Jake and one step closer to Richmond...

From today's Norwich Bulletin:

The Norwich City Council has approved a request to reassign the lease on Dodd Stadium to a group from Richmond, Va., that is attempting to purchase the team.

“It’s unanimous. Play ball,” said Jon Jacaruso, president pro tempore of the council, to a group that included Eastern League President Joe McEacharn.

The council met in executive session Monday night in a meeting that included McEacharn, Defenders general manager Charlie Dowd and team attorney Glenn T. Carberry.

The current owners, headed by Lou DiBella, are considered close to a deal with the Richmond group that wants to move the Class AA club there for the 2010 season. To do so, they would be required to buy their way out of the last year on the Defenders’ existing lease for $175,000.

There also is the possibility that a new team from the Class A New York-Penn League could relocate to Norwich once a sale is announced. Minor League Baseball regulations bar teams from negotiating relocation deals in the territory of existing clubs.

Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball and the Eastern League would have to approve any sale and relocation.

Carberry said it is to the city’s advantage to reassign the lease.

“We recognize that the details of this transaction raises … questions for the future, such as whether they intend to relocate the team in 2010, what the requirements would be for the new tenant to terminate the lease, what baseball approvals are needed for a team to relocate, and is another professional team going to come to Norwich?”

Carberry said the proposal for the sale provides for full payment, plus 4 percent interest, of all outstanding debts.

“I want to offer league support and commitment that any sale agreement will include making the city whole,” McEacharn said. “We’ll support that and enforce it.”