Housekeeping

The blog now allows for anonymous comment. I'll leave this function as long as I don't start getting spammed.

(Potential) player profiles

This may be 'hit and miss', likely heavy on the 'miss' - trying to predict which players will be here in 2007.

Bobby Scales looks like a good bet to be in Ottawa - he's listed as an infielder (second and third), but appears to have spent some time in the outfield as well.

Stats:

Ht: 6-0 Wt: 175
Position: IF, OF

Bats: B
Throws: R
Date of Birth: 10/4/1977
Birthplace: Roswell, GA
Experience: Prospect

Last year with SWB, he played in 105 games and had 357 at bats with 44 RBI and 7 HR. For the season he had a 291 average with an on base percentage of 369. See his lifetime stats here. Mr. Scales was invited to the Phillies spring training in 2006, but spent the majority of the season with SWB.

In his last year with the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League, he was named the "2005 Community Player of the Year" for his "philanthropic efforts" during the season.

"I try to do what I can do to help out folks," Scales said. "It's the least we can do as players. I've been fortunate enough to have people help me and make a difference in my life. Portland was so good to me the last three seasons, and I think it's very important to show we care about the community we play in, even if we don't live there year-round."

This season, Scales, who resides in Roswell, Ga., took part in all three of the Beavers' youth baseball camps, stressing the fun of the game while passing along his considerable baseball knowledge to Portland-area kids during the popular camp program.

Additionally, Scales, a veteran of seven professional seasons in the San Diego Padres organization, made numerous appearances during the season and was a fixture at player autograph sessions and Kids Club activities at PGE Park over his three campaigns in Portland.

Read the entire article here.

Here's an off-season journal he kept in 2005, his final season with the Beavers. It gives a little insight into this potential Lynx player.

A new project

And it will be lengthy - likely a series of posts on who the new Lynx players may be next year.

Stay tuned.

News of the day

I heard the news concerning the "imminent" change in affiliation while I was out riding this morning (aside: Man, I HATE intervals...). I made a mental note to run an online check of the news sources that I was certain the radio had relied on. Quick check of the Ottawa Sun turned up nothing, CBC online - nada. Found it in the Ottawa Citizen - the link is here, but I have no idea how long it will be good for.

I hesitated about posting about this story as I've pretty much decided I want to avoid doing what I've criticized the media for: speculating about the Lynx. However -

Lynx owner Ray Pecor has been in Europe for the past month and is expected to return to his Vermont home today.

He and general manager Kyle Bostwick will then get together with Arbuckle and Phillies minor-league operations director Steve Noworyta to hammer out the details.

"We are planning on making an affiliation change official within the week, and it looks like all signs point to Philadelphia," Bostwick said.


I consider Kyle to be a reliable news source (reference: "However, given the media’s deplorable track record on the subject, I will put my faith in what Mr. Pecor and Mr. Bostwick have to say on the subject of the team’s future." see the full post here. Wow. Quoting myself. The height of arrogance?)

Just a couple of comments:

1. Interesting that there's no mention of Joseph Finley and Craig Stein, the new majority owners of the Lynx. I'm wondering if the terms of the 'conditional sale' leaves the control of the day to day operations in Mr. Pecor's hands. Which leads to my second comment.

2. Memo to Lynx ownership: Leave the Ottawa front office staff intact/alone.

My 2 cents.

Tieing up some loose ends

First, let me welcome everyone who's linked here from the Cat's Pride website. I should also apologize to the people over there as I pilfered one of their images of Brian Burres without asking for their permission first. My apologies.

Second, the blog is now sufficiently long that some of the earlier posts are dropping into the archives section. To see all the posts, you have to go to the section on the right of the blog and click on 'September'.

Finally, please feel free to leave any feedback, gripes, suggestions, complaints in the 'comments' section which follow every post.

I'm really happy that some of the 'Cat's Pride' people are finding their way over here, but I realized that I might be coming off as a bit 'preachy'; after all, who the heck am I and where have I been for the last few years? Valid questions, and I certainly admit (with regret) that I have shown up extremely late to the party. I gratefully acknowledge the work that the booster club has done for the last thirteen (?) years and look forward to joining you next season. I hope that nothing I've written appears disrespectful of your efforts with and for the team.

Now is the winter of our discontent

We went to a 67's preseason game on Friday night and it confirmed a number of things for me. First, I really don't enjoy the atmosphere in a hockey arena - being indoors, under bright lights with what seemed like incessant loud music, just doesn't appeal to me. Second, and I realize this is blasphemy for a typical Canadian, I don't really like hockey all that much. Hard to believe, I know. As kids, we were as immersed in the hockey culture as most, but we never played organized hockey. I attribute my affinity for baseball to both 'nature' and 'nurture'; I'm half Japanese and adopted by American parents. We all know how crazy the Japanese are for baseball, matched only by the Americans in their love for the game. Third, the 67s organization, as good as it is, doesn't present nearly as good a 'game day' experience as the Lynx. The highlight of the evening? Three kids got to participate in an on-ice promotion! Woo-freakin'-hoo! Sorry, I'm trying to keep this positive. There were also a few Subway sandwich tosses. Generally, I don't bring Rebekah along because she just gets too restless - there isn't enough going on, or things to do (besides walking the concourse) to hold her attention.

Zak admitted that he still liked baseball just a bit more than hockey. He enjoys going to 67s/Senators games, but if he had his choice, he'd prefer to watch the Jays/Lynx. That's my boy.

Top 10 (or so) moments of 2006

I'm almost positive that I won't get through this list right now; my mornings start at 3.30 during the week in order for me to get my training time in on the bike. Unfortunately, that cuts into 'blogging' time.

Best promotion

Tough one. Hallowe'en ranks up near the top, as does the night the Amazing Racers came to town.

Most memorable "I'll just sit down and shut-up now" moment

Dave Trembley has been holding runners back all night. Finally, I can't take it any more - "Come on, Dave - let 'em run!!!" He does send the next runner, who proceeds to get gunned down. Mr. Trembley glances my way as he makes his way to the dugout. He's not really looking at me - I thought. Then he caught my eye, and gave a quick little tip of the hat. Oooh boy. Thanks for coming out Carl!

Most memorable security moment

No brainer. DJ's takedown of the idiot who decided he'd run the bases during the world record "Twist" night. Clean, quick, efficient (and hopefully painful for the moron).

Worst promotional moment

Also during the Hallowe'en night. Gary, of the Fun Crew, dressed as Hulk Hogan. In true Hulkamaniac fashion, he tears his shirt off and throws it into the crowd as he's leaving the field between innings.

Oh.
Dear.
God.

Will no one think of the children?

Best fan moment

Durham is in town. Every time Delmon Young steps onto the field, there's about six guys along the first base line chanting: "Throw your bat, throw your bat....". For his final at bat, they finish up with: "We're back tomorrow, we're back tomorrow...." Classic. Their own third base coach was trying not to laugh.

To be continued....

UPDATE:

Zak's proudest moment



At the autograph booth in late August. Eddie Rodriguez says to him: "Hey, I know you. You always throw by the bullpen. You've got a good arm." Zak knows this is a guy who's thrown in the majors. Could his day get any better after hearing that?

My proudest moment

Zak catches a ball tossed into the stands. He's caught a bunch during the season. He turns, without prompting, and asks the kid sitting behind him if he wants the ball.

Most embarrasing moment

In the men's room, with my daughter (Mom was working late), and a bunch of other guys. "Daddy? You got a tail!" Please don't make me explain this one.

Thing I regretted most

Leaving my glove behind. Man. I still can't believe no one turned it in.

Thing I'm most glad I did

Introduced my son to Kyle Bostwick during the rain delay on Sunday, September 3 (actually became a rainout). Full disclosure - I give most of the credit to Kyle (it's okay - I have permission not to refer to him as Mr. Bostwick) for the Lynx surviving in Ottawa as long as they have.

Junior Lynx day clinic

Or what I referred to as "For the love of God, please don't let Zak injure one of the players" day. "Jr. Lynx Day" was a little shorter, so I guess that's why they went with that.

Anyway.

The first "Little League" day back in June (?) was rained out, so we missed that one. We went to it last year, and there were tons of kids. I was told Jr. Lynx day was different, and there wouldn't be too many kids. On Little League day, it wasn't uncommon to get only one turn to field, throw or run before a rotation to the next area. People were right - Zak was in a group with about ten other kids and he had lots of time with each player. His age group started with our second favorite catcher, Eli Whiteside. Mr. Whiteside was teaching them the finer points of baserunning. Good - I thought. I'm pretty sure he couldn't hurt anyone while running, at least not seriously. I was immediately impressed with the amount of time Mr. W took with the kids to make sure that they understood, that they did it right. In fact, all of the players - Brian Burres, Brooks Badeaux, Howie Clark and Eli Whiteside were like that. I guess I figured that they wouldn't take things too seriously - wrong again.


Here's Mr. Whiteside, explaining to Zak how to take his "secondary" lead


Brooks Badeaux handled the infield fielding and footwork part of the clinic. What a really fun guy - does he ever stop smiling? Here he's explaining the importance of that first cross-over step.


Talking to the group - just before Zak's hand shot up. Mr. Badeaux was unfortunately subjected to one of Zak's infamous multi-part five minute questions. "What if the ball goes to my right, and I'm left handed, but I'm right leg dominant, and there's a runner on third with two outs, but we've got a big lead....."



The following sequence were moments of sheer terror for me. Zak had no fear - he was just throwing to Brian Burres. I saw it as Zak throwing to "Baltimore prospect, we've got a lot of time and money tied up in this guy, good hard throwing left handed starter, might get called up" Brian Burres. Should be harmless right? He's just a 9 year old kid - right? Wrong. You've obviously never been hit in the temple with one of his patented split finger, four seam, circle change tennis balls. Never take your eyes off a kid with a baseball in his hand. Unfortunately for Mr. Burres - there were about ten lethal weapons, er, kids, lined up like a firing squad about twenty feet away from him. The only thing missing was the blindfold, last cigarette and a priest reciting the 23rd Psalm.

Actually, Zakky looks pretty good here.



We moved on to the final area, fielding pop-flys with Howie Clark. Whoa. Can you say intense? This guy was serious. Seriously. The kids made the mistake of joking around while he was talking - once.

In the next photo, Zak (God love him), has put up his hand and is going to ask a question. Mr. Clark points at him, all business, appearing slightly annoyed: "Yes?". Patented multi-part question (again). Answer: "Yes." Smart man, Mr. Clark - I like him more already.




Getting the kids to shag fly balls that were over their heads.



Howie (Mr. Clark just doesn't fit) was a lot of fun. The kids had to listen, but he kept them running and started really "playing" with them. After the announcement came that time was up, he conspiratorially encouraged them - "come on guys, let's get one more run through".

To do this 'post' justice, I'll have to finish up later. Check back after lunch!

** UPDATE **

Howie and the other three Lynx players hung around after the official end of the clinic to sign autographs and talk with the parents and their kids. It occurred to me, that these guys had obviously volunteered to take time out of their Saturday to do this, which made their enthusiasm and serious approach to the clinic even more special. Zak had a great time, and learned a few things too - I know that he'd never even considered footwork before that afternoon.

I left the park, as I had many times this past season, shaking my head. What had I been thinking for the last few years? I should have been out here with Zak all the time...

Way to go, Brian!!!

Nice to see one of the farmhands doing well. Zak - who should have been in bed, yelled for me to come watch the Yankees-Baltimore game last night. Brian Burres was pitching!! He went 1 2/3, striking out one, and didn't give up any hits or walks. Zakky will forever remember Mr. Burres as the pitcher who told him he was "3 for 3" on his pitches during the Junior Lynx clinic in August. I'll try to upload my photos of the clinic tomorrow.

How cool was this?!!!

I know, I know. I'm starting to sound like a real cheerleader. But hey, if the pom-poms fit...

Anyway, June 30 the Lynx arranged to have the most recent winners of the Amazing Race, BJ and Tyler at the ballgame. Unfreakingbelievable! We're all big fans of AR in my house (although the "Family Edition"? Not so much...) and, although it took us a little while to warm up to them, by about the fourth episode we were really pulling for these guys to win. What was the deal with Monica and Joseph anyway? How can you not like these guys???

They certainly lived up to expectations - what you saw on TV was what you got in real life. The guys really are as wacky and down to earth as they appeared on television; they signed autographs late into the evening and then answered questions in the restaurant after the game. We heard that they'd been asked to someone's party and were planning on attending! Rumor had it that they were going to hitch-hike to Montreal the next day. The evening was a great kick-off for the Canada Day long weekend! What I still want to know is how the Lynx promo people pulled this one off?!!!!


Warming up the crowd for the Canada Day long weekend



I think Brandon's about to get more than he bargained for! Tyler's looking for something a little more substantial than just a handshake!!!



Heading to the mound for the ceremonial first pitch:



TTOW, 'Bekah!!!

Retiring no. 42

How are they going to pull this one off? When I first heard of the Lynx plan to honor Jackie Robinson by retiring his number on July 23, I confess that I was somewhat cynical. How is this going to be made relevant for people in Ottawa - after all, what connection did we have with Jackie Robinson?

You would think that I would know better by now. We cut out of church early in order to not miss any part of the ceremony which preceded the game. The President of the International League, Randy Mobley, connected the dots for the crowd, going over the history of the International League and recapping the year that Mr. Robinson broke the color barrier. The highlight for me was when they had the kids take the field, recreating the now famous 'handshake' at home plate between Mr. Shuba and Mr. Robinson. I'm not ashamed to admit it, and in the ongoing interest of 'full disclosure', I'll confess that I'm a pretty emotional guy - it doesn't take much to get me teary eyed. Well, when that kid rounded third, I choked up a bit. When they shook hands, under Mr. Shuba's approving gaze, his arm around the boy portraying his part of the handshake, well I had to swallow hard and really fight back the tears. It truly was a touching moment. After the ceremony, we had an opportunity to meet both Mr. Shuba and Mr. Roy, another one of Jackie Robinson's team mates in 1946 and Zak was able to shake both gentlemen's hands.

The significance of Mr. Robinson's achievement and struggles were not lost on my son. My kids are of mixed ethnic descent - they're 3/4 asian (actually 1/2 Chinese, 1/4 Japanese). While he hasn't had to endure anything near what Mr. Robinson went through, my son sadly, is familiar with the sting of racism. The fact that Mr. Robinson was able to rise above the slurs and threats and conduct himself with dignity, impressed my son. Could you find better role models than Mssrs. Shuba, Roy and Robinson today?

We took part in the silent auction for the game worn jerseys, winning Brandon Marsters' jersey (big surprise there!) as well as Howie Clark's.

All in all, a very well done ceremony. The Lynx pulled it off in a dignified, classy way.


Mr. Roy and Mr. Shuba (unfortunately, a little underexposed):



Zak with Mr. Roy and Mr. Shuba:

Oh. No.

Driving home yesterday.

"Daddy?"

It was my three year old daughter, Rebekah, sitting in her car seat behind me.

"Yes, honey?"

"Can we go to the baseball game tonight?"

"Uh, no honey, the season's over."

"Tomorrow?"

(Uh-oh. I don't like where this is heading.)

"Uh, no babe. There aren't any more games until..."

"I want to see Skratch-cat."

"I know honey, but - ", I was starting to panic now.

"I want to see my friends... I want to see DJ."

"We'll see them again, babe, we'll..." (Man. Could she pick up on the fear in my voice?)

"I want to see Sarah!". (Oh. Dear. God. Make it stop. Think man, think!!! Bribery, yes, that's the ticket!!!!)

"Do you want to go to Tim Horton's? We can get a doughnut, or..."

"No. I want to go see the Lynx."

How can you say "no" to a face like this?

Loyalty continued - or "Why I became a 'Promoter'"

In the previous post, I wrote about a different metric for judging companies - rather than just looking at the financials of a corporation, you tried to measure how many 'promoters' they had. To determine if a customer was a promoter, you asked them:

"How likely are you to recommend us to a friend?".

Responses were graded on a scale of 1-10, 9s and 10s were deemed 'promoters'.

As I've indicated before, historically I had not been a promoter. Something changed in late 2005, and after reading the article discussed in the last post, I realized that it might be important to identify what caused the change. One of the main reasons, I suspect, is that my kids were a little bit older - Zak at 8, and Rebekah at 2. The park was a place where I felt comfortable enough to let Zak go off on his own and there was enough going on to keep Bekah occupied while I watched the game. People were friendly - fans, security staff, employees, everybody, and genuinely so. Parking was cheap at $3, and concessions were fairly priced.

But that still didn't quite explain the change. I stumbled on this post over on Howard Bloom's blog. Howard is "The Sports Doctor" and the publisher of 'Sports Business News.com'. Here's the edited version:

...Darwin sold the Lynx to Pecor after the 2000 season for $7 million. Pecor owned the Vermont Expos. Pecor’s first (and best) decision was to move Kyle Bostwick his young Vermont general manager to Ottawa. Nine years after Ottawa was awarded a Triple-A franchise not only did the team have a general manager who understood the importance of the game day experience for minor league baseball fans, but Bostwick would be provided the tools he needed to work with. The Lynx had outstanding general mangers each and every year Darwin owned the team. Each general manger faced insurmountable challenges before Pecor took over the team.Determined to ‘get it right’, Boswick introduced a series of game-day promotions, added a family fun zone, reducing the price charged for parking and introduced fan-friendly aggressive ticket pricing and policies. Bostwick wasn’t going to reinvent the wheel, he was going to try and introduce the joy of minor league baseball to a market that had, had a minor league baseball franchise for eight years, but hadn’t been offered the minor league baseball experience... Bostwick hired a full front office staff (another missing element during the Darwin era)... When and if professional baseball returns to Canada’s capital here’s hoping the group entrusted to manage and operate the franchise follows the examples set by Ray Pecor and Kyle Bostwick and ignores the legacy of mismanagement left by the people who brought Triple A baseball to Ottawa in 1993. (Read the entire article here.)

That captured it - the 'minor league baseball experience'. There was just so much stuff going on. Zak wanted to go to the picnic area to play catch with kids he'd just met. Bekah wanted to watch the kids playing musical chairs between innings. Or go down the slide. Or get her face painted. Or get an autograph from Keith Reed. It reminded me a lot of going to a country fair - but this was in the city, 70 some odd nights a year, less expensive and had a much more inviting atmosphere. In this past season alone, we've met the winners of 'The Amazing Race', Dennis Martinez 'El Presidente', and most notably George Shuba (more on that later). My kids have gone trick or treating in July, done 'The Twist' in centrefield, played musical chairs, movie trivia.... On just about every night at the park, I would wind up telling Zak what fantastic event was going to happen at the next game. I began to look forward to coming back.

And that, my friends, is what turned me into a 'promoter'.

Loyalty

Took a look at one of my wife's professional organization's magazines yesterday. The cover story was about "loyalty". Now, anyone who's read what are, generally speaking, trade magazines about professions they're not a part of can tell you that they're usually good for putting you to sleep. This one was different though, and it got me to thinking about the Lynx. They interview a "Loyalty Guru", a Fred Reichheld. I won't bore you with everything in the article, but he makes a distinction between good and bad profits. "Good profits are the kind that are earned as a result of delivering great experiences and value to a customer, turning them into loyal promoters; bad profits are those that are earned at the expense of customer relationships - that milk customer trust. But good and bad profits are indistinguishable from each other on a spreadsheet."

He argues that for that reason, companies need to look at more than financial statements to gauge how they're doing. Customer satisfaction is key - but how do you measure it? He argues that surveys are, for various reasons, not effective. He looked at Enterprise Rent-A-Car's survey - which contained just two questions and was impressed. He wondered if there was one single question "that could lead to information about repurchase and referrals in other industries".. I found that yes, there is one 'ultimate question' for most companies, and it is this:

'How likely are you to recommend us to a friend?'

Apparently, on a scale of one to ten, people who give a company 9-10 are considered "promoters". 0-6 are considered "detractors". "A company's true 'balance sheet' is the percentage of customers who are promoters - the nine and tens - minus the percentage that are detractors... these people hate you; they complain and make your employees embarrassed to work there.... The challenge for good companies is getting more promoters".

I'll post more thoughts on "Loyalty" and how I went from being a 7 or 8, to a promoter, later this evening.

"Excuse me, Mr. Marsters?"

I've always wanted (i.e. hoped, pressed) my son to be polite and respectful. For us, it's important that he refer to adults by their proper name - e.g. Mr. Trembley, and not on a first name basis.

Way back in April, we were at a Tuesday night game - it was in the middle innings and I was out of my seat, off with my daughter somewhere. When I came back, Zak had his ball. The catcher had apparently tossed it to him at the end of the inning. "Where'd you get that?", I asked him. "Brandon Marsters threw it to me after he caught a pop-up!!". His eyes were huge and he was grinning from ear to ear. For the next few innings, I would glance over at him, and I could see him staring off into space with that smile, absent mindedly tossing the ball into his glove over and over. Then he said something which surprised me. "You know what Dad? He smiled at me when I said "thanks"." Up until that point, I thought it was all about the ball, but it was more than that. It was the connection he now had with number 10 - he had picked Zak out of a small crowd, thrown him a ball and then acknowledged him with a smile. From that point on, Mr. Marsters became a special player for the Kiiffners. He would graciously agree to our many autograph requests, and when he couldn't, he would take the time to explain why - "I'm sorry, I have to go warm up with the guys."

For the final game of the season, Mr. Bostwick very kindly delivered a series of pictures and baseball cards we had framed for him, along with a thank you note. By this point, I'm pretty sure he thought we were a bunch of stalkers. My only regret? I didn't take a photo of the picture.

We saw Brandon at the last game on Monday and he thanked Zak for the frame and gave him one of his hats. A class act to be sure. We'll miss him.

We're officially hooked

To: bostwick@ottawalynx.com
Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 7:33 AM
Subject: A great night at the park!
Dear Mr. Bostwick,

I just wanted to pass on a brief note of appreciation for the great night my family had at the park on Tuesday night. My 9 year old son got chosen to participate in the movie trivia contest and caught a ball kindly tossed to him by Brandon Marsters in the fifth or sixth. My soon to be 3 year old daughter made a bunch of new "girlfriends" a few rows down and spent the rest of her time sitting on my lap, munching away on popcorn and a hotdog (my wife wasn't around to supervise the evening's "nutritional" entertainment!). The Lynx staff were very friendly, approachable and, it seemed, always smiling.

I hope the Lynx can continue on in Ottawa; unfortunately I probably am guilty of being one of those fans who've taken it for granted for too long. No longer. I bought two half-season's tickets in the lower level while we were at the game on Tuesday.

Thanks again and my compliments to you and your staff. Best wishes to you and the team during the 2006 campaign.

Yours truly,
Carl Kiiffner.

My shot at the media

I know, I know. I said this would be optimistic, but I've got to get this out of the way. This was a letter I sent on August 27 to the Ottawa Citizen, the Ottawa Sun, CBC Radio and the A-Channel. As far as I know, the Sun was the only member of the media to "publish" it (they edited it pretty heavily), although the Citizen called to say they were considering it.

Here it is:


I am both saddened and disappointed by the news media’s handling of the recent events involving the Ottawa Lynx. For the better part of the last week, print, television and radio have been reporting about the imminent demise of the Triple A ball club. According to these various news outlets and their “sources”, an announcement was to come on August 24. After meeting with the mayor, the public was to have been informed that the Lynx were leaving after the 2007 season.
Unfortunately for the media, the Lynx refused to follow the script. There was no news, no departure date, no folding of the tent as we’d been promised. Rather than reporting what was, ostensibly, “good news”, the majority of the members of the media covering this story opted to parse Mr. Pecor’s and Mr. Bostwick’s words for any grey cloud they could find in the silver lining. Editorials declared that the Lynx had died a long time ago, that Ottawa had passed baseball by. Some even went so far as to imply that Mr. Pecor’s sanity was in question for electing not to move or sell the franchise. In so doing, they have once again missed the story of the Ottawa Lynx. I would like to see, hear or read a story about the absolute wonder expressed in the face of a kid after a player points to them and tosses them a ball. A story about the father and son who can relax at the park, spending time together while they enjoy the beauty of the game, not bound to their seats until a “stoppage in play”, not shouting at each other over deafening music. A story about the impact this team has on the community; the charities it supports, the reading program it developed, the fans it attracts. And if the media opts instead for stories about the cold hard “facts” of the franchise, why not a piece on the contribution this team makes to the bottom line? The number of local employees it pays, the money spent by visiting teams, the rent and taxes it hands over – year upon year?

Were I as cynical and as pessimistic as members of the media I might suggest that the media, having irresponsibly reported (or, misreported) this story for so long, have to save face – they’re not really wrong about the story, you see. They’re just not right - yet. Google “Ottawa” “Lynx” “rumour” and “sold” and see how many hits you get. This is all part of the damage they perpetuate – why would fans come to see a team the media keeps writing off as dead? The prophecy becomes self-fulfilling, albeit with a huge assist going to the reporters.

My nine year old son’s heroes are primarily on the field - the gifted players who can throw, hit and catch a baseball in ways few can imagine. My heroes are those who won’t quit, even when everyone is telling them to. The people who look at 100-1 odds against them, and answer the bell anyway. Mr. Pecor is one of those people. Mr. Bostwick is one of those special individuals, as are the members of the Lynx staff. No matter how many times they’re told “it’s over”, they keep coming back. The irony here, which the media has largely missed, is that Ottawa has had more than its fair share of irresponsible owners; gentlemen who have deceived and/or threatened, usually demanding concessions from the city and their fans before quitting on this town. Mr. Pecor has done none of these things and he certainly hasn’t quit on Ottawa. It’s an embarrassment that Ottawa appears to have done exactly that to him.

I have no solutions for the team and I know that one day the media may be proven correct. However, given the media’s deplorable track record on the subject, I will put my faith in what Mr. Pecor and Mr. Bostwick have to say on the subject of the team’s future. I’ll buy season tickets, show up with my family and enjoy all that this team and its organization have to offer. I hope that they continue to ignore the script.

As a post script, I note that this post bears a resemblance to a post in Steve Warne's blog over on the Team's website. Should anyone care to check, I sent a copy of my letter to the Lynx by email, an hour and a half before Steve's post showed up. "Great" minds think alike.

Full disclosure

As a frequent reader of many political type blogs, I believe in the principle of "full disclosure". In the interest of eliminating any doubt as to where I stand on the issue, I figured I should make my position known in my very first post. I am, quite obviously a fan of the Ottawa Lynx. I am, I suppose, a bigger fan of the organization - from the owner (now, minority owner) Ray Pecor, on down. It is my sincerest hope that this team remains in Ottawa, and I have pledged to do whatever I can to make that happen.

I am a season ticket holder for the 2007 season - the first time in my 38 years that I've held season tickets for anything. For 2006, I bought two 1/2 season tickets and my son and I went to about 75% of those games - we missed a bunch in May and June due to his own baseball schedule. Up until this year, I was probably the worst kind of Lynx fan - the indifferent one. The fan who'd been to games a while ago, went occasionally, but one for whom the team didn't really appear on their radar. In late 2004 I went to a few games with my seven year old son. He'd just started playing softball and was showing some interest in baseball. I decided over the winter of 2004-2005 that I really should "put up" rather than "shut up". Yeah, I wanted the team to stay, so I bought one of those Chum radio ticket deals - I think we got 20 tickets, a hat, and four (?) tickets to opening day. To my great shame, I think we might have used 10 of the tickets. We did, however, show up for the last two games in 2005 and something clicked. My son, Zechariah (aka Zak, Zakky, Zakeroo) was trying like crazy to get a ball - we were sitting behind the Lynx dugout, and I noticed a fan in the middle of row C (section MM), talking to one of the players as he came off the field. The fan was nodding his head, motioning the player towards Zak - the player flipped a ball to Zak. Unfortunately, Zakky got swarmed and didn't catch the ball. The fan looked back at me, shrugged his shoulders and mouthed a sincere "Sorry". Zak was CRUSHED that he didn't get a ball - a ball from the gift shop wasn't the same thing. I promised him we'd be back next year and that we'd get a ball. He ran the bases that final game with a huge grin. Both my kids seemed energized by this place, and I had been struck by the kindness of the stranger who noticed my son and tried to make him happy. Yes, I thought, we'll definitely be back.

I hope that this blog will become a focal point for information about the team, and a place where ideas can be shared. I'm not interested in finger pointing and laying blame; how we got to this point is less important to me than how we get back to where we were. I'd like this blog to be a hopeful, optimistic place, chronicling the next year in this team's life.

Please check back from time to time, and pass the link on to others who may be interested.