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Sad news if you live in Central VA - No more RBraves?

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by 93Devil, Jan 15, 2008.

  1. Mystery_Meat

    Mystery_Meat Guest

    Not anymore they're not -- Baltimore moved the AAA affiliation to Norfolk.

    Richmond brought this on themselves. They built a stadium almost destined for obsolesence, and built it in a shady area that didn't lend itself to economic development (they built it on the site of their previous stadium, but if you've ever been to The Diamond, you know the scene -- a Greyhound station and U-Haul across the street, an even-more dilapidated gym [Arthur Ashe Center] adjacent). They dragged their feet when it was obvious the parent club was getting frustrated with the stadium, and the concepts they trotted out there were too pie-in-the-sky (a new stadium in Shockoe Bottom, the place that went underwater a few years ago because of underperforming sewers?), and the mayor (Doug Wilder) and city council can't agree on whether sunshine makes the day bright, much less what to do with a baseball team.

    By contrast, Norfolk built its stadium seven or eight years later, but it still looks and feels showroom new. Desirable location, too (on the river, near downtown and a lot of bar/restaurants).

    It's going to take some time for the Richmond area to build a stadium. Will they even rate a AAA team by the time it's done, if it's done? And if they don't build, will ANYONE want to move there at any level?
     
  2. Dan Hickling

    Dan Hickling Member

    Pirates are also said to be looking at Buffalo...in any event, this still doesn't solve the facility problem in Richmond, if the Nats were to go there...the Diamond is the second worst facility in the IL, with only Columbus' Cooper Stadium (just when is that new park going to open) keeping it from hitting rock bottom...as an aside, I have thought that the Jays would be better served in a business/marketing/TV sense with their AAA club in Ottawa (okay, call me crazy, but it worked there once, it could happen again)...would wonder what this all means for New Orleans...and...whether or not there would be a little realignment with the two leagues...then again...as for Gwinnett, let's see shovels in the ground first before getting too excited...
     
  3. HoopsMcCann

    HoopsMcCann Active Member

    if you think about it, it makes sense

    i've also heard talk that the indians want columbus, so that would make sense if the nats went to richmond and the indians moved to columbus.

    as much as anything, it seems to be a marketing strategy (and travel saver) for the big clubs.

    with the more teams closer, the better for big league rehab -- the braves now have rome and gwinnett close, which would give guys two quick drives for rehab
     
  4. micropolitan guy

    micropolitan guy Well-Known Member

    New Orleans, out

    Indianapolis from Int. to the PCL, in the same division with Iowa and Omaha

    Richmond stays in the Int. Perhaps this is the spark for a new, reasonably-priced stadium, that VCU would also use, just as it uses the Diamond (UR has an on-campus stadium).

    I remember going to R Braves games at old Parker Field, the precursor to the Diamond. It's not the West End, but it's not that terrible of a neighborhood and it's accessible, lots of room for parking, etc., without the NIMBYs and BANANAs that make new construction so difficult sometime.
     
  5. Dan Hickling

    Dan Hickling Member

    oh, and I noticed that the feasibility study recommends room for about 7,000 patrons...Minor League baseball rules mandate that AAA facilities accomodate 10k...the new park in Allentown, as I understand it, will seat under 9k, but with berm space, will hit the standard...as for Atlanta...lovely city, but it doesn't support the one ball club it has now.
     
  6. ondeadline

    ondeadline Well-Known Member

    The Diamond's field was so bad a few years ago that the Richmond Braves had to play some home games in Durham.
     
  7. SixToe

    SixToe Well-Known Member


    Careful now. Richmond may ask you to apologize.
     
  8. Dan Hickling

    Dan Hickling Member

    And Norfolk, too...that was back in '04, when they made the Governor's Cup finals, and all the games had to be played in Buffalo...can't imagine what the civic parade would have looked like if the R-Braves had won instead of the Bisons...
     
  9. 93Devil

    93Devil Well-Known Member

    You know, there are a lot of people from/used to live in Richmond on this board. I am new to the city but not to the state.

    Here are a few points about the club/city worth considering when talking about this stadium.

    1. Richmond has a lot of old money. It also has some of the most violent crime I have ever seen, and I have lived in Phoenix and Pittsburgh so I know a little bit of what city crime should look like. I have seen armed robberies at middle school bus stops, little old ladies getting stabbed to death walking their dog, people being robbed at gun point at 7 am going to work in their apartment parking lots and shootouts in front of hospitals. This has been in the last 3-4 months.

    2. The Mayor is a complete Slick Willy. Nothing will get accomplished in his administration if he is a point man on it. He has so many foes politically. So many.

    3. There is a family in town, Ukrop's, who hold a ton of weight, and are 100 percent behind this getting done. Hey, a bright spot!!!

    4. Richmond is the only major city with natural rapids running through it. This last the last place on the James a boat could sail. That is the reason for the location of the city. How this river does not get thought of the site work for the stadium is beyond me.

    5. There is a a lot of growth away from the city in the suburbs, especially the West End. The decision between Downtown (crime) and the Burbs (distance) probably is difficult.

    6. Richmond is very proud of the Braves. Almost every Brave (Chipper, Smoltz, Lopez, Glavine) seems to have come through Richmond.

    Losing minor league baseball would not be devastating to the city and all involved, but it would be close.
     
  10. Smash Williams

    Smash Williams Well-Known Member

    Not baseball, but in hockey the Philadelphia Flyers and their AHL (AAA equivalent) feeder team, the Philadelphia Phantoms, share a parking lot for their respective rinks.
     
  11. Smokey33

    Smokey33 Member

    The Gateway Grizzlies are still members of the independent Frontier League, not affiliated with any team.
     
  12. Dan Hickling

    Dan Hickling Member

    One other aspect to this is that the R-Braves one of the only (perhaps THE only) IL team that is owned by its parent club, which means that should they leave, there is no existing baseball business that would simply switch to another affiliate...an existing franchise holder (again, New Orleans?) would have to sell to a group that wants to put a AAA team in Richmond...maybe Patricia Cornwell would put up the dough
     
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