Bryan Bostic's grandfather, Ed Phillips, helped raise money in the 1950s to convert a fairgrounds facility on the Boulevard into a baseball stadium. The reincarnation of Parker Field drew the Richmond Virginians club, which was affiliated with the New York Yankees. The Richmond Braves followed the "Vees" at Parker Field.

"He wasn't a baseball man, but he cared about the community," Bostic said of Phillips, whom he described as "a wonderful grandfather who taught me an awful lot about life and people, and giving back."

Now Bostic, 46, is hoping to make a similar mark on Richmond's baseball landscape. Bostic leads a three-person local group, backed by several investors, that would like to own and operate a new minor-league franchise in Richmond after the R-Braves relocate in 2009 to Gwinnett County, Ga.

Bostic, a local investor, yesterday chose not to reveal the working name the group has been using. Nor would he identify other members of the group, which met with Minor League Baseball officials before representatives of that organization came to Richmond early this week. Bostic's group is believed to be the primary local one - perhaps the only serious one - attempting to ensure that pro baseball stays in Richmond.

"It's not a long shot. We didn't get into this to not be successful," Bostic said of his group members. "We're trying to do what's best for the community on a long-term basis. . . . We think local ownership is the best solution, as has been proven in so many other cities."

Five years ago, Bostic was involved in the Richmond Ballpark Initiative, a local group that introduced the concept of a $58 million stadium and ballpark district in Shockoe Bottom. That plan died without government support.

Bostic's current group may be willing, he suggested, not only to purchase the franchise, but to share the cost of a new facility to replace The Diamond, the R-Braves' home since 1985. Acquisition of a team requires an accompanying long-term facility plan, said Bostic, who believes that the proper spot for a new ballpark is in the city.

"A downtown solution is the model that has worked around the country," he said. "It seems to me Richmond ought to put its eyes to that, and its ears, and consider it."

Bostic suggested that his group hasn't given up hope of bringing another Triple-A franchise to Richmond, though he realizes that's unlikely. No Triple-A franchises appear to be available. Bostic said his group is committed to providing "the best product on the field, surrounded by the best entertainment around the field.

"It's the stadium. It's the surroundings. It's the kids. It's the families."

Minor League Baseball officials have repeatedly chosen not to comment about the process in Richmond. Atlanta's Triple-A club would return to Richmond for 2009 if its new stadium in Gwinnett is not ready. No formal negotiations between Richmond representatives and potential replacement teams can start until the Braves are reasonably sure they will play in Gwinnett next season.

Midsummer is the best guess for what has been described by those involved as "the trigger-point." Then, Minor League Baseball would identify to potential owner/operators of a few franchises, probably at the Double-A and Class-A levels, that are interested in coming to Richmond.

Contact John O'Connor at (804) 649-6233 or joconnor@timesdispatch.com.