R-Braves finish with a win

The view from the press box

The Richmond Braves won their last game at the Diamond, trouncing the Norfolk Tides by a 9-3 score in front of a sell-out crowd. Afterward, a group of former R-Braves, which included Javy Lopez, Dale Murphy and Ralph Garr, unfurled a banner that said “Thanks for the Memories.”

After 43 seasons, 19 at Parker Field and 24 at the Diamond, the Atlanta Braves’ Triple A farm team is leaving its home on the Boulevard. Next season they will be the Gwinnett Braves.

The last putout of the game was made by Carl Loadenthal, who caught a fly ball in centerfield. The R-Braves record for their last season was 63-78.

Currently, there is no consensus as to how to go about getting a new professional baseball team to play at the Diamond, or at some imaginary new stadium. How to go about fostering the regional cooperation it will take to build a new baseball field, somewhere, anywhere, remains a mystery.

Updates:

To read my story on this game at Richmond.com, click here.

To read Paul Woody’s piece on the way Richmond lost the R-Braves at inRich, click here.

Posted in Sports/Outdoors, Hub's Blurbs, RVANews-sports

3 Comments.

http://goldmanusa.blogspot.com/2008/09/given-failure-on-school-construction-no.html

Given failure on school construction, no justification for using City funds to build a new Baseball Stadium

Scott Burger @ September 2nd, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Scott,

We all have our ideas about what sort of ventures are worthwhile, or not, to receive the backing of tax money.

Most of us will probably agree that we need safe bridges across the James, but there’s been a lot of argument over whether a zillion-dollar opera house downtown is a vital priority.

To say no money should ever go from the City for a new ballpark is not something I’d agree with.

The deal that was made in 2003 for the Braves to pay a healthy chunk toward the $18 million to renovate the Diamond made sense. The counties agreed to put up their dough and it should have happened.

Then the silly ballpark-in-Shockoe Bottom movement got going and the deal fell apart — the counties lost their patience with the City’s bumbling methods and the Braves’ shifting positions.

Now I have no faith in the City’s ability to manage this matter, either, so I don’t want to see Richmond throw tax money at another boondoggle.

There’s no telling what will happen. It’s a mess and maybe could get worse.

FTRea @ September 2nd, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Its a matter of priorities-

Changing Richmond’s schools
Are Our Schools Better Off Today?

Scott Burger @ September 3rd, 2008 at 12:22 am