Ballpark Digest: Game Plan Emerges For Richmond Market

BangZoom · August 26th, 2008, 09:38 AM

Looks like this little news item might have been missed due to the BPG downtime:

From Ballpark Digest:

Game plan emerges for Richmond market

A plan for the Richmond, Va. market -- set to be open after the Richmond Braves (Class AAA; International League) franchise moves to a new Gwinnett County ballpark in suburban Atlanta -- appears to be in place. No, it doesn't involve the move of a Carolina League team into the Richmond market, but it does involve a Carolina League team in an indirect way, according to multiple sources.

The tentative plan has the Bowie Baysox (Class AA; Eastern League) moving to Richmond, which would be a step up in markets for owner Ken Young and his partners. Bowie would not lose baseball: the Connecticut Defenders (Class AA; Eastern League) would then move to Bowie, giving the Defenders a better market and a better situation, giving the team a chance to start over with a clean slate. (There's been some tension between the team and the city, although it doesn't sound like the team has done anything to earn the attitude from the city.) Given Young's successes in other markets -- the Norfolk Tides (Class AAA; International League) and the Albuquerque Isotopes (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) are the two most notable examples -- we'd guess he has a good chance of procuring a new ballpark in Richmond. The maneuvering also means the Erie SeaWolves (Class AA; Eastern League) will stay put, and Norwich loses Double-A baseball. (Too bad: yesterday the Defenders logged just over 200,000 in attendance for the season, the first time that's happened in seven years.)

So where does the Carolina League enter into this? The shift of two teams from the California League to the Carolina League apparently will happen, and one of the teams will move (temporarily) to War Memorial Stadium in Newport News until a better plan emerges. Newport News, of course, is within Norfolk's territory -- and the man who owns Norfolk would need to sign the waiver. Do the math. (There is one troubling factor: how this affects the Peninsula Pilots of the Coastal Plain League.) Several existing organizations are working to secure one of the transferred Cal League franchises; we've heard Ripken Baseball has been working it fairly hard, though there's no chance a Carolina League team would take up residence in Aberdeen. Of course, none of this is written in stone, and things could change -- but this is the current working plan, according to sources.

DCFan · August 26th, 2008, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ballparkdigest.com

The tentative plan has the Bowie Baysox (Class AA; Eastern League) moving to Richmond, which would be a step up in markets for owner Ken Young and his partners.

That's 2 O's teams in the biggest markets in VA.

BangZoom · August 26th, 2008, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DCFan

That's 2 O's teams in the biggest markets in VA.

Should the PDC stay in place with this arrangement.

HamptonRoadsNatsFan · August 26th, 2008, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DCFan

That's 2 O's teams in the biggest markets in VA.

Yeah, that kind of sucks. But, it's cool that there'd be a AA team in Richmond. Not too far of a drive for me to check out some of those teams.

Cosmo06 · August 26th, 2008, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BangZoom

Should the PDC stay in place with this arrangement.

I don't think a franchise move necessarily dissolves the agreement, although there's probably a loophole for that if both sides agree. The Bowie franchise is signed with the Orioles through 2010. No reason to think that would change with a move to Richmond.

Connecticut's agreement with the Giants expires this year. The only other one expiring in the Eastern League is Trenton and the Yankees, but that's expected to continue. The other AA agreements expiring this year:

Southern League: Marlins (Carolina), Reds (Chattanooga), Brewers (Huntsville), Dodgers (Jacksonville), Mariners (West Tennessee); Texas League: Padres (San Antonio).

Hugh Mann · August 27th, 2008, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DCFan

That's 2 O's teams in the biggest markets in VA.

Having a non-O's team in Bowie is a good thing.

Natsman* · August 28th, 2008, 07:33 AM

per today's richmond times-dispatch:

Acquiring a franchise is the key and sources said the most likely candidate to be purchased by a local ownership group and moved here is Connecticut, of the Class AA Eastern League. Lou DiBella, club owner, could not be reached for comment, but the Norwich Bulletin quoted him this week as saying "in the long run, any business needs to make money to survive and that's still not happening . . . There will be decisions that have to be made relatively soon."

va_nats_fan · August 28th, 2008, 07:37 AM

I'd rather not have an Orioles club in Richmond, but I guess any baseball is better than no baseball at all. Gotta do something about that Diamond, though. I didn't go to a single game there this year.

Natsman* · August 28th, 2008, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by va_nats_fan

I'd rather not have an Orioles club in Richmond, but I guess any baseball is better than no baseball at all. Gotta do something about that Diamond, though. I didn't go to a single game there this year.

went to my one & only game of the year there on 8/15.

weird. i had 3 kids with me. one of the team's groundkeepers went back & forth during the game between the dugout and the stands. he walked up and down the aisles offering unsealed candy to families. i'm sure his intentions were kind, but not the kind of thing anyone should do in this day and age. especially a team employee.

i missed a couple of innings because i stood in line for 15 minutes so my kids could get one of those powdered floury thingys in hot oil they sell. and during those 15 minutes, i smiled & thought of the freegin' BPG outrage that would have caused. especially after they - shock of shocks - dared sell out during the game.

DCFan · August 30th, 2008, 05:30 AM

The price tag on the new Gwinnett County stadium is zoooooooooooming!

Cosmo06 · August 31st, 2008, 03:34 PM

Baseball America is reporting that the possible shift of two franchises from the California League to the Carolina League won't occur until 2010, and that the Connecticut franchise is denying the possible Bowie/Richmond double swap (though not ruling out a move in general).

BaseballAmerica.com: Blog: Baseball America Business Blog » Blog Archive » Big Shift Coming in 2010

BaseballAmerica.com: Blog: Baseball America Business Blog » Blog Archive » Cross Another One Off (scroll to end)

August 26th, 2008, 09:38 AM	#1 (permalink)
BangZoom Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Area Code (314) Posts: 22	Ballpark Digest: Game Plan Emerges For Richmond Market Looks like this little news item might have been missed due to the BPG downtime: From Ballpark Digest: Game plan emerges for Richmond market A plan for the Richmond, Va. market -- set to be open after the Richmond Braves (Class AAA; International League) franchise moves to a new Gwinnett County ballpark in suburban Atlanta -- appears to be in place. No, it doesn't involve the move of a Carolina League team into the Richmond market, but it does involve a Carolina League team in an indirect way, according to multiple sources. The tentative plan has the Bowie Baysox (Class AA; Eastern League) moving to Richmond, which would be a step up in markets for owner Ken Young and his partners. Bowie would not lose baseball: the Connecticut Defenders (Class AA; Eastern League) would then move to Bowie, giving the Defenders a better market and a better situation, giving the team a chance to start over with a clean slate. (There's been some tension between the team and the city, although it doesn't sound like the team has done anything to earn the attitude from the city.) Given Young's successes in other markets -- the Norfolk Tides (Class AAA; International League) and the Albuquerque Isotopes (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) are the two most notable examples -- we'd guess he has a good chance of procuring a new ballpark in Richmond. The maneuvering also means the Erie SeaWolves (Class AA; Eastern League) will stay put, and Norwich loses Double-A baseball. (Too bad: yesterday the Defenders logged just over 200,000 in attendance for the season, the first time that's happened in seven years.) So where does the Carolina League enter into this? The shift of two teams from the California League to the Carolina League apparently will happen, and one of the teams will move (temporarily) to War Memorial Stadium in Newport News until a better plan emerges. Newport News, of course, is within Norfolk's territory -- and the man who owns Norfolk would need to sign the waiver. Do the math. (There is one troubling factor: how this affects the Peninsula Pilots of the Coastal Plain League.) Several existing organizations are working to secure one of the transferred Cal League franchises; we've heard Ripken Baseball has been working it fairly hard, though there's no chance a Carolina League team would take up residence in Aberdeen. Of course, none of this is written in stone, and things could change -- but this is the current working plan, according to sources.

August 28th, 2008, 07:33 AM	#7 (permalink)
Natsman* Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Mechanicsville, VA. Home of Nats Scout, Jeff Zona. One of the Top 100 Best Small Towns to Live in. Posts: 30	per today's richmond times-dispatch: Acquiring a franchise is the key and sources said the most likely candidate to be purchased by a local ownership group and moved here is Connecticut, of the Class AA Eastern League. Lou DiBella, club owner, could not be reached for comment, but the Norwich Bulletin quoted him this week as saying "in the long run, any business needs to make money to survive and that's still not happening . . . There will be decisions that have to be made relatively soon." __________________ I'd rather be waterboarding.

August 28th, 2008, 07:37 AM	#8 (permalink)
va_nats_fan Rookie Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 14	I'd rather not have an Orioles club in Richmond, but I guess any baseball is better than no baseball at all. Gotta do something about that Diamond, though. I didn't go to a single game there this year.

August 30th, 2008, 05:30 AM	#10 (permalink)
DCFan Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 185	The price tag on the new Gwinnett County stadium is zoooooooooooming!

August 31st, 2008, 03:34 PM	#11 (permalink)
Cosmo06 Rookie Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Alexandria VA Posts: 3	Baseball America is reporting that the possible shift of two franchises from the California League to the Carolina League won't occur until 2010, and that the Connecticut franchise is denying the possible Bowie/Richmond double swap (though not ruling out a move in general). BaseballAmerica.com: Blog: Baseball America Business Blog » Blog Archive » Big Shift Coming in 2010 BaseballAmerica.com: Blog: Baseball America Business Blog » Blog Archive » Cross Another One Off (scroll to end)