The Atlanta Braves' Triple-A franchise is leaving The Diamond following this season. What about Connecticut?

That is the huge sculpture depicting an American Indian, shown only from the chest up and with sinewy arms, gazing toward The Boulevard from The Diamond's concourse level. Connecticut has been stationed there since June 1985, the year The Diamond opened.

Richmond Braves General Manager Bruce Baldwin said Connecticut's future is in the hands of the Richmond Metropolitan Authority, which operates The Diamond and leases it to the Braves. Yet to be determined is when The Diamond will be occupied by another professional franchise, and with which major-league organization that club is affiliated.

Connecticut wouldn't seem as meaningful an ornament at Richmond's ballpark without a farm team of the Atlanta Braves or Cleveland Indians playing there. Robert M. "Mike" Berry, general manager of the RMA, could not be reached for comment.

Carl Custalow, chief of the Mattaponi Reservation, confirmed yesterday that he has expressed interest in Connecticut. He hopes the artwork can be used on top of a Mattaponi Reservation fish hatchery. Custalow said he is in the process of drafting a letter to the RMA to officially inquire about Connecticut. At this time, Custalow said he didn't have any idea what financial terms might be if the RMA wanted to remove Connecticut from The Diamond.

Baldwin said he is unaware of any other parties interested in obtaining Connecticut.

Connecticut was created by Paul DiPasquale, a former Virginia Commonwealth University graduate student, who spent two years working on it. Connecticut was originally destined to be perched above a store in the Washington area. That plan fell through.

DiPasquale offered Connecticut to The Diamond, where it was placed on loan. A "Save the Brave" campaign in the late 1980s raised $36,000 to pay for Connecticut, made of hardened urethane foam with a skin of dyed fiberglass.

"It's just ironic how well it fits," Baldwin said. "We've had elementary school [touring groups] come out here wanting to brush his teeth, not realizing Connecticut does not display any teeth."

Baldwin remains optimistic that the 10,099-seat stadium in Gwinnett County, Ga., to which Atlanta's Triple-A franchise is scheduled to relocate following this season, will be ready for opening day in 2009. The official groundbreaking for the $45 million facility is June 3, but land has already been cleared and other work will have been done by June 3, according to Baldwin.

If that stadium is not ready for 2009, the Braves could return to Richmond for another season.
Contact John O'Connor at (804) 649-6233 or joconnor@timesdispatch.com.