Richmond expected to get a Double-A team next season
DEAN HOFFMEYER/TIMES-DISPATCH
July 4th 2008 - The Diamond on the Boulevard.
Related Info
Published: May 14, 2009
Updated: May 15, 2009
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.
But Eastern League President Joe McEacharn said Tuesday the league and Minor League Baseball have worked jointly on the Richmond situation and together will approve the relocation after the purchase of the Defenders by Richmond Baseball Club LC for a projected $15 million.
"I do not expect the long-term stadium issue to come to a head and be resolved in time for us to include that in our process," said McEacharn, who visited Richmond this week.
RBC will close a deal to acquire the minor-league franchise any day, according to McEacharn and RBC Chairman Bryan Bostic. Bostic's group had planned to buy the Defenders this spring and on Tuesday described the deal as imminent.
Not having a long-term ballpark solution at this time "is not going to preclude us from acquiring a team and having it play in Richmond," Bostic said Tuesday. "But clearly, The Diamond is not a long-term solution. . . . This community must address the issue."
Mayor Dwight C. Jones still is reviewing a proposal for Shockoe Center, a $318 million development in Shockoe Bottom in downtown Richmond that would include a $60 million ballpark, as well as offices, hotels, restaurants and other uses.
Jones' administration expects to release by Monday a report by consultants Davenport & Co. on the financial viability of Shockoe Center. The city is spending $100,000 for the study.
Yesterday, Jones' office had no comment when asked about the possibility of a relocation being approved without a ballpark plan in place.
Jones was one of several city officials who attended but did not speak at Tuesday's spirited Public Square debate on a ballpark for the Bottom, organized by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
A majority of the speakers at the Public Square, which drew a standing-room-only crowd of 230 people to The Times-Dispatch's downtown offices, criticized the idea. Some speakers cited failed projects such as the 6th Street Marketplace.
Councilman Bruce W. Tyler, who attended the debate, said he's relieved that Richmond may get a team before a decision on a new ballpark is made.
"I'm glad to hear that they have some flexibility because we may need it," he said.
Tyler said he won't vote on Shockoe Center because of a conflict of interest. His architectural firm, Baskervill, does work for Highwoods Properties, which is the master developer for Shockoe Center.
Councilman E. Martin Jewell, who attended part of Tuesday's debate, said the developers make a "pretty compelling argument" that Shockoe Center would spur development in the Bottom.
Without the project, "it would take eons to bring that whole area to its full capacity," he said.
At the same time, Jewell said the city needs to make sure the ballpark won't backfire financially on taxpayers and that the new team will garner regional support.
The Defenders, who are contractually bound to be a San Francisco Giants affiliate through next season, would relocate to The Diamond for next season. They currently play in Norwich, Conn.
Scott Poley, the vice president for legal affairs/general counsel for Minor League Baseball, said yesterday that he could not determine whether RBC's relocation application will be approved, because nothing has been filed.
Highwoods Properties has asked the Jones administration to issue a letter of intent for Shockoe Center by Aug. 1 that would allow the company to seek other commitments for the project.
"We're not going to assume anything, other than we will have a site at The Diamond," McEacharn said. "The team is going to make some necessary improvements to satisfy our player needs, satisfy their business needs, and we're comfortable with the condition of the field and the lights and whatnot.
"Again, we'll reiterate, it's not a long-term solution."
The Diamond, former home of the Triple-A Richmond Braves, is where the new Double-A team would play for at least the next two seasons, while another ballpark is built. The Diamond, built for $8 million, opened in 1985.
McEacharn said Eastern League owners are excited about the addition of Richmond, which will be the southernmost outpost in the 12-team league. In addition to the Defenders, the league includes teams in Akron, Ohio; Altoona, Pa.; Binghamton, N.Y.; Bowie, Md.; Erie, Pa.; Harrisburg, Pa.; New Britain, Conn.; Manchester, N.H.; Portland, Maine; Reading, Pa.; and Trenton, N.J.
Contact John O'Connor at (804) 649-6233 or
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Contact Will Jones at (804) 649-6911 or .
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Reader Reactions
“ I’m talking about NEW fans that may not have supported baseball in the past because it was in a dumpy location.“
Right. And nobody ever went to see the Yankees play because they were in the Bronx! fans who go “E-yooo, I saw a homeless person and a piece of litter I won’t ever see another game! E-yoo! it’s ‘dumpy’ here” aren’t actually baseball fans.
So I agree that the problem is with the fan base. Richmond has never been an excellent baseball town. Even when the Diamond was brand new, rated the best in all AAA, and the R-Braves were winning and the A-braves were winning, it still wasn’t a great baseball town.
I always liked the view of downtown Richmond from the third-base seats at Parker Field/Diamond, with the setting sun lighting up the west sides of the buildings. And that location counts for me as downtown—it’s 2.5 miles as the crow flies to the State Capitol.
Baseball strikes me as a waning sport. We like to think of it as the “national pastime” but significantly more kids now play organized soccer than organized baseball and the foreign-born players in MLB are close to the same percentage as in MLS. Kids in the Dominican Republic are keen on the sport, not in Richmond. Putting tax money in a baseball stadium development in the Bottom strikes me as just a way for some people to make money off of a sentimental attachment to the “national pastime.“ If it’s a goer without tax money, then OK.
But that’s not likely. Look at the “Sons of Ben”—crazy people in Philly who formed an MLS fan club for a team that didn’t exist and then travelled to away games. Or Seattle, where an expansion MLS team sold out its first four games. Like it or not, soccer will continue to grow and baseball to fade.
The Bottom is historic, but it’s been about maxed out in terms of how much of that history is going to be preserved. we can let the rest remained boarded up, or we can actually allow someone who wants to invest in the area to help continue to make it grow. I have seen how the Norfolk Tides’ venue really bumped up their attendance…because you can do things before and after the game DOWNTOWN. I know a Shockoe Bottom location would have the same success and would bring people to the games who never would have thought to go otherwise - I’m talking about NEW fans that may not have supported baseball in the past because it was in a dumpy location. You can’t forget about all of the young professionals who have come to Richmond in the last 10 years that may start supporting at team if the venue is right. But I’m worried it will never happen, because of the old fashioned mindset of people in this town. Even with a new stadium…the scenery at the Boulevard site is God awful. I said earlier…why can somehow every other city can do a downtown stadium. And I’m pretty sure there is “history” and the so called “city dangers” in all of those other cities too. The question is…will the older people and families drive their Suburbans into the city to see a game on a Friday night…or will they just continue to waddle from Cheesecake Factory at SP Town Center to the awesome concerts they have on the “lawn” at the mall. Can’t forget the train…choo choo.
The Richmond community has pretty much shown that they are not going to be supporters of local sports teams. Braves?.. gone. Renegades?.. gone. For a variety of reasons, the city and surrounding counties just don’t have the support for a team. Blame it on the economy, suburban apathy, inner city “danger”. You can even blame the city government who seem to be the most obstructionist group I have ever seen in action. Sad to say, there just isn’t the customer base of people willing to shell out money to go see these teams play. I went a few times and it wasn’t the stadium or location that kept me from coming back. I just don’t have much interest in baseball.. and I am sure that sentiment is repeated by a lot of other people. True fans would probably have supported these teams despite the location issues. If a private company wants to spend their money on a stadium and team, fine. But don’t use any taxpayer money in the pursuit of this project.
It’s about time Richmond found a team to relocate. Double A is about right, I mean c’mon guys Richmond is not Atlanta. Now ANY discussion of a new or replace stadium makes some sense. As for where the stadium goes…thats another discussioon but somehow we always end up in the Bottom…flood prone, sometimes dangerous, tight one way roads, no place to park Botton. Like I said, this is a discussion for another time.
Ah yes, the historical argument again. Either the Bottom is a “blight” or its a historical hotbed worth preserving…pick one, it can’t be both.
Did Philadelphia not develop because of its history?? No, it refurbished its old neighborhoods tastefully and made it a tourist attraction. The ballpark will be surrounded by architectually similar buildings, and there are concessions made to preserve the Lumpkin Jail site.
Sorry they’ll get rid of the nasty, abandoned surface lots - they were my favorite part about the Bottom….
It is, I agree, too much to expect the folks from Short Plump to waddle the brief distance from the Diamond to the movies. . . . But there’s plenty if SUV parking so they could possibly drive. And of course the Blvd area is on the upswing. It’s ignorant to say otherwise, if you think back ten years—which doesn’t mean it will ever be as nice as Carytown. The real question is whether we allow the developers who run the state—check out who donates at http://www.vpap.org—to fleece the taxpayers yet again with the grandiose history-destroying “Bottom” project. And the answer is—with the help of the freddy freeloaders in the counties—yes, of course.
So let’s build a subterranean stadium, 10 miles below the city surface, with metros and shops and hotels and ice cream. Oh, because the most effective site currently available is the Diamond?
From what I can gather, the location worked, fell into disrepair and mismanagement, and now the solution is to level several city blocks in Shockoe and on the Boulevard (what happens to the diamond post-Shockoe stadium?). But reasonably, realistically, if the problem is with facilities, renovating and rebuilding at the Boulevard locale would still make the most sense because it utilizes resources that we already have, prepped and ready. Fix the old issues with team management and city management (It doesn’t matter where we build it if it’s run poorly) and success!
The whole “put it in the county” argument is so old! If Chesterfield, Henrico, Hanover, etc wanted it, then they can step up to the plate (pun intended), build the stadium, and find the team. Haven’t heard a peep from any of them, so I think we can assume they aren’t interested.
i really don’t understand you nerds who say that families cannot go to the stadium if it is downtown. first of all, the boulevard is not any better in terms of family scenery. second, then why does every other real city have their teams downtown? it’s not only adults going to those games, there are PLENTY of kids. granted most of the times those are major league games, but since this is the only team we have, it is the closest thing we’ve got. you build the stadium in the bottom, or don’t build it at all. why don’t you step out of your sheltered lives for just one second. after all, the Ukrops in Short Pump was just robbed two days ago…you may be safer downtown.
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