Friday, May 12, 2006
Play Ball at the Diamond
One of the things that has been brewing as of late is this dispute as to where Richmond, Virginia should have its ballpark. Right now the team that is playing there is the Richmond Braves, a farm team of the Atlanta Braves. A team has been playing in Richmond since 1954, when the Baltimore Orioles moved into town. The Orioles moved from Baltimore that year because the St Louis Browns moved from St Louis to Baltimore that year, taking the Oriole name and making Baltimore into a major league city. The minor-league Orioles renamed themselves the Richmond Virginians and were probably a farm team of the New York Yankees. In 1964 they left town and became the Toledo Mud Hens. In 1966, the Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta. They moved their minor league team, the Atlanta Crackers, to Richmond to become the Richmond Braves. Throughout all this time, the Richmond Virginians and Braves played in Parker Field, an old stadium on Boulevard a little ways north of the Broad Street train station (now the Science Museum of Virginia). The field was adequate, but the ground itself was not the best. It was uneven at times and this resulted in surprise plays at times when the ball took a bad bounce. Eventually the stadium got so much in disrepair that a new one was built in 1985, and the place was renamed The Diamond. I recommended at the time that the team rename itself the Richmond Diamonds, but Atlanta wanted all its farm teams to call themselves the Braves, apparently.
The Diamond was a sparkling new facility, but the Braves still played on Parker Field ground. Balls took bad hops, and players complained about it. Now as of late the Diamond has been needing repair - chunks of it fell last year. Even worse was the flooding of the field; after heavy rains, huge puddles would form on the field. This got so bad in 2004 that the team had to finish the season on the road. Because of this the Atlanta Braves demanded that the team find a new stadium or else the Braves would leave Richmond.
The first alternative that was mentioned was Shockoe Bottom, in July of 2004. The problem with this was that this place was already filled with numerous little shops and local markets, as well as fancy restaurants. A lot of digging up would have to be done, and it would be expensive. Another drawback became evident when Hurricane Gaston hit Richmond on 2004 August 30, causing a huge flood in Shockoe Bottom. It became apparent that if the Braves played here, they might be playing water polo instead at times.
It was suggested in 2005 that the team move to a place on the James River east of the center of Richmond where the Fulton Gas Works used to be. This was a rather tight facility, and it was remote from major thoroughfares such as I-95. At least the Diamond was right off I-95/I-64 near the Bryan Park interchange. And guess what? There is a stream nearby. The players still would be playing in water at times. Some people suggested Cloverleaf Mall, a large indoor mall on the border of the city to the South that has seen better days. Tearl down the mall and build a ballpark? Some think that would be too far from Richmond.
As of late people I have heard and talked with, including the Mayor Doug Wilder, want the Braves to play at the Diamond after all. The idea is that the team play on the same ground, but completely rebuild everything. Perhaps the parking lot would be where the stadium and field are and vice versa. The Atlanta Braves heard about this and they are threatening to take the Braves away. At this point I think they are being too authoritarian. They want all their farm teams to call themselves the Braves, and now they want to dictate the choice of a stadium. Perhaps Richmond would be better off with a different team. But can Richmond get such a club?
There are two other things happening in the minors as of late. The Nashville Sounds (farm of Milwaukee Brewers) are haggling about a new stadium, sort of like Richmond. And the Philadelphia Phillies have said that they will no longer have their farm team in Scranton Wilkes-Barre (home of the Red Barons). They want to get the Ottawa Lynx and relocate the team to Allentown. This supposedly would leave the Baltimore Orioles (parent of the Lynx) with the Red Barons.
One thing that they say is that talk about switching affiliate relationships is forbidden during the season, although teams can renew contracts during the season. At the end of the season, any team that does not want who it is with can declare itself a free agent; the team affiliated with it also becomes a free agent. Therefore, the Lynx, Red Barons, Orioles, and Phillies would all be free agents. This looks like a free-for-all about to happen. If the Atlanta Braves say they don't want the farm in Richmond any more, perhaps Richmond could declare free agency, and maybe in the muddle of free agent teams, they could wind up being the AAA affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. This would please a lot of people here; there are lots of Oriole fans in Richmond. Or they could be the Phillies farm team, or the Brewers' if the stadium deal in Nashville falls through. IN the latter case, the Atlanta Braves could wind up with the Nashville team, which is what I think its farm team should have been all along, as it is the closest. One problem with a Richmond team a farm of the Orioles is that the Orioles are poorly managed by Peter Angelos. The Orioles management treated the Rochester Red Wings so badly that the Red Wings kicked the Orioles out and signed with the Minnesota Twins. Maybe Richmond would wind up with the Phillies or Brewers instead.
But it would be a change from the Braves. Further, the controversial nickname would go. What would the new team be called? Orioles, going full circle back to pre-1954? Mockingbirds? Rebels? My recommendation comes from a previous story in Richmond, about how two bears at Maymont Park were recently euthanized because one bit a child. I say call the team the Richmond Bears.
But for this to be happen, Richmond needs to be ready. The city should right now plan to stay at the Diamond, Atlanta Braves, Shockoe or other bottoms or no. It should tear down the entire ballpark immediately after the last out this season and build a new one with a field and a ballpark that has none of the problems of the present one. This will upgrade Richmond's ball field, and will also chase the Braves out of town and perhaps make Richmond a farm team of the Orioles. But for this to happen, action needs to start now. Stay and Build!
The Diamond was a sparkling new facility, but the Braves still played on Parker Field ground. Balls took bad hops, and players complained about it. Now as of late the Diamond has been needing repair - chunks of it fell last year. Even worse was the flooding of the field; after heavy rains, huge puddles would form on the field. This got so bad in 2004 that the team had to finish the season on the road. Because of this the Atlanta Braves demanded that the team find a new stadium or else the Braves would leave Richmond.
The first alternative that was mentioned was Shockoe Bottom, in July of 2004. The problem with this was that this place was already filled with numerous little shops and local markets, as well as fancy restaurants. A lot of digging up would have to be done, and it would be expensive. Another drawback became evident when Hurricane Gaston hit Richmond on 2004 August 30, causing a huge flood in Shockoe Bottom. It became apparent that if the Braves played here, they might be playing water polo instead at times.
It was suggested in 2005 that the team move to a place on the James River east of the center of Richmond where the Fulton Gas Works used to be. This was a rather tight facility, and it was remote from major thoroughfares such as I-95. At least the Diamond was right off I-95/I-64 near the Bryan Park interchange. And guess what? There is a stream nearby. The players still would be playing in water at times. Some people suggested Cloverleaf Mall, a large indoor mall on the border of the city to the South that has seen better days. Tearl down the mall and build a ballpark? Some think that would be too far from Richmond.
As of late people I have heard and talked with, including the Mayor Doug Wilder, want the Braves to play at the Diamond after all. The idea is that the team play on the same ground, but completely rebuild everything. Perhaps the parking lot would be where the stadium and field are and vice versa. The Atlanta Braves heard about this and they are threatening to take the Braves away. At this point I think they are being too authoritarian. They want all their farm teams to call themselves the Braves, and now they want to dictate the choice of a stadium. Perhaps Richmond would be better off with a different team. But can Richmond get such a club?
There are two other things happening in the minors as of late. The Nashville Sounds (farm of Milwaukee Brewers) are haggling about a new stadium, sort of like Richmond. And the Philadelphia Phillies have said that they will no longer have their farm team in Scranton Wilkes-Barre (home of the Red Barons). They want to get the Ottawa Lynx and relocate the team to Allentown. This supposedly would leave the Baltimore Orioles (parent of the Lynx) with the Red Barons.
One thing that they say is that talk about switching affiliate relationships is forbidden during the season, although teams can renew contracts during the season. At the end of the season, any team that does not want who it is with can declare itself a free agent; the team affiliated with it also becomes a free agent. Therefore, the Lynx, Red Barons, Orioles, and Phillies would all be free agents. This looks like a free-for-all about to happen. If the Atlanta Braves say they don't want the farm in Richmond any more, perhaps Richmond could declare free agency, and maybe in the muddle of free agent teams, they could wind up being the AAA affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. This would please a lot of people here; there are lots of Oriole fans in Richmond. Or they could be the Phillies farm team, or the Brewers' if the stadium deal in Nashville falls through. IN the latter case, the Atlanta Braves could wind up with the Nashville team, which is what I think its farm team should have been all along, as it is the closest. One problem with a Richmond team a farm of the Orioles is that the Orioles are poorly managed by Peter Angelos. The Orioles management treated the Rochester Red Wings so badly that the Red Wings kicked the Orioles out and signed with the Minnesota Twins. Maybe Richmond would wind up with the Phillies or Brewers instead.
But it would be a change from the Braves. Further, the controversial nickname would go. What would the new team be called? Orioles, going full circle back to pre-1954? Mockingbirds? Rebels? My recommendation comes from a previous story in Richmond, about how two bears at Maymont Park were recently euthanized because one bit a child. I say call the team the Richmond Bears.
But for this to be happen, Richmond needs to be ready. The city should right now plan to stay at the Diamond, Atlanta Braves, Shockoe or other bottoms or no. It should tear down the entire ballpark immediately after the last out this season and build a new one with a field and a ballpark that has none of the problems of the present one. This will upgrade Richmond's ball field, and will also chase the Braves out of town and perhaps make Richmond a farm team of the Orioles. But for this to happen, action needs to start now. Stay and Build!
