A man approached Charlie Diradour and shook his hand outside The Diamond yesterday. “Keep up the good work, Charlie,“ he said. Replied Diradour: “Thank you very much for coming out.“ Diradour, who arranged the appearance to announce the launching of his revamped Web site, looked as if a politician were the centerpiece. Diradour is not a politician—at least not yet.

The Eastern League still intends to relocate one of its 12 Class AA franchises to Richmond next season despite yesterday’s withdrawal of the Shockoe Center proposal and its $60 million ballpark. “Nothing changes,“ said Joe McEacharn, Eastern League president. “It’s more information that we continue to absorb. This does not affect our commitment to be there in 2010.“

There will be no baseball/fireworks show at The Diamond this year. Opening Day Partners proposed the possibility of bringing in the U.S. Military All-Stars, a baseball team composed of active military and veterans, to play an exhibition versus another touring club on July 4 with a fireworks show to follow at The Diamond. ODP’s concern regarding a conflict-of-interest perception has halted work toward making the proposed event happen, according to ODP chairman Peter Kirk.

Transformation is the shared theme of two ballpark plans for Richmond. In October, Highwoods Properties proposed Shockoe Center, a development that includes a $60 million ballpark that would transform Shockoe Bottom. A minimum of two years would be required to build that stadium, if the proposal gains city approval. Then, last week, Opening Day Partners presented a $28 million transformation of The Diamond on the Boulevard, a facility that opened in 1985. Just about everything but the field and part of the lower bowl would be demolished and removed, with a modern ballpark constructed on the stadium footprint, according to Maryland-based ODP. The transformed Diamond, says ODP, could be ready for baseball next season if construction begins Aug. 1.

Transformation is the shared theme of two ballpark plans for Richmond. In October, Highwoods Properties proposed Shockoe Center, a development that includes a $60 million ballpark that would transform Shockoe Bottom. A minimum of two years would be required to build that stadium, if the proposal gains city approval. Then, last week, Opening Day Partners presented a $28 million transformation of The Diamond on the Boulevard, a facility that opened in 1985. Just about everything but the field and part of the lower bowl would be demolished and removed, with a modern ballpark constructed on the stadium footprint, according to Maryland-based ODP. The transformed Diamond, says ODP, could be ready for baseball next season if construction begins Aug. 1.

Location: The ballpark would be framed by East Broad Street, North 18th Street, East Franklin Street and Ambler Street.
  Cost: $318 million for the entire project, which involves a $60 million ballpark.
  Ballpark capacity: 8,500.
  Features: Party decks, picnic area, grass berms, walkway around field, 24 suites, playground, computer-gaming area, high-definition scoreboard, Wi-Fi, capability of use for community-oriented events.

Along with its plan to essentially rebuild The Diamond, Opening Day Partners would like Richmond leaders to consider putting an independent-league franchise in the made-over facility. Minor League Baseball franchises are affiliated with Major League Baseball organizations. Independent leagues, such as the Atlantic League, are not. Opening Day Partners, which this week released its proposal for a $28 million transformation of The Diamond, owns three of the eight Atlantic League franchises with local partners, and operates a fourth. “The Atlantic League would love to make a presentation and show Richmond how much we want to be there,“ said Peter Kirk, chairman of ODP. He added that the Atlantic League will make an expansion team available to Richmond for next season.

The chairman of the Richmond Metropolitan Authority’s board of directors and the RMA’s general manager said yesterday that they find a $28 million transformation plan for The Diamond intriguing and worthy of evaluation. James L. Jenkins, the chairman, and Mike Berry, the GM, added that they also find the Opening Day Partners proposal somewhat familiar. The RMA, which owns and operates The Diamond, and the Atlanta Braves seemed set in 2004 to proceed with a major facility renovation that Berry now sees as comparable in some respects to the $28 million plan ODP released yesterday.

Opening Day Partners today will release a $28 million plan for a “transformation” of The Diamond. ODP, based in Annapolis, Md., last spring delivered a $40 million proposal to the city for a new ballpark.

Professional baseball is expected back at The Diamond next season. But many questions remain regarding the Class AA franchise, its ownership and the facility in which it will play long-term. As the process continues, the names of Lou DiBella and Peter Kirk may be more frequently mentioned. Why is Lou DiBella involved? He is the owner of the Connecticut Defenders, the Class AA franchise on which a potential Richmond ownership group has focused. In early April, DiBella called the sale “imminent.“ But he added: “I’ve got to be honest. In this economy, it’s hard to have confidence in anything.“ His concern was well-founded, it appears. Richmond Baseball Club LC continues to seek funds to meet the $15.4 million sale price, two sources said last week. The current sale proposal expires Sunday.

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?