Well, so much for that. Richmond’s new ball team will officially be known not as the Generals, the Ravens, or any of the other spiffy monikers suggested by area residents. They are now the Flying Squirrels. That name might not strike anyone outside the franchise as ideal, but—as we noted yesterday—on the bright side, they could have done a lot worse.

Mostly because of geography, Richmond baseball fans may not initially be energized by the prospect of a San Francisco Giants affiliate relocating to The Diamond next season. But in terms of up-and-coming talent, San Francisco’s minor-league system was rated fifth among all organizations in April by Baseball America, behind Texas, Florida, Oakland and Tampa Bay. Giants farm clubs have distinguished themselves since those rankings were released. From Class AAA Fresno in the Pacific Coast League to Class A Salem-Keizer in the short-season Northwest League, each farm club is winning.

* heading into weekend play

The Richmond Police Department said today that it hasn’t made a decision to deny a permit for a 10-day fair that’s scheduled to start Friday at The Diamond.

Connecticut has several well-regarded young prospects, especially on its pitching staff, and is led for the first season by Steve Decker, a former big-league catcher.

Efforts to give Richmond’s suburbs a bigger say in the operation of regional toll roads and parking lots are dead for the year. The Virginia Senate yesterday narrowly defeated legislation by Del. Samuel A. Nixon Jr., R-Chesterfield, guaranteeing Henrico and Chesterfield counties an equal voice on the Richmond Metropolitan Authority. The measure failed, 17-21, after flying out of the House of Delegates. The proposal spotlighted continuing tensions between majority-black Richmond and its predominantly white suburbs.