Adam Cowart...

From today's Norwich Bulletin:

"Norwich, Conn. — As the sale of the Connecticut Defenders draws closer to completion, and their departure grows more likely, the big question for baseball fans in Eastern Connecticut is which team, if any, moves into Dodd Stadium for 2010.

It’s hoped the sale of the Defenders to a group from Richmond, Va., will lead to the relocation of a New York-Penn League team here. But so far, it’s only talk. There are expectations, but no guarantees, that Dodd Stadium will have a tenant once the Defenders leave.

Defenders owner Lou DiBella said the best way to keep a team in the region is to support the Defenders, whether this is their last season or not.

“You need the support of a community,” he said. “You have to let baseball know, let the Eastern League, the New York-Penn League and affiliate teams know that Norwich is a solid market and that the market wants baseball.”

DiBella said a Class A team with a short season — 76 games running mid-June to Labor Day — would be ideal for Dodd Stadium. He said that schedule meshes with the best attendance months the Defenders have had in recent years, while poor weather early and late season historically cuts attendance. In recent years, the Defenders, in one of the smallest markets in Class AA, regularly have ranked near the bottom of the Eastern League in attendance.

Three New-York Penn League teams are thought of as the main candidates. Franchises in the New York cities of Batavia, Jamestown and Oneonta have struggled at the gate.

Jamestown Jammers

DiBella has his eyes on bringing the Jamestown Jammers, a Florida Marlins affiliate, to Norwich.
Owned by Rich Entertainment, a subsidiary of Buffalo food manufacturers Rich Food, the Jammers have struggled for years at the gate and have become a frequent target of relocation talks. General manager Matt Dreyer said he’s heard nothing from ownership, but can’t believe the Jammers would move away from their corporate base. Rich Entertainment also owns a team in Arkansas.

Norwich Corporation Counsel Michael Driscoll, the city’s attorney, could not be reached Tuesday to see what assurances the city could receive on a replacement team.

Before plans for an incoming team can be finalized, the sale of the Defenders to a group led by Richmond, Va., businessman Bryan Bostic, reported to be about $15 million, must be completed.
Bostic announced last month that he submitted an application, which is in its final stages of completion.

The Defenders have a lease on Dodd Stadium through the 2010 season, and will play this year in Norwich no matter who owns the team. Moving the team would require Norwich to transfer its lease from the Defenders to Bostic’s Richmond group. City Manager Alan Bergren said the City Council likely will discuss the lease Monday at its regular meeting.

“There is a provision by which the council can authorize me to transfer the lease,” Bergren said.
The team also has a buyout clause, which it can exercise for $175,000. City Comptroller Joe
Ruffo said that money would be paid to the city’s Baseball Stadium Authority. He also said the team still owes nearly $300,000 in rent, though the team and the Eastern League have assured Norwich the money will be paid in full by the April 16 home opener.

Eastern League President Joe McEacharn could not be reached Tuesday to determine how the debt to the city might affect league approval.

The process for Eastern League approval of a sale begins once a potential buyer and a team’s ownership have agreed upon terms of a sale. The buyer then submits and application to the league, which does its due diligence, including background checks, financing qualifications, management structure and more. Once the application is approved or denied, the deal can be completed.

Who will blink first?

It’s this step in the process where the two sides stand. The biggest holdup is coming out of Virginia, where a game of chicken is taking place between Bostic and the Richmond Metropolitan Authority.

Bostic wants to build a $60 million stadium as part of a $350 million complex, but the city won’t approve it until a team is in place. For its part, the Eastern League won’t allow the Defenders to relocate until a long-term facility better than the one in place is in Richmond.

DiBella said he could not call a sale of the Defenders imminent.

“In this economy, what is imminent?” DiBella asked. “There is an application that baseball will consider when (the sale) is closed. I believe that’s close, and I believe that would be advantageous to everybody.”