The Golden Baseball League, we're told, is behind of the two proposals for an Ottawa Stadium lease.
Here's an intriguing thought: we're told by multiple sources that the independent Golden Baseball League is one of the two baseball operations seeking to put a team in Ottawa Stadium for 2010.
At first glance, Ottawa would seem far afield for the GBL folks; the closest Golden League teams are in Calgary and Edmonton, some 2,100 miles away. And even if the league adds teams in Regina and/or Saskatoon, there's still a distance of 1,700 miles or so.
But Ottawa still has the potential of being a pretty decent market, and Ottawa Stadium is a good facility, if not ridiculously oversized for independent baseball. Given the favorable exchange rate, establishing more teams in Canada would also make sense for the GBL.
Adding Ottawa to the mix would really necessitate adding one or more teams to the region. Trois Rivieres may be a contender; the defunct American Defenders of New Hampshire (independent; Can-Am Association) played a series there in a move widely seen as a tryout for the former affiliated market. People see Montreal as a potential market, though there's not a suitable (i.e., affordable) facility. Welland Sports Stadium and Labatt Park would also seem to be potential homes for teams. So it could be done.
But whether it should be done is the question. If the GBL is asking about the availability of Ottawa Stadium, we're assuming they have some sort of game plan in mind.
RELATED STORIES: City staff recommending Ottawa Stadium stay open
Subscribers to the weekly Ballpark Digest newsletter see features before they're posted to the site. You can sign up for a free subscription at the Newsletter Signup Page.
Join Ballpark Digest on Facebook and on Twitter!