Bostic: Economy, stadium situation doomed Defenders deal
DEAN HOFFMEYER/TIMES-DISPATCH
July 4, 2008 file photo of the Diamond.
Bryan Bostic said yesterday that Richmond Baseball Club LC was about to close the deal to purchase the Double-A Connecticut Defenders on May 13. Then, "things happened," said Bostic, who was RBC's leader.
RBC did not meet the $15.4 million sale price of the Eastern League team by the May 31 deadline. The deal died.
Bostic was the face of Richmond's quest to secure a locally owned baseball franchise for Richmond. He said RBC included more than three dozen investors.
"It's a shame. We all tried hard, and we came up short. We don't always win in life," Bostic said. "It's painful, there's no doubt about it. But it was all done in the best interest of the community."
Bostic chose not to specify issues that ultimately killed the deal. "The bottom line behind the situation was unfavorable economic conditions," he said. "They affected many RBC investors, and that's some who were in the deal, some who weren't in the deal and some who pulled out of the deal.
"No one individual at all prohibited this from happening. It was a combination of many factors. Economics was one. Uncertainty with the stadium was clearly another."
Some investors and potential investors had deep concerns about the continued lack of a firm plan for a ballpark. They ultimately chose not to buy into a franchise without knowing where it would play after a couple of seasons at The Diamond.
In October, RBC and Highwoods Properties released plans for the $318 million Shockoe Center, which would include a $60 million ballpark. The city continues to study the proposal.
The Shockoe Center concept drew support, but many Richmond-area residents believe the Boulevard is the area's best spot for baseball. Bostic still strongly advocates Shockoe Bottom as the appropriate location for a stadium he believes could serve as "a catalyst for revitalization."
Bostic said he was proud of the effort he made in keeping alive the idea of a Shockoe Bottom ballpark, first proposed several years ago by the Richmond Ballpark Initiative, of which he was a member. He added that he also is proud for pushing Richmond as a quality market for a Minor League Baseball franchise.
Since the RBC-Defenders deal failed to materialize, Minor League Baseball has been in the process of seeking an owner for the Eastern League franchise expected in Richmond next season.
RBC now exists mostly as a paper entity in contractual matters, Bostic said. Some of the investors who were connected to RBC remain interested in becoming part of the new franchise's ownership group. "That local participation works. It's been proven," Bostic said. "It's what gets the corporate community and other local community groups directly engaged."
Bostic intends to be involved as one of the investors, but he will not lead the local group, he said.
"I think I've done all that I can do, and sometimes in these situations, it takes new leadership," he said. "We need a relief pitcher now."
Contact John O'Connor at (804) 649-6233 or
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Reader Reactions
I can understand the emotion, i’ve often wondered how his family feels about people basically publicly stoning him for his efforts to bring his vision of baseball to the city.
However, I would watch who you’re calling juvenile when a lot of people have said some things about Mr. Bostic that were far worse than simply using caps lock.
I only ask that the enter key is used a couple times next time. Large text walls are hard to read :)
it was meant to be shouting .. i wanted to get my point across. as for juvenile,
well people that accuse people of things that they know nothing about are the juvenile ones. THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR ENTRY!!!
If you want people to read your post, how about NOT putting the entire thing in CAPS. It’s considered both shouting and juvenile.
LET ME FIRST SAY THAT I KNOW BRYAN BOSTIC (MY FIRST COUSIN) AND THAT I KNEW HIS GRANDADDY (SINCE HE WAS MY GRANDFATHER ALSO. I WAS PLEASED TO READ THE COMMENTS THAT DEFENDED BRYAN’S PROPOSAL. THOSE OF YOU WHO SLAMMED HIM DON’T KNOW HIM!!! YOU ONLY READ WHAT THE MEDIA WRITES, ACCUSING HIM OF A PONZI SCHEME, AND BEING A POSER SINCE THE SUMMER OF 2003. THEN YOU HIDE BEHIND A TYPEWRITER. YOU ALSO DON’T KNOW MY GRANDFATHER, SINCE HE WOULD BE VERY VERY PROUD OF BRYAN AND HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS. ED PHILLIPS (MY GRANDFATHER) BROUGHT BASEBALL TO RICHMOND HELPING TO BUILD PARKER FIELD. I REMEMBER WHEN WE USE TO GO TO BASEBALL GAMES THERE WHEN THEY WERE THE VIRGINIANS. AT THAT TIME DOWNTOWN RICHMOND WAS A PLACE FOR FAMILY’S TO GO (REMEMBER TALHIMERS AND MILLER & RHODES. DOWNTOWN HASN’T BEEN THE SAME SINCE THEY CLOSED AND THE LOWES THEATER
CLOSED IT’S DOORS. FROM THE BOULEVARD DOWN THE CITY HAS BEEN DEAD!!!. BRYAN HAS PROPOSED AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE CITY TO ONCE AGAIN BE THE CITY THAT IT ONCE WAS. AGAIN, YOU DON’T KNOW BRYAN AND YOU CERTAINLY DON’T KNOW MY GRANDFATHER!!! STOP ALL THE BASHING AND LETS BRING BASEBALL BACK TO RICHMOND. I PERSONALLY WOULD LOVE TO SEE IT AT THE BOTTOM. THERE IS NOTHING ELSE ON THE BOULEVARD TO DRAW PEOPLE. DOWNTOWN WITH SHOPS AND DINNING (HOPEFULLY MINUS SOME OF THE UNDESIRABLE TENANTS AROUND THE AREA) WOULD BE AN SUPER PLACE TO GO.
AGAIN MY “GRANDADDY” WOULD BE PROUD. BY THE WAY, WE CALLED HIM PAWPAW, AND HE WAS A FINE MAN AS BRYAN IS.
ps - i apologize for my disorganized writing (i think i even forgot to finish a sentence, haha), i’m still reeling from the UVA loss this afternoon.
The IL may very well have higher attendance, but consider some of the cities that EL teams are located in - Erie, Bowie, Norwich just to name a few. All are either in towns with lower metro populations, or towns with more attractive minor/major league options, or both (especially in the case of Norwich). Its one of those cases where you can’t make a flat out comparison because of the factors involved. Cricket to rounders, if you will :)
The average population of the EL cities’ metro areas is roughly 368k. Thats less than 1/3 of Richmond’s metro area population. The IL has an average metro population of 1.02 million. Also, I noticed the teams playing in the smaller towns are either newer (like the Nats) or close to their Major League affiliations (like the Sox in Pawtucket).
Also, the average stadium occupancy is larger in the AAA stadiums as there is a commonly accepted minimum occupancy of 10,000 (something I have learned from my short time in the business).
Finally, the weather factor. Yes, Portland, Maine is 2nd in attendance so far. Yes, that’s incredible considering how cold it is there. Their it factor…the Boston Red Sox. That area is crazy for their SAWX. Not to mention, Connecticut is in the tri-state area where only the Yanks, Mets, or Sox (and their affiliates) matter. The San Francisco giants have no place in their baseball lovin hearts, not even Madison Bumgarner.
So what does that mean - should Richmond have a AAA team only because our population suggests it? I for one am glad we have the chance to see AA baseball. I think my numbers show that its not the level of baseball that drives the attendance number, but the metro area population. More potential fans generally translates. I really don’t think people are going to turn their noses up at that missing ‘A’. In fact, I bet richmond could set EL attendance records, and I bet the EL president thinks so, too.
I don’t know who’s idea it was to expand the ballpark into an IL ballpark…I like the current size as designed in the Bottom.
Also, the kids in Orlando aren’t crying in the streets because they have Mickey Mouse. Baseball, in general, does poorly in Florida, aside from spring training. Even if they do have a dome with AC and a world series team (yes, I know that’s tampa).
Another brief point - the first Shockoe plan was proposed before Wilder became mayor. Criticizing the Shockoe plan was part of his campaign rhetoric.
jer 1234- with all due respect, you are totally wrong. The counties’ contribution of $18 million was not to the city, it was to the RMA, which Wilder did not control. You may remember he sent a letter to the RMA demanding they sign over the Diamond to the city - he was ignored.He did recommend using the money for Fulton - he was ignored again. I challenge you to document your assertion.I tell it the way it is/was, not the way I wish it was.
ptaylor,
I don’t know who is a revisionist but it isn’t me. It was Wilder’s move to do something with the funds other than what they were aproved for. Tell it any way you want.
jer 1234- Boy, there’s nothing like revisionist history. In fact, Wilder killed the first Shockoe proposal. The plan he came up with was the absurd Fulton Gas Works proposal. Spewing false facts does not buttress your position.What scuttled the previous Diamond plan was when the Braves, after agreeing to the Diamond renovation, fell for RBI’s Shockoe siren song, even though that plan was for a stadium which did not meet IL seating requirements and lacked any parking accomodations. Once the Braves realized that Bostic was nothing but a bombastic amateur, they walked away from RBI and walked right into the fiasco with Global Development. Stupid is as stupid does. Interesting factoid: (The A- Braves and G-Braves combined have a smaller per game attendance than prior years A-Braves alone. Instead of building a larger fan base, they have cannibalized their own market.)
baseballfan12 -You have read the entire consultant’s report? What is the subject of page 24? To the best of my knowledge(which may be flawed) the full report has not been released. Only the executive summary has ben released. Can you provide a link, or even a contact person, where the rest of us mere commoners(taxpayers) can see these glowing facts? I did read the entire 100+ pages of the first report - an incredibly sleep-inducing effort. The executive summary of the 2nd report did not include the feasibility analysis that was in the first report. The analysts concluded that market demand for the various commercial components was vastly less than the proposed improvements. In other words, if built, a large part of the office uses, retail space, and hotel rooms will remain vacant for many years. It recommended against hotel construction, noting - in accordance with generally accepted procedures in feasibility analysis - that downtown hotel occupancy rates are well below industry norms which would suggest the need for additional rooms. (The analysis reviewed several years of data from before the current recession.)In an interesting note, the analysts noted that the only likely tenants for the office space would be the Commonwealth of Virginia and/or VCU/MCV, neither of which would contribute to the lesser taxes such as BPOL and business personal property that private sector tenants pay. Add to that the fact that state government has demonstrated a preference for ownership rather than tenant status, which would wipe out any property tax payments.
the baron and left field - Your extended comments about AA vs AAA as ‘more interesting’ baseball may well have merit. But, this is about economic development, i.e., which would bring in more paying fans. According to MiLB.com, the 14 teams of the IL(AAA) outperform the Eastern League(AA) in attendance by a wide margin. The IL average per game attendance to date this seaspon is just under 6400; the compable figure for EL teams is under 4100. IL teams, on average draw over 50% more fans than teams. And where would you expand the Shockoe stadium to meet IL requirements?
One last point: much has been made of the CT Defenders failing because of cool springs. The EL has teams in colder places - New Hampshire and Maine. The death blow to the Defenders cames not from the weather but from the Native Americans; Foxwoods Casino - the world’s largest according to their website is less than 10 miles from the Defender’s home field.
O.K. - one more last point - Saint Brian stated at the T-D’s gathering that Orlando is the only comparable American city without baseball. Can anybody cite any adverse impacts as a result? Are children crying in the streets? (Saint Brian has ststed (I believe at the Holton Elementary meeting) that Richmond children would be weeping- I haven’t encountered any. Have any of you? Are busineeses fleeing? Has the big mouse taken his cheese elsewhere? Of course not.
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