Farewell tour underway
Looks like we'll see some baseball today as the Bisons just waltzed onto the field for Game 1 of their doubleheader against Richmond today. For a while there, seemed like there was a higher power bent on never seeing these two teams play again. And after Friday night's nearly four hour affair, not hard to see why. But the rains that washed out last night's game and pummeled the area this morning have cleared, and we're ready for Richmond's farewell tour to commence.
The Braves will relocate next season to Gwinnett County, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta. That,
to the surprise of many, is NOT similar to the fate awaiting the Bisons following the season. Relocation is extremely rare at this level, and possible here because the Braves own their Triple-A affiliate. Of course, there were also more than a few problems in Richmond. The Diamond was quickly falling into disrepair, the city wouldn't agree to build a new stadium and the fans there don't seem to care much. Attendance in Richmond this decade has been in a freefall. This year, the Braves are averaging less than 4,000 fans per game, worst in the International League.
There's a site called "Save the Braves," with an online petition ("The Atlanta officials have called us out on Strike Three. We want to appeal that call. Give us one last swing"). But less than 6,000 people have signed that inspired petition, underscoring the city's general baseball apathy. A column in yesterday's Richmond Times-Dispatch ran under the headline, "Richmond shows it's undeserving of baseball team."
"We need to face the reality that Richmond is a great place to participate in a 10K or a marathon but a lousy town for professional sports," wrote Michael Paul Williams.
Ouch.
Today's Game 1 lineups:
Jorge Velandia, SS
Tony Graffanino, 2B
Michael Aubrey, DH
Todd Linden, RF
Jordan Brown, 1B
Morgan Ensberg, 3B
Jason Cooper, LF
Yamid Haad, C
Jason Tyner, CF
Bryan Bullington, P
UPDATE: Game 2 Lineups:
Jorge Velandia, SS
Andy Gonzalez, 2B
Jordan Brown, 1B
Todd Linden, DH
Chris Gimenez, C
Jason Cooper, RF
Morgan Ensberg, 3B
Brad Snyder, CF
Jason Tyner, LF
David Huff, P
--- David Briggs
(AP Photo: The Diamond, home of the Richmond Braves)
If you are a baseball fan, the only thing better than watching a game is talking about it. And there will be lots of talk here, from the Yankees to the Bisons and around the majors. Reporters Mike Harrington and Amy Moritz provide the background and commentary.
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