Baseball in Ottawa

Read this, because I said so. Also, because Pete Toms wrote it and it's damn good. My New Yorker point of view doesn't allow me to know that some of these things exist. Yeah, I need to get out more.

Is the upcoming 17th consecutive season of professional baseball in Ottawa also the last? Many factors will determine whether professional baseball continues to be played here, including support, municipal politics, the local pro sports landscape, real estate and CanAm League fortunes.

Pete also had this excellent post at The Biz of Baseball about the Rule IV draft that's worth reading if you feel like learning something. If today's not that day, bookmark it and get back to it when you're feeling brainy. A taste:

The past two drafts have seen a trend of small and mid market franchises outspending many larger market franchises. The Rays and Nationals ranked #2 and #5 in dollars spent on signing bonuses in the 07 draft with the Royals and Rangers also in the top 10. The 08 draft saw an increase in this behaviour with the Royals, Rays and Pirates all in the top 4 along with the Giants, Brewers, Rangers, Twins and Indians all in the top 10.

Note: Pete and "brevity" do not belong in the same sentence. Clearly, Pete and Joe Pos came from the same school.