Renegades defunct

I bit my tongue on the Ottawa Renegades fiasco, mostly because I was hoping it would sort itself out and we could just pretend everything was sunshine and roses again. That, obviously, didn't happen, which means I can't really avoid the subject.

Short version: Yeah, I'm disappointed. I liked having a real East Division (one that didn't include Winnipeg), it was nice taking the odd road trip to Ottawa to watch the Argos, and the idea of a 10-team league was appealing.

That being said, to hell with Ottawa. Yeah, I feel bad for the fans there - the remaining diehards, who hadn't seen a winning season since the late '70s. But there's no point going through this whole dance again. It's not much of a sports city, not so much for lack of fans (though you'll recall the Sens couldn't sell out playoff games a couple of years ago) as for lack of community and corporate support. You want another team in the foreseeable future? Go to Halifax, Moncton or Quebec City.

What really concerns me, from a totally Torontocentric perspective, is whether this'll have any impact on the Argos. They've been more visible this off-season than any other I can remember - the city is practically blanketed in Pinball's face at this point. There remains a positive buzz from last season, which saw massive hikes in attendance. If all that momentum gets ceded to weeks of bad press about the team down the 401, we'l really have cause for some Ottawa-bashing.

But honestly, I don't think that'll happen. Maybe I'm being naive, but I think Torontonians have come to recognize that the Argos are something pretty special - not least because it's arguablly the best value for your entertainment dollar in town. I can't imagine that'll change because the crappiest team in the league is no more. If it does, we're as lousy a sports city as Ottawa.