Bringing Triple-A Baseball to Ottawa

In a reception hall at the Marriott Rancho Las Palmas resort, the mood of the five-member Ottawa delegation might be best described as cautious optimism. Local entrepreneur Howard Darwin stood alongside his son, Jack. Joining them were Ottawa’s deputy mayor, Joan O’Neill, councillor George Kelly, and Don Gamble, the city’s culture and recreation commissioner. Their September 1991 trip to Palm Springs marked the end of a turbulent three-year effort to bring a Triple-A franchise to Ottawa. Now, on the eve of learning their fate, they stood among the movers and shakers of minor-league baseball, awaiting a decision that could reshape the future of the sport in Canada’s capital.

While some at the Friday night reception hosted by the Calgary Cannons considered the following day’s announcement a formality, Darwin—who had invested heavily in bringing Triple-A baseball to Ottawa—held his breath. Nothing was certain until Commissioner Randy Mobley confirmed the news. Despite the lingering uncertainty, Darwin struck a confident note.

“Everything being equal, we’re there,” he told the Ottawa Citizen hours before the announcement. “One guy even welcomed me into the International League. I’m not sure they’ve even decided which league the two teams should play in. But yes, I’m optimistic. When owners from the Pacific Coast League are saying ‘You’re there,’ that’s something.”1

The following day, at noon Ottawa time, the news became official: Professional baseball was back in Ottawa for the first time since the 1950s. But the work to bring a Triple-A franchise to the city had started with a mid-afternoon phone call to an Ottawa jewelry store in the spring of 1988.2

*****

“Howard,” came the unmistakable voice on the other end of the telephone. “Why don’t you come down to my office for a chat?”3

Puzzled, Howard Darwin hung up the phone. In April 1988, calls from Mayor Jim Durrell were not everyday occurrences at Darwin’s west-end jewelry store. As he drove downtown, Darwin’s mind raced. Could the meeting be connected to the lease for the city-owned arena housing his junior hockey team? At City Hall, Durrell surprised Darwin. Baseball, not hockey, was on the agenda. The mayor proposed an unexpected opportunity: owning a Triple-A baseball club in Ottawa. Durrell floated a figure of $1.2 million4, and Darwin promised the mayor he would think about it.5

Darwin spent the next few months mulling the mayor’s offer. Though owning a sports team was already familiar territory, having brought major junior hockey to Ottawa two decades earlier, this opportunity presented a new challenge. The city had not seen professional baseball since the 1954 departure of the International League’s Ottawa Athletics, leaving Darwin to wonder if Ottawa could rally behind a new team.

Others had the same question. At Durrell’s urging in September 1988, Ottawa’s city council tasked officials with scouting potential locations for a Triple-A baseball stadium. The Department of Recreation and Culture came back in January 1989 with a list of eight candidate sites.6

Before that, in the fall of 1988, newspaper reports emerged of an unnamed businessperson—later identified as Darwin—willing to back a Triple-A franchise if the city built a new stadium. Fueling the growing public interest, the mayor’s office announced in late October that a delegation would be sent to baseball’s 1988 Winter Meetings in Atlanta to connect with Triple-A Alliance executives. 7

With the Winter Meetings on the horizon, Darwin emerged as the local investor, stepping into the spotlight to express his interest in purchasing a team. He joined the city’s delegation to Atlanta at his own expense. Undeterred by the rising franchise costs, which now exceeded $1.5 million USD, Darwin remained determined to bring professional baseball to Ottawa. “That’s what we’re going to try to do, dig deeper and see what it might cost to first get a franchise and second, get it here,” he said. “That’s why we’re going.”8

Little did he know that he would get unexpected help from a powerful source.

*****

As Howard Darwin returned to his room at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Atlanta after a late-night dinner with Durrell and Ottawa city officials Don Gamble and Jeff Polowin, the flashing red message light on the telephone grabbed his attention. Darwin had spent the day rubbing elbows with baseball’s power brokers at the Winter Meetings. Over lunch in the Champlain Room of the Marriott Marquis, he and his partners made an impassioned pitch for baseball in Canada’s capital to Triple-A Alliance president Harold Cooper. Now Darwin was eager to get some sleep. He picked up the phone and listened to the message. One of the richest men in Canada wanted Darwin to come up to his suite. Right now.9

As he entered the room, the size of Charles Bronfman’s suite struck Darwin. “I was meeting one of the richest men in the world. The suite was the size of this room,” he would later recount, comparing it to the Assembly Hall at the Ottawa Civic Centre. Waiting for him were the Montreal Expos’ owner himself and two of his most trusted lieutenants: Claude Brochu, the Expos’ president and CEO, and longtime club executive Jim Fanning. Darwin didn’t know it at the time, but the Expos executives had done their homework on him. “Charles did some checking,” Brochu said. “He didn’t know Howard. And everybody he talked to said he was an outstanding citizen and businessman. A man of his word. Ottawa needed our support and we jumped on it.” Brochu and Fanning had already laid the groundwork for Darwin’s pitch before his late-night visit to Bronfman’s suite. “Brochu and Fanning had already talked to Bronfman, suggesting it was a good idea to get Ottawa onside,” Darwin told the Ottawa Citizen. “The Expos were losing a lot of fans in the market to the (Toronto Blue Jays).”10

The Ottawa contingent was encouraged by their reception at the Winter Meetings, which included a second sit-down with Cooper and another meeting with Expos brass that went into the early hours of Monday morning. Montreal, whose affiliation with the Indianapolis Indians was set to run out at the end of the 1990 season, was interested in having a farm team just two hours down the road. “We are so much further ahead for the three days we’ve spent here,” Durrell said at the time. “Really, I don’t think there’s anything more we can do before we get home and start getting some plans laid out.” The city had two options: buy another club and relocate it to Ottawa or secure an expansion franchise. At least one Triple-A owner openly mused about moving his team to Ottawa. “I’d be very interested in relocating our Triple-A team to Ottawa,” said Denver Zephyrs’ owner Dick Becke. But that was a non-starter for Durrell, who was only interested in having an Ottawa-based owner for the prospective team. “I don’t want anything but local ownership,” he said. “Local ownership is there in good times and bad, and that’s what makes it so important.” Those words would ring especially prophetic nearly two decades later.11

Ottawa’s baseball dream was gaining momentum. The city was actively pursuing a Triple-A franchise, and a potential shared facility with another tenant was already on the table. Baseball Canada saw Ottawa as a prime location for a new 10,000-seat stadium and national team training center, given the city’s proximity to the many clubs scattered across the eastern parts of Canada and the United States.12

The search for the new ballclub’s home narrowed down to two options, each presenting significant challenges. The first, a 100-acre swathe of Greenbelt land near Highway 417 and Innes Road in the city’s east end, boasted ample space but suffered from poor accessibility and a lack of nearby amenities. The second, the Rideau River Park site, offered a central location just east of downtown, close to both a bus station and the city’s train station, but faced the daunting task and cost of remediation due to its former use as a city dump. The National Capital Commission (NCC), a federal government agency responsible for planning and development in the capital region, owned both sites. Neither option sparked much excitement.13

A third site instantly captured the public’s imagination: LeBreton Flats. This crown jewel on the banks of the Ottawa River in the shadow of Parliament Hill boasted breathtaking views, historical significance, and ample space for development. LeBreton Flats, however, carried a complex history. Once a thriving working-class neighborhood and industrial hub, it faced significant challenges and was controversially cleared in the 1960s. The NCC-owned parcel of land had long been eyed as a potential location for transformative development. Revitalizing this prime location was a captivating prospect.14

But a baseball stadium was not at the top of NCC Chair Jean Pigott’s list of priorities, as the commission was focused on developing a long-term plan for LeBreton Flats. They were put off by the short notice on which they were being asked to consider the stadium proposal, questioning whether it aligned with their long-term vision for the site. “This (tight timetable) would concern me,” she said in early February 1989, “because we have a lot of long-term thinking to do in that area.”15

Darwin had done a lot of thinking of his own, and in his mind, it was LeBreton or bust. Fresh off three days of talks with Triple-A executives in Oklahoma, where he also kicked the tires on a local team, Darwin eagerly scanned his Saturday newspaper. However, his optimism quickly faded upon reading Pigott’s remarks about LeBreton Flats. “As far as I’m concerned the only site is LeBreton,” he said. “If it’s the 417 site (Hwy. 417 and Blair Road), forget me. In fact, I’m not interested if the park’s not at LeBreton.” Under mounting pressure from some local politicians, Pigott and the NCC left open the possibility of setting aside space for a stadium at LeBreton Flats, contingent on overwhelming public support for the idea.16, 17, 18

The city’s quest for a professional baseball team hit a snag in March 1989 when Darwin’s $5 million (approximately $4 million USD) offer to buy the Oklahoma City 89ers, a Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, and relocate them to Ottawa was rejected. Undeterred, Darwin continued his pursuit. “My approach,” he said during a July 1989 visit to Columbus, Ohio, to meet with Triple-A executives, “is still to get the first team that comes available.”19

Darwin remained optimistic about Ottawa’s chances of becoming a farm club for a potential major-league baseball expansion team. This hope received an unexpected boost when Bob Rich, owner of the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons and leader of that city’s own expansion bid, suggested Ottawa as a potential farm club location if he were awarded a major-league franchise.20

Buoyed by a flurry of reports—including market analyses, estimates of noise levels from potential stadium sites, and studies examining the impact of vehicle traffic at various locations—city officials were optimistic that baseball could thrive in Ottawa. “It is the conclusion that there is a strong potential market,” noted a November 1989 report. “If a quality product was delivered, the area is quite capable of filling a 10,000-seat stadium occasionally and could realistically average at least 50 per cent attendance. In fact, the survey evidence suggests that a 10,000-seat stadium may not be capable of meeting all demand for some dates.”21

Despite these positive findings, the report ruled out LeBreton Flats as a potential stadium location, favoring instead two alternate sites near the downtown core: Rideau River Park to the east and Bayview Yards to the west. Officials deemed Rideau River Park easier to develop due to its proximity to transit, but it required expensive remediation. Bayview Yards, while more complex, was less expensive and enjoyed greater public support. “Both sites can successfully accommodate a multi-purpose recreational complex,” the report said, “however given the costs implications and public reaction to date, the Department recommends the City pursue Bayview as a primary site to be developed.”22

Ottawa’s dream of a minor-league baseball team was shattered as city council narrowly voted down the Bayview Yards stadium proposal, 9–7. The $4-million city contribution towards the $15.9-million project proved a sticking point for the opposing council members. Disappointment hung heavy in the air as the mayor slumped in his chair, absorbing the final vote. He quietly excused himself after a long moment of contemplation. News of the rejection reached Darwin in Nashville, where he was attending baseball’s Winter Meetings. His reaction was one of profound disappointment. He emphasized that Ottawa, contingent on a stadium plan, was the top choice for minor league expansion. “At noon I had a franchise,” Darwin lamented. “We were first on the list … either International League or American Association. We had met all the criteria. Then this. I can’t believe it.”23

Exhausted and fed up, Darwin walked away.

“It’s done and I’m done – that’s all there is to it,” he vented. “Now I just want to get on with life and forget it ever happened. Naturally, it was all a big waste of time.”24

Undeterred by Ottawa’s rejection, regional officials in surrounding areas stepped forward to keep the dream of minor league baseball alive. In the weeks that followed, they began exploring ways to bring a team to the Ottawa area, some even contacting Darwin directly to gauge his interest. However, the recent setback had dampened his enthusiasm. “People are calling me and saying, ‘We can’t let this thing die,’ but it is up to somebody to pick up the ball and bring up something concrete,” he said in early 1990. “Right now, I am taking a sabbatical.”25

*****

The March wind whistled around the car as mayor Jim Durrell’s driver, Lenny Cregan, who went by the nickname “Snake,” expertly navigated the Vanier Parkway. Durrell, lost in thought after a meeting in the city’s east end, gazed out the window, his attention drawn to a sprawling 18-acre plot across from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police complex. It was nothing but a snow dump, a barren patch within the urban landscape. But to the mayor, it was potential, a canvas waiting to be painted. “Snake,” he said, his voice breaking the silence, “There’s the perfect place for a baseball stadium.”26

Intrigued by the possibility, the mayor wasted no time in directing his staff to find out who owned the Coventry Road property. Their investigation revealed that it belonged to the Department of Public Works. In March 1990, the city quietly initiated talks with their federal counterparts to buy the land, although at the time neither level of government would say anything publicly.27

Darwin, too, was slowly getting back in the fold. That spring, he endorsed a ballpark on Coventry Road during a site tour. “A ball stadium here would be a lot better than that,” he said, gesturing at the mounds of melting snow. But he was hesitant to fully recommit, insisting on a firm commitment from the city to build a ballpark before once again throwing his weight behind the project.28

While negotiations with the federal government continued through spring, city officials unveiled plans for a gleaming new 10,000-seat stadium at a public meeting in the Overbrook neighborhood, slated to be the ballpark’s future home. The proposed stadium at the Coventry Road site came with an estimated price tag of $21 million. As a condition of the sale, the city agreed to take responsibility for some roads owned by the federal government, at a cost of around $10.7 million in repair costs and another $550,000 a year in maintenance.29

Triple-A Alliance commissioner Randy Mobley flew to Ottawa in late June of 1990 at Darwin’s behest, aiming to bolster support before the pivotal stadium vote. Noting the league’s “extreme interest” in the city as a potential home for an expansion franchise, Mobley struck a chord with Ottawa city councillors, who voted 13–2 a week later to spend $800,000 on a feasibility study for the Coventry Road stadium and to start raising millions of dollars from corporate backers. Energized by this victory, Darwin set off for Las Vegas in early July. The Triple-A All-Star game awaited, along with a crucial series of meetings with league executives aimed at solidifying Ottawa’s position for a future expansion bid.30

Darwin, who had previously explored relocating an existing team to Ottawa, now shifted his focus to securing an expansion franchise. He flat out rejected the idea of buying the Denver Zephyrs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. Instead, he spent his summer meticulously preparing Ottawa’s 70-page application for a new Triple-A franchise.31

Corporate sponsors like Labatt’s Breweries of Canada emerged, expressing interest in the prospective team. Momentum for Ottawa’s bid grew as Darwin, eager to secure the franchise, submitted his application ahead of the competition.32 However, Darwin’s confidence took a hit when he discovered how many other cities and groups had also applied, each shelling out the non-refundable $5,000 (USD) application fee. “I’m surprised. No, I’m shocked there’s that many,” he said. “I figured there’d be no more than half that many.” With a total of 19 competitors in the running, including Ottawa, Darwin now faced an anxious wait until November to learn if the city’s bid would be shortlisted for expansion.33

*****

The Triple-A executives around the table in the Ramada O’Hara conference room in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois, fell silent as the video on the screen flickered to life. On the Ottawa side, the five-person delegation held their collective breath. This was it; the culmination of nearly two years of work and more than $100,000 out of Darwin’s bank account. The video opened with a familiar face. Ottawa’s own Doug Frobel, the local boy whose legendary swing once terrorized major-league pitchers, stood on his front porch. For the next six minutes, he took the power brokers of Triple-A baseball on a tour of his hometown, from his childhood stomping grounds in the City View neighborhood to the iconic Museum of Civilization, and finally, the promised land: the proposed stadium site on Coventry Road. Darwin, Durrell, and city recreation commissioner Don Gamble fielded questions from the expansion committee for the next half hour. The stadium, naturally, dominated the discussion. But Ottawa’s pitch had resonated with the committee. “The Ottawa bid was very impressive,” committee chair Larry Schmittou said afterwards. “I think if it relied upon the mayor to build a stadium, he’d be out there tomorrow with a shovel.”34

Darwin did not waste a second back in Ottawa. He set out to raise $5 million from private investors by April 1— about two months before a crucial visit by Triple-A executives. Darwin knew a well-funded local effort would send a powerful message. He also aimed to rally the community. He offered season tickets to Ottawa’s anticipated Triple-A club, available through the purchase of $25 pledges. The response was immediate. Within three days, he had sold more than 2,000 pledges. To top it all off, all 20 of the stadium’s private suites were leased within days, each for a full five years at $18,000 a year. It was a clear sign: Ottawa was hungry for Triple-A baseball, and Darwin was proving he had the city firmly behind him.35

The Triple-A expansion committee whittled down the hopeful cities vying for a franchise. By early April, the field had narrowed to nine: Ottawa; Annapolis, Maryland; South Bend, Indiana; Memphis, Tennessee; Jacksonville, Florida; Quad Cities, Illinois/Iowa; Birmingham, Alabama; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Tulsa, Oklahoma.36

Ottawa’s bid for the Triple-A team hit a snag when city staff revealed the need for unforeseen infrastructure upgrades. Widening roads and improving sewers around the stadium could cost an additional $3 million. This unexpected expense sparked concern among city politicians, with some voicing strong opposition to taking on the extra financial burden.37

In a surprising shift, Darwin reversed course. Having recently dismissed the Toronto Blue Jays’ Triple-A affiliate, the Syracuse Chiefs, he now set his sights on the Omaha Royals of the American Association. This move strayed from his initial focus on securing an expansion franchise. However, with the blessing of Triple-A Alliance commissioner Mobley, Darwin could pursue both options: Omaha and Ottawa’s expansion bid.38

On May 31, 1991, the Triple-A expansion committee, led by chair Larry Schmittou, arrived in Ottawa. Their key concern was Ottawa’s ability to finance the proposed $21.6-million stadium. Weeks later, a significant boost came from Eastern Beverages, a division of Pepsi-Cola Canada Ltd. They secured the official soft drink sponsorship for the stadium, contributing $800,000.39

The Triple-A expansion committee narrowed the field further, selecting Ottawa as one of its final five candidates. The other contenders included Bowie, Maryland (formerly Annapolis), Birmingham, Charlotte, and Tulsa. Darwin focused on securing financing for the stadium project. The city agreed to sell part of the Coventry Road site, generating roughly $4 million in revenue. Additionally, sales of luxury boxes and in-park advertising added over $5 million (Canadian). Darwin himself committed to repaying $4 million over 15 years. Further revenue was expected from scoreboard advertising and stadium naming rights, potentially bringing in another $2 million.40

The final hurdle for stadium construction remained: securing the Ontario government’s $4-million contribution. With a deadline set by Triple-A for Ottawa to confirm construction by August 15, time was of the essence. However, a week before the deadline, the province announced a change in its contribution. Instead of a grant, it would be a loan, requiring Ottawa to repay the funds. This unexpected shift in financial responsibility threatened the viability of the bid. Faced with the revised terms, the city scrambled to adjust the stadium plan within a tight timeframe. Ottawa met the deadline by submitting a revised proposal for an $18-million ballpark. While this scaled-down version met the construction requirement, and won enough votes on city council to go ahead, it fell short of Triple-A’s initial expectations, casting some doubt on the success of Ottawa’s bid. “We sold the (expansion) committee on one stadium,” Darwin said. “They were very pleased with it. And now we’ve gone and changed the rules. In effect, we sold them a bill of goods. I don’t like it.” An air of uncertainty hung over Ottawa’s delegation as they boarded the long flight to Palm Springs to meet the 26 Triple-A owners who would determine the fate of professional baseball in Canada’s capital. Would the scaled-down stadium proposal be the difference between Ottawa’s dream becoming reality and another city dashing their hopes?41

In the end, the stadium issue proved not insurmountable enough to derail Ottawa’s bid for a Triple-A baseball franchise. Outside the Marriott Rancho Las Palmas, a wave of relief and triumph washed over Howard Darwin. A wide grin stretched across his face as he raised a toast with fellow delegation members Jack Darwin, Don Gamble, George Kelly, and Joan O’Neil. Reflecting later, Darwin acknowledged the day had been a rollercoaster. Yet, a deeper sense of vindication settled over him. “It was emotion more than excitement,” he said. “I said all along if somebody could convince me Triple-A baseball was bad for Ottawa, I’d step aside and call it quits. No one did.”42

STEVE RENNIE is a former journalist now working in the Canadian government. He grew up in the village of Osgoode, which is now part of the city, and got to see the Ottawa Lynx in their heyday. His baseball writing includes articles for the SABR Team Ownership Histories Project and an upcoming piece on the short-lived Eastern International League of 1888. In the spring of 2024, he presented on Ottawa’s early baseball history at the Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference in Cooperstown, New York. He is the president of SABR’s Ottawa-Gatineau and Eastern Ontario chapter.He has a particular interest in nineteenth-century baseball in Canada and enjoys unearthing forgotten games and teams from the sport’s early history for the Centre for Canadian Baseball Research and Protoball. He lives in Ottawa with his wife Joanna and their two children.

 

NOTES

1 Don Campbell, “Ottawa Bid Seems Assured,” Ottawa Citizen, September 28, 1991: 33.

2 Don Campbell, “Baseball Is Back: Howard Darwin’s Triple-A Field of Dreams Becomes Reality,” Ottawa Citizen, September 29, 1991: 1.

3 Jeff Darwin, The Ten Count: Howard Darwin’s Remarkable Life in Ottawa (Ottawa: Jeff Darwin, 2015), 115.

4 All amounts quoted are in Canadian dollars except where noted.

5 Darwin, 115–116; Howie Mooney, “The Lynx That We Will Go To,” Fired Up Network, April 17, 2022. Accessed March 6, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20220910164140/https://firedupnetwork.ca/Features/Baseball/THE-LYNX-THAT-WE-WILL-GO-TO

6 City of Ottawa. Department of Recreation and Culture. Triple “A” Baseball: Market Study, Detailed Site Analysis, Costs and Financial Strategy (Ottawa: The Department, 1989), 8.

7 Don Campbell, “Ottawa Making First Pitch for Pro Baseball Franchise,” Ottawa Citizen, September 30, 1988: 65; Don Campbell, “City to Push for Triple-A Franchise at Winter Meetings,” Ottawa Citizen, October 29, 1988: 83.

8 Don Campbell, “Darwin’s Theory has Triple-A Baseball in Ottawa,” Ottawa Citizen, December 3, 1988: 97.

9 Wayne Scanlan, “Darwin’s Dream Becoming a Reality,” Ottawa Citizen, September 23, 1992: 39; Don Campbell, “Triple A Pitch Strikes the Right Note,” Ottawa Citizen, December 5, 1988: 19.

10 “Darwin’s Dream Becoming a Reality.”

11 Don Campbell, “Two Baseball Clubs Eye Ottawa as Triple-A Site,” Ottawa Citizen, December 6, 1988: 51; “Triple A Pitch Strikes the Right Note.”

12 Don Campbell, “Interest in Proposed Baseball Stadium as National Training Base,” Ottawa Citizen, January 19, 1989: 44.

13 Jack Aubry, “Ottawa Urged to Look at 2 Sites for Ball Stadium,” Ottawa Citizen, January 21, 1989: 8.

14 Don Campbell, “LeBreton Flats to be Pitched as Stadium Site,” Ottawa Citizen, February 1, 1989: 19.

15 Wendy Smith, “Pigott Tags Out Flats as Site for Triple-A Ball Stadium,” Ottawa Citizen, February 4, 1989: 9.

16 Lynn McAuley, “Will Ottawa Strike Out?” Ottawa Citizen, February 7, 1989: 47.

17 Doug Yonson and Jack Aubry, “Pigott Might Reconsider LeBreton Ballpark Stand,” Ottawa Citizen, March 1, 1989: 35.

18 Jack Aubry and Ron Eade, “2 Flats Plans Have Space for Ball Stadium,” Ottawa Citizen, April 5, 1989: 17.

19 Don Campbell, “Darwin Offers $5M for Triple-A Club,” Ottawa Citizen, March 8, 1989: 21; Don Campbell. “Triple-A Bid Rejected, Darwin Still Looking,” Ottawa Citizen, April 10, 1989: 44; Don Campbell. “Head-Start Expansion Plan Buoys Ottawa Hopes,” Ottawa Citizen, July 12, 1989: 65.

20 “Head-Start Expansion Plan Buoys Ottawa Hopes”; Don Campbell, “Ottawa Appeals to Buffalo Rich,” Ottawa Citizen, July 14, 1989: 53.

21 City of Ottawa. Department of Recreation and Culture. Triple “A” Baseball: Market Study, Detailed Site Analysis, Costs and Financial Strategy (Ottawa: The Department, 1989), 8.

22 City of Ottawa. Department of Recreation and Culture. Triple “A” Baseball: Market Study, Detailed Site Analysis, Costs and Financial Strategy (Ottawa: The Department, 1989), 3–7.

23 Jack Aubry, “Council Split on Bayview for Ballpark,” Ottawa Citizen, November 24, 1989: 29: Ron Eade and Don Campbell, “Struck Out: Council Rejects Ballpark Study,” Ottawa Citizen, December 7, 1989: 1; John MacKinnon, “A Dream Dies a Painful Death,” Ottawa Citizen, December 7, 1989: 57.

24 Don Campbell, “Darwin: ‘I’m Done,’ Baseball Backer Dejectedly Quits Chasing Team” Ottawa Citizen, December 21, 1989: 35.

25 Carrie Buchanan, “Nepean Eyes Triple-A Ball,” Ottawa Citizen, December 23, 1989: 17; Anne Tolson, Carrie Buchanan, and Doug Yonson, “Baseball Gains at Region,” Ottawa Citizen, January 11, 1990: 25.

26 Darwin, 117.

27 Ron Eade, “East-End Site Being Eyed for Ballpark?” Ottawa Citizen, March 15, 1990: 15.

28 Ron Eade, “Snow Dump Top Ball Site,” Ottawa Citizen, April 7, 1990: 17.

29 Jack Aubry, “Stadium Could Cost $21M,” Ottawa Citizen, June 19, 1990: 17; Doug Yonson, “Ball Site Deal Close: Officials,” Ottawa Citizen, June 23, 1990: 20; Ron Eade, “Triple-A Plans Need Probe, Says Resident,” Ottawa Citizen, July 11, 1990: 33.

30 Don Campbell, “Triple-A Official Checks Out Site,” Ottawa Citizen, June 27, 1990: 27; Jack Aubry, “Stadium Approval Appears Assured,” Ottawa Citizen, June 28, 1990: 1; Don Campbell, “Howard Darwin Happy with His Triple-A Field of Dreams,” Ottawa Citizen, June 28, 1990: 29; Don Campbell, “Darwin’s Field of Dreams,” Ottawa Citizen, July 5, 1990: 28.

31 Don Campbell, “Zephyrs Don’t Interest Darwin,” Ottawa Citizen, July 19, 1990: 30; Don Campbell, “Ottawa’s Triple-A Bid Outraces Opposition,” Ottawa Citizen, September 13, 1990: 43.

32 Doug Kelly, “Labatt’s May Back Triple-A Team,” Ottawa Citizen, July 24, 1990: 45; “Ottawa’s Triple-A Bid Outraces Opposition.”

33 Don Campbell, “19 Bids for Triple-A Franchises Shock Darwin,” Ottawa Citizen, September 18, 1990: 69.

34 Don Campbell, “Darwin Strides to the Plate,” Ottawa Citizen, November 13, 1990: 47; Don Campbell, “Lack of Stadium Main Drawback in Triple-A Pitch,” Ottawa Citizen, November 16, 1990: 30.

35 Wayne Scanlan, “Darwin’s Still in There Swinging,” Ottawa Citizen, February 3, 1991: 20; “Darwin’s Still in There Swinging”; Ron Eade, “Darwin Will Sell Triple-A Coupons,” Ottawa Citizen, January 29, 1991: 21; Don Campbell, “Triple-A Pledges Pour In,” Ottawa Citizen, February 12, 1991: 33; Tom Spears, “Suites for Proposed Stadium Are Leased,” Ottawa Citizen, March 17, 1991: 25.

36 Don Campbell, “Ottawa Bid for Triple-A Survives Cut.” Ottawa Citizen, April 2, 1991: 44.

37 Ron Eade, “Triple-A Stadium Costs May Rise,” Ottawa Citizen, April 9, 1991: 33; Ron Eade, “Public Costs for Stadium Anger Aldermen,” Ottawa Citizen, April 10, 1991: 25.

38 Don Campbell, “Darwin Committed to Expansion,” Ottawa Citizen, April 12, 1991: 19; Don Campbell, “Darwin Taking 2nd Look at Buying Omaha Royals,” Ottawa Citizen, April 19, 1991: 60.

39 Don Campbell, “Triple-A Officials to Visit Ottawa,” Ottawa Citizen, April 30, 1991: 50; Martin Cleary and Ron Eade, “Triple-A Bid Needs Bucks,” Ottawa Citizen, June 1, 1991: 49.

40 Don Campbell, “Ottawa Bid One of Final 5 for Triple-A,” Ottawa Citizen, June 25, 1991: 21; Tom Casey, “Darwin Confident Ottawa Bid Will Result in Triple-A Franchise,” Ottawa Citizen, July 16, 1991: 48.

41 “Darwin Confident Ottawa Bid Will Result in Triple-A Franchise”; Ron Eade, “Baseball Franchise in Jeopardy,” Ottawa Citizen, August 9, 1991: 1; Ron Eade, “Ottawa Likely to Scale Down Ballpark Plans,” Ottawa Citizen, August 15, 1991: 1; Wayne Scanlan, “Committee to Reassess Ottawa Bid,” Ottawa Citizen, August 16, 1991: 25; Don Campbell, “Darwin Tripped Up On Way Home,” Ottawa Citizen, September 19, 1991: 32.

42 Campbell, “Baseball Is Back: Howard Darwin’s Triple-A Field of Dreams Becomes Reality.”