rvrdgsfn Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 The Atlanta Braves will move its Triple-A baseball team from Richmond to Gwinnett County, Ga., according to a report today on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Web site.The team has played in Richmond since 1966. Gwinnett is a suburb to the north of Atlanta.In August, the Braves renewed its contract to play at The Diamond through 2010, while giving the Braves the right to opt out of the lease each season. That means the Braves would play here in 2008 and then have the option of playing here again in 2009. If the Braves want out, they must give notice on or before Oct. 1 each year.For more on this story, stay with inRich.com and read tomorrow's Richmond Times-Dispatch. IMO, this sucks, I grew up & still follow the R-Braves. Then again, the city council is more stubborn than a mule. So it looks like this is the final season in Richmond, hopefully we will get another team, hopefully with a closer affiliate (crosses his fingers for Washington or Baltimore) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Actually Gwinnett isn't a suburb. It's a county. Part of ATL is actually in Gwinnett and a ton of suburbs are in Gwinnett. Athletic Director: KTU Blue Grassers Football Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFoA Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 As a Braves fan in Atlanta, this is awesome. It's great to see the AAA team in the vicinity of Atlanta. It'll give the fans a good way to see the future of the franchise in action, and I think they'd have some pretty good attendance (despite the fact that the Braves struggle to get the place above half-full for most games nowadays. ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rams80 Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Can't say I'm surprised...hadn't they been trying to get a new stadium in Richmond for years with little luck? On 8/1/2010 at 4:01 PM, winters in buffalo said: You manage to balance agitation with just enough salient points to keep things interesting. Kind of a low-rent DG_Now. On 1/2/2011 at 9:07 PM, Sodboy13 said: Today, we are all otaku. "The city of Peoria was once the site of the largest distillery in the world and later became the site for mass production of penicillin. So it is safe to assume that present-day Peorians are descended from syphilitic boozehounds."-Stephen Colbert POTD: February 15, 2010, June 20, 2010 The Glorious Bloom State Penguins (NCFAF) 2014: 2-9, 2015: 7-5 (L Pineapple Bowl), 2016: 1-0 (NCFAB) 2014-15: 10-8, 2015-16: 14-5 (SMC Champs, L 1st Round February Frenzy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herk Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Having a farm team close would also help for players needing to rehab in the minors. It sounds like if the R-Braves move a AA or A team may move in. It would make more sense to have an Orioles or Nats affiliation like rvrdgsfn said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBGKon Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Having a farm team close would also help for players needing to rehab in the minors. It sounds like if the R-Braves move a AA or A team may move in. It would make more sense to have an Orioles or Nats affiliation like rvrdgsfn said.I agree about having Richmond in a different league. As for AA, the Eastern and Southern Leagues seem like stretches. As for A, Richmond could fit in the Carolina League, but the city just seems large. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dilbert Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 I actually think this is a bad idea. The Braves already have a minor league team in Rome which is only an hour and 15 minutes away and with a putting a AAA affiliate only 30 minutes away from their parent club seems too close. Signature intentionally left blank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HedleyLamarr Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Actually Gwinnett isn't a suburb. It's a county. Part of ATL is actually in Gwinnett and a ton of suburbs are in Gwinnett.Actually, no part of Atlanta's city limits extend into Gwinnett County. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaltimoreFan Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 I never really understood why more teams don't move their higher level minor league clubs closer to home? For the longest time the O's had Rochester and Ottawa as their AAA teams. They finally moved their AAA team to Norfolk which is alot closer. But still their AA team is in Bowie (30-40 min from Baltimore). I don't understand why they wouldn't switch team so higher classifications are closer to the major league team. So players are closer for call ups and send downs, and also so fans of the team can watch prospects that are close to being call up. I guess it has to do more with market size (Norfolk is a bigger market than Bowie). Sorry for the rant, just something I've been curious about. Anyway, cool for Braves fans. Before the O's moved to Norfolk I doubt I'd ever have gotten to watch their AAA team, now I may stop on my way to vacation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winghaz Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 I'll bet a lot of Atlanta Braves fans in Richmond are no longer Braves fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rams80 Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 I never really understood why more teams don't move their higher level minor league clubs closer to home? For the longest time the O's had Rochester and Ottawa as their AAA teams. They finally moved their AAA team to Norfolk which is alot closer. But still their AA team is in Bowie (30-40 min from Baltimore). I don't understand why they wouldn't switch team so higher classifications are closer to the major league team. So players are closer for call ups and send downs, and also so fans of the team can watch prospects that are close to being call up. I guess it has to do more with market size (Norfolk is a bigger market than Bowie). Sorry for the rant, just something I've been curious about. Anyway, cool for Braves fans. Before the O's moved to Norfolk I doubt I'd ever have gotten to watch their AAA team, now I may stop on my way to vacation.Market (and stadium) size is important for where you stick teams, as well as the fact that many franchises are not owned by their major league parents. In the case of AAA, access to a decent airport would be nice as well. On 8/1/2010 at 4:01 PM, winters in buffalo said: You manage to balance agitation with just enough salient points to keep things interesting. Kind of a low-rent DG_Now. On 1/2/2011 at 9:07 PM, Sodboy13 said: Today, we are all otaku. "The city of Peoria was once the site of the largest distillery in the world and later became the site for mass production of penicillin. So it is safe to assume that present-day Peorians are descended from syphilitic boozehounds."-Stephen Colbert POTD: February 15, 2010, June 20, 2010 The Glorious Bloom State Penguins (NCFAF) 2014: 2-9, 2015: 7-5 (L Pineapple Bowl), 2016: 1-0 (NCFAB) 2014-15: 10-8, 2015-16: 14-5 (SMC Champs, L 1st Round February Frenzy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanB06 Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 I actually think this is a bad idea. The Braves already have a minor league team in Rome which is only an hour and 15 minutes away and with a putting a AAA affiliate only 30 minutes away from their parent club seems too close.Tell the Red Sox that - with the exception of their two Class A teams (Greenville and Lancaster), the entire farm system is no more than two hours from Boston by car. I should know - visiting every team in the system was my summer vacation two years ago.With the way travel costs are now (especially gas prices), it's a bit surprising more teams don't do this. Sodboy13 said: As you watch more basketball, you will learn to appreciate the difference between "defense" and "couldn't find the rim with a pair of bloodhounds and a Garmin." meet the new page, not the same as the old page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueSky Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 This seems very weird to me. The actual city of Atlanta doesn't extend into Gwinnett but Gwinnett is definitely part of metro Atlanta. The city center is about where the line is drawn through Fulton County, and Gwinnett is just to the northeast.In effect they'll have a major and minor league team in the same metro area. Odd.BTW, many maps of the metro counties have that dividing line through Fulton County even though it's only one county. If you lived here, you'd understand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rams80 Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 I actually think this is a bad idea. The Braves already have a minor league team in Rome which is only an hour and 15 minutes away and with a putting a AAA affiliate only 30 minutes away from their parent club seems too close.Tell the Red Sox that - with the exception of their two Class A teams (Greenville and Lancaster), the entire farm system is no more than two hours from Boston by car. I should know - visiting every team in the system was my summer vacation two years ago.With the way travel costs are now (especially gas prices), it's a bit surprising more teams don't do this.You have better baseball fans than most; that plays a role in proximity. And in some cases, the affiliate may be close to the home market, but take a bath on travel because it's not close to the rest of the league-Akron, I'm looking at you. (Fortunately for the Braves, Atlanta's a Delta Hub). On 8/1/2010 at 4:01 PM, winters in buffalo said: You manage to balance agitation with just enough salient points to keep things interesting. Kind of a low-rent DG_Now. On 1/2/2011 at 9:07 PM, Sodboy13 said: Today, we are all otaku. "The city of Peoria was once the site of the largest distillery in the world and later became the site for mass production of penicillin. So it is safe to assume that present-day Peorians are descended from syphilitic boozehounds."-Stephen Colbert POTD: February 15, 2010, June 20, 2010 The Glorious Bloom State Penguins (NCFAF) 2014: 2-9, 2015: 7-5 (L Pineapple Bowl), 2016: 1-0 (NCFAB) 2014-15: 10-8, 2015-16: 14-5 (SMC Champs, L 1st Round February Frenzy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rvrdgsfn Posted January 15, 2008 Author Share Posted January 15, 2008 Can't say I'm surprised...hadn't they been trying to get a new stadium in Richmond for years with little luck?Yeah, down here the news is saying that its the mayor's fault. Wouldn't surprise me. The Diamond (where the R-Braves play) is just awful, uncomfortable seats, in a bad side of town, pretty much the city council wants to destroy the diamond & an arena over there. Richmond is in dire need of a new baseball field, especially compared to the likes of Harbor Park in Norfolk to even Coastal Federal Field in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. I am a Braves and I do hate to see them go, but if its better for the team, hey more power to them. I just hate the fact that, we win the IL championship in 07 & then turn around & move. The Mayor is a stubborn mule, trying to run the city like it was the entire state of Virginia. Kind of expect that from a former governor I'm hoping for something soon, I'd like to stay in AAA but I doubt it'll happen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac the Knife Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Wow. I had no idea this was even being considered. While not a Braves fan, I've always considered Richmond a beautiful city and it saddens me to think they're going to lose their team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viper Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 In effect they'll have a major and minor league team in the same metro area. Odd.Not really. A couple of NHL teams (Flyers, Leafs) have their AHL affiliates in the same town. Chicago even has the Atlanta Thrashers' AHL affiliate (the Chicago Wolves) but not the Blackhawks' affiliate (they're an hour or so away in Rockford). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HedleyLamarr Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Gwinnett is suddenly becoming a minor-league sports town. They already have the ECHL's Gladiators (a Thrashers affiliate), and they have the AFL's Georgia Force..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkJourney Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Some AAA teams that are moving or possibly might be moving in the next few years:Ottawa to Allentown (Lehigh Valley IronPigs) Tucson to RenoRichmond to Gwinnett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJTank Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Some AAA teams that are moving or possibly might be moving in the next few years:Ottawa to Allentown (Lehigh Valley IronPigs) Tucson to RenoRichmond to GwinnettHeres another New Orleans to Syracuse, the Mets are already in talks to move to Syracuse in 2009, and even Senator Chuck Schumer is lobbying for it. http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/inde....xml&coll=1 www.sportsecyclopedia.com For the best in sports history go to the Sports E-Cyclopedia at http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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