Minor League Baseball representatives met behind closed doors with top government officials from Richmond and the counties of Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover during dinner last night at The Diamond.

This was the getting-to-know-you phase of an information-gathering trip.

This morning, the visitors from St. Petersburg, Fla., will tour The Diamond, the park the Richmond Braves will vacate after this season.

Replacing the Triple-A club with another minor-league franchise is the goal of Minor League Baseball and area officials.

Jim Ferguson, director of media relations for Minor League Baseball, said yesterday he understood that the president and chief executive officer of Minor League Baseball, Pat O'Conner, would not be making public comments regarding the Richmond situation.

Randy Mobley, president of the Triple-A International League, to which the R-Braves belong, said he has been in "frequent" contact with Minor League Baseball representatives since the Atlanta Braves announced in January that they were relocating their top farm club to Gwinnett County, Ga.

"Based on the market, based on the support, Richmond is going to get an affiliated professional baseball team," Mobley said yesterday. " . . . I make no secret of the fact that I'm certainly an advocate for Richmond, and everyone else that I'm aware of in minor-league baseball is as well.

"Minor-league baseball wants to be in Richmond, Va."

Determination of which major-league organization would move into Richmond and at what level of competition (the most likely possibilities are Class A or Double-A) were subjects presumably addressed in last night's closed meeting.

Mobley described the role of Minor League Baseball as "moderating, if you will, and coordinating, what happens after the Richmond Braves, and maintaining order so that we don't have a free-for-all within our [baseball] industry." He called Minor League Baseball "a governing office, trying to look big-picture."

Mobley said he would recommend Richmond to a potential owner/operator, but "facility-wise, that has to play out."

The Atlanta Braves, who own the R-Braves, are moving the franchise because they are dissatisfied with the condition of The Diamond and saw no firm plan to replace it.
Contact John O'Connor at (804) 649-6233 or joconnor@timesdispatch.com.