Richmond baseball

Nationals-Richmond connection makes sense

2010-07-28T06:42:00.000-07:00

Richmond, Va. --
In the early 1960s, Sam Cooke wrote and sang, "A Change is Gonna Come."

In 2011, a change needs to come to the Richmond Flying Squirrels.

The Washington Nationals' Double-A farm team in Harrisburg needs to move to Richmond and become the Flying Squirrels.

The San Francisco Giants' Double-A team, currently playing in Richmond as the Flying Squirrels, needs to fly to Harrisburg.

This can happen because both affiliations end after this season.

It should happen because Washington needs a stronger presence in Richmond.

And Richmond baseball fans, bereft of a team to care deeply about since the abdication of the Atlanta Braves, need a reason to be seriously interested in the Nationals.

Will it happen?

"We can't talk about affiliations," Nationals President Stan Kasten said earlier this summer.

Kasten will admit Richmond has the potential to be an important market for the Nationals. And Kasten knows Richmond. He was the president of the Atlanta Braves from 1986-2003.

None of that means the deal will get done. And there's one drawback.

This makes perfect sense.

When was the last time something that made perfect sense got done?

This switch is in the best interest of baseball.

The Nationals lack identity in Harrisburg. They are in the territory of the Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles.

There are no major-league teams between Richmond and Washington.

The Atlanta Braves became the favorite team of many Richmonders because it was possible to watch former R-Braves perform in Atlanta via WTBS, then the superstation.

If the Nationals donned the Flying Squirrels uniforms, fans could watch future stars such as Bryce Harper play here.

When/if Harper lands in Washington, Richmonders still could follow him. Nationals games are available almost every night on the MASN network.

And when Stephen Strasburg isn't pitching, there are more than a few empty seats at Nationals Park.

If former Richmond players were on the field for the Nationals, more Richmond fans would make the drive to Washington, even when Strasburg isn't pitching.

Please don't misunderstand. We mean no disrespect to the current Flying Squirrels or the San Francisco organization.

But San Francisco is a continent away. Giants games rarely are seen on the East Coast. It's hard to get excited about Giants prospects when they'll never be seen again -- more or less -- once they leave Richmond.

And there is one other consideration. Building a multimillion-dollar stadium to replace The Diamond will not be an easy sell.

Getting area localities, which often give new meaning to the phrase "contentious relationship," together on a stadium will be more palatable if the major-league affiliate is nearby and has a long-term commitment to Richmond.

Giants want to stay with Richmond; Squirrels make no commitment

2010-07-28T06:36:00.000-07:00

Richmond, Va. --
The San Francisco Giants want to extend the player-development contract with the Richmond Double-A franchise, but the Flying Squirrels aren't prepared to commit at this time.

Those positions were established yesterday, when William H. Neukom, the Giants' chief executive officer, met at The Diamond with Lou DiBella, the Flying Squirrels' president and managing general partner. The player-development contract linking the Giants and the Squirrels expires at the end of this season.

"It is a long way from Richmond to [Triple-A] Fresno, [Class A] San Jose and San Francisco," Neukom said, speaking of other Giants' farm clubs. "But the most important thing to us is that we have an affiliation with a well-managed franchise in a community that -- if we play good baseball, and if we become a part of that community -- will support us.

"We will always keep our eyes open for locations, but I think it is fair to say that we think both the community of Richmond and the management and ownership of the franchise have been positive for us."

The Giants' preference would be to remain affiliated with the Richmond franchise, Neukom said. "We're not down to short strokes yet," he added, speaking of additional discussions that will take place.

DiBella said the talks he had with Neukom yesterday involved "How are we doing by you, and how are you doing by us?" He categorized the meeting as "very positive and productive. I think the Giants are very happy with what's happening here."

Washington Nationals President Stan Kasten visited The Diamond on Monday, and the Nationals' player-development contract with their Double-A affiliate, Harrisburg, also ends this season.

"I wouldn't handicap anything at all right now," DiBella said. The Giants since 2003 have been the parent club for the franchise that relocated from Connecticut to Richmond last September.

"There is an affection, and a degree of loyalty," DiBella said. "But you ultimately have to look at your business model and what's best for your success in your market. We're going to consider everything in due course."

Fans excited new baseball team's in town

2010-04-16T15:58:00.000-07:00

History of baseball in Richmond

2010-04-16T15:08:00.000-07:00

World of Woody: Inside the updated Diamond

2010-04-16T15:01:00.000-07:00

Quartet welcomes baseball’s return

2010-04-16T14:56:00.000-07:00

When he was a kid, Jeff O'Flaherty liked to watch the first few innings of games at Parker Field and then hang out on the Boulevard chasing foul balls.

For O'Flaherty, those days of hunting down foul balls are long gone -- as is Parker Field and its tenants, the Virginians and the Braves -- but O'Flaherty still loves going to the ball yard.

When the Flying Squirrels debut tonight at The Diamond, you can find him in the seats behind home plate.

"I'm looking forward to seeing a full house and people having fun," said O'Flaherty, 57, who's in the banking business. "Baseball's back in Richmond."

O'Flaherty and three buddies from the box seats -- Ray Edwards, Ed Loyd and Tom Schaefer -- gathered at The Diamond on a recent afternoon to chat about the upcoming season.

The sun was shining, a tractor was tilling the infield dirt, and the lower deck's new, green seats -- equipped with cup holders -- were most comfortable.

All was right with the world.

"There's just something about sitting in a ballpark in springtime," O'Flaherty said.

The four were season-ticket holders for the Richmond Braves, and each has made the same investment for the Flying Squirrels.

They've become friends as they've watched games over the years, a tribute not so much to the pitches and hits on the field as to the power of the environment created by a leisurely paced game that lends itself to conversation.

"Always been a baseball fan," said Loyd, 69, who is retired from A.H. Robins Co. "But one thing I like is what we're doing now -- just sit and talk."

They missed getting together last summer at The Diamond after the R-Braves departed for a suburb of Atlanta, and the team that would become the Squirrels hadn't been secured.

"My wife found a lot for me to do around the house," Schaefer, 56, said with a laugh.

In truth, the guys occasionally traveled to see minor-league teams in other towns. Three of them took off to Arizona to watch some Fall League games, and Schaefer and Loyd went to spring training in Florida in March. These men are serious about their baseball.

But they also recognize that attending a ballgame should be fun, and they applaud the approach the Squirrels' ownership is taking toward promoting baseball at the ballpark and in the community.

"They're in the family-entertainment business," said Schaefer, who also is in banking. "You come in the door, you get greeted, you leave and say, 'Wow, that was a good time.' Even if the team loses 10-0.

"That's not really important. We're not in a race to win the World Series. It's a night out."

Said Edwards, 63, who's retired from the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and was wearing a Flying Squirrels batting-practice cap: "We'd be here if they were 71-and-0, or 0-and-71."

The move to Double-A baseball compared with the Triple-A Braves and, before them, the Virginians, does not bother this quartet at all. In fact, they expect the players will be hungrier and more accessible to the fans.

And the Squirrels' affiliation with a team on the other coast, the San Francisco Giants, also is not an issue for them.

Schaefer remains an Atlanta Braves fan, and O'Flaherty has friends who remain New York Yankees fans because they were the parent club of the Virginians, who haven't played in Richmond in more than 45 years.

"We were sorry to see [the Braves] leave, but that's minor-league baseball," Schaefer said. "We understand how that works."

Edwards chimed in that he has been a Giants fan since Willie Mays roamed centerfield for them from the 1950s to the 1970s.

As the conversation veered into yesteryear, the four talked about players they remembered, for one reason or another, from years past: Horace Clarke, Felix Milan, Ralph Garr, Julio Navarro.

The list is almost endless. They hope to add new ones as the Squirrels create their own lore.

O'Flaherty's looking forward to seeing a lot of kids at The Diamond tonight. Schaefer is planning to bring his son to the game and eat a hot dog.

"I don't think there's any better place to be [tonight] than right here," Loyd said, "behind home plate."

Sold-out Diamond welcomes baseball back to Richmond

2010-04-15T13:25:00.000-07:00

Lou DiBella led a group that purchased the Double-A Norwich Navigators in 2005 for about $10 million. During DiBella's five seasons as managing partner of the club renamed the Connecticut Defenders, there were only a handful of sellouts at 6,695-seat Dodd Stadium.

That's one reason DiBella said he looks forward to being at The Diamond tonight. Richmond's new Double-A franchise, relocated from Norwich and still owned by DiBella's group, will play its first home game in front of a sellout crowd. Reading, the Philadelphia Phillies' Double-A team, is the opponent of the Richmond Flying Squirrels.

"This is going to be a highlight of my years in minor-league baseball," said DiBella, a resident of New York City. "I'm thrilled. I'm pumped up. I can't wait to get there."

Bill Papierniak, the Squirrels' general manager, said that ticket sales for the remainder of the seven-game home-stand have been strong, with a sellout possible for Sunday's 2:05 matinee. DiBella referred to the franchise's general reception as "enthusiasm unmatched compared to anything I've ever seen in minor-league baseball."

Connecticut finished last, or next to last, among Eastern League clubs in home attendance each year that DiBella's group owned the franchise, and in 2009 was last (2,859) despite an 83-59 record.

Bleacher banners -- advertisements that cover the top nine rows of the upper deck -- and new box seats on the lower level have reduced The Diamond's capacity from 12,134 to 9,560. But the Squirrels sold out their first home game about a week after single-game tickets became available on March 15. That's a very encouraging sign of support for the new franchise, according to club management and Joe McEacharn, the Eastern League president.

Tonight's game represents the return of professional baseball to Richmond, which was without a team last year. The Richmond Braves, Atlanta's Triple-A club, played here 1966-2008, then moved to Gwinnett County, Ga., due to dissatisfaction with The Diamond.

New ownership and the Richmond Metropolitan Authority, which owns the facility, during the off-season invested about $2 million in stadium upgrades. While the Flying Squirrels opened their season on the road with four games at Bowie and three at Altoona, work at The Diamond continued, and club operators maintained their marketing push that began Sept. 23, the day the franchise officially transferred to Richmond.

"If I had to give them a grade, it's a flat-out 'A'," McEacharn said. "They've absolutely met my expectations and probably even exceeded them."

Other members of the Squirrels' ownership group will be in attendance tonight, as will McEacharn and Tim Purpura, the executive vice president of Minor League Baseball. The Squirrels are affiliated with the San Francisco Giants, who will be represented by Bobby Evans, vice president of baseball operations.

Clear skies and temperatures in the low 70s are expected. Gates open at 4:30 p.m., with a 7:05 first pitch.

Chuck Domino, Todd Parnell are Squirrels’ Barnum and Bailey

2010-04-13T17:58:00.000-07:00

Chuck Domino and Todd Parnell are serious about their business.

But one reason they are successful in their business is that they never take themselves too seriously.

"Even when we have a rough day, we're able to put things into perspective," Domino said. "We don't carry problems to the next day."

Parnell, sitting across the office from Domino, nodded.

"That's right," Parnell said. "We just hammer them out."

And Parnell picked up the gavel he keeps at hand and pounded it on his desk several times.

That got Parnell going on another train of thought.

"He stole my gavel yesterday," Parnell said of Domino. "So I went and got a chain saw and started it up and threatened to cut his desk in half unless he gave it back."

"He really had a chain saw in the office," Domino said.

"And it was running and there were people out there . . . " Parnell nodded toward the ticket window outside his office at The Diamond.

"And they heard the 'ying, ying, ying,' of the chain saw," Parnell said.

Ah, just another day in the front office of the Richmond Flying Squirrels, starring Domino as the chief executive manager and Parnell as vice president and chief operating officer.

The Flying Squirrels of the Class AA Eastern League call The Diamond home.

Domino and Parnell are serious about their jobs. They work tirelessly to be successful. They are best friends.

Parnell, known as Parney, has promoted the team non-stop since his arrival.

And, as you might have guessed, they do things a bit differently from most minor-league baseball executives.

"They're incredibly hard working, and they're committed to do the right thing without taking themselves too seriously," said Chuck Greenberg, the incoming owner of the Texas Rangers.

Parnell worked for Greenberg in Altoona, State College, Pa. and Myrtle Beach, S.C. Greenberg knows Domino as a minor-league baseball colleague.

"They love to have fun," Greenberg said. "They love to see other people having fun, and they will go to great lengths to make that possible."

Domino, 50, and Parnell, 43, met in 1990 and soon became best friends.

"He was in my wedding," Parnell said. "His older son was the ring bearer in my wedding. Chuck was there when my kids were born.

"I was there when his second son was born. We're pretty close. We just don't act like it all the time."

Theirs is not an act, though. Their job is to make the Flying Squirrels successful. They don't control the product on the field. This year, that is the job of the San Francisco Giants.

Everything around the field, and even the field itself, is under the control of Domino and Parnell and the front office staff. And they settle for nothing less than first class.

The Diamond has undergone $2 million worth of renovations and upgrades since the franchise relocated.

That money was spent on a number of things, from new seats in the lower bowl, to an indoor air-conditioned batting cage, refurbished concession stands and a new souvenir store.

Domino, Parnell and their staff oversaw each improvement.

Parnell is employed by the Flying Squirrels and oversees day to day operations.

Domino is an independent contractor. He also oversees the Triple-A team in Lehigh Valley, Pa.

During the formative stages of the operation, Domino has been in Richmond on a weekly basis. Once the season begins, his visits will be less frequent.

"We are constantly in touch," Domino said. "Texting, e-mailing, phoning. We share the same office."

Parnell interrupted.

"No, no, no," he said. "This is my office. I allowed you to have a corner."

"Yeah," Domino said, "a corner."

"And he tells me to get on my side of the office every day," Parnell said.

Especially when Parnell is revving up a chain saw.

The two met when Domino had an opening for a sales and marketing director with the Reading Phillies. The interview went well, but Domino did not offer Parnell the job, not immediately anyway.

"Another person was recommended to me by someone I highly respected in the business," Domino said. "I interviewed him on the phone and hired him sight unseen because of the recommendation."

That man was supposed to start work on a Monday. He called Domino to let him know he was leaving Topeka, Kan., on Friday.

He never showed up. When Domino finally tracked him down, the man said he had changed his mind.

"I immediately called Parney and said if you're available, you're hired," Domino said. "He said, 'I'll be there in a minute.'"

Parnell laughed.

"I'm not good at hiding desperation," he said.

That began seven years of working side by side in Reading. In 1997, Parnell left to become general manager of the minor-league team in Kannapolis, N.C.

Soon after arriving in Kannapolis, Parnell wondered if he had made the right decision.

Parnell said as much to Domino one day in a 7 a.m. call.

"I said, 'I don't know. These people aren't listening to me. I'm trying to be like you, trying to do this, trying to do that, but these people are doing things the same old way,'" Parnell said

"He said, 'All right, dude, do this and this and this.' Nine hours later, outside my office, I hear, 'What's up you . . . ' and he called me a name we call each other that can't be put in the newspaper. He had driven nine hours to North Carolina because he was worried about me."

Soon, everyone was on board with Parnell in Kannapolis. Life was good. Parnell, his wife and two daughters lived in a house on Lake Norman.

Then, Greenberg, who had acquired the Altoona franchise, called. Domino had recommended Parnell for the general manager's job in Altoona.

Parnell took the job, even though it meant leaving Lake Norman.

When the Altoona franchise was sold, Parnell ran Greenberg's teams in State College, Pa., and Myrtle Beach, S.C. Parnell was on the road almost constantly.

Then, Domino called about Richmond.

"I've been doing this for 28 years, and the seven years that were the most fun were the years we were in Reading together," Domino said.

Parnell nodded.

"I've watched the Richmond story long enough to know it's a great market," Parnell said. "But the bottom line is it was Chuck Domino who called.

"This was a chance to start a franchise from nothing with your best friend. There's not too many people who get that opportunity. We felt like it was too much to look past."

Once the deal was struck to move the Connecticut Defenders to Richmond, Domino and Parnell went to work the only way they knew how to work.

"We're a little unorthodox in how we get things done," Domino said. "But we get things done better than most in our unorthodox way."

Nothing typifies that unorthodox thinking better than the name-the-team contest.

Parnell and Domino were overcome with traditional names such as Virginians, Rapids, Ravens, Raiders and Rivermen.

When the five finalists were announced, "traditional" was nowhere among them.

The list consisted of Flying Squirrels, Hambones, Rockhoppers, Flatheads and Rhinos.

Hush Puppies was added a few days later.

What were these guys thinking?

It soon became obvious Domino and Parnell would make the decision based on the name that got the biggest reaction, positive or negative, and offered the best marketing opportunities.

The fans' votes were more a guideline than a binding agreement.

Domino and Parnell knew from experience -- have you heard of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs? -- that even if people hated the name at first, eventually they would embrace it.

"They are incredibly creative," Greenberg said. "And that comes by letting go, not taking themselves too seriously, not judging others and letting the ideas fly."

Domino and Parnell enjoy their jobs so much and have so much fun that it is easy to overlook how hard they work.

Domino has no hobbies. He rarely takes days off, let alone a vacation. Domino and Parnell begin their days by 7 a.m. and end them . . . well, some days never seem to end.

"We have an insatiable desire to succeed," Parnell said. "There's a drive that not a lot of people have, and that drive is from my mentor over there."

And Parnell nodded toward Domino.

"One thing that gets to me sometimes," Parnell said, "is that my personality is so goofy people think all there is to me is stealing gavels and starting chain saws."

And wearing an adult diaper.

"When we first started in Altoona, we wanted to show people we were going to do things differently," Greenberg said. "Parney challenged a non-profit to raise $25,000. And he told them that if they did it, he'd sing 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' wearing only an adult diaper.

"The non-profit came up short, but they worked really hard and did a good job. So, one night, Parney stood along the first-baseline, wearing only an adult diaper and sang. It wasn't a pretty sight, but he did it."

A few days later, Greenberg received an unusually large piece of mail. It was a photo of Parnell from that night, sent by Parnell.

"And he wrote, 'Chuck, Thanks for letting me operate the team in a first-class manner'" Greenberg said.

Domino has an almost relentless work ethic. Parnell is right there with him.

In March 1993, a huge snowstorm hit Pennsylvania. The governor told everyone to stay home unless there was an emergency.

Domino called Parnell and said he'd pick him up in 30 minutes.

"I said, 'Chuck, there's no way,'" Parnell said. "The governor told us to stay at home. He said, 'The governor doesn't have a ballgame in 30 days. We're going to work.'

"He picked me up and somehow we drove sideways to the ballpark and got to work."

How hard does Parnell work? Well, it seems as if he never stops working. He is in constant demand as a speaker. He will leave the office at the end of the day only to return at 11:30 that night and work for several more hours. And he still will be back at 7 a.m.

"Sleep seems to be the enemy of Parney," Greenberg said. "He's in the office every morning at 7. Sometimes, that's because he's never left the office from the night before. Sometimes, it means he's only been gone for a few hours.

"Parney and Chuck wouldn't know how to mail it in if you showed them. No matter is too small for their attention. To have been in the business as long as they have and to still sweat the details the way they do is a great predictor for success.

Greenberg expects nothing but success for the Flying Squirrels.

the Diamond Update

2010-04-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

Callaghan is local link for Squirrels’ ownership team

2010-04-06T16:38:00.000-07:00

Minor League Baseball wanted a local investor in the ownership group of the Richmond Flying Squirrels. So did Lou DiBella, the Double-A franchise's president and CEO. Brian Callaghan filled the slot.

DiBella introduced Callaghan, 39 and a 1993 Virginia Tech graduate, Thursday at The Diamond during a Squirrels' event set up to display ballpark improvements.

"He made a significant investment in the team," DiBella said of Callaghan, founder and co-CEO of Apex Systems, Inc., a Richmond-based company that provides temporary and temporary-to-permanent technical staffing. "He is now part of what we call the Chairman's Council, which is sort of like the board of directors of the team. We wanted a Richmond voice on that board."

Callaghan attended Lake Braddock High School in Burke and worked in Northern Virginia, Oregon and New York prior to settling in Richmond. He founded Apex Systems in 1995.

DiBella, who lives in New York City, leads an ownership group of about 35 investors. Callaghan chose not to reveal the amount of his investment, but said he was one of the larger minority investors, and characterized his role as the local link for the ownership group.

"You have to have somebody who's on the ground, who understands what it's like to be in the community," Callaghan said. He added that he is in position to speak with business and community leaders on a regular basis, "and I think it's important for an operation like the Squirrels to have that kind of connection."

When the Richmond market was vacated by the Atlanta Braves' Triple-A franchise following the 2008 season, Minor League Baseball pushed for majority local ownership of the new Richmond team. That plan dissolved when Richmond Baseball Club LC, due to lack of funds, failed to close the $15-million deal for DiBella's franchise.

"That gave us an opportunity, and when we got that opportunity, we jumped on it," DiBella said.

Minor League Baseball granted DiBella permission to transfer the franchise to Richmond. Minor League Baseball selected the franchise, which was the Connecticut Defenders, as a candidate for relocation primarily because of attendance issues in Norwich, Conn.

Callaghan formally joined the ownership group in January.

"Watching the [management] team that they've assembled, watching the way they approached it, was something that really hooked me," he said. "I remember an early conversation with them, talking about it as an investment, and they said, 'You need to understand, you're not in the baseball business, you're in the family-entertainment business.'

"That type of attitude to me was the hook that I really think we needed."

DiBella said he has no intention of relinquishing his role as head of the ownership group. He said there is a possibility of adding other Richmond-area residents as investors

Broadcast team will chase Squirrels, story lines

2010-03-30T17:35:00.000-07:00

nowBuzz up!

The radio team behind the baseball team won't be bragging about how it used to slug sliders.

Jon Laaser's hardball career peaked at a Minnesota high school. "Obviously, you want to be a major-league player, like everybody else," he said. "I knew that was a lost cause."

Anthony Oppermann's parents were so concerned with his grades in Texas that he wasn't allowed to play Little League. His most memorable personal involvement with the game: "Bat and ball in the pasture," Oppermann said.

They learned about professional baseball through experience as broadcasters in minor leagues, and this season are the voices of the Richmond Flying Squirrels, the San Francisco Giants' Double-A club.

"There's no reason that a minor-league broadcast can't sound major league," said Laaser, 30.

The Squirrels open April 8 at Bowie, with broadcasts on WRNL (910). Laaser [LAY-zer] will be with the club for all 142 games. Oppermann will work with Laaser on home-game broadcasts. When the Squirrels hit the road, Oppermann will operate from a Richmond radio studio as the primary voice of pregame and postgame shows.

Pregame shows will begin a half-hour before the first pitch. "We'll recap the previous night's game, set the scene for that night's game, preview the pitching match-up, go through the standings, lineups, interviews," said Oppermann, 27.

The half-hour postgame shows will wrap up the day's events in the Eastern League and include phone calls from fans. "You don't see that very much in minor-league broadcasts," said Laaser.

Game coverage will feature the play-by-play baseline, but expect lots of tangents.

"We're big on the entertainment side of things," Laaser said. "You won't find us chattering on about things that don't have something to do with what's going on in the game. But at the same time, I think there are any number of avenues through what's happening that you can bring humor and levity into it, and make that relevant.

"That's really what my goal is."

Oppermann intends to focus on the human element, give listeners a reason to root for players and tell their stories. "If they're succeeding, why? If they're not succeeding, what are they doing to get better?" Oppermann said. "Make those characters kind of come alive."

Laaser and Oppermann worked as broadcasters at previous stops for members of the Squirrels' management team, hence their presence here. The franchise came to Richmond on Sept. 23, and with the relatively short time available to get the stadium ready following a year without baseball, all Squirrels employees have been involved in facility polishing.

"For right now at least, it's 'We need to get this done. Do you have the skill set to do it?'" Laaser said. "Unfortunately, I don't, but they still throw me out there. If your seat is dirty on opening day, it's not my fault. I tried my best."

This is a new franchise, but Oppermann and Laaser plan on-air reflections about the Richmond Braves, Atlanta's Triple-A team during 1966-2008 that relocated because of dissatisfaction with The Diamond, and opposing players who came through the ballpark since its 1985 opening.

"In this day and age, when you build one [stadium] and knock it down 10 years later, you don't find many places that have as many years of history as The Diamond," Laaser said. "Whatever the situation was here in the stands or with stadium talk, that didn't change the baseball.

"There were some great players who came through here. Absolutely, we'll talk about them."

The Diamond - Squirrels Style

2010-03-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

Richmond Flying Squirrels introduce Nutzy the mascot

2010-02-11T12:46:00.000-08:00

Squirrels’ foundation starts with ballpark

2010-01-13T20:24:00.000-08:00

First, make The Diamond swing. Then consider a long-term solution to Richmond's ballpark situation.

Those who attended yesterday's Kiwanis Club of Richmond luncheon at the Virginia Historical Society received that pitch from Todd Parnell, the vice president and COO of the Flying Squirrels, Richmond's new Double-A baseball franchise.

"We're committed to making The Diamond the place where more people come to than any other place in the Eastern League," Parnell said. "And then, everything else will happen from there.

"I want to put as many rear ends in the seats as we possibly can, and that's what we're focused on doing."

The Flying Squirrels are investing about $1.5 million improvements to The Diamond, whose condition drove the Atlanta Braves' Triple-A franchise from Richmond following the 2008 season. A community decision on whether to build a new ballpark will depend partly on what the Flying Squirrels offer, Parnell suggested during his high-energy presentation of about 30 minutes.

"You've got to yell when it's time for me stop," Parnell told his audience. "I should have been a preacher, but there are certain things that got in the way of that."

Entertainment at The Diamond will start not with the first pitch, but when fans "drive into the parking lot," Parnell promised. "There are a few things as a consumer, just like you, that really get to me. It's parking, friendliness, pricing, friendliness, pricing and friendliness."

The last four digits of the Flying Squirrels' telephone number spell F-U-N-N. "We're so much fun we needed to add another N," Parnell said.

The Flying Squirrels will have a minimum of 10 fireworks nights a year, according to Parnell, who's been in the minor-league baseball business for 21 years. The R-Braves usually put on two fireworks shows per season. Each Richmond player will have a community-service requirement that may involve a reading program or some other activity related to Richmond's youth.

"Our philosophy is we start at 'yes,' and go backwards. We don't start at 'no,'" Parnell said. "We really want to do everything people ask us to do, or at least will attempt to do it

the Diamond is beginning to look, well, Squirrelly

2009-12-25T06:48:00.000-08:00

Banners unfurled. Signs were replaced. The first of several thousand box seats were fastened to their lower-level aisle positions.

Those were improvements made yesterday at The Diamond, with more to come. The Richmond Flying Squirrels, the Double-A team of the San Francisco Giants, originally pledged $1.5 million to facility upgrades. Chuck Domino, the franchise's chief executive manager, yesterday said the team's commitment has increased to about $1.65 million.

The Richmond Metropolitan Authority, which owns The Diamond, committed $75,500 toward upgrades. Domino said his club's increased commitment will result in a new scoreboard. The Flying Squirrels initially planned to use $25,000 from the RMA to repair the existing scoreboard.

"But after learning more about the problems with the board, we decided that we would put the $25,000 of the RMA's money, instead of toward repairs, toward a new $150,000 board," Domino said.

Green plastic box seats replace the aluminum benches in the lower deck. Luxury boxes and clubhouses are being renovated, among other improvements. Domino said one of his proudest days will occur when the refurbished concession stands open for the Flying Squirrels' April 15 home-opener.

"Those concession stands alone were almost enough to make me run back to Pennsylvania and put my head under the covers and never return to Richmond, Virginia, again," said Domino, who is also chief executive manager of the Triple-A Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.

Domino was aware of some objections to the unorthodox name of the team when "Flying Squirrels" was announced in mid-October. He said he believes the Richmond community has generally embraced the name since then. The logo was revealed on Dec. 1, also the day the team store The Squirrels Nest opened at The Diamond in the down-the-first-base-line space where the stadium's restaurant used to be.

"If people are voting on the logo with their pocketbooks in the team store, then it looks like it's been well-received," Domino said. "I can't imagine too many teams this time of year doing the business we're doing."

According to Domino, a hat and apparel vendor who thought the club was too ambitious on sales projections recommended that the Flying Squirrels reduce by half the volume of their first order for team gear.

After the first day [the store opened], we called and doubled the order," Domino said.

The Richmond Braves played at Parker Field or The Diamond from 1966-2008, and the Braves' dissatisfaction with the stadium caused the Atlanta organization to relocate its Triple-A franchise to Gwinnett County, Ga.

Still undetermined is a long-term ballpark solution for Richmond. The options appear to be a major renovation of The Diamond, a new ballpark on the Boulevard, or a new ballpark elsewhere in the area.

James L. Jenkins, chairman of the RMA board of directors, said informal discussions continue about a long-term plan for new or renovated stadium. More serious discussions could begin next year, he suggested.

"It's still too soon, in my opinion, with the economy being as it is and with the jurisdictions struggling with their budgets for 2010 and looking at a continuing struggle for 2011," Jenkins said. "I don't know that anybody is ready to whip out a checkbook and make a commitment at this point."

Domino said the RMA is working on finding a new home for The Diamond's most conspicuous resident: the sculpture of Connecticut, the Native American brave who peers onto the Boulevard from the stadium's superstructure. It now appears possible, however, that Connecticut could remain on the perch he has occupied since 1985.

An unveiling with flying colors

2009-12-02T11:24:00.000-08:00

Flying Squirrels Baseball To Air On Sports Radio 910

2009-11-25T08:59:00.000-08:00

RICHMOND, VA - The Richmond Flying Squirrels, Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, are pleased to announce a two-year media partnership with Clear Channel Broadcasting - Richmond, which will make Sports Radio 910 AM the radio flagship station for Flying Squirrels baseball in their first two seasons in Richmond. Sports Radio 910 will carry all 142 regular season games, any potential post-season games and the Eastern League All-Star Game. Additionally, all games will be available via on-line streaming at SportsRadio910.com.
"Sports Radio 910 is proud to be the radio home for the exciting first two seasons of Flying Squirrels baseball, including the inaugural season in 2010," said Sports Radio 910 Program Director Michael Clifford. "We look forward to a long relationship with the Flying Squirrels and are happy to get local Richmond baseball back on the air!"

The Flying Squirrels have also announced their radio broadcast team, which will consist of Jon Laaser and Anthony Oppermann. Laaser will provide play-by-play during all 142 regular season games, while Oppermann will provide play-by-play during home games and select road games. Both voices will have a consistent presence on Flying Squirrels' broadcasts, as Oppermann will also anchor 30-minute pre and post-game shows for all game broadcasts.

"Anthony (Oppermann) and I have both come to Richmond with the goal of providing a Major League-caliber broadcast to the baseball fans in this great area," said Laaser. "We couldn't be more pleased that we have formed this partnership with Sports Radio 910, where we know we will have the opportunity to implement that broadcast, while continuing to expand the reach of Flying Squirrels Baseball."

Laaser comes to Richmond after a one-season stint as the lead broadcaster for the Montgomery Biscuits (Double-A - Tampa Bay Rays). He is reunited with Flying Squirrels' Vice President & COO Todd "Parney" Parnell, whom he worked with while calling games for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Advanced-A - Atlanta Braves) in 2008 and the Altoona Curve (Double-A - Pittsburgh Pirates) in 2007. A native of Minneapolis, MN, he has also provided play-by-play for the Yakima Bears (A - Arizona Diamondbacks), St. Paul Saints (Independent) and St. Cloud River Bats (Summer Collegiate). In addition to his experience in baseball, Laaser has also served as the lead announcer for Charleston Southern University football and men's basketball, the Minnesota State High School Football/Basketball Championships and Hamline (MN) University football. His broadcasting career began in sports talk radio, with Clear Channel's KFAN in his native Minneapolis.

Oppermann also brings a wealth of experience to the Flying Squirrels radio booth, having most recently occupied the role of "Voice of the R-Phils," as the lead broadcaster for the Reading Phillies (Double-A - Philadelphia Phillies) in 2009. A native of La Grange, TX, Oppermann spent two seasons (2007, 08) as the lead broadcaster for the Potomac Nationals (Advanced-A - Washington Nationals), based in Woodbridge, VA. His baseball resume also includes time spent with the Daytona Cubs (Advanced-A - Chicago Cubs) and Round Rock Express (Double-A - Houston Astros). He rejoins Flying Squirrels' CEM Chuck Domino, whom he worked with in Reading, as well as Flying Squirrels' General Manager Bill Papierniak, whom he worked with in Daytona

Upgrades under way at The Diamond

2009-11-01T09:26:00.000-08:00

Lower-deck benches are gone. Concession stands have been gutted. A former restaurant is being transformed into a merchandise store.

The Diamond is undergoing unprecedented renovation.

Before the Class AA Richmond Flying Squirrels open their home schedule April 15, 3,200 dark green box seats will be fitted into the lower bowl, which had aluminum benches and backrests. The concession operation will be reinvented. Flying Squirrels gear will be sold from one of the largest souvenir shops in the minor leagues.

"In terms of the [fans'] experience, being able to sit in a new, individual plastic seat with a cup-holder is going to be probably the first thing that makes the most lasting impression," said Mike Berry, general manager of the Richmond Metropolitan Authority, which owns and operates The Diamond.

Franchise owners committed $1.5 million to renovation. The RMA contributed $75,500.

"The team with new ownership is looking to do whatever they can to make [fans] feel that this is going to be a fun place," Berry said. "There's going to be a lot of stuff going on, and they want to make this the best family experience they can make it."

No comparable upgrade took place at the 12,134-seat facility while Atlanta's Triple-A team, owned by the Atlanta Braves, played there from the ballpark's opening day in 1985 through the 2008 season. There also are improvements fans won't see. The front office has been remodeled. The home clubhouse was gutted and expanded. It will include a weight room. The press box is getting new windows.

More comfortable seats and better concessions were priorities, according to Todd Parnell, the Flying Squirrels' vice president and COO.

"People are really going to be able to have a full food and beverage experience here at The Diamond," he said. "They'll be able to see the food being prepared. They'll be able to smell it. They'll be able to enjoy the taste of it.

"There's a lot, in my opinion, that goes on with food and beverage as part of the experience a family has wherever they go. It's our plan to make sure the food and beverage experience here is a big part of coming to the game."

There is no resolution concerning Connecticut, the sculpture of the American Indian that peers out over The Boulevard, Berry said. His staff is exploring options apart from the ballpark perch for Connecticut because "I don't know that the team necessarily feels like he really fits into what they're doing," said Berry. He chose not to elaborate on what options are being considered.

The RMA and the franchise agreed to a two-year lease for use of The Diamond, with three one-year renewals possible. During the period to which the lease applies, the RMA and the franchise will explore the possibilities of a major renovation of The Diamond and a new ballpark, at that site or elsewhere.

2009-10-16T06:19:00.000-07:00

Displaying the spirit with which Flying Squirrels was picked as the name of Richmond's new baseball team, the Double-A franchise's general manager expressed outside-the-box approval yesterday.

"Let me be the first one to say: 'Let's go nuts!'" Bill Papierniak said.

Flying Squirrels, chosen by franchise owners and manage ment, was among more than 6,000 submissions in a name-the-team contest.

Flying Squirrels was the submission of Prince George County's Brad Mead. He won two season tickets for life, a jacket and a cap.

Mead's picture will appear in the 2010 program. He was unable to attend yesterday's announcement at the Richmond Times-Dispatch's headquarters downtown and was represented by his mother, Donna Nelson, and stepfather, Kyle.

Mead, a 30-year-old graduate of James Madison University, works as a magistrate in Hopewell. He is a fan of the Boston Red Sox and said he didn't attend many games at The Diamond after his 1997 graduation from Prince George High School.

Regarding his suggestion of Flying Squirrels, Mead said he considered the trend toward odd nicknames among minor-league teams and tried to come up with one that was "goofy or crazy."

To Chuck Domino, the club's chief executive manager, Flying Squirrels stood out because it is highly unusual. He heard from those who pushed hard for Rapids, Rebels, Virginians and other conservative options.

"Just didn't have the pizzazz," Domino said.

The Flying Squirrels name fits the approach that Domino and Todd Parnell, the Squirrels' vice president and chief operating officer, intend to take with the Double-A team of the San Francisco Giants.

Domino noted that the circus atmosphere at games is the job of franchise management; the Giants will handle the baseball. Games start April 15 at The Diamond.

The team is relocating from Connecticut, where it was known as the Defenders.

Domino acknowledged that the choice of Flying Squirrels -- which beat finalists Rock Hoppers, Rhinos, Flatheads and Hush Puppies -- probably would not receive immediate approval from Richmond-area residents.

"It's going to be rough. We're going to have to put on our seat belts," he said. "But we promised Richmond that we were going to be different, and I think this makes a statement that we are going to be different."

The Division III teams at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton are called the Fighting Squirrels.

"People think our name is funny, but we've also gotten a lot of good press because of it," said Sharon Spalding, the school's athletic director.

Mary Baldwin's nickname comes from the central figure in the crest of a school founder.

Domino is the former general manager of the Double-A Reading Phillies. Parnell is the former GM of the Double-A Altoona Curve. The franchises, both in Pennsylvania, were very successful under their leadership.

"They set the standard for what happens in minor-league baseball and the amusement," said Gary Green, part of the franchise's ownership group. "They set the standard, and everybody else follows. This is about fun. Minor-league baseball is anything but conventional."

According to Domino, each of the finalists had some support among the group that eventually agreed on Flying Squirrels. He added that Flying Squirrels received sufficient support in online voting for finalists "to affirm our decision."

Gauging merchandising potential was a part of the decision-making process, and yesterday Domino already was considering the possibilities of squirrel tails, squirrel nests and other squirrelly links. A team store will replace the restaurant at The Diamond.

The team logo will be ready by the end of next month. The franchise's new Web site is SquirrelsBaseball.com

Flying Squirrels soar into Richmond

2009-10-15T13:22:00.000-07:00

Gliding rodents have prevailed.
At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Richmond Pro Baseball announced that the name of the city's new Eastern League team will be the Flying Squirrels. The moniker was one of six finalists chosen in a name-the-team contest which drew over 15,000 submissions.
The Flying Squirrels, San Francisco's Double-A affiliate, relocated from Norwich, Conn. (where they played as the Connecticut Defenders).

The club will play in The Diamond, which housed the International League's Richmond Braves until that team moved to Gwinnett County, Ga., following the 2008 campaign.

Flying Squirrels -- which was chosen by the team's owners, front office staff and marketing partners -- beat out Flatheads, Rhinos, Rock Hoppers, and Hush Puppies. The latter entry was a late "Wild Card" addition to the contest, chosen by CNBC sports business reporter Darren Rovell after he solicited name suggestions on his blog. An additional contender, Hambones, was removed from consideration earlier this week after the NAACP pointed out that "hambone" is the name of a foot-stomping minstrel show dance (the club had chosen it as a finalist in homage to Virginia ham).

"We are thrilled with the passion that selecting the name of the team has ignited within the community," said Richmond Professional Baseball chief executive manager Chuck Domino in a press release. "We have promised the baseball fans of Richmond a truly unique brand of fun. Out of all the tremendous entries we received, we believe the Flying Squirrels moniker provides the best representation of that brand, while giving us unlimited avenues to creatively explore the identity of this team."

In attendance at the press conference were Jason Klein and Casey White of Plan B Branding, who outlined the team's strategy in regards to the creation of a logo and branding strategy (The logo will be unveiled at a later date). Brad Mead, the fan who submitted "Flying Squirrels" in the name-the-team contest, was unable to attend. However, Mead's mother and step-father accepted the prize of two life-time season tickets on his behalf.

Speculation over the team name had been a hot topic of conversation in Richmond since the finalists were announced last week. Many fans reacted negatively to the choices, often citing a lack of seriousness and/or local connection as a reason. Todd Parnell, the Flying Squirrel's vice-president and COO, said that the passionate reaction of the fan base could only be seen as a positive.

"I think it's awesome, to know that the people of Richmond care so much," he said in a phone conversation Wednesday afternoon. "We will never shy away from getting people to talk, and having an opinion, so we haven't taken offense. Whether people are saying things that are good or bad, it's all good because they are talking about Richmond baseball as a family again. And, at the end of the day, who's going to turn away from fun?"

Owners stick by finalists in name-the-team contest

2009-10-12T13:17:00.000-07:00

Baseball team name to 5 finalists, one wildcard?

2009-10-10T16:15:00.000-07:00

New team owners promise Diamond improvements

2009-09-24T12:59:00.000-07:00

The sign outside The Diamond still proclaims "Home of the Richmond Braves," but Richmond and its 24-year-old stadium will have a new professional baseball team beginning next spring.

After months of delays, the long-anticipated relocation of the Class AA Connecticut Defenders was announced yesterday by regional and team officials who gathered at The Diamond in front of a banner that read, "Play Ball!"

"We're here to say baseball is back," Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones said.

Richmond has been without pro baseball since the Class AAA Richmond Braves moved to a new $64 million stadium in Gwinnett County, Ga., after the 2008 season.

The Atlanta Braves severed their 43-year relationship with Richmond after growing frustrated by the outdated condition of The Diamond and the lack of progress on a long-term stadium plan.

Though there's still no plan or even a timetable to get one, owners of the Defenders franchise said they're ecstatic to come to Richmond and plan to spend at least $1.5 million to upgrade The Diamond by opening day in April.

The work will include about 3,200 new flip-up seats with cup-holders in the lower level; a new video board and new windows on the corporate suites and press box; and a new team store and player amenities.

The Richmond Metropolitan Authority, which owns The Diamond, will contribute $75,000 toward general improvements.

"For the time being, this is our home," said Lou DiBella, the team's president and managing general partner. "We're going to treat it like your home. We're going to do what's necessary to bring it up to the appropriate grade."

He and other team executives promised a clean stadium and a brand of minor-league baseball that's focused on fun for everyone. The team, which is affiliated with the San Francisco Giants, lost the Eastern League's championship series last weekend to the Akron Aeros.

The team will play at The Diamond through at least 2011 and likely longer. The RMA is expected to approve Tuesday a two-year lease that would include options for three one-year extensions.

Jones said the lease would provide a timetable for the city, the surrounding counties and the team to figure out a long-term stadium plan, either at the site of The Diamond or elsewhere.

"I think we need to do due diligence," he said. "It gives us an opportunity to step back and do this right."

Last fall, Highwoods Properties submitted to the city a proposal to build a ballpark as part of a mixed-use development in Shockoe Bottom, but that plan was withdrawn this summer. Highwoods had been working with a group of local investors who were attempting to buy the Defenders franchise.

DiBella said his ownership group is relocating to Richmond "with a long-term view," and he emphasized that a decision about a new or improved stadium would be made cooperatively by the team, local officials and the community.

"Don't focus on the lease," he urged a reporter. "We're going to make this place the best it can be."

Given the sagging economy, any talks about a new or renovated stadium will have to take a backseat to other, more-pressing local needs, Henrico County Manager Virgil R. Hazelett said.

"With the economy the way it is, we don't know how long they may have to play at The Diamond," he said. And glancing up at the massive concrete stadium, Hazelett quipped, "I think it looks fantastic."

Minor League Baseball returns to Richmond

2009-09-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

Sources say Eastern League will announce that Defenders are Richmond-bound

2009-09-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

An announcement of which Class AA Eastern League franchise is relocating to Richmond for next season will be made a week from today, sources said. Industry insiders identified Connecticut as the franchise on the move.

Richmond's new club will play at The Diamond for a minimum of two years while team owners and officials from the city and neighboring counties discuss a new ballpark. The franchise now in Connecticut is contractually bound to the San Francisco Giants through 2010.

Eastern League President Joe McEacharn yesterday chose not to reveal which franchise is moving. He also did not confirm the date of an announcement. McEacharn previously stated that one of the league's franchises would be based in Richmond starting next season. Yesterday, he said an announcement regarding Richmond's franchise would be made by the end of the month.

Minor League Baseball and the Eastern League have asked involved parties not to publicly discuss the relocation until the announcement is made.

The Connecticut franchise is owned by a partnership led by Lou DiBella. He is expected to be the Richmond franchise's managing partner. An industry veteran, believed to be Chuck Domino, will supervise the team's operations. This season, Domino was president of two franchises, Class AAA Lehigh Valley and Class AA Reading.

The Connecticut franchise was identified by Minor League Baseball as a candidate for relocation to Richmond soon after the Atlanta Braves announced in January of 2008 that their Class AAA franchise was headed to Gwinnett County, Ga., where the club played this season.

A potential local ownership group, Richmond Baseball Club LC, failed in its bid to purchase the Connecticut franchise due to lack of funds.

To Minor League Baseball, ownership groups of several Eastern League franchises expressed interest in relocating to Richmond. Minor League Baseball and the Eastern League selected Connecticut. That franchise in recent years has been at or near the bottom of the Eastern League in home attendance.

The new franchise will spend a minimum of $1 million to upgrade The Diamond for short-term use, according to McEacharn. The Richmond Metropolitan Authority, which owns and operates The Diamond, also is expected to invest in the facility on the Boulevard.

This year was Richmond's first without professional baseball since 1965. The Braves' move was caused primarily by that organization's dissatisfaction with The Diamond, which opened in 1985, and the lack of a firm plan for a new ballpark.

The Connecticut Defenders are involved in the Eastern League's best-of-five championship series, against Akron. Connecticut made the playoffs for the first time since 2002, when it was an affiliate of the New York Yankees and called the Norwich Navigators.

McEacharn said the timing of an announcement regarding Richmond is unrelated to the Eastern League playoffs

Connecticut first in division, last in EL attendance

2009-09-05T06:14:00.000-07:00

Heading into the final weekend of minor-league baseball's regular season, Connecticut has wrapped up the Eastern League Northern Division championship. But the Defenders are last among 12 league clubs in attendance.

Connecticut, an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, is the Class AA franchise expected to relocate to Richmond next season. An announcement is expected next week.

Entering this weekend's activity, the Defenders were 81-56 but averaging 2,966 fans at Dodd Stadium. The Eastern League regular season closes Monday, and playoffs begin Wednesday. Connecticut will meet either Trenton or New Britain in a best-of-five series. The Eastern League championship series also is best-of-five.

The Connecticut franchise hadn't made the playoffs since 2002, when it was affiliated with the New York Yankees and called the Norwich Navigators. The Defenders' first-year manager is Steve Decker, a former Giants' catcher. The Connecticut franchise and the Giants have been linked since 2003 and are contractually bound through next season.

The Gwinnett Braves, the Class AAA International League affiliate that relocated from Richmond, also seems headed to the postseason, though the G-Braves hadn't clinched a spot before last night's games. Gwinnett ranks 13th among 14 IL clubs in home attendance (5,783).

New team for Richmond still in works

2009-08-15T13:55:00.000-07:00

A Class AA franchise has been designated for relocation to Richmond in 2010. But the Eastern League still is not ready to identify that franchise despite the league's goal of an announcement by Aug. 1.

The modified timetable should not be interpreted as a sign of a problem with baseball's return to Richmond next season, according to Joe McEacharn, the Eastern League president.

"We are still in the day-to-day process of trying to finalize our agreements and get everything in place," McEacharn said yesterday. "There are always a lot of unique circumstances to any relocation. It starts with ownership and investment, and the more moving parts you have . . . baseball is a heavily regulated business for the protection of all.

"We've gotten through almost all of this. We're finding there's a little more to it than what would typically be the case. We're spending that time to make sure we get everything completed."

Several sources said the Connecticut franchise, contractually bound to the San Francisco Giants through next season, will relocate to Richmond with Chuck Domino supervising the management team. Domino is the president of the Class AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs and the Class AA Reading Phillies.

McEacharn said he would not identify the franchise that will relocate or the management team "until we have it signed, sealed and delivered."

The Richmond Metropolitan Authority, owner and operator of The Diamond, continues to negotiate lease terms with the franchise, according to Mike Berry, the RMA's general manager.

"I think we certainly have it in pretty good shape, but nothing definite at this point. Nothing signed, nothing planned to be signed," Berry said of a lease agreement.

The Diamond will be home to the new franchise for at least two years, with Richmond's long-term ballpark situation still unresolved.

"We anticipate starting that process as soon as we get there and are up and running," McEacharn said.

Eastern League “closing in” on announcement of Richmond’s new baseball franchise

2009-07-21T11:13:00.000-07:00

Behind-the-scenes work apparently has already started as The Diamond readies for Richmond's next professional baseball team. Sources said it will be the Class AA franchise now based in Connecticut.

Those involved with the relocation process have been told by Minor League Baseball and the Eastern League not to comment publicly on the move until it is formally announced, Eastern League President Joe McEacharn said.

Renovation of The Diamond's executive offices will be a priority following an announcement of franchise relocation for next season. McEacharn said yesterday that "the people who we anticipate coming down there are actively involved" in making arrangements for computer service, phone service and other business necessities in The Diamond's front office.

"It is my understanding that there have been some contacts relative to doing some things, carpet, [phone and computer] hook-ups and things like that," said Mike Berry, general manager of the Richmond Metropolitan Authority, which owns and operates The Diamond.

McEacharn reiterated that Richmond's new franchise and its ownership group will be announced by Aug. 1. He chose not to reveal the franchise or ownership team yesterday and said the announcement is "unlikely" this week. "We're closing in," McEacharn said. "We're dotting I's and crossing T's and all that stuff. We don't have anything to announce yet, but we continue to work toward that."

The Connecticut franchise will move to Richmond with Lou DiBella remaining as managing partner, said sources, and with a management team involving Chuck Domino, president of the Class AA Reading franchise (Philadelphia Phillies) and the Class AAA Lehigh Valley franchise (Philadelphia Phillies). Domino, who has worked in professional baseball for 27 years, was Reading's general manager 1988-2006. He won several national awards for franchise management.

Connecticut has been an Eastern League member since 1995. The franchise is contractually bound to be the San Francisco Giants' Class AA affiliate through next season. A local ownership group, Richmond Baseball Club LC, in May failed
to meet the purchase price of $15.4 million for that franchise.

"We will wait for Minor League Baseball to assign the region a team, and then that team will sit down with the RMA and enter into a lease agreement," said James L. Jenkins, chairman of the RMA's board of directors. "Then the process will go forward with an initial refurbishing of The Diamond."

The Diamond's refurbishment would be an upgrade to make it usable for at least the next two seasons. A long-term ballpark solution has not yet been determined. Peter Kirk's Opening Day Partners submitted a $28 million plan for a transformation of The Diamond in early June to city and county officials. Kirk yesterday said he has not heard from those officials.

McEacharn said that Minor League Baseball and the Eastern League have agreed on the franchise to be relocated to Richmond but "there are always a whole bunch of
legal [issues] to work through . . . We have a plan and we're trying to finalize that plan. And we always have contingencies."

Connecticut was one of a few Eastern League franchises that expressed an interest in relocating to Richmond, sources said. Jenkins said seven groups toured The Diamond. That number includes representatives of franchises that were interested in relocation as well as members of potential ownership groups.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer Sees Downtown Redevelopment on Track

2009-06-23T23:07:00.000-07:00

ORLANDO, FL) -- Downtown Orlando's estimated $2 billion redevelopment program is on track - not all completed but not totally bogged down, either.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer
That's the assessment of Mayor Buddy Dyer who has been pushing the program since he took office six years ago.

"Under the economic circumstances and based on factors that we can control, I am confident that we will be in a better position than any other (comparable sized) city in America" to complete the program when the economy returns to some degree of normalcy, Dyer says.

He offered his analysis of the city's redevelopment progress in an exclusive phone interview with Real Estate Channel. Dyer commented specifically on 11 projects considered crucial to Downtown redevelopment.

He says the under-construction, $380 million, 800,000-square-foot Orlando Events Center at 300 West Church St. will be "a landmark structure...a building visitors and residents will immediately identify with Orlando."

The building is tentatively scheduled to replace Amway Arena in fourth quarter 2010. It will have an on-site parking garage, an amenity the old arena does not have.

"It's on schedule and under budget," the mayor says.

Orlando Events Center
The Center will be the new home of the Orlando Magic, the city's only top-tier professional sports team. Dyer says he has heard no rumblings of the city discussing future prospects for a National Football League team. An Orlando-based United States Football League team will open its season here later this year.

Not only will Orlando Events Center be twice the size of Amway Arena but it will be high-tech wired.

"The building will be part of the new wave" of electronics that is being installed in newer commercial and entertainment properties across the country, Dyer says.

Orlando Events Center will also complement a three-year-old dream the mayor has had for a project tentatively identified as Creative Village.

New Events Center under construction (April 2009)
The proposed site is the Centroplex property which houses the current arena. Besides the 53 acres at that site, the city also owns an additional 60 acres nearby.

In talks to city groups and leaders, Dyer has previously described Creative Village as "a place where high-tech, digital media and creative industry companies integrate with residential, retail and academia in a neighborhood that is connected to the surrounding community and globally plugged in."

It would revitalize the economically depressed Parramore neighborhood, a goal that numerous city administrations have embraced for at least 50 years and specifically for the last 20 years.

The estimated development cost of Creative Village hasn't been determined. But according to the Downtown Development Board, the city could be in a position to send out requests for proposals to the development community by the end of this year or early 2010.

Creative Village
i.d.e.a.s., a seven-year-old privately owned digital media production company, already has positioned itself to complement the Creative Village concept.

The company, purchased by Bob Allen in a management-lead buyout from the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando in July 2001, had its grand opening May 21 at its new world headquarters at 64 E. Concord St., the former Downtown site of News Channel 13.

Besides the Creative Village dream, Dyer says another long-expressed Downtown desire by residents and visitors alike, was a grocery store.

Interactive Creative Village - Potential public park along Livingston Street
Publix opened a 28,900-square-foot store in third quarter 2008 at The Paramount, a $125 million, 16-story, 809,310-square-foot mixed-use community facing Lake Eola in the 400 block of East Central Boulevard.

"I can't tell you how many times residents had stopped me after I took office six years ago and asked me when they would get a Downtown grocery," Dyer recalls.

The Paramount was developed by N-K Ventures, RMC Property Group and ZOM Inc. Besides its 313 residential condominiums and apartments on floors five to 16, the building also has 11,300 square feet of office space and another 5,100 square feet of occupied retail space.

The Plaza Cinema
Also on the commercial real estate side, Dyer says he is pleased the city participated in the development of The Plaza, a $90 million, two-block, 2.9-acre, 447,000-square-foot mixed-use redevelopment in the heart of the central business district at 101 South Orange Ave.

"The Plaza was the catalyst for all Downtown redevelopment that followed," says Dyer. "The Plaza showed investors for the first time that the city was willing to participate" in new major projects that would reshape the look of Downtown.

"It was the Phoenix that rose from the ashes of that once-blighted block" and emerged as a beacon for other planned projects, the mayor says.

The Plaza, completed in first quarter 2007, boasts 394,000 square feet of office space and 53,000 square feet of retail space.

The Plaza Cinema
The structure encompasses two high-rise condominium office towers, 16 stories and 21 stories, and a 29-story residential condo tower.

A highlight in The Plaza's three-year development comes Thursday, May 28, when the 12 Plaza Cinema Café opens its doors to the general public.

A soft opening is scheduled for May 25. It will mark the first Downtown movie theater in at least 40 years.

Dynetech Centre, which opened in second quarter 2008 at 111 East Washington St. in the central business district, is still another Downtown mixed-use structure the city helped in its development stages.

"It's well designed and offers residents from The Vue (condominium) a great view" of Downtown, Dyer says. The property was redeveloped from a two-deck, 88-car public parking garage.

The $80 million, 31-story, 161,000-square-foot building houses the international headquarters of Dynetech Corp. in 60,000 square feet of office space.

The building also has 164 apartment units, a total 150,000 square feet of office space and 11,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.

Downtown Orlando
The city administration is particularly pleased with its participation in the development of Orlando Utilities Commission's new 10-story, 120,000-square-foot, $34 million headquarters building constructed behind OUC's existing structure at 100 W. Anderson St., also in the central business district.

The building, with 510 parking spaces, has received LEED certification, a recognition that Dyer notes to visitors and residents alike.

On the city's drawing boards are four projects awaiting improvement in the tourist hotel tax collections and the completion of Orlando Events Center.

They are the $354 million Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center to be located east of City Hall; the $175 million Citrus Bowl improvements; the $12 million Wells Landing; and the $36 million Renaissance at Carver Theatre. All are considered important components of near-future Downtown redevelopment.

Dr. P. Philips Orlando Performing Arts Center - Plaza View
The Arts Center was tentatively scheduled to break ground this year with an anticipated completion in 2012. But that project is on hold for now, Dyer says.

Final design work for the 750,000-square-foot Citrus Bowl could be completed by late spring 2010, the mayor estimates.

The lower bowl would be replaced and a 40,000-square foot banquet hall would be added.

New and enhanced concession stands, locker rooms and restrooms are also planned. The stadium would have 70,000 seats, 4,000 club seats.

Wells Landing still could break ground by year end with completion scheduled for third quarter 2011, Dyer says.

Dr. P. Philips Orlando Performing Arts Center - Magnolia Avenue View
The two-block revitalization project of the former Parramore Village in the South Parramore neighborhood would be a residential community offering possibly 26 single-family homes, 42 townhouses and open green space combined with a new community Park to be called Z.L. Riley Park.

Dyer calls the planned Renaissance at Carver Theatre "a pretty important project" in the whole Downtown redevelopment concept.

The proposed 11-story, 72,000-square-foot mixed-use development would offer 60,000 square feet of office space, 7,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, 5,000 square feet of business incubator space and 17 residential condominiums.

Renaissance at Carver Theater would house the corporate headquarters of the Black Business Investment Fund and the banking offices of Bob Johnson's Urban Trust.

On the private commercial real estate side, only two projects surface at the moment. One is the planned Pizzuti Inc. project across from the Orange County Courthouse complex at Orange Avenue and Livingston Street.

The other is Ustler Development Inc.'s $35 million, six-story, 105,000-square-foot GAI Building planned for the southwest corner of Summerlin Avenue and South Street in the South Eola District.

GAI Consultants is the anchor tenant, taking 65,000 square feet.

Craig Ustler
"This is one of the largest lease deals in Downtown Orlando over the past several years and is very significant in the current market where there are very few users taking down large blocks of space," developer Craig Ustler tells Real Estate Channel.

Like Mayor Dyer, Ustler and his associates have participated in development and redevelopment projects Downtown and Near-Downtown for decades.

Like the mayor, Ustler feels the city has made progress on its redevelopment calendar, even though several projects remain in limbo.

Here are his thoughts:

"With regard to the progress of urban redevelopment in Downtown Orlando, we have certainly made progress and accomplished some good things over the past several years."

"There is no question that we have thousands more people living Downtown than we did in the late 1990's or early 2000's and that has made for much more of a neighborhood feel rather than just a business district. "

"Of course, some areas have been more successful than others. "

"For instance, the Thornton Park neighborhood has been the shining star. It is a great urban village with residential and commercial development with many popular restaurants, shops and entertainment options as well as the anchor of Lake Eola."

"In a broad sense, I think it is safe to say that we have 'made progress' but we are a 'work in progress' with a long way to go."

"As far as where we are in our redevelopment stage, we are a little behind the curve (many other comparable sized Downtowns across the country saw more of an 'urban boom' before the overall economic slowdown) and we are hindered by things like lack of mass transit."

"The community venues are a positive and should elevate our Downtown to a new level. If you look at redevelopment as a process that runs from early (as a 1) to mature (as a 9 or 10) we are probably at a 4 or 5."

"My line of thinking is that we will see continued Downtown redevelopment as the economy recovers."

"All of the lifestyle and demand factors point to urban infill and walkable communities. It is just a matter of executing the needed projects once the real estate cycle turns."

"I think suburban development and sprawl have gone the way of the industrial revolution and will become functionally obsolete, probably never recovering their value."

"But downtowns, and Downtown Orlando, are in good shape for the long run."

Downtown Orlando - Lake Eola

Independent league is ready to pitch in Richmond

2009-06-13T08:16:00.000-07:00

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.

Kirk said Opening Day Partners also welcomes the opportunity to transform The Diamond for a Minor League Baseball franchise.

The Class AA Eastern League, part of Minor League Baseball, pledged to Richmond one of its 12 franchises for next season. Local investors failed in a bid to buy the Connecticut Defenders for $15.4 million. Minor League Baseball oversees a potential franchise sale and/or relocation it hopes to finalize by Aug. 1.

Eastern League President Joe McEacharn promised a "tightly managed process." Representatives of Ryan-Sanders, a well-regarded ownership group, late last month visited Richmond to investigate the situation. Reid Ryan, the firm's president, said this week "because of baseball rules, we are not allowed to comment on the market. Everything has to go through the Eastern League."

Asked for an update, McEacharn this week said "I really can't give any specifics other than to say we are continuing to explore a number of different options."

Kirk, a former owner of Baltimore Orioles' affiliates, called the Atlantic League "equivalent to Triple-A hitting and fielding, Double-A pitching." Independent-league players are commonly signed by affiliated teams. Since the Atlantic League launched in 1998, more than 600 players with major-league experience have joined its teams, according to the league. This season, Carl Everett, Armando Benitez, Jay Gibbons, Esteban Yan and Preston Wilson are among the ex-big-leaguers.

Atlantic League franchises are in Bridgeport, Conn., Camden, N.J., Lancaster, Pa., Long Island, N.Y., Newark, N.J., Somerset, N.J., Southern Maryland (Waldorf) and York, Pa., and clubs usually have former big-leaguers as managers. This season, Gary Carter, Butch Hobson, Tim Raines, Sparky Lyle and Tommy John are managing.

Average Eastern League attendance this season is 4,146. Average Atlantic League attendance is 3,895. Kirk said locales involved with the Atlantic League find it features "great baseball, but also, quite frankly, the community gets a better financial deal with the Atlantic League."

If an ownership group pays $15 million for a franchise, for instance, in most cases that doesn't leave much for ownership to contribute to a new stadium, Kirk said. An Atlantic League expansion franchise would require approximately $7 million "to buy the franchise, set it up and do all of the things you have to do," Kirk said. "You have so much more [financial] room to work."

It’s clear where blame belongs in Defenders debacle

2009-05-31T09:35:00.000-07:00

In the old world, and even still today in some cultures, prearranged marriages are the norm.

Any number of parties could put the bride and groom together, cutting out the courtship all together. Often times, these unions are driven by economic forces. It usually involves a rise to power and/or the bride bringing a substantial fortune to the groom’s family.

As we’ve learned, the pre-arranged marriage between the Connecticut Defenders and Richmond Baseball LC was a joke, one that’s done damage to many layers of a community.

For months, Eastern League President Joe McEacharn said securing the financial means to purchase and run the team was necessary — except that his handpicked bride didn’t include a dowry.

That’s why this “imminent” sale, as he’s called it, went on for months and months. Because he was so desperate to get his way by any means necessary, he’d trample everyone under foot, all while taking significant risk for vouching for an ownership group that has as much business buying a team as a panhandler.

After months of strong-arming Defenders owner Lou DiBella and his partners, the city and every single one of us who call Eastern Connecticut home, the poor power play by McEacharn — and ostensibly, Minor League Baseball (unless we are to believe McEacharn acted alone) — has done irreparable harm to the community.

And for what, a bonus?

This is no longer a pro- or anti-baseball issue. This is an issue of respect and decency.

It’s been a clever rouse, but because McEacharn failed to cover his bases, it is one that he can’t hide from.

He told Norwich Mayor Ben Lathrop that he was taking the team to Richmond. Never mind that it was McEacharn saying this, not the team’s ownership group. The cat got out of the bag and advertisers pulled support of the team, fans determined it’s not worth it to get behind the team, and full- and part-time staff at Dodd wonder where they are going to work next.

Maybe McEacharn didn’t see the trickle-down effect, but it’s time he stands judgment for his reckless abuse of power and trivialization of a community.

At a time when the economy is struggling, he took steps to undermine people with no sense of consequence. People like those Defenders employees who waited for any sort of official word of a sale and were left hanging like a curve ball; like the youth groups who come out in droves on Thursday mornings to hear a message of living drug-free lives; like the 70-year-old season-ticket holder who travels an hour to every game; or the usher who uses his pay to fill the gaps of Social Security; or the family of four who can’t wait for the Friday night fireworks. To us, they are our neighbors. To McEacharn, they were collateral damage.

Everyone thought this was DiBella’s idea — just as McEacharn wanted — figuring the owner was painted into a corner. God forbid this plot crumbled, DiBella would have to sell since he’d be the villain.

Lathrop called McEacharn the “facilitator.” McEacharn can no longer deny this sale doesn’t have his hands all over it.

He can’t.

Until after it was announced Thursday that the original deal was dead, DiBella hadn’t spoken with the bride-to-be in weeks, maybe months. And he hasn’t been allowed to look into moving the team. Why is that?

McEacharn is clearly an interested party, and it would behoove DiBella, his partners and the city of Norwich to challenge baseball’s anti-trust exemption. This is a clear case of collusion among McEacharn, Richmond Baseball — which knew it didn’t have the money — and Minor League Baseball.

This seems about the right time for an apology.

Or at the very least some clear answers. That would be the right thing.

But McEacharn isn’t likely to do the right thing. He hasn’t done it in months, so there’s no reason to anticipate a change now.

He promised support to bring a short-season Single-A team here for next year as a trade-off, but why should anyone believe him? McEacharn already proved a below-average student at doing his homework. Imagine what he might do on an exam.

Sure, a move to Richmond is ultimately about money. No one can fault that reasoning. But while other Eastern League team owners would benefit from increased revenues in Richmond, they should also be thinking, “What if that were me?” Take our word for it: He’ll take advantage of you, too, if given the chance.

He’s already begun that process in Richmond, and it doesn’t even have a team yet. McEacharn endorsed a new stadium plan that essentially required the city and its taxpayers to pay the bill while ownership had minimal risk if the venture failed. The good people of Virginia’s capital are already on to his shtick.

This was McEacharn’s deal from the start, which I’m sure began long before anyone had any business discussing a sale of the team because of tampering concerns. He handpicked the buyer, failed to do his due diligence and, as a result, has two months to come up with a plan to save face — and possibly his job.

These checks he keeps writing will continue to bounce. Sooner or later, they’ll end up at the door of Minor League Baseball President Pat O’Connor, who will want to wash his hands of McEacharn and his mess.

Being able to do the same will be the one positive if the Defenders do leave town

Businessman is passionate advocate for baseball in Richmond

2009-05-10T08:32:00.000-07:00

Critically evaluate Bryan Bostic's belief that minor-league baseball can greatly enhance a community's quality of life. Challenge his contention that Shockoe Bottom is the ideal location for a new ballpark.

Questioning his commitment to those positions is a tougher task.

Dating back to his involvement with the Richmond Ballpark Initiative, the local businessman has spent the past seven years advocating an upgraded baseball experience in a modern facility. Since the Atlanta Braves announced in January 2008 that they were moving their Class AAA franchise to Gwinnett County, Ga., Bostic says he has worked nearly every day toward his goal of returning baseball to Richmond.

Bostic, 47, acknowledged that the effort has included "hundreds of thousands of dollars" from his personal account. He has made more than 80 presentations to Richmond-area groups.

Why the investments in passion, time and resources?

"I was tired of going to all of these other cities and seeing how they had leveraged baseball as a catalyst for growth and revitalization, and how we weren't," said Bostic, a Richmond native who grew up in Newport News. "If we're going to spend money, let's spend it wisely. Let's create an economic-development opportunity."

Seven months ago, Bostic was among those who introduced the Shockoe Center proposal, a $318 million development with a $60 million ballpark. "We've done our homework," said Bostic, who strongly believes that the success of downtown ballparks in many other locales provides a blueprint for Richmond.

"Why should we be different? Just because baseball has been played on the Boulevard for 50 years?" Bostic said. "That doesn't mean it's right. It just means that's where it's been."

He is chairman of Richmond Baseball Club LC, which is in the process of purchasing a Class AA franchise -- the highest competitive level from which a franchise is available -- for the purpose of relocating it to Richmond and, in the short term, The Diamond.

Bostic, a former James Madison University tennis player, moved to Richmond in 1985 and launched 2b Technology. That became a global ticketing and reservation business for museums, zoos and other attractions. In 2000, Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch Inc. acquired the company in a reported $23 million, all-stock deal.

Bostic may be genetically wired to ensure that Richmond has pro ball. During the mid-1950s, his grandfather, Ed Phillips, was instrumental in raising money to turn Parker Field, which had been used for football and horse racing, into a baseball facility for the Richmond Virginians, the New York Yankees' Class AAA team.

The city continues to study the Shockoe Center proposal. Bostic continues to pitch.

"This is a huge challenge, there's no doubt about it," he said. "But I believe this community has real opportunity in front of it. It just needs to open its eyes to what other communities have done and we haven't."

Unanswered Questions about Baseball

2009-04-28T16:20:00.000-07:00

Pitchmen Paul Kreckman and Bryan Bostic said they would answer all questions. Then they didn’t do it.

The men who would build a baseball stadium in Shockoe Bottom made a presentation in Albert Hill Middle School’s auditorium on Apr. 22. The early-evening meeting was advertised as open to the public. Maybe 70 or 75 people showed up to listen to Kreckman, of Highwoods Properties, and Bostic, of Richmond Baseball Club.

The crowd was told to hold questions until the presentation was done. The audience complied and sat politely through the structured part of the night.

Kreckman spoke mostly about money aspects of the developments his outfit has designed for the Boulevard and Shockoe Bottom.

Bostic spoke mostly about the baseball stadium he wants to see built, to be the home field for a minor league franchise his group is in the process of buying. With his intensity ratcheted up, Bostic said, “There’s a game out there ... it’s called baseball.”

Kreckman was folksy and well-modulated. But his take-it-or-leave-it threat was clear -- if the stadium component of the plans doesn’t fall into place, Highwoods will walk away from the whole shebang.

Later Bostic said, “It’s not about wins and losses, it’s about the experience.”

By that Bostic was talking about how the fans coming to see his team play will be more interested in the stadium’s festive atmosphere -- the view of the skyline, the bells and whistles, which will appeal to folks who don’t care about actually watching baseball.

Kreckman said, “I’m not a baseball fan.”

Bostic said, “It’s not about the game ... it’s about sunsets.”

Of course, they both said a lot of other things, too. Neither man was particularly convincing. What happened during the Q&A session was more telling than the spinning numbers and blue sky projections had been.

Among the initial half-dozen questions, some were challenging. Obviously, there were some citizens in the room with a bone to pick. So, a new rule was laid down -- only one question per citizen.

Tougher questions were asked. A man brought up Bostic’s history with Richmond Baseball Initiative, the group that effectively put the kibosh on the plan to renovate The Diamond, with its push for a baseball stadium in Shockoe Bottom five years ago.

Bostic bristled. He labeled the question, “unfair!” Then he blustered about The Diamond’s $18.5 million renovation plan. He cracked that the figure would have turned out to be “$30 million.”

In other words, we should not have bought what the Richmond Metropolitan Authority said, but Highwoods’ estimates are as good as gold. Bostic mocked the RMA, while he wants to create a new “authority” like it to own the new stadium and issue the bonds.

Shortly afterward, with hands aplenty raised to ask questions, the meeting was declared over. It was frustrating to leave the room with a head full of questions. Questions like:

The Diamond is almost 24 years old. Is it common to issue 30-year bonds on a building that has a 20-to-25-year life?
For the first two years, Bostic’s new team will apparently play at The Diamond. If the deal for Shockoe Bottom doesn’t happen, how willing is Bostic to talk about staying at The Diamond?
Minor league baseball is no sure thing. Say Bostic has to sell the team in five years, what would happen if the new owner wants to move it to another city?
If the revenue from the taxes earmarked to service the bonds isn’t there, the bondholders can then seize the stadium, according to Highwoods. So, what would that do to Richmond’s credit rating? And, who would buy such a facility?
What will leaving the two surrounding counties out of the new stadium deal do for the spirit of regional cooperation?
In 2005 City Council agreed to hold a referendum, to ask the voters where they wanted professional baseball to be played. Then the worthy idea was cast aside. Why?
Isn’t such a hot potato referendum, something that would get the politicians off the hook -- Boulevard or Shockoe Bottom? -- the best way to judge the righteousness of the Highwoods vision for Richmond?

For Gwinnett, it’s back to the minors

2009-04-18T19:12:00.000-07:00

I am a Gwinnettian. Though technically not a native (I lived in Dekalb County for my first four years), I have lived in Gwinnett virtually my entire life. If I did not have a soft spot for my county, I would not have bought my first home here nor would I invest my time to publish the Buzz. That being said, once I step foot outside of Georgia, I am an Atlantan. Someone in Alabama or Florida neither knows nor cares where Gwinnett is but they sure know Atlanta. In fact, even here in our own city, the concept of “Atlanta native” is far more commonly heard than “ native.” The point is this:as much as I care about Gwinnett County, Gwinnett is simply a part of the whole that is Atlanta which is a top tier U.S. and - and by virtue of the 1996 Olympics - international city. However, last night, with the first home game of the Gwinnett Braves, our county symbolically took a step back from this illustrious association.

For my entire life, Atlanta has been a major league city, home to a minimum of three major professional sports teams at any given time. Unfortunately, Gwinnett apparently thought being part of such a city was not sufficient and, as such, decided to hitch its wagon to a minor league horse. In doing so, Gwinnett has attempted to more closely identify itself with second-tier cities such as Durham, NC, Louisville, KY, Norfolk, VA, and Syracuse, NY. For these cities, a AAA minor league baseball is a big deal for they do not have the luxury of being home to a major league franchise and all that brings. So, what can a minor league baseball team bring to Gwinnett County? Do our county commissioners, who shoved the stadium deal down taxpayers’ throats, fancy themselves as “mayors” of a twin “city” to Atlanta? Surely not! Gwinnett is hardly Ft. Worth to Atlanta’s Dallas. Gwinnett has many positive aspects, but it is merely a suburban county whose identity is largely tied to being a part of a city such as Atlanta. Unlike for a city seeking a major league sports franchise, a minor league team can bring little cachet to Gwinnett County. Thus, the only significant benefit that the Gwinnett Braves can bring to our county is simply that of another entertainment option.

While being an entertainment outlet is not a wholly unworthy cause for an organization’s existence, this benefit is significantly degraded when one recalls how the team’s stadium was shoved down Gwinnett taxpayers’ throats. Gwinnett County cannot build a police precinct or a school without a referendum on the tax initiative to fund such projects. However, Gwinnett commissioners committed the taxpayer to an excessive investment for Gwinnett Stadium with a mere commission vote. This expenditure looks all the more foolhardy in light of a looming tax increase due to the inability of the commission to balance the county budget. This is precisely the kind of fiscal irresponsibility on the part of elected officials that tea parties across the country are protesting. Maybe the next Atlanta Tea Party should be in the parking lot of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center!

So when the G(overnment-funded) Braves took the field last night at the sparkling Gwinnett (Taxpayers’) Stadium, rather than being a great moment for Gwinnett, it was a moment to memorialize government taxpayer abuse and to lament the symbolic downgrade of our county from part of a world class city to a second-tier minor league community. For Gwinnett, April 17, 2009 will be the day that Gwinnett County was sent back to the minors.

Tex’ Simone Still Rides High as Chiefs’ Leader

2009-04-07T09:23:00.000-07:00

This cowboy is not quite ready yet to ride into the sunset. Tex Ritter was an American country singer and actor whose programs were featured at the Acme Theater on Syracuse’s north side every Saturday morning during the 1930s.

Seven-year-old Anthony Simone and his friends would take in the shows and later go to the park and reenact “cowboy and Indian” scenarios that they enjoyed on the silver screen. Of course, Simone insisted on being “Tex,” and that nickname has stuck to this very day.

Now at 80, Simone has rode all the way to the top of the Syracuse Chiefs baseball organization, a Triple-A club that competes in the International League.

He started out on the grounds crew in 1961, and today is the executive vice president and chief operating officer of the minor league baseball organization.

Simone has certainly left an indelible imprint on the world of baseball in Central New York. In 2001, he was inducted into the Syracuse Baseball Wall of Fame. In 2008, he was inducted into the International League Hall of Fame.

What attracted Simone to the Chiefs was his passion for “America’s pastime.”

He played at North High School in Syracuse from 1946-47 and competed in semi-pro ball as well, although he was never signed to a pro contract. “I love baseball, but never made it as a player because I couldn’t hit that good,” he said.

Although slowed a bit following surgery for throat cancer in 2007, Simone still exhibits passion for a sport that he simply calls “his life.”

“I’m basically involved in everything,” he said. “I make sure everything is run right and properly,” he added, noting that everyone on staff is involved in the marketing aspect of the operation.

“I think the biggest thing that I really enjoy the most is the way people treat me and what they keep thanking me for. They are the ones who created me and was the reason I got involved,” he said.

Road to the top

Simone literally climbed the ladder to success with the Chiefs, straight from the bottom rung. Following his stint in the service, Simone took business courses and began working for Bonn Bread in Syracuse in 1955.

He worked there for several years and became general manager of the corporation, overseeing about 80 people.

When he heard that baseball had a chance to come back to Syracuse after a four-year exodus, he responded to what would be his life’s calling.

Minor league baseball left Syracuse after the 1955 season and Syracuse was without baseball until 1961 when it bought the Montreal Royals franchise from then owner of the Dodgers, Walter O’Malley. The Dodgers had left Brooklyn in 1957 and four years later moved their Triple-A team to the West Coast, making Montreal available.

Simone said the Chiefs are the only club left in professional baseball that is owned by stockholders. In 1961, the state of New York established it as a corporation and gave the club 20,000 shares to sell at $10 a share in a measure to bring baseball back to Syracuse.

When Syracuse acquired the Montreal franchise in ‘61, Simone decided that he wanted to get a job with the club despite his success at Bonn.

“I accepted a grounds crew job, and my wife Joanne couldn’t believe it,” he said. “The grounds crew consisted of two people.”

In June of that year, the club’s trainer suffered a heart attack, and general manager Don Labruzzo told Simone to “take care of the club. I can’t find anybody.”

For the next month or so, Simone proceeded to maintain the field from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and then served as the clubhouse trainer until 2 a.m. the next day.

Training was not Simone’s forte, but he was assisted by many people—particularly players—in learning the trade.

“That’s how I got started,” he said. “That’s how they created me.”

He was offered several major league jobs, but decided instead to give up training and get into front office management in 1967.

The reason he turned down major league offers was simple: He had fallen in love with what he had created at MacArthur Stadium, and “the people fell in love with me.”

In ’67, “Tex” worked as the club’s business manager and public relations director. In 1970, he took over as general manager.

The native Syracusan excelled in his front office position and was named the International League’s Executive of the Year in 1970, 1973, 1976 and 1994.

The Chiefs captured the National Association Presidents Trophy in 1987, awarded to a minor league team each year that exemplifies the standards of a complete baseball franchise.

He named his son John general manager in 1997 and became executive vice president and chief operating officer from that point. His daughter Wendy works for the club as well.

John captured IL Executive of the Year in 1998.

The Chiefs have been honored more in terms of this type of recognition than any other IL team.

If you build it

Simone said his greatest accomplishment was helping to build Alliance Bank Stadium, which was completed in 1997. From 1997 to 2006, it was known as P&C Stadium.

Its predecessor, MacArthur Stadium, had been home to the Chiefs since 1934.

Simone said MacArthur became quite old while many of the other minor league baseball cities were building and refurbishing their own stadiums.

“I knew we had to make a move sooner or later,” he said.

Thanks to state representative Michael Bragman, the Chiefs were able to procure $16 million to construct the stadium.

Simone said baseball serves as an economic boost to the Syracuse area.

“When the other clubs visit your city, they go to hotels, they go shopping in the malls, and sometimes they need doctors,” Simone said. “They spend up to $5 million to $6 million between April and September. People don’t realize that.”

Simone’s efforts to promote baseball in Syracuse have not gone unnoticed in the community.

In 2000, he received the Blind Men and Criers annual “Edward J. Kearney Award” given to the individual who has given back to the Syracuse community. In 2006, he received Le Moyne College’s Rev. Vincent B. Ryan, S.J. Dolphin Award in recognition of outstanding loyalty, dedication and service to the college.

Simone said he enjoys involving community groups and businesses with Chiefs’ promotions. Special nights have been held for the Syracuse Chamber of Commerce, and for businesses such as General Electric, Carrier and Key Bank.

The publicity gained through such promotions helped both the Chiefs as well as participating organizations.
“They loved it. You would draw 8,000 to 10,000 people with all the tickets we gave them. That’s why the association is so good,” he noted.

Simone also said population numbers have decreased in Syracuse, making it tougher to draw fans. “Thank God we’re still making out,” he said. “Keep in mind that we have the lowest ticket prices out of the 30 minor league clubs.”

Simone said it’s been difficult to generate advertising revenue due to the poor economy, but “we’ve created enough to survive.”

The Chiefs are known to “think outside the box” when it comes to promotions. An example of that is the promotion of the Dave Mathews Band concert at Alliance Bank Stadium slated in August.

Keeping fit

Simone still keeps physically fit, walking two miles every morning. He had surgery to remove his cancer-stricken voice box in November of 2007, and now uses a prosthetic device to talk. “Thank God that I was able to live,” he said.

Has Simone contemplated retirement?

“Not really, not from baseball,” said Simone, noting the sport as been good to him.

He said baseball people oftentimes extend their careers beyond normal retirement age, unlike other business environments.

“People still say ‘thank you’ and ask for my autograph, and still ask, ‘Tex, how are you?’ “If it weren’t for them, the people who created me, and everything that they have done all these years, I would not be here,” he said.

The club is experiencing a new frontier beginning this year.

After a 31-year allegiance with the Toronto Blue Jays organization, the Chiefs recently signed a two-year affiliation with the Washington Nationals.

Simone said baseball has changed over the years, and is now faced with overcoming the controversy of players using performance-enhancing drugs.

Simone said this current scandal involving performance-enhancing drugs in baseball has certainly tainted the sport. Asterisks should be placed by records established by major league players such as Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriquez due to their involvement with human growth hormone and steroids, he said.
“It has hurt the reputation and respect for the sport,” Simone added.

He said the punishment for steroid use in baseball has to be tough enough to seriously discourage players from cheating. He said minor league players who are caught are assessed 50-game suspensions.
Quite a legacy—Simone’s son John said his dad has played a significant role in keeping baseball alive in the Salt City.

“He along with others—such as Anthony Henniger, Tom Higgins, Clayton Andrews, Don Waful, Dick Ryan, Michael Bragman and Stephen Rogers—are why baseball exists in Syracuse,” John said. “Their dedication to keeping Triple-A baseball in our community has allowed fans to see great players for over 50 years.”
John expressed pride in his dad’s accomplishments through 49 years of baseball.

“Locally, I’m most proud of how many people respect him and appreciate what he has done for the community outside of baseball,” he said.

On the national level, John said many people outside of Syracuse also respect his father’s accomplishments throughout his many years in baseball.

John said he is also proud of “all the charitable organizations he gets involved with and the millions of dollars he has helped to raise for all those organizations using baseball as a vehicle to reach them.”

2009-03-12T14:01:00.000-07:00

The developers of the downtown Reno baseball stadium and the Reno City Council are "playing ball".

The council agreed Wednesday evening to loan the developers money to build an entertainment district.

The council voted 4-1 to loan the developers between $1million and $2.5 million a year - for 20 years. The money comes from redevelopment district property taxes.

The developers - SK Baseball and Nevada Land, plan to use the money to finance an entertainment district alongside the baseball stadium. The area would contain restaurants, nightclubs, and an outdoor events plaza in front of the stadium on east 2nd Street.

Responding to how he could assure that the taxpayers dollars, would be well spent, Reno Aces Managing Partner Stuart Katzoff says, "Well...we can debate whether its taxpayers dollars...we have over $60 million of our own money in this project, so I would say that we are putting our money where our mouth is."

Jessica Sferraza, the only council member who voted against the plan, says, now is not the time to take such risks.

Mayor Bob Cashell, on the other hand, calls the entertainment district plan "Reno's stimulus package."

Sarpy ballpark is closer to reality

2009-03-07T12:21:00.000-08:00

Sarpy County's ballpark negotiator, Kermit Brashear, has hammered out a tentative deal with the Omaha Royals on a lease and use agreement for a proposed suburban stadium.

Brashear emerged from a 70-minute closed meeting with Sarpy County Board members Tuesday and said an agreement is all but secured.

"We're at 9.95 on a scale of 10," he said.

The parties have been in exclusive negotiations since Dec. 3 on a 25-year agreement to bring the team and a new stadium to Sarpy County after the 2010 season, and the deadline for the negotiations is fast approaching.

Royals President Alan Stein on Tuesday night said he was optimistic about reaching a deal, but he spoke in more cautious tones.

"We're still negotiating," Stein said. "There's been nothing signed."

Stein said he could offer no specifics on the agreement. The public, however, could learn about it next week. Brashear said the lease and use agreement would most likely be on the agenda for next week's board meeting.

Joni Jones, chairwoman of the Sarpy board, said the agreement is "phase one" of the county's effort to attract the Royals.

"There are a lot of other phases to come," Jones said. Negotiations behind closed doors have been taking place with the Royals for months. "There may be a jot or a twittle here and there, but we're very, very close," said Brashear. Board members expect to approve the tentative deal with the ball club by next week November 2005, the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce hired Brailsford and
Dunlavey, a consultant specializing in baseball stadiums and the economic impact of stadiums, to
study the potential of a new North Downtown baseball stadium. The purpose of this study was to
objectively evaluate the economic impact
and viability of a new community
baseball stadium to be located in the
North Downtown Study Area, an 80
block area located in the
Cuming/Abbott Drive corridor between
the Riverfront and Creighton
University. Additionally, the study was
to evaluate the expected catalytic effect of the stadium being built in North Downtown and
quantify the economic impact of such development.
All analyses done in this study started with the assumption that necessary resources for
current and future needs at Rosenblatt would be met. Omaha mayoral candidate Hal Daub has his own ideas for a stimulus package to help Omaha, and one key component is the city's longtime AAA baseball team.

Daub said Monday that if he's elected this spring, he hopes to persuade the Omaha Royals to play at the city's new downtown baseball stadium.
The Royals have long contended that Omaha's new 24,000-seat stadium would be a poor fit for the team, which wants a smaller stadium with more family-friendly amenities.

Mayoral candidate Jim Vokal's campaign called Daub's remarks "dishonest,'' since chances are slim that the Royals will end up downtown. Daub's campaign fired back, saying Daub had made no promises and that the criticism was a "vague, negative'' attack.

Monday's exchange stemmed from a morning press conference at which Daub outlined a 10-year plan for boosting the city's economy. Retaining the Royals would be good for Omaha because it would keep visitors and revenues in the city, he said.

Daub's other major opponent, City Councilman Jim Suttle, said he also favors keeping the team in Omaha if that's possible.

Stan Kasten vs Gwinnett County and USOC chief offers surprising resignation

2009-03-05T20:34:00.000-08:00

in 1988 Stan Kasten, president of the Atlanta Braves, said Friday that he is "in serious discussions" to move the baseball team from downtown to an open-air stadium in Gwinnett County, perhaps as early as the 1991 season. The Braves have a lease to play in the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium until the end of 1990, and Mr. Kasten said Friday that it is unlikely that the baseball organization will renew its lease with the stadium.

Instead, Mr. Kasten said he is seeking to move in 1989 that if the Georgia Dome is built, there is little chance the baseball team will stay in downtown Atlanta. "If the dome is reality, then the Braves are outta here," Mr. Kasten said. Jim Scherr resigned as the chief executive officer of the U.S. Olympic Committee today, an awkwardly timed move that comes with the federation attempting to shore up its finances while bidding to bring the 2016 Olympics to Chicago.

Scherr will be replaced on an interim basis by Stephanie Streeter, a member of the USOC board of directors. Streeter described the move as a way to bring a different "set of skills" to the top of the USOC's salaried staff.

During a 25-minute teleconference with reporters, neither she nor USOC chairman Larry Probst did anything to debunk the notion that Scherr was eased out after more than six years on the job, the first two on an interim basis.

"It was mutually decided upon by both parties," Probst said, as he and Streeter declined three times to say whose idea it was.

Scherr was not on the conference call and did not return messages left by The Associated Press seeking comment.

The power shift started to emerge at the USOC board meeting Tuesday, the same day Scherr announced the USOC must trim up to 15 percent of its staff as a way of paring $7.1 million from its 2009 budget.

Streeter, who has been on the board for 4½ years, said she had the tools to deal with some of the new challenges facing the USOC -- the economy, a changing media climate and a more difficult sponsorship atmosphere.

Scherr will leave more than six years after taking over at the USOC, where he helped the federation streamline a bulky governing structure and regain a reputation that was sullied in the wake of the Salt Lake City Olympics bid scandal.

He oversaw a period of growth and success at the USOC that included significant decreases in administrative costs and a doubling in direct contributions to athletes. Meanwhile, the U.S. team succeeded in the Olympics, most recently winning a games-high 110 medals in Beijing in a year in which most people thought the hosts would beat the United States. It has been, by almost every measure, the most successful six-year period in the federation's history.

"Jim brought a lot of stability to the movement over the past few years," said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. "He had what I'd call an even-keeled perspective in addressing issues and he kept the interest of the athletes at the forefront of his decision making."

The timing of the move did raise questions.

The USOC is moving into the final stages of helping with the bid to bring the 2016 Olympics to Chicago. The SportAccord, an international gathering of sports dignitaries, including those from the International Olympic Committee, is set for later this month in Denver with all four finalists scheduled to present their pitches for the games. In early April, the IOC makes its bid visit to Chicago -- the most important meeting before the games are awarded in October.

One of the USOC's biggest challenges over the past few years has been to establish a sense of continuity in its organization, so international types will feel more comfortable with leaders of the richest and largest Olympic federation in the world.

Scherr was, of course, a key part of that leadership team, but he'll soon be leaving. By contrast, the USOC recently rewrote its bylaws to keep Peter Ueberroth on in an honorary capacity after his term as chairman ended last year.

Streeter said continuity is important, but stressed the equal importance of "making changes to address the needs of the organization for the future." She said her board membership sine 2004 offers a level of continuity, as does Sherr's agreeing to be assist the transition to her leadership. "I don't see a huge impact on the bid or the USOC," she said.

Jim Bowden is loser in Richmond

2009-02-27T13:48:00.000-08:00

(owner Mark Lerner, President Stan Kasten and GM Jim Bowden) flew up to Syracuse to check out the facilities, ask questions and try to make their pitch Washington makes sense for us," said John Simone, the Chiefs' GM.

Simone said that Syracuse particularly liked Washington's minor league system,
Simone also acknowledged that the Mets were always Syracuse's top choice. But the Mets picked Buffalo in 2007 …there is increased buzz from Syracuse noting that the Mets triple-a affiliate will leave New Orleans at the end of this season, and move to Syracuse…

…all sorts of people continue to tell me that staff up in Syracuse have already been notified of the change…of course, from what i can gather, that’s news to people in New Orleans, who feel very comfortable with the one full year left on their current deal with the Mets…

…one thing i do know, the people of Syracuse are already quite cozy with the colors blue and orange, so that should make for easy marketing… On Sept. 19, 2006, Mets general manager Omar Minaya and senior executive vice president Jeff Wilpon spent the morning in Scranton, Pa., and New York Yankees officials spent the afternoon. Both teams wanted to be in Scranton, and Scranton chose the Yankees in 2008 What started as a dream has become a team," said county commissioner Bert Nasuti, who led the effort to bring minor league baseball to Gwinnett.
the city being left behind would be an ideal place for the Nationals to put their top farm club. Could the Nationals sign a two-year deal with New Orleans (the shortest allowable length of time for an affiliation contract), buy the club and move it to Richmond for the 2011 season on September Senator Chuck Schumer spoke with Mets owner Jeff Wilpon Tuesday night about the team’s plans for its minor league team, and while Schumer says there’s a 90 percent chance the Mets will relocate upstate, Syracuse is in a close fight with Buffalo for the Mets on 09-04-08 Schumer's statement:

"I spoke with Jeff Wilpon, who is in charge of the Mets' relationship with farm teams, and there is good news here. It is virtually certain that the Mets will not renew their relationship with their farm team in New Orleans, and there is over a 90 percent chance that they will affiliate with a New York State team, which would be a huge win for Upstate New York.

"The competition is between two great cities -- Syracuse and Buffalo -- and franchises in both cities must make their best case to Mets management over the coming days and weeks on 09-06-08
Onondaga County and local business groups say they're ready to help organize a red-carpet greeting or do whatever it takes to help the Chiefs land the Mets. They're just waiting for the Chiefs to ask.

But the Chiefs say they favor a more low-key approach that team officials believe will be just as effective as red carpets or marching bands.

Chiefs general manager John Simone said he is planning a quiet meeting with the Mets Sept. 18, the first day the Mets can talk to Syracuse and Buffalo. on 09-09-08 A strike for the Syracuse Chiefs Tuesday. Onondaga County's facilities committee chose not to vote on bonding $1.3 million dollars for a new scoreboard at Alliance Bank Stadium. Team manager John Simone was disappointed by the delay.

"We had a very good season this year and hope to keep improving on it, hopefully with what major league team comes here and all the improvements to be made in the facility and the fan experience of a new score board will make it even better," said Simone.

on 09-10-08 The Daily News has learned that the Mets are trying to buy a portion of the Syracuse franchise. on Thursday September 18, 2008 Officials from the Washington Nationals major league baseball team visited Syracuse this afternoon to discuss moving its Triple-A team here.

The contingent, which included several of the National's top executives, arrived at Alliance Bank Stadium at 1:30 p.m. today.

They toured the clubhouse, looked at the grass and at 2 p.m. met with Syracuse Chiefs officials
But it looks like the Mets are heading to Buffalo on Tuesday September 16, 2008 the New York Mets will send their top prospects to Buffalo, not Syracuse. Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports that the Mets will go to Buffalo's Dunn Tire Park because of a sequence of events in the past week.
With the moratorium on discussions having ended at 12:01 a.m. on 09-18-08 the Buffalo Bisons and Syracuse Chiefs officially began courting the Mets New York Mets to move their Triple-A affiliate on
09-19-2008
According to The Buffalo News, the Mets’ triple-A affiliate in New Orleans will be moving to Buffalo in 2009.

The team has called a press conference for Monday to apparently name the Mets as the new parent team to the Buffalo Bisons. the Wilpon Omar Minaya and Sen. Charles E. Schumer become heros This is very good news for sports fans in Western New York,” Schumer said. “The marriage between Buffalo and the Mets looks like it’s a great one and I believe it will last a long time. The Mets are a great organization and so are the Bisons. The merger of the two will create even better minor-league ball I’m just glad the Mets stayed in Upstate,” Schumer said. “Once I learned Buffalo would be available, all I told the Wilpons was, ‘Do it in New York and pick whatever bid you’re comfortable with.’”

on 09-20-08 NewsChannel 9 has learned the Syracuse Chiefs will take on the Washington Nationals as the city's new Major League affiliate.

The Chiefs' board of directors made the decision Saturday after a visit from the Florida Marlins.

The Nationals were in town for a tour of Alliance Bank Stadium on Thursday.

A press conference announcing the pairing is expected to take place Monday morning.

Central New York's preferred affiliate, the New York Mets, took a pass on the Chiefs earlier this week and opted to go further west with the Buffalo Bisons. That marriage was announced Friday on 09-22-2008 The Indians' GM raved about one of his Minor League affiliates, the Buffalo Bisons. Minaya listened to Shapiro's stories about owner Bob Rich, the way the players were treated and the amount of talent in upstate New York.

So, to answer Wilpon's question, "Where's the best place to develop our players?" Minaya stood on Shapiro's word. The Mets will no longer have their Triple-A affiliate in New Orleans as of 2009, and have moved closer to home by signing a two-year player-development contract with Buffalo.

The announcement was made on Monday at what will become the Mets' Triple-A stadium, Dunn Tire Park, where Wilpon, Minaya and Adam Wogan, the director of Minor League operations, were accompanied by Rich; his wife, Mindy; Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown; and New York Governor David Paterson.

"The Mets are one of the most highly recognizable franchises in all of sports and have a well-established tradition of winning and excellence, which makes them a perfect fit for the Buffalo Bisons," Rich said. "The Bisons recognize the importance of having a strong Major League partner and feel that this new connection with an in-state team will provide our fans with many seasons of great baseball."

This is the second time in the Bisons' 124-year history that they have paired with the Mets. The Bisons were the Mets' International League affiliate for three seasons (1963-65). In fact, former first baseman Ed Kranepool played in Buffalo in 1963 and '64 before beginning his 18-year Mets career.

Moving from New Orleans to Buffalo makes the most sense geographically, Minaya said in a statement, as it keeps three of the Mets' affiliates in New York State (joining Class A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton). From a travel perspective, designating players will be an easier chore, as well.

"We look forward to being in Buffalo as an organization and in the community, and working with the Rich family as home base for our top Minor League team," Wilpon said. "Their commitment to innovation has earned them the well-deserved reputation for management excellence and providing the finest fan experience in the Minor Leagues."

Paterson expressed his hope that another hardy generation of talent will come through the Buffalo system. Following Sunday's loss to Atlanta, spurred by the Braves' four-run eighth inning, the governor hoped for better things for the Mets in the season's final week.

"The Mets' bullpen is going to kill me," Paterson joked. "It's not the budget, it's not AIG, it's not the Federal Reserve -- it's the Mets' bullpen

Minor League Baseball wants progress on stadium plan

2009-02-21T12:57:00.000-08:00

Before a Class AA franchise in Connecticut can be moved to Richmond, Minor League Baseball says it wants to see firm evidence that the city will get a new ballpark.
Tim Purpura, Minor League Baseball's executive vice president, said this week that the organization, which oversees all minor leagues affiliated with Major League Baseball, wants a sense of "what commitment is made by the municipalities involved, and some rudimentary idea of the leasing arrangements" before allowing relocation.
A group of Richmond investors is working to acquire the Class AA Eastern League franchise in Norwich, Conn., and move it to Richmond for the 2010 season. However, a $60 million ballpark -- proposed by Highwoods Properties as part of a $363 million development, Shockoe Center -- has not been approved by the city.
The Eastern League president, Joe McEacharn, said a relocation application must be submitted by August for an Eastern League franchise to be in a new locale for 2010. The August deadline is for scheduling, marketing and sales purposes, he said.
"At the present time, we have no relocation applications submitted to us," McEacharn said. "If a relocation application were to be filed, and I want to reiterate that none has been, the facility, as well as lease terms and long-term viability are all factors that are investigated and reviewed, prior to making any decisions on relocation applications."
The league's timetable coincides with an Aug. 1 deadline for Mayor Dwight C. Jones' administration to sign a letter of intent to move forward with the Shockoe Center development. City officials continue to study the proposal and are planning to hire a consultant to review the project's finances and other aspects, said Tammy Hawley, Jones' press secretary.
The House of Delegates and the state Senate have voted to approve House Bill 1803, proposed by Del. G. Manoli Loupassi, R-Richmond, which would use a portion of sales-tax proceeds to pay for a Richmond ballpark that's part of Shockoe Center.
The legislation would designate 2.5 percent of the sales-tax collections derived from the stadium -- and the development it spawns -- toward paying the bonds to finance the construction.
A companion bill, Senate Bill 1021, sponsored by Sen. A. Donald McEachin, D-Henrico, has passed the Senate and now is in committee.
A group of Shockoe Slip business owners has asked lawmakers to refer the bills back to committee out of concern that they might allow private facilities to be financed with public bonds.
"At a time when our economy is in a major recession, tax dollars should not be spent to fund the so-called private facilities," the group wrote in a letter to lawmakers. "In addition, private business in the city should not be placed at a disadvantage due to a special financing vehicle provided by the commonwealth."
The group includes representatives of The Tobacco Company Restaurant, the Omni Richmond Hotel, Richbrau Brewing Company, and Sam Miller's Restaurant.
Several sources identified the Norwich franchise as the one Richmond Baseball Club LC is attempting to purchase for about $15 million. If the deal is completed next month as expected, Richmond Baseball Club LC would operate the franchise in Norwich this season with the intention of moving it to Richmond for 2010.
"Certainly the Eastern League has significant interest in the Richmond market," the Eastern League's McEacharn said. "It was host for a Triple-A team [the Richmond Braves] -- a very successful one for a number of years. It's got great demographics."
There are no Class AAA franchises for sale in the International League, which is why the Richmond investment group is targeting Class AA.
"There's a reason there are no Triple-A teams available," said Bryan Bostic, chairman of the Richmond group. "The reason is they have [new ballparks]. We don't."
A Class AA franchise sale to Bostic's group could be announced soon after Minor League Baseball secures a Class A franchise for Norwich. That franchise would start play in Norwich in 2010, so that community would have uninterrupted professional baseball.
The Class AA franchise in Norwich is affiliated with the San Francisco Giants in an agreement that extends through the 2010 season

Omaha is a Cubs town.

2009-01-27T06:49:00.000-08:00

It will remake the look and feel of North Downtown Omaha. Wednesday city leaders and other dignitaries officially broke ground on the new home of the College World Series.
It comes as a private group raising money for the project says its quickly approaching its 43-million dollar fundraising goal.
Omaha leaders and NCAA officials grab shovels and turn over some dirt. Getting here wasn't always easy. "I never once thought at any time that we weren't all shooting for the same goal and that's to make sure we do what is best not only for the CWS and the NCAA, but for this community," said the NCAA's Dennis Pope.
The 128-million dollar stadium should be completed by the spring of 2011. It will host the College World Series for at least the next 25 years. "There are a lot of people that had a lot to do with this stadium, getting it to this point. It did not happen in a vacuum," said Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey.
Wednesday night members of the public got a closer look at the latest ballpark designs. They include an open-air concourse and other features catering to fans and student athletes. "I like Rosenblatt, but I want to see the new stadium, I think it's time for a change," said one baseball fan.
The stadium will seat 24,000 fans, with 26 luxury suites and 1,000 club seats. Omahans KPTM talked to liked what they saw. "Up to date, little deeper seats, more room for your legs," said one man.
It's still unclear which teams will play in the new ballpark. MECA says they're very close to a deal with Creighton University and the paperwork is out to potential owners of a new independent minor league team. "I think it's going to be fine, it's going to work and everybody should be excited about this new progress we've got going on," said MECA President Roger Dixon.
Current designs also call for 5,000 square feet of retail space though more can be added later.
Officials say the ballpark will be financially sound with or without the Omaha Royals. They say taxpayers will be protected because every year revenues will pay off construction debt before they go toward anything else. When Mayor Mike Fahey learned of a loophole that would allow him to oust his leading adversary on the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority (MECA) board, he jumped on it. MECA chairman David Sokol had changed his mailing address from his Omaha condo to his home at the foothills of the Wyoming Tetons, altering his voter registration. According to the city’s agreement with MECA, all MECA board members must be registered voters in Douglas County. But the chairman of the largest private energy company in the region (MidAmerican Energy) and an established member of Omaha’s philanthropic corporate elite wouldn’t be brushed aside so easily. Despite the legal backing of City Attorney Paul Kratz, Fahey’s power play at the beginning of the 2008 College World Series hit him where it hurts: the pocketbook. As plans were moving forward for a new downtown stadium (Fahey’s legacy project), the mayor learned private donors, who pledged $31 million, were getting uneasy. The short-lived squabble provided a very public insight into the tensions between Fahey and Sokol and the broader schism between the city and MECA. Sokol has served as MECA chairman since the organization formed in 2000. He publicly backed former Mayor Hal Daub when Fahey successfully challenged Daub’s re-election as mayor in 2001. Since then, Fahey and Sokol have butted heads over the Qwest Center, the new stadium and other development issues.Some tensions between MECA and the city result from the organizations’ differing public roles and responsibilities. MECA’s powers are broad and its accountability to the mayor and city council is limited. MECA officials are not privy to the same direct public scrutiny as governmental bodies, which may partially explain President Roger Dixon’s agitated response to some relatively polite criticism during MECA’s recent stadium presentation to the Urban Design Review Board.As construction crews get ready to dig pilings into north downtown to make way for the new stadium, plans for the area’s development as the new jewel of downtown are being squeezed by MECA’s symbiotic, yet at times fractured, relationship with the city. Motives can jibe and clash, and the outcome tarnishes the promises that led small business owners to stake their future with the city in North Downtown. Indebted to MECAIn May 2000, voters amended the city charter to create MECA to take over development and operation of the Qwest Center. The city ultimately issued about $216 million in bonds for construction costs; approximately $205 million still needs to be paid off. The charter gives MECA “complete responsibility for and control over any or all aspects of project development, operation … including the power to enter into any contracts, have control and management of property, personnel, equipment, facilities and finances.” The same powers apply to any future facility handed over to MECA — including the Civic Auditorium in 2004 and now the downtown stadium. Five MECA board members are appointed alternately by the mayor and city council. They include: Chairman David L. Sokol; Vice Chairman Gail Werner-Robertson; Secretary: Terry Moore; Treasurer David Kramer; Board Member Jennifer Mahlendorf; President/CEO:Roger A. Dixon; and Assistant Secretary Robert L. Freeman. Mahlendorf will be the next to leave the board. The city council will choose her replacement. As a nonprofit organization, MECA can use the profit it generates for future operating costs, such as salaries and maintaining and building the organization. At the end of June 2008, MECA reserve balances totaled just under $12 million; net assets rose to $44.3 million. Since 2003, MECA overall has generated significant profits. The city agreed to pay MECA $1.5 million for any operational losses the Qwest Center incurred. The payments, which started in 2007, were scheduled to last through 2013; but due to MECA’s positive profit margins, the payments stopped. For the fiscal year that ended in June 2007, the arena and convention center and the Civic Auditorium took in more than $27.4 million — a $1.8 million increase compared with the previous year.But operating profits for the two facilities fell by more than $300,000 to $4.7 million. Most of the money MECA earns stays with MECA. Those funds do not go to the city to help pay off the $198 million in construction bonds approved by city voters in 2000 for the Qwest Center. This set-up sparked controversy in 2005 when Fahey and city council members called on MECA to help the city pay off the Qwest Center debt. Fahey and city finance director Carol Ebdon said at the time raising property taxes might be necessary to pay off the debt. Warnings of a tax increase still loom, especially after the recent economic downturn; but a higher-than-expected return on the so-called “turn back tax” from the state last year kept a property tax hike at bay. Essentially, all state sales tax (5.5 percent) generated at the Hilton and Qwest Center goes to the state turn-back fund to help spur more tourism to the area.MECA was at a new high during the most recent fiscal year, which ended in June, netting $5.45 million in operating profits — an 18.1 percent increase from the previous year. MECA’s status as a 501(c)(3)(nonprofit) organization means it doesn’t pay state or federal income taxes. The city and state do collect sales and seat tax generated from the Qwest Center and Civic Auditorium. Because MECA is not a public entity, it is required only to give the public a glimpse into inner operations. MECA board meetings are public and an annual financial audit is submitted to the city council for anyone to see. MECA must also submit annual Form 990 to the Internal Revenue Service, another financial audit form that lists some salaries and donors. According to MECA’s Code of Business Ethics, all other information is confidential, including terms of all agreements, licenses and contracts, all legal opinions and fees and all information regarding “internal operations.” Open-government advocates argue 990s do not provide enough transparency and accountability considering non-profit’s public roles and tax exempt status.MECA cannot impose or raise taxes, issue bonds or take out loans, which might go a long way to explaining why MECA is so focused on operational issues. The organization has solicited millions in gifts from private donors, but the Qwest Center and the new stadium relied heavily on city-issued bonds for funding. Debt from the Qwest Center is retired primarily through property tax revenues. The city is still approximately $216 million in the hole for the Qwest Center. The budget burden has been heavier than expected. The city won’t start chipping away at the principal until 2012, when the city’s annual debt payment for the convention center and arena will jump by $12.8 million from $6.2 million to $19 million. Stadium feverPublicly, MECA stayed out of initial stadium negotiations between the city, the Royals and CWS Inc. It wasn’t until October 2007 when Fahey went public with this downtown stadium proposal that Sokol joined the fray. Sokol opposed a stadium on Lot D, or any large development near the Qwest Center, because it would impede the Qwest Center’s ability to expand. Despite efforts by City Councilman Garry Gernandt and the Save Rosenblatt Committee to keep Rosenblatt, plans to close it and build a new downtown stadium in NODO solidified. In early February, members of the CWS Oversight Committee, including Fahey, presented plans for the 25,000 seat stadium on lots C and E. Ken Stinson, committee chairman and chairman of Peter Kiewit and Sons Inc., highlighted a study by the committee which compared the costs of building a new stadium to renovating Rosenblatt. The study estimated it would cost $80 million to renovate Rosenblatt and $140 million to build a new stadium. Stinson and Fahey argued the higher cost of a new building would be offset by private donations, a lucrative naming rights contract and tax increases. Still leery of a new stadium encroaching on Qwest Center expansion, Sokol threatened to sue if the city took legal action to build on the parking lots. Neither side wanted the property struggle to be waged in court, especially the mayor, who was in the middle of negotiating a contract with the NCAA to keep the College World Series in Omaha for another 25 years. Later in February, Fahey and Sokol signed a memorandum of understanding that said neither would take the issue to court. In return for Sokols support of a downtown stadium on lots C and E, Fahey made him an offer: MECA would get complete control over the operations and management of the new stadium. Once the lease agreement was signed for MECA to take control of the downtown stadium project parking became a top priority. Sokol was also adamant about securing the former Pinnacle plant lot, owned by the city, to build a new hotel. The $127.8 million project, not including nearly $15 million in debt on previous Rosenblatt improvements, is largely funded through bonds issued by the City of Omaha. The city has issued $94.8 million in municipal bonds for the downtown stadium project. The city expects to pay off the bonds in 25 years. At least $31 million in private donations were raised for the project and MECA secured $2 million in food and beverage agreements. Unlike the Qwest Center, debt service on the city’s bonds will be paid from revenue generated through the stadium (naming rights, seat tax, hotel tax, etc.) The city was careful to construct the financing of the stadium so the stadium could pay for itself, according to Ebon. The cost of development in NODOMECA’s primary interest lies in creating the best consumer experience for events in their facilities. Generating revenue is also crucial to attracting more fans and establishing clout as an effective, necessary entity. From a financial perspective, the city is also pushing for the optimum consumer experience; better parking options lead to higher attendance, which generates more money for the city to pay off the bonds. However, more mixed-use development in NODO could also generate property and sales tax revenues for the city. The city’s concerns over the new stadium reach beyond putting butts in the seats and bucks in the bank. The city’s Urban Design Review Board is charged with reviewing the design of all above ground construction projects with substantial public funding. Along with the Planning Department, the board assures projects meet design codes and meld with the aesthetics of the surrounding area. In December, stadium architect Bruce Carpenter of HDR and MECA President Roger Dixon presented the stadium design to the UDRB.Small business owners from the NODO neighborhood and others who attended the meeting were primarily concerned with the lack of retail spaces built into the stadium walls. The issue boiled down to parking and funding. Developers argued there is not enough time or money to add more retail space into the design. The 331 spots MECA insists on having in the same lot as the stadium would eliminate room to provide more retail or creative approaches to what is supposed to be a civic landmark.When asked about the 331 spaces on Lot C, MECA spokesperson Rebecca Kleeman said “Providing adequate and convenient parking for guests has always been a key focus for Qwest Center Omaha.”But the option is out of the question, now that the stadiums foundation is about to be cemented. Kleeman said a public opinion poll in Douglas County, conducted by MECA, showed parking to be the top concern. “Once the new stadium opens, there will be more people attending events and the demand for parking will increase,” she said. In 2008, parking generated more than $2 million for MECA — its fifth highest revenue source. Food, beverage and merchandise brought in the most money, generating $11.4 million in revenue, representing 38 percent of MECA’s total income. According to the original 2000 lease agreement, the city must provide at least 4,000 parking spots for the Qwest Center. MECA retains the right to set parking rates and to keep the revenue.The stadium lease agreement notes there are numerous parking spaces in close proximity to the stadium site. City Attorney Paul Kratz told The Reader the terms of the agreement are broad enough to move the spots to another location. Kleeman said, via a Jan. 12 email correspondence with The Reader, she was surprised at the criticism to the stadiums design because the city council already held meetings on the new downtown stadium. Planning Department Director Steve Jensen said that, compared to planning board meetings, “It was a fairly easy review.” In a draft memo to the board, planning department staff suggested the stadium design did not fit development plans for the area. According to the North Omaha Development Plan, covering the stadium area, development is supposed to create more retail growth and “buildings … will be required to address the street and activate the sidewalk … in order to encourage … street level activity.” As the downtown landscapes begins its transformation, so do the player who set the change in motion — Sokol’s term on the MECA board expires in 2011 and Fahey will leave office this year. With a new downtown development plan reportedly in the works, who wins out in NODO’s future Does a new baseball stadium plus apparent strong local ties to the Chicago Cubs equal a Cubs farm team moving to Omaha?It's an equation that doesn't add up — at least not in the near future.One reason is obvious: The Ricketts family of Omaha is in position to buy the Chicago Cubs, not the Iowa Cubs, which has separate ownership. Another has to do with player development contracts, which tie major league teams to minor league affiliates. Major league teams provide minor league teams with their players during the length of the contracts.A third reason has to do with territorial rights.In Omaha, there is a contract between the Omaha Royals and Kansas City Royals that expires after the 2010 season. The Chicago Cubs are bound with the Iowa Cubs, located in Des Moines, through 2012."We're extraordinarily happy with our relationship with the Kansas City Royals," said Omaha Royals President Alan Stein, who is negotiating with Sarpy County to build a new ballpark there.Also, as long as the Royals stay in the Omaha area, the ownership group, headed by principal owner Bill Shea and led by Stein, has territorial rights to the area and would have to relinquish control before a team affiliated with another major league baseball franchise could move here. So there's no chance of a Royals team playing in Sarpy County and a Cubs affiliate downtown.Regardless of what happens with the Omaha Royals in the future, the Iowa Cubs, which like the Royals are members of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League, are settled in Des Moines.The Iowa franchise, which has been affiliated with Chicago since 1982, has been successful in undergoing a near-total makeover of its stadium in recent years and consistently posts higher attendance figures than the Omaha Royals. The Cubs' average attendance last year was nearly 7,400 a game. The Omaha Royals' paid attendance averaged close to 5,400 people a game.Owner Michael Gartner of Des Moines has not considered selling the team since purchasing it in 1999, said Sam Bernabe, I-Cubs president and general manager.Are the I-Cubs looking to move to Omaha?"If this is a serious question, then I can't really comment on it because it would be an infringement on the Omaha Royals," Bernabe said.By rule, major- and minor-league personnel are not allowed to comment directly on their player development contracts, other than in a 30-day window near the expiration of the current contract.Still, speculation around Omaha isn't likely to die easily.The Ricketts family is negotiating to buy the big league Cubs, Wrigley Field and a 25 percent stake in Comcast SportsNet. Sources have put the value of the bid at about $900 million.Omaha's new downtown stadium could bear the name of the business Joe Ricketts started, TD Ameritrade. Joe Moglia, chief executive officer of TD Ameritrade, confirmed to The World-Herald in June that he hopes to gain naming rights to the new ballpark.Also, Jim Hendry, the Chicago Cubs' general manager, is a former Creighton baseball coach. Oneri Fleita, the team's director of minor league operations, is a former Creighton player. Those typically are the positions within an organization with the most influence on the placement of its minor league affiliates, and those two have been at their posts for several years.Neither immediately returned phone calls.The Omaha Royals' future home is in flux. The team is bound to play at Rosenblatt Stadium until the end of the 2010 season, at which time the Royals hope to move to Sarpy County. But that is far from a done deal. The team is negotiating exclusively with the county until March 15, but after that point it could enter negotiations with another city. A move to the new downtown park seems unlikely, and the city has expressed interest in placing an American Association team there. The American Association is an independent league not affiliated with major league baseball.Should the Omaha Royals move, it's more likely that another PCL team would move to Omaha than it would be for Des Moines to make the shift. For that to happen, the new Omaha franchise would then have to wrestle the Cubs' player development agreement from Iowa. But even a new team is not likely. PCL President Branch Rickey has expressed doubt about the potential for Omaha to land another PCL team if the current franchise leaves.But what about another Chicago Cubs affiliate moving to Omaha? They are Class AA Tennessee (near Knoxville) of the Southern League, high Class A Daytona of the Florida State League, low Class A Peoria (Ill.) of the Midwest League, Boise (Idaho) of the short season Class A Northwest League and the rookie-level affiliate in the Arizona League, which plays at the team's spring training complex. Joe, Tom and Pete Ricketts are buying the Chicago Cubs,

GWINNETT BRAVES: STADIUM COSTS: COUNTY SAYS IT GOT A DEAL

2009-01-27T06:39:00.000-08:00

When they surprised the public with plans for a new ballpark for the minor-league Braves a year ago, Gwinnett County officials said the stadium would cost $40 million and would pay for itself from Day One.
Neither statement has come true.
So far, county commissioners have committed $31 million in taxpayer cash for the stadium. And in September, they approved increasing the ballpark’s cost by nearly 50 percent for amenities and changes, much of which aren’t required for the Braves to play ball.
Still, three of Gwinnett County’s top elected officials say they stand by their decision to put taxpayer money into the stadium —- which now carries a $64 million price tag —- even as they slash scores of county jobs and cut services amid a recession.
“Our board was completely unanimous on baseball Jan. 15 of last year, and I think our board will be completely unanimous on baseball today,” said Commissioner Bert Nasuti, the project’s chief proponent.
Gwinnett Board of Commissioners Chairman Charles Bannister, Commissioner Kevin Kenerly and Nasuti said they would have voted for financing the stadium last year even if they had known what they know now about the economy and the county’s finances.
“I think we would have voted for it,” Bannister said. “It would have been much cleaner —- perhaps prettier —- publicwise if all the dollars had been in the accounting upfront.”
It’s too late to back out of the financing for the ballpark. The county’s development authority issued $33 million in bonds for it last year. And Gwinnett is legally required to spend the proceeds from those bonds on the stadium, County Attorney Karen Thomas said.
Gwinnett is now counting on several sources of revenue to pay off that debt, which will total more than $77 million over 30 years. Those revenue sources are: stadium rental, ticket and parking revenue; selling the naming rights to the stadium; county rental car taxes; and contributions from the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau. Under the deal, the Braves will get to keep substantial portions of the stadium ticket and parking revenue and a share of the proceeds from selling the stadium’s naming rights.
With construction of the ballpark more than 70 percent complete, the county wired on Jan. 2 its first semi-annual debt payment of $1.5 million. Four days later, the commissioners voted to cut nearly $26.2 million from the county’s 2009 budget.
Meanwhile, home foreclosures have been sapping county property tax revenue, and the recession has cut sales tax income. The county has eliminated 115 jobs in the planning, parks and water resources departments, most of which were filled, and postponed adding 88 positions for public safety and the courts. Commissioners said they eliminated some of the positions because they were unnecessary, not because the county is short of money.
To balance their budget this month, the commissioners pulled about $12 million out of the county’s reserve fund. That is equal to the amount of taxpayer money the commissioners initially approved for the ballpark in January of last year. Commissioners say they will adopt a final county budget March 3 after weighing more job and service cuts. Things aren’t looking up for Gwinnett’s revenue projections.
“At best, it’s the same. And it possibly could be a little bit diminished,” said Gwinnett County Administrator Jock Connell, who made the claim last year that the stadium “would pay for itself from Day One.” “They are tough times. I am 51 years old, and I don’t think I have quite seen times like this before.”
At the same time, the county is having trouble selling the naming rights for the stadium, which it expected to be a major source of cash to pay off the debt. Selling the naming rights was projected to raise as much as $1 million annually, though the Braves are supposed to get a substantial portion. If the county does not land a deal before September, the Braves will have the right to sell the naming rights and keep more of the money.
“We are not very optimistic about it at this point given the economic climate right now,” Preston Williams, the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau’s point man for the construction project, said about selling the naming rights by Sept. 1. “I don’t think the business environment right now would lend itself to a significant naming rights deal.”
The visitors bureau is also projecting a loss of $80,000 to $100,000 in rental income because the Arena Football League canceled its 2009 season. Williams, however, said that amount could be replaced easily through concert bookings.
Commissioner Shirley Lasseter, who was not on the board when it voted for the stadium funding last year, declined to say what position she would have taken on the issue at the time. Commissioner Mike Beaudreau did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Nasuti is betting the ballpark will help boost Gwinnett’s economy. Conventions, Sports & Leisure International, the consulting company hired to study the feasibility of bringing baseball to the county, said a $38 million ballpark would generate $6.3 million to $8 million in net new spending each year, create 130 to 170 jobs and generate between $267,000 and $342,000 a year in taxes.
“You don’t shut down economic development opportunities when times are bad,” Nasuti said. “That is when you look at economic development opportunities.”
But critics question the economic benefits projected for the stadium and fear the costs for the ballpark will increase.
“These stadiums always go over budget,” said J.C. Bradbury, a Kennesaw State University sports economist who has been critical of the county’s handling of the stadium deal. “I will be more shocked if the budget doesn’t go up.”
STADIUM FINANCING
Gwinnett County taxpayers have already contributed $5 million to buy the land for the stadium and $26 million for construction. Also, the county borrowed $33 million for the stadium last year, and it’s obligated to pay back an average of about $2.5 million annually for 30 years, a total of more than $77.5 million. Here’s where the county expects to get the money to pay the annual debt:
COUNTY’S STADIUM REVENUE
> Rent: $250,000
Paid by the Braves, adjusted every five years based on Consumer Price Index. Estimated average annual revenue over 30 years, based on 3 percent increases in CPI: $365,000. The rent is due in two equal installments. The first $125,000 is due April 1 and the second installment is due June 1.
> Parking: $200,000
County splits net parking revenue with the Braves, who will operate the lots. Estimate is based on projected attendance and three ticket holders per car being charged $3 a car. Parking revenue is due on June 1 and the balance on Oct. 15.
> Ticket fee: $400,000 to $468,000
Braves will pay the county $1 for every ticket sold, with a $400,000 minimum. A feasibility study projected attendance of 468,000 annually. The ticket revenues are to be paid in two installments: $200,000 is due June 1, with the balance due on Oct. 15.
> Naming rights: $100,000 to $650,000
This is the biggest variable. The Braves get $350,000 a year; the county gets the rest. Estimates range from a total deal worth $450,000 to $1 million annually. So far, there’s no deal.
> County events: Negligible
County can use stadium for 10 days per year, subject to the Braves’ approval. County reimburses Braves for operations and cleanup on those days. If the county charges for admission, it would likely be to cover those expenses. The Braves keep all concession sales on those days.
OTHER REVENUE
> Rental car tax: $600,000 to $800,000
The revenues from this tax, which took effect on April 1, are exceeding expectations. The county budgeted $425,000 in revenue for 2008. Collections to date for 2008 total $571,655. The county has budgeted $700,000 in revenue for this year.
> GCVB contribution: $400,000 maximum
The Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau gets its money from the county, which collects a hotel-motel tax to pay off debt on the Gwinnett Arena and to underwrite the GCVB operation. The agency, which runs the Arena, also gets money from the Arena’s profits. The GCVB has already put $2 million in reserves to pay its share of the debt for the first five years.
Sources used in compiling this information: Documents obtained under Georgia’s Open Records Act from Gwinnett County government and the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau and interviews with county leaders and experts in sports economics and marketing.
Note: All figures are annual.
Staff
Map locates stadium site. Inset map outlines area of detail in
When they surprised the public with plans for a new ballpark for the minor-league Braves a year ago, Gwinnett County officials said the stadium would cost $40 million and would pay for itself from Day One.
Neither statement has come true.
So far, county commissioners have committed $31 million in taxpayer cash for the stadium. And in September, they approved increasing the ballpark’s cost by nearly 50 percent for amenities and changes, much of which aren’t required for the Braves to play ball.
Still, three of Gwinnett County’s top elected officials say they stand by their decision to put taxpayer money into the stadium —- which now carries a $64 million price tag —- even as they slash scores of county jobs and cut services amid a recession.
“Our board was completely unanimous on baseball Jan. 15 of last year, and I think our board will be completely unanimous on baseball today,” said Commissioner Bert Nasuti, the project’s chief proponent.
Gwinnett Board of Commissioners Chairman Charles Bannister, Commissioner Kevin Kenerly and Nasuti said they would have voted for financing the stadium last year even if they had known what they know now about the economy and the county’s finances.
“I think we would have voted for it,” Bannister said. “It would have been much cleaner —- perhaps prettier —- publicwise if all the dollars had been in the accounting upfront.”
It’s too late to back out of the financing for the ballpark. The county’s development authority issued $33 million in bonds for it last year. And Gwinnett is legally required to spend the proceeds from those bonds on the stadium, County Attorney Karen Thomas said.
Gwinnett is now counting on several sources of revenue to pay off that debt, which will total more than $77 million over 30 years. Those revenue sources are: stadium rental, ticket and parking revenue; selling the naming rights to the stadium; county rental car taxes; and contributions from the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau. Under the deal, the Braves will get to keep substantial portions of the stadium ticket and parking revenue and a share of the proceeds from selling the stadium’s naming rights.
With construction of the ballpark more than 70 percent complete, the county wired on Jan. 2 its first semi-annual debt payment of $1.5 million. Four days later, the commissioners voted to cut nearly $26.2 million from the county’s 2009 budget.
Meanwhile, home foreclosures have been sapping county property tax revenue, and the recession has cut sales tax income. The county has eliminated 115 jobs in the planning, parks and water resources departments, most of which were filled, and postponed adding 88 positions for public safety and the courts. Commissioners said they eliminated some of the positions because they were unnecessary, not because the county is short of money.
To balance their budget this month, the commissioners pulled about $12 million out of the county’s reserve fund. That is equal to the amount of taxpayer money the commissioners initially approved for the ballpark in January of last year. Commissioners say they will adopt a final county budget March 3 after weighing more job and service cuts. Things aren’t looking up for Gwinnett’s revenue projections.
“At best, it’s the same. And it possibly could be a little bit diminished,” said Gwinnett County Administrator Jock Connell, who made the claim last year that the stadium “would pay for itself from Day One.” “They are tough times. I am 51 years old, and I don’t think I have quite seen times like this before.”
At the same time, the county is having trouble selling the naming rights for the stadium, which it expected to be a major source of cash to pay off the debt. Selling the naming rights was projected to raise as much as $1 million annually, though the Braves are supposed to get a substantial portion. If the county does not land a deal before September, the Braves will have the right to sell the naming rights and keep more of the money.
“We are not very optimistic about it at this point given the economic climate right now,” Preston Williams, the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau’s point man for the construction project, said about selling the naming rights by Sept. 1. “I don’t think the business environment right now would lend itself to a significant naming rights deal.”
The visitors bureau is also projecting a loss of $80,000 to $100,000 in rental income because the Arena Football League canceled its 2009 season. Williams, however, said that amount could be replaced easily through concert bookings.
Commissioner Shirley Lasseter, who was not on the board when it voted for the stadium funding last year, declined to say what position she would have taken on the issue at the time. Commissioner Mike Beaudreau did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Nasuti is betting the ballpark will help boost Gwinnett’s economy. Conventions, Sports & Leisure International, the consulting company hired to study the feasibility of bringing baseball to the county, said a $38 million ballpark would generate $6.3 million to $8 million in net new spending each year, create 130 to 170 jobs and generate between $267,000 and $342,000 a year in taxes.
“You don’t shut down economic development opportunities when times are bad,” Nasuti said. “That is when you look at economic development opportunities.”
But critics question the economic benefits projected for the stadium and fear the costs for the ballpark will increase.
“These stadiums always go over budget,” said J.C. Bradbury, a Kennesaw State University sports economist who has been critical of the county’s handling of the stadium deal. “I will be more shocked if the budget doesn’t go up.”
STADIUM FINANCING
Gwinnett County taxpayers have already contributed $5 million to buy the land for the stadium and $26 million for construction. Also, the county borrowed $33 million for the stadium last year, and it’s obligated to pay back an average of about $2.5 million annually for 30 years, a total of more than $77.5 million. Here’s where the county expects to get the money to pay the annual debt:
COUNTY’S STADIUM REVENUE
> Rent: $250,000
Paid by the Braves, adjusted every five years based on Consumer Price Index. Estimated average annual revenue over 30 years, based on 3 percent increases in CPI: $365,000. The rent is due in two equal installments. The first $125,000 is due April 1 and the second installment is due June 1.
> Parking: $200,000
County splits net parking revenue with the Braves, who will operate the lots. Estimate is based on projected attendance and three ticket holders per car being charged $3 a car. Parking revenue is due on June 1 and the balance on Oct. 15.
> Ticket fee: $400,000 to $468,000
Braves will pay the county $1 for every ticket sold, with a $400,000 minimum. A feasibility study projected attendance of 468,000 annually. The ticket revenues are to be paid in two installments: $200,000 is due June 1, with the balance due on Oct. 15.
> Naming rights: $100,000 to $650,000
This is the biggest variable. The Braves get $350,000 a year; the county gets the rest. Estimates range from a total deal worth $450,000 to $1 million annually. So far, there’s no deal.
> County events: Negligible
County can use stadium for 10 days per year, subject to the Braves’ approval. County reimburses Braves for operations and cleanup on those days. If the county charges for admission, it would likely be to cover those expenses. The Braves keep all concession sales on those days.
OTHER REVENUE
> Rental car tax: $600,000 to $800,000
The revenues from this tax, which took effect on April 1, are exceeding expectations. The county budgeted $425,000 in revenue for 2008. Collections to date for 2008 total $571,655. The county has budgeted $700,000 in revenue for this year.
> GCVB contribution: $400,000 maximum
The Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau gets its money from the county, which collects a hotel-motel tax to pay off debt on the Gwinnett Arena and to underwrite the GCVB operation. The agency, which runs the Arena, also gets money from the Arena’s profits. The GCVB has already put $2 million in reserves to pay its share of the debt for the first five years.
Sources used in compiling this information: Documents obtained under Georgia’s Open Records Act from Gwinnett County government and the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau and interviews with county leaders and experts in sports economics and marketing.
Note: All figures are annual.
Staff
Map locates stadium site. Inset map outlines area of detail in Gwinnett County relative to metro Atlanta.