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.

Richmond Baseball Club LC continues to seek funds to close a $15.4 million deal to buy the Connecticut Defenders, according to two sources.

If the Connecticut Defenders are going to relocate to Richmond for next season, a proposed deal needs to close by the end of the month. It’s still probable that the Connecticut franchise is headed here, but there have been delays in the sale process, uncertainty where once there seemed near-certainty. Lou DiBella, Connecticut’s president/managing partner, said in early April that a deal involving his franchise and Richmond Baseball Club LC appeared “imminent,“ the same word used last Tuesday by Bryan Bostic, chairman of Richmond Baseball Club LC, when speaking of a deal time frame. Eastern League President Joe McEacharn early last week also used “imminent” to describe the deal’s likelihood.

Access. Crime. Parking. Those were concerns Patrick Zohn says he most frequently heard when speaking at public forums before the construction of Toledo’s downtown ballpark. The Class AAA Toledo Mud Hens played for decades at suburban Lucas County Recreation Center, but needed a new home.

The Double-A Connecticut Defenders will be allowed to relocate to Richmond even without a long-term plan for where they’ll play, the president of the Eastern League said. Minor League Baseball officials previously expressed reluctance to approving a move without firm plans for a new ballpark.

There is the urban-renewal angle of the Shockoe Center proposal. There is the familiar angle of The Boulevard. And there is the angle that Mike Berry hopes ultimately tops the list: What’s the best place for baseball in Richmond?

Critically evaluate Bryan Bostic’s belief that minor-league baseball can greatly enhance a community’s quality of life. Challenge his contention that Shockoe Bottom is the ideal location for a new ballpark. Questioning his commitment to those positions is a tougher task. Dating back to his involvement with the Richmond Ballpark Initiative, the local businessman has spent the past seven years advocating an upgraded baseball experience in a modern facility. Since the Atlanta Braves announced in January 2008 that they were moving their Class AAA franchise to Gwinnett County, Ga., Bostic says he has worked nearly every day toward his goal of returning baseball to Richmond.

Once the sale of the Class AA Connecticut franchise to Richmond Baseball Club LC is finalized and announced, hold off on the ticker-tape parade celebrating professional baseball’s 2010 return to Richmond. Continue to wait if a consultant’s analysis, the Davenport report, is released and endorses the proposed $318 million Shockoe Center and its $60 million ballpark.

The Sports Backers, an organization founded in 1991 to build a more vibrant Richmond community through sports, yesterday endorsed the concept of a Shockoe Bottom ballpark.

Connecticut Defenders President/Managing Partner Lou DiBella finds his team’s situation similar to the Richmond Braves last year—facing its last season before the franchise leaves. The president/managing partner of the Class AA Connecticut Defenders yesterday said he expects his franchise to be sold to a Richmond group soon. The deal could be completed by the middle of next week.

Three preseason pitches regarding Richmond’s professional-baseball situation: Washington Nationals President Stan Kasten yesterday addressed the possibility of a down-the-road affiliation involving the Nats and Richmond: “There’s only so much I’m allowed to say, but you know historically my feelings about Richmond. I love the city, always have.

Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones has enlisted the city’s financial advisers to test the feasibility of a proposed ballpark development for Shockoe Bottom. The city is spending $100,000 to get an outside review of the $363 million Shockoe Center project.

The city manager of Norwich, Conn., said yesterday that the sale of the Class AA Connecticut Defenders franchise appears imminent. Richmond Baseball Club LC is presumed to be the buyer, and that group intends to relocate the franchise to Richmond in 2010. Representatives of Minor League Baseball and the parties involved in the deal have not publicly acknowledged the likelihood of a transaction, expected to be finalized in the next few weeks. The Connecticut Defenders—the Class AA affiliate of the San Francisco Giants—are based in Norwich. Alan Bergren, Norwich’s city manager, said “all indications point to a sale that is in the offing.“

The city manager of Norwich, Conn., said today that the sale of the Class AA Connecticut Defenders franchise appears imminent. Richmond Baseball Club LC is presumed to be the buyer, and that group intends to relocate the franchise to Richmond in 2010. Representatives of Minor League Baseball and the parties involved in the deal have not publicly acknowledged the likelihood of a transaction, expected to be finalized in the next few weeks. The Connecticut Defenders—the Class AA affiliate of the San Francisco Giants—are based in Norwich. Alan Bergren, Norwich’s city manager, said “all indications point to a sale that is in the offing.“

The local ownership group that plans to buy a minor-league baseball franchise and move it to Richmond is expected to make the purchase before opening day early next month. But the transaction may not be acknowledged or announced until later in the season. The delay would be linked to “business considerations,“ according to Pete Boisseau of Boisseau Partners, the public relations firm involved with the baseball group.