Ottawa Lynx: Joseph Finley and Craig Stein (2006-2008)
This article was written by Steve Rennie
This article was published in From Bytown to the Big Leagues: Ottawa Baseball From 1865 to 2025
In June 2006, news outlets in Pennsylvania reported that American sports entrepreneurs Joseph Finley and Craig Stein had acquired the Lynx as part of a complex farm club exchange between the Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles.1, 2, 3 The news coincided with city officials in Allentown, Pennsylvania giving their approval for the construction of a USD 34-million ballpark, which was scheduled to be completed in time for the 2008 season.4 Both the Lynx and the International League denied the reports of a sale.5
Throughout the 2006 season, the Lynx consistently struggled with the lowest attendance in the league.6 Uncertainty loomed over the team’s future as owner Ray Pecor stated that the Lynx would continue playing in Ottawa for the 2007 season, but he offered no guarantees beyond that. Tensions heightened after a meeting between Pecor and Ottawa mayor Bob Chiarelli on August 24, 2006, to discuss the parking situation at the stadium.7 Pecor vehemently denied reports suggesting that he had informed the city about the Lynx’s impending departure.
He sold the team four days later.8
Under the terms of the deal, Finley and Stein would become majority owners of the team, with Pecor retaining an undisclosed minority stake.9 Although the move to Pennsylvania wasn’t made official until nearly a year later, the ballclub would remain in Ottawa for the 2007 season before moving to the newly built, 7,000-seat stadium in Allentown in 2008 to become the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. The team also signed a two-year deal to become the Phillies farm club after the Orioles ended their affiliation with the Lynx in favor of the Norfolk Tides.10
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 “Phillies make it official, leaving Scranton,” Press Enterprise (Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania), June 11, 2006: 14.
2 Romy Varghese, “Planning unit gives thumbs up to Allentown stadium,” Morning Call (Allentown, Pennsylvania), June 14, 2006: 14.
3 Ray Saul, “ASA softball complex impresses PIAA officials and fans,” Standard-Speaker (Hazleton, Pennsylvania), June 13, 2006: 26.
4 Romy Varghese, “Planners support stadium,” Morning Call, June 14, 2006: 1.
5 Don Campbell, “‘There is no sale agreement,’” Ottawa Citizen, June 13, 2006: 28.
6 Ken Warren, “Lynx need fan ‘miracle,’” Ottawa Citizen, August 25, 2006: 17.
7 Matthew Sekeres, “Lynx sue Ottawa for $10.75M over parking,” Ottawa Citizen, October 18, 2006: 15.
8 Ken Warren and Vito Pilieci, “Lynx are outta here: Team sold, will move to U.S.,” Ottawa Citizen, August 29, 2006: 1.
9 Jay Hart, “Grand slam dunk.” Morning Call, August 29, 2006: 1.
10 Darren Desaulniers, “Lynx affiliation with Phillies hits pitchers,” Ottawa Citizen, September 28, 2006: 21.