From today's Richmond newspaper:

"The leader of the ownership group that wants to return professional baseball to Richmond said yesterday that the group has applied to Minor League Baseball to buy a specific team by early April.

Bryan Bostic, chairman of Richmond Baseball Club LC, said Minor League Baseball rules prohibit him from naming the team or league.

But Bostic has said his group would pursue the highest level of baseball available. International League President Randy Mobley has said there are no Class AAA franchises available. That leaves a Class AA team from the Eastern League as the most likely fit.

Even if the local group buys a team, Richmond will not have minor-league baseball in 2009. Richmond Baseball Club LC would operate the franchise at its current location this season and relocate the franchise to Richmond in 2010.

"For us to move forward with a team, based on the opportunity, we would need to do that prior to Opening Day," Bostic said of the franchise purchase.

Minor League Baseball prefers that sales not occur during the season, said Scott Poley, the organization's vice president for legal affairs and general counsel.

Joe McEacharn, president of the Eastern League, declined comment. The last two Eastern League franchises sold went for $24 million (Reading, Pa.) and $18 million (Altoona, Pa.).

If Richmond Baseball Club LC purchases a franchise, it would do so with no public assurance of a stadium to replace The Diamond. The city has yet to approve the $363 million Shockoe Center project that includes a baseball facility.

"We've always said that our goals are to play at The Diamond for 2010 and 2011 and to be in a new ballpark for 2012. That plan is non-wavering," Bostic said yesterday after he delivered prepared remarks to Kiwanis Club members.

Does that ballpark have to be in Shockoe Bottom?

"The plan is non-wavering," Bostic answered. "We will be in a new ballpark in 2012. We think a Shockoe Bottom ballpark is without question the right location and the right opportunity at the right time and is transformational for the community."

The Atlanta Braves' Class AAA team played in Richmond from 1966 till last year. The team has relocated to Gwinnett County, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta.

Bostic, during yesterday's Kiwanis Club appearance, suggested that an eventual Richmond affiliation with the Washington Nationals would "seem like a natural fit."

"We're not allowed to talk to the Nationals or any other team in that regard, due to Minor League Baseball rules," he said. "However, it's 90 miles away, 100 miles away, and I will say that the major leagues are looking for their minor-league affiliates to be closer to home."

The purchase of a Class AA franchise would give the potential ownership group access to a Washington farm club when one becomes available.

Minor-league locales often switch major-league affiliations.

If Richmond Baseball Club LC bought the Eastern League's Connecticut Defenders, for instance, the franchise would continue to be the Class AA team of the San Francisco Giants through 2010. The Giants and the Connecticut franchise renewed their player-development contract after last season for two more years."

Love the "if" at the end of the article....anyway I guess their plan is to get a team first and then hope that this $363 million projection that includes a new ballpark is approved. This group is also have to spend some bucks on their temporary home at the Diamond.

And from yesterday's Ballparkdigest.com:

"A Richmond group has reached an agreement to buy an Eastern League team -- reportedly the Connecticut Defenders -- and will operate the team before moving it to The Diamond in 2010.

We're told the final sale price is less than the $18 million reportedly paid for the Altoona Curve, the most recent full purchase of a franchise.

A group led by Richmond resident Brian Bostic has applied to MiLB and MLB for permission to buy the team. The current game plan is to close on the purchase of the team before the 2009 season and run it in Norwich before a move to The Diamond for the 2010 season.

After that, it's anyone guess where the team will end up. A developer originally proposed building a new ballpark in Richmond's Shockoe Bottom area, but over time that proposal morphed into a plan for tax-increment financing to fund a new ballpark overseen by a traditional stadium authority. Bills approving the tax-increment financing have passed the state House and Senate, but in a telling detail the legislation would allow for either a new ballpark or the renovation of The Diamond."

This would mean of course Lou would be out as owner by Opening Day. This from a ballparkdigigest.com story dated 1/7/09:

"A local group says it's ready to buy a team and move it to Richmond (Va.), but they first want assurances from the city that a new ballpark is forthcoming.

Brian Bostic, head of the local group, says they are working to buy a team by March 1. It's believed the team is the Connecticut Defenders (Class AA; Eastern League), as talk at the Winter Meetings centered on owner Lou DiBello's willingness to exit the baseball world after bad experiences with Norwich officials over the management of the team's ballpark."