Can-Am baseball league takes over Ottawa Rapidz

Ottawa's professional baseball team will get some extra innings in the city after the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball (Can-Am) announced it would take over the bankrupt Ottawa Rapidz.

League commissioner Miles Wolff announced Wednesday that the league will operate the team next year as it continues to search for new owners.

"The league just believes in the city of Ottawa, believes in this market," he said at a news conference Wednesday.

"You've got over a million people here, a beautiful ball park, a great location."

Rapidz chairman Rob Hall announced in September that the owners were filing for bankruptcy after accumulating losses of $1.4 million in just one season. During that time, the team faced poor weather and poor performances on the field.

Wolff said he's not sure if the team will keep the Rapidz name, as that belongs to the former owners, the businessmen behind the online video rental company Zip.ca.

Ottawa city Coun. Bob Monette said baseball isn't the only thing the city is getting back as a result of the announcement.

"One of the bigger benefits is that the city is not out of any money for the lease," he said, adding that the league will pay back all the money owed by the former owners for the city-owned stadium as part of a two-year lease that expires next year.