The Ottawa Citizen from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • 21

BEST AVAILABLE COPY Su(JREBOAKDB7 1 HuJ I ccmnM IPS i. a jw- -jml. j- ion ir- 1 kN DUiiiNtDiBiu LW i yjy U. V.LJL PAGES B1-B18 SfiB '2)D(oJ GOT Cycling races bigger, better By Karen Lauriston Citizen staff writer LYNN McAULEY Citizen Staff ISP They had averaged just over 1,000 over their first six home games. The Intrepid almost folded before the CSL season began, but were saved when investors pledged $100,000 to keep the team afloat.

But the problems reoccurred when many of the pledges did not come through. D'Amico said the money is guaranteed this time. Ottawa has never been kind to professional soccer. The club's predecessor, the National Capital Pioneers, were managed into bankruptcy, only to be resurrected as the Intrepid by the Ottawa Professional Soccer Society and the Canadian Soccer League. The Intrepid have been financially strapped almost from their inception, selling off sweeper John Limniatus last year for $40,000, then failing to make it to the playoffs.

A carryover debt of $90,000 from 1988 almost shut down the team before it began t's getting easier," Alain Parent is saying. "They know now the In an eleventh-hour decision, the Ottawa Intrepid management decided not to fold the financially troubled Canadian Soccer League franchise Wednesday night General manager Tom D'Amico said the club's 17-member board of directors had met their Wednesday night deadline, raising enough money through sponsors and donations to "take us to the end of the season." Team officials said Tuesday they were considering selling their two best players player-coach Paul James and leading scorer Ted Eck for a much-needed cash infusion. Offers made for the players from other CSL franchises were presented to the board, along with the recommendation not to sell them, said D'Amico. Intrepid president Rob Wilson said: "It was a tough sell, especially to Paul James. We had to guarantee to him we had the funds to pay the players.

"Paul was most worried about his players but I think he left here happy." D'Amico, who would not reveal names of the sponsors, also declined to say how far in debt the club had sunk. He did say that Jose Perez of Perez Corporation, which buoyed the team with a recent $60,000 support package, has continued to help. "The funds have come through and now we're looking forward to making the playoffs," said D'Amico. "But contingency plans are in place if fan turnout is low. "We're no longer going to rely on the gate." Earlier this year, the club said they would need to draw an average of 2,200 fans a game to break even.

this year. D'Amico said the team has been surviving week by week. During its recent road trip to North York, Toronto and Hamilton, players were driven to the games, and then back to Ottawa to save on hotel bills. They lost all three games. occer ame season of struggle Plenty of spirit, but money needed to keep club going By Karen Lauriston Citizen staff writer I i 1 around for awhile." James said unlike the Montreal Supra, whose players are not being paid at all, most of the Ottawa players come from outside the city and are unable to live with their families to reduce costs.

Many are saving to go to school, he said, while for others, soccer is their living. James, who said he planned to settle in Ottawa, has the option of playing for other teams. The Steelers and Toronto Blizzard, in particular, are interested in buying his rights. But killing the club would end the chances of many local players playing professional soccer. "I could have made just as much money staying in Hamilton and playing for the Steelers," said James.

"But the players I feel I've let them down, especially the local players." Before the practice began, D'Amico came onto the field to speak to both James and the players, telling them he would try to protect them at the board of directors' meeting Wednesday night. Neither James nor D'Amico have a vote on the board. James said he and D'Amico differ on a key point the selling of striker Ted Eck, second highest scorer in the Canadian Soccer League. With Eck gone and James gone, chances are Ottawa would finish at the bottom of the league, bringing the marketability of all the Intrepid players down with it. "Let's face it," said James, "teams don't want too many players from a losing team.

"I didn't want to start bringing players to the team who were personal friends when there was a chance they wouldn't be paid." D'Amico said he told James before Monday's game against Victoria he was thinking of selling him. James immediately told the team. Other than D'Amico, James said he was not warned by anyone else in management about the problems. "I came here with the belief this was a solid club. Going on the past, you wouldn't think that, but I was under the impression things had changed." For two hours on Wednesday, Paul James forgot the troubles of the Ottawa Intrepid as he joined his team on the field for soccer practice.

But his peace of mind was cut short by the end of practice. Quietly the players filed to their cars, leaving James alone on the edge of the field. With more spirit than money, he has made the Ottawa Intrepid a competitive; team, a team whose management was" now trying to sell him in a desperate attempt to avoid going bankrupt. "I've always wanted to be a coach," said James, a former national team player who left his playing job with the Hamilton Steelers to act as player-coach for the Intrepid. "I do love the game.

I love the game but the important thing to me is looking after my players. If that means taking a pay cut or being sold, I'd do it." But even a pay cut from James, who commands a salary of little more than $20,000, a pittance even for the CSL, would not go far to save the Intrepid, which needed an estimated $90,000 to finish the season. James said two of his players approached general manager Tom D'Amico offering to have their sal-aries chopped. Jaines said he refused to let this happen" "I'm willing to take a pay cut but I let any of the players take pay cutsI'Pay cuts are no way to run a club anylw." ''ttiave never said this before, but a lot! Sf players from last year are not herebecause I could not afford to pay. thenj; I had no choice." He cited keeper Don Ferguson and national team player Gerry Gray as ex- reputation of the Hull races.

They know it's a quality organization with a quality field and a good course. It's getting easier, but it's not for free." Over seven years, Parent has seen the Hull International Cycling Festival grow from a series of races and tours for local cyclists and aspiring competitive riders to its current incarnation as one of only six internationally sanctioned races in the country, attracting some of the best amateur teams in the world. Easy, says Parent, but not free. Attendance has grown from a few thousand that first year to 50,000 for last year's 10-day festival. They expect some 70,000 to attend this year's festivities Aug.

5-13. "It keeps getting bigger and we keep trying to make it bigger by attracting the-best teams we can," says Parent. "Cer- I-tainly, this year will have the best field we've ever had. The team from France, a (men's) junior team, is the best in the world." A Soviet team will be the first from that country to compete in North Ameri-' ca and will feature a world champion in the 100-kilometre team time trial in 1986 and 1987 and the 1987 silver medallist in the team pursuit. The Soviet's attendance is something of a coup for the Hull organizers who approached the Soviet sports minister last winter when he accompanied the Soviet speedskaters who competed in "He was very taken by the National Capital," says Parent, "and had no problem allowing the cyclists to come." That was the easy part.

"Except that we had to pay their expenses." That's the part that wasn't free. The race's organizers have to pay plane fare, hotel costs and meals for the five-man team and three team officials. And while Parent won't say exactly what it's costing he says it's up near $20,000. The festival must also cover some costs an average of $6,000 for the other teams: senior men's teams from the U.S., New Zealand and West Germany and junior teams from Italy, France, Holland and Belgium, as well as teams from Canada. "We could get, for example, the team from Guyana or from India for free but those aren't the best teams in the world, so we pay some costs," says Parent.

"We want to offer the best to the people in the National Capital and the people here will recognize this, cycling is a very big sport in this area. They know the races are spectacular." The Hull festival's international races a time trial, road race and criterium scheduled for Aug. 5 and 6 have grown in size and prestige in much the same way that cycling has grown straight across the country. Lister Farrar, technical director for the Canadian Cycling Association, says the sport has simply exploded in popularity from about 2,000 registered (competitive) cyclists in 1983 to more than 7,000 this year, not including some 5,000 to 10,000 novice riders. In 1983, there were less than 10 events on the national calendar and now thee are 50, not counting the 30 to 80 races held in every province.

These days the Tour de France is a staple for sports fans and instead of stars from France or Italy or Spain, North Americans can rally behind Greg Le-Mond, and Canadians Steve Bauer and Alex Stieda, who ride on a road paved by Jocelyn Lovell and Gordon Singleton. You have seen them on the roads, the parkway, the bike paths. You probably have seen the Ottawa Bicycle Club's Thursday night time trials or the Wednesday night races near Gatineau Park. And to know that the National Capital is one of the hot spots for cycling in the country, you don't have to own a pair of black Spandex knee-length shorts color panel optional although you probably do. Naturally, the sport's increased popularity corresponds to increased sponsor-'' ships, and cycling, with its appeal as a highly competitive spectator sport as well as its high participation, has sponsors smacking their lips.

In 1987, national team sponsorships totalled $15,000 to $20,000 and in one year grew to $100,000 and went up another 50 per cent this year and this doesn't Include the many services supplied by bike manufacturers. Canadian Tire thinks cycling has so many marketing possibilities that it is slowly tunneling money from its Formula One spoasorships toward cycling races. Still, Parent says costs to stage a world-class festival such as Hull's can climb faster than money can flow from sponsors. Last year, race organizers lost money and they really don't know what to expect this year. "It's a gamble," says Parent.

"But we know that people want to see such races, we know they want to see the best. And, as I said, It gets easier to get the best." And In the summertime, (he living is only easy. No one said anything about free. John Major, Citizen Paul James and GM Tom D'Amico talk Wednesday at practice amples. to get players to come here.

I had to "There were other players who did get Miroslaw Piekos to give up his job not want to come back to Ottawa be- and come here. I led him to believe it cause it was so unstable. It's very hard was a good club that was going to be Darwin shocked to find Oklahoma 89'ers sold By pon Campbell Citizsn. staff writer "Just like I was then, I'm sorry I didn't get the team. But I never tried nor would I to hide the fact that I wanted to move the team out of there.

"Back to when the Hamptons rejected my offer, I thought the club had been or would be sold to George Bush's son. He was buying Texas (Rangers) about then and I thought he'd be the one to get it. Now I wonder if they were talking to these people all along." While the Hamptons pledged they would do everything to keep the team in Oklahoma City, the new buyers are a pair of merchant bankers and brokers from New York City, fronted by onetime New York Yankee centre-fielder Bobby Murcer. Murcer, a native and resident of Oklahoma City, was once touted as the next Mickey Mantle. "Thinking back, the Hamptons took us to a banquet when we were down there and Murcer was the guest speaker," said Darwin, who travelled to Oklahoma City in March to study the club's books, along with lawyer Larry Kelly.

now appears that when Murcer learned the 89'ers were for sale, he contacted Marvin Goldklang and Jeffrey Lorla of New York City. The group had become friends during Murccr's playing career and it was the pair who ultimately came up with the necessary money. Just how their offer compared to Darwin's, no one is saying. It's unlikely, however, it's as much as the $4 million Ploase soe OARWINB3 ft COLUMBUS, Ohio For several weeks this past spring, Howard Darwin assumed he'd be among the first to know of any change in the ownership of the Oklahoma City 89'ers. In fact, after offering $4 million U.S.

for the 89'ers in March (with the hopes of moving the team to Ottawa for the 1991 season), Darwin was confident he'd be about second behind the current owners Bing and Patty Hampton in learning of the team's sale. But things never did quite work out on Darwin's offer. Citing public pressure to keep the team in Oklahoma City, the Hampton's rejected the bid. In an odd twist of fate, Darwin still wound up among the first to learn the Hamptons had sold the 89'ers, although three months later than he anticipated. Darwin was on his way into the Triple-A Alliance all-star luncheon Wednesday when he ran across Patty Hampton.

Her first words were: "Howard, how are you? I'd like you to meet the new owner of our ball club." All this about IS minutes after the Hamptons had Informed the American Association of the sale. Darwin's response was as expected, one of shock. "i don't know exactly how I foci it's a surprise," said Darwin. "I'm not sure if I'm mad or not OP pnolo Too confident, too soon Toronto's Gill Fenerty hoists Lorenzo Graham who flashes the No. 1 sign after a touchdown.

But the rgos' celebrations in the CFL asa-son opener were premature as they lost to Hamilton. Ploase soe RELATED STORIESB3.