An open letter to the people of Ottawa

The following is from a lengthy article on our AAA ball team, the Lynx, in today's Citizen:

The Lynx hope to be able to call Lynx Stadium Home Sweet Home for the rest of the season. They are 10-14 at home, hampered by low fan support and bad weather.

During their most recent homestand, it rained for nine consecutive days, but miraculously they were able to play all 10 scheduled games. They won four of the 10 games, but all were poorly attended as the wet and cold contributed to keep people away from the stadium.

Only 5,810 fans purchased tickets for the homestand, and far fewer than that actually attended. On the season, the Lynx have drawn just 20,926 fans for the 21 openings, or an average of 996 per game.

The Richmond Braves have the second lowest attendance in the league, but have still drawn 96,981 fans to The Diamond. The Norfolk Tides, who who have by far the worst record in the IL, have drawn nearly 130,000 fans more than the Lynx, while the Indianapolis Indians lead the league with an average attendance of 8,811.

"I think people need to realize here in Ottawa that we are playing hard," says Andy Tracy, who is in his second tour of duty with the Lynx.

"They need to be a little more positive towards our team because it's not like we're out here messing around. It's our job, and we take heart and soul into our job, and a lot of people don't believe that when we're playing.

"There are some good fans out there that come out every night and support us, and I just want them to know that we appreciate it. We play hard and we want fans to support us. We like playing in Ottawa. Guys don't come here and sign for nothing. We love the city, and we're going to win some games."

Now, it's true that the spring weather hasn't been great, but I think the paltry attendance at Lynx games is a sign of something larger that's happening in our city. Last year, the Capital City Beerfest was cancelled. Earlier this year, we lost the Renegades, which hadn't seen a sold-out crowd since probably their first season. And now, we are in danger of losing another uniquely Ottawa entertainment option if more people don't support it.

Even if you aren't a fan of sports, this should concern you. Increasingly, Ottawa is becoming Saint John New Brunswick on the Rideau, as the only thing left to look forward to in summer is Bluesfest, which, despite some rare moments of intrigue, is really nothing more than a Blue Rodeo/Great Big Sea wankfest year after year after year. I have always maintained that this town is more than the sum total of government drones and high-tech nerds but increasingly, I'm losing faith. It's time to get your asses out of the Irish pubs and away from the poker tables because what made this town more than just Kingston is starting to fade away.

For example, just last night, I caught an excellent guitar player who you may have heard of by the name of Wild T at Tucson's. Now I know that he's not at the top of the campus music charts and so is not on the cutting edge of cool these days, but gimme a break. This guy was shredding in front of maybe - MAYBE - 70 people. That is absolutely pathetic.

You may counter by saying that we have the Sens. Well, that option pretty much eliminates itself at the start of May every year, doesn't it?

I always hear that this town sucks in comparison to Montreal. My advice? Don't complain about how boring it is here if all you're doing is taking up space on the bar stool at Darcy McGee's. Here's another suggestion: how about cutting out the pathetic effort to live your life as if you're starring in a beer commercial and instead, broaden your horizons by getting out there and helping to support what few interesting attractions Ottawa has left?

Are we destined to become an overgrown Huntsville, Alabama, or are we going to demand better?

People of Ottawa, the choice is yours.