A Summer Bid for Ottawa Stadium

Marketing Breakthroughs CEO Steve Klein and former Ottawa Fat Cats GM Duncan MacDonald have made an unsolicited pitch to the City of Ottawa to manage vacant Ottawa Stadium over the summer and open the space up to youth and amateur ball clubs.  So far, the pair have not received a response from the city.  Read more here.

Fat Cats Given the Boot

With renovations to Ottawa Stadium and a Double-A Eastern League franchise on their way, the Ottawa Fat Cats (Intercounty Baseball League) were told to clear out of the ballpark by midnight Tuesday night.  The team would like to stay and play in 2013 while construction is going on, but it appears the Fat Cats are done.  Read more here.

Ballpark Visit ALERT: Ottawa Stadium (Ottawa, Ontario)

Callum Hughson from MopUpDuty.com visits Ottawa Stadium, home of the semi-professional Ottawa Fat Cats (Intercounty Baseball League).  Read review and view photos here.

Fat Cats Fired Up Over Festival’s Damage to Field

Ottawa Stadium Group, owners of the amateur Ottawa Fat Cats (Intercounty Baseball League), are not happy with the condition of the field at Ottawa Stadium after the two-day Escapade (electronic) Music Festival on Canada Day weekend.  OSG estimates the damage to be $25,000 to $30,000, which they are seeking from event organizers.  Read more here.

Fat Cats Back for 2012, Community Group Launches Double-A Website

The City of Ottawa has worked out a deal for the Ottawa Fat Cats (Intercounty Baseball league) to return to Ottawa Stadium for the 2012 season, while the ballpark is being upgraded for a relocated Double-A Eastern League franchise.  Read more here.  Meanwhile, a community group has launched a new website to help stir interest in season

Fat Cats Seek Solution

Despite the decision by the City of Ottawa to move forward with renovating Ottawa Stadium to accommodate a relocated Double-A Eastern League team in 2013, the Ottawa Fat Cats (Intercounty Baseball League) continue to press city officials to allow them to continue playing at the facility through the 2012 season, while construction is going on.  Read more here.

Committee Approves $5.7 Million for Stadium Upgrades

The City of Ottawa moved closer to bringing Double-A Eastern League ball to Ottawa Stadium, as the council’s finance and economic development committee approved a plan on Thursday that would have the city spend $5.7 million to fix up the ballpark.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the link.

More on Ottawa

As reported earlier, Ottawa has agreed to a tentative deal with Beacon Sports of Boston to bring a Double-A Eastern League franchise, expected to be the Binghamton Mets, to Ottawa Stadium in 2013.  One debate now is whether the Intercounty Baseball League’s Ottawa Fat Cats can play this summer or not.  City staff are recommending

Ottawa Stadium: Let the Bidding Begin

The lease to use Ottawa Stadium, the current home of the semi-pro Ottawa Fat Cats (Intercounty Baseball League), has been put up for bid by the city, which may very well lead to a return of affiliated ball to the capital city.  The bidding process appears to be nothing more than a formality, as Double-A ball remains on deck.  Read more here.

Eastern League Could Be on Way to Ottawa, Fat Cats Willing to Coexist

Chatter continues in Ottawa (ON) that a group called Beacon Sports Capital Partners LLC is interested in buying and relocating a Double-A Eastern League team to the capital city.  The Binghampton Mets have been mentioned as a target.  Ottawa Stadium’s current tenant, the Intercounty Baseball League’s Ottawa Fat Cats, are apparently willing to share the ballpark.

Over 7,000 Show Up to Watch Fat Cats

Saturday night was a big night at Ottawa Baseball Stadium, as 7,355 fans reportedly showed up to watch the Ottawa Fat Cats (Intercounty Baseball League) take on Barrie Baycats.  This bolstered at least one columnist’s case for a return of affiliated ball to Ottawa.  Triple-A or Double-A?  Unlikely, Mr. Gray.  Read more and watch video here.

City to Hold Public Workshops on the Future Ottawa Stadium

The Ottawa City Council has decided to put off any decision about the future of Ottawa Stadium until public input is compiled via three public workshops in the fall.  As you recall, city staff recommended in March that the city convert the 10,000-seat baseball stadium into an outdoor concert venue and sell the main parking lot to developers.  Read more here.

Fat Cats, Councilors Team Up to Bring Pro Ball Back to Ottawa, Report Tabled

Feeling optimistic that Ottawa Stadium can be save for baseball, the Intercounty Baseball League’s Ottawa Fats Cats and City Councilers Bob Monette and Rick Chiarelli are joining forces to try and bring professional baseball back to Ottawa as early as 2013.  Read more here.  On a related note, the 51-page report submitted by city staffers was tabled by the city council on Wednesday in favor of more

Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame CEO Punches Back

Tom Valcke, CEO of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, didn’t like what he read about the report issued by Ottawa city staffers challenging the long-term viability of baseball at Ottawa Stadium.  In response, Valcke fired off a 1,400 word letter to Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson defending baseball in the capital city.  Read more here.

Report Not Good News for Baseball in Ottawa (UPDATED)

No April Fools’ Day prank here.  A report from city staff on the future of Ottawa Stadium does not bode well for the Intercounty Baseball League’s Ottawa Fats cats or any other baseball team for that matter.  The analysis recommends keeping the stadium put, but turning it into a multi-use facility that does not appear to contemplate baseball.  Read more here and here.  In response to this attack on baseball, Fat

Local Business Journal, Councilman Show Support for Fat Cats

In a strong show of support for the Intercounty Baseball League’s Ottawa (ON) Fat Cats, the Ottawa Business Journal has purchased 1,000 season tickets that the publication will use to reward longstanding marketing clients.  In other Fats Cats news, Ottawa City Councilman Bob Monette has promised to champion the fight at city hall to keep baseball alive and well at Ottawa Baseball Stadium.  Read more here.

The Future of Ottawa Baseball Stadium, Soccer Dome

The future of Ottawa (ON) Baseball Stadium, current home of the Intercounty Baseball League’s Ottawa Fats Cats, remains up in the air, as city staffers are working on a report on the ballpark’s future that is expected to be completed in April.  Could the stadium be sold to a developer?  One writer from the Ottawa Citizen newspaper ponders the signals being sent about the stadium’s future in light of the recent

Staff Recommending Short-Term Lease Renewal

With no long-term strategy determined yet for Ottawa Stadium, Ottawa (ON) city staffers are recommending a one-year lease extension with Ottawa Stadium Group (OSG), the owners of the Intercounty Baseball League’s Ottawa Fat Cats.  If approved, $108,000 would be due in full before March 14.  The alternative would be for the city to “mothball” the ballpark for a cost of $77,000. Read more here.

Footbridge to Link Transit to Ottawa Ballpark

It appears that Ottawa Stadium is still being viewed as a valuable asset in the City of Ottawa (ON).  The city is planning to build a $9 million footbridge that would span Highway 417 to link the facility to a transit stop on the city’s east end.  The Ottawa Fat Cats from the Intercounty Baseball League are currently the stadium’s primary tenant.  Read more and view rendering here.

IBL Sued Over Deal with Ottawa Fat Cats

The Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) is being sued by the owners of the IBL’s Oshawa Dodgers Baseball Club, who are claiming that they were working on a deal to sell their team to the Ottawa Stadium Group (OSG), when the IBL interferred and sold OSG an expansion franchise.  The OSG launched the Ottawa Fat Cats last season.  Read more here.

Ottawa Gunning for Affiliated Ball?

The Intercounty Baseball League’s Ottawa Fats Cats are now playing at the stadium in Ottawa, but that isn’t stopping Councilor Rick Chiarelli from talking with the Toronto Blue Jays about hosting one of their affiliated clubs.  Apparently the Blue Jays have not shut the door on the idea.

Fat Cats Cover Rent for 2010, Look to 2011

The Ottawa Fat Cats announced last week that they have paid the full $108,000 stadium rent due to the city for the 2010 season.  The club expects a one-year lease renewal deal to be approved in the next couple of weeks.  At this juncture, we expect the Cats to compete again in the Intercounty Baseball League, but the indy pro Can-Am League has not ruled out a return to the market.  Read more here.

Wolff Still has Eye on Ottawa

This article is a few weeks old, but Miles Wolff still has an interest in bringing Ottawa back into the Can-Am League fold.  Read more here.

Fat Cats Open Large at Ottawa Stadium

The Ottawa Fat Cats, the newest team from the Intercounty Baseball League, opened up their inaugural homestand at Ottawa Stadium last Saturday night with a reported 3,724 in paid attendance.  Read more here.  View photos here.  The reported attendance for Sunday’s double header was 2,363.  As a side note, the Fat Cats paid a $30,000 franchise fee to join the IBL and lease the 10,000-seat former home of the Triple-A Ottawa Lynx for $108,000 per year.  Read more here.

It’s the ‘Ottawa Fat Cats’

Ottawa Stadium Group, the owners of a new Intercounty Baseball League franchise in Ottawa, have unveiled the team’s name and logo.  The team will be known as the “Ottawa Fat Cats.”  Could it be mere coincidence that this introduction occured shortly after Alice in Wonderland hit theaters across North America?  Read more here.  View new website here.