to develop players, but we’re here to win.”
Kusiewicz is also optimistic about the team’s chances to attract fans.
“The Lynx’s problem was that there was no involvement in the community by the team,” said Kusiewicz. “There were no public appearances and players didn’t go out to sign autographs.”
But Kusiewicz said the Rapids will put more of an emphasis on building ties to the community.
“Our athletes will be available for public appearances,” he said. “In fact, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep baseball here in Ottawa.”
The Rapids will be looking for more Ottawa talent, like Kusiewicz, when they host a try-out camp for local players on May 8. While Wolff is looking for players who have played at a high level before, either professional or university baseball, the camp is open to everyone.
But, for the most part, the Rapids will rely on signing players who are cut from major league teams during spring training.
The Rapids field manager, Ed Nolte, recently travelled to Florida to scout talent.
Ideally Wolff said the Rapids are looking for young players with three or four years of professional experience.
“We’ve got a lot of contract offers out,” said Wolff. “And some players are sending us e-mails asking about the team.”
Even though the Rapids don’t have a complete roster yet, Wolff said many people have already shown an interest in tickets.
Almost all of the Lynx season ticket holders have bought season tickets for the Rapids, and Wolff is optimistic they will sell even more season tickets before opening day.
“A lot of people are calling,” Wolff said. “We’ll start the hard push in early April.”
But Wolff says the Rapids also have an obligation to prove themselves to the fans.
“Our product on the field is what will sell more tickets than anything,” said Wolff.
The arrival of a new baseball team is bittersweet for Howard Darwin, former co-owner of the Ottawa 67’s, and the man who brought professional baseball to Ottawa in 1993.
Darwin led the effort to bring the Lynx to Ottawa and convinced city council to approve the construction of Ottawa Stadium.
“I was very, very disappointed when the Lynx left,” Darwin said. “We worked hard to bring the team here and build that stadium.”
Darwin said despite the Lynx’s attendance problems, there is still a market for baseball in Ottawa.He also points to the Rapids later start date as something that will help the team.
“I hope they succeed, and they might, because they’re starting around the end of May,” said Darwin. “At one point they had to shovel the stands before a game. People won’t watch baseball in the snow.”
Darwin also said he will head over to Ottawa Stadium to see a few home games.
While he says the quality of baseball won’t be the same as the Lynx, he’s just glad to see the stadium in use.
He hopes the Rapids do what it takes to ensure Ottawa residents can enjoy professional baseball.
“Whatever the hell they can do to keep baseball here,” said Darwin, “I wish them the best.”