By Sean Meyer

Is London the kind of city that values loyalty or will it prove to be one that follows opportunity?

While both qualities may sound desirable, city council will have to make a choice one way or another when it meets this Monday (Oct. 3). The choice was created Tuesday (Sept. 27) after the Community and Neighbourhoods Committee voted to support a recommendation that would open the door for a professional independent baseball team to locate itself in the Forest City.

That recommendation, if ultimately accepted by council, would pave the way for a one-year deal between the city and Summit Professional Baseball for a team to play the 2012 Frontier League season out of Labatt Park. It could also spell tough times for the London Majors, the principal tenant of Labatt Park and a fixture in the community for 86 years.

David Martin, president and general manager of Summit Professional Baseball, said he is excited about the opportunity to bring professional baseball to the city. He also said times have changed in the past 10 years since teams like the London Tigers, Werewolves and Monarchs came and went.

“We are really excited about this. There have been changes in the economy and I think that in London the sports market has grown. I think the London sports fan is going to be excited about what we are going to bring to the city,” Martin said. “We are about growing the game, putting bats and balls in kid’s hands. There is enough baseball to go around.”

The one-year deal was supported by the committee after a motion to enter into further negotiations with Summit on a five-year-deal, conditional on further discussions with the Majors, was defeated.

Scott Dart, co-owner of the Majors along with Roop Chanderdat, told the committee during his presentation that adding the Frontier League team would have a devastating effect on the viability of his franchise. Dart said the license agreement between the city and Summit would cost the Majors approximately 50 per cent of the team’s revenue through the lost of field signage while also crippling their fan base and corporate support.

“I feel really disappointed. We will look at ways to survive this. We don’t believe Summit is here for more than a year, “Dart said. “We have a lot of supporters out there. We are looking forward to championing their cause, as well as maintaining the background of the London Majors and keeping them in town and continuing all the good work we do in the community.”

In supporting the Summit recommendation London Mayor Joe Fontana said he didn’t believe the city could ignore an opportunity to grow baseball in the city and that he hoped the two teams would find a way to co-exist.

In voting against the recommendation, Ward 2 Councillor Bill Armstrong said he believed in supporting the loyalty shown over the years by the Majors organization.

“Baseball is a hard sell in this city. I feel we should be supporting Canadian business, a Canadian team and a Canadian league, “Armstrong said. “I think the rest of council should do that as well and I hope over the next few days we hear from Majors fans about how much they enjoy Majors baseball. I hope they get in touch with their councillors and let them know we should be supporting the Majors.”

Dart echoed those sentiments and said he felt that once the one-year deal was over the Summit organization would be heading back to the United States and more financially lucrative opportunities.

“I want our fans to be vocal; be very vocal. This is not a good situation for our fans. This is not a long-term solution to increasing awareness of baseball in London. This is a quick money grab,” Dart said. “We will look at our options. We have a lot of good people who are supporters of ours. We will look for ways to survive this.”

Martin, who told the committee he did first look at different American cities while also exploring possible construction of a ballpark in Clausen, Mich., said Labatt Park was in the back of his mind for years. In fact, Martin said his connection to London goes back to his childhood.

“Several years ago when I first got married, my wife and I had the opportunity to come up to your beautiful city and I fell in love with it. That love affair for me started when I was a child,” Martin said. “My dad would come up here as a concert performer and would do events at Centennial Hall. He would take me across to Joe Kool’s; we would walk through Victoria Park. I always thought it would be a great place to bring professional baseball back to.”