Edmonton Cracker-Cats DOA

[Resolute 14]

Sam Katz is expanding his sporting empire, and has bought the Cracker Cats for $400,000 - way below the $1 million expansion fee paid when the team was created. The very first thing he's done is dump the name. This is actually pretty good news, as there were fears that the club would die out for real, and the loss of either Calgary or Edmonton would likely take the entire Canadian expansion project with it.

Hopefully Katz can rebuild the team, because as bad as the Vipers have been at times, Dan Orlich and company made Calgary's club look like the Yankees. One half of the Northern League's legacy of incompetence in how it handled the Alberta expansion is now dead.

http://www.baseballedmonton.com/

[CrusaderPi]

The only bad thing about this is all my game worn Cracker-Cats gear is virtually worthless... oh, wait. Anyway, the name change will be good for baseball in Edmonton, even though I liked it.

[FlamingLonghorn]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

The very first thing he's done is dump the name.

Ah but I don't think the new name Kracker Katz (an homage to himself) is much better.

[Temporary_User]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

The very first thing he's done is dump the name.

Calgary Cracker-Cats?

[metallicat]

I went to one Cracker Cats game last year, and always planned on going more, but just never got around to it. It was actually good baseball IMO, and a nice way to spend an evening. I'd certainly go again. Hopefully they come back better than ever.

[CrusaderPi]

I'll say this oilers_fan, having worked for Mr. Orlich, it can only get better. I'm not saying baseball is back in Edmonton. But it won't be the ongoing rolling disaster the Dan Orlich and Erica Cruise dropped on Edmonton for the last 4 years. It will be better, because it simply can't be any worse.

[metallicat]

I am pretty sure both Calgary and Edmonton are just now starting to feel the effect of losing AAA ball. At least I am. I wasn't really too young for the Trappers, as I went to a number of games growing up, but I never really took advantage of it either. I don't think AAA will ever be an option in Canada again, but we had something pretty sweet with the Cannons and the Trappers.

[Resolute 14]

We did, and I am mighty pissed at how the Northern League sabotaged baseball in this province. At least the Calgary area is lucky that we had that one year interlude with the CBL to help us rebound. That alone is a major reason why the Calgary Dawgs were a great success in Calgary, and an even larger one in Okotoks. Not having that year really hurt Edmonton, as the talent drop from AAA to the NorL was huge, and with a couple idiots at the helm, was doomed to failure.

But the NorL rushed in with the worst possible owners for both markets. Orlich was a joke, and the chick they had running the team locally was a disaster. In Calgary, we got some Japanese owners who came in with big promises then simply disappeared across the Pacific. They could have had Russ Parker if they let him build the team properly. Instead, we got stuck with Gidney and Young. Now, I admire Gidney's dedication, and he is working damn hard to try and build the Vipers into something, but Young is poison to every sporting enterprise he touches. I'm glad the Vipers are starting to shuffle him into the background a bit.

[wpgflamesfan]

Wait didn't Daryl Katz buy the team? Not Sam Katz, the mayor of winnipeg and owner of the goldeyes

[CrusaderPi]

Daryl Katz did buy the baseball team formerly know as the Cracker-Cats.

And the chick running the team was Orlich's girlfriend. She only came into town with Orlich to make everyone miserable. The people who were actually paid to run the organization (at least for the first 3 years) did their best under baaaad circumstances.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by wpgflamesfan

Wait didn't Daryl Katz buy the team? Not Sam Katz, the mayor of winnipeg and owner of the goldeyes

So used to thinking of Sam when considering baseball team owning Katzes.

[metallicat]

They are now known as the Edmonton Capitals.

[Resolute 14]

Well thats lame.

Though, at least he didn't try calling the team the Trappers to try and steal past history like the WHL team did...

[CrusaderPi]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Well thats lame.

Though, at least he didn't try calling the team the Trappers to try and steal past history like the WHL team did...

Bad news Res, they're sort of named after a turn of the century Edmonton baseball team. And I'd bet a nickle they would have picked Trappers if they could have.

[Resolute 14]

I figured there was some kind of history there... it's the Edmonton way.

Important thing though is that the team is staying put.

[North East Goon]

god I miss the Cannons, took it for granted just like everyone, and now wish I never did.