Braves executive vice president of business operations Mike Plant has spent the past four years attempting to find a suitable facility for the club's Triple-A affiliate.After countless battles with the city of Richmond, Va., and an untold amount of hours evaluating other potential locations throughout the United States, he came to the realization that his best solution would be in his organization's backyard.
Gwinnett County isn't exactly next door to Turner Field. But it is just about 30 minutes away and in the eyes of the Braves, this proximity won't prove to be a detriment as much as it will be a positive when they move their Triple-A team there from Richmond for the start of the 2009 season.
"It's going to be really successful," Plant said on Tuesday afternoon, after the Gwinnett County Commissioners unanimously approved the construction of a $40 million stadium that will be ready for the Braves around this time next year.
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Richmond has been home for the Braves Triple-A affiliate since the 1966 season and in 1985, when they opened The Diamond, the city possessed one of the country's best Minor League stadiums. But, the stadium has become outdated and a cause for concern for most of this decade.
A combination of extended heavy rains and a bad drainage system forced the Richmond Braves to play each of the 2004 playoff games on the road. They ended up losing to Buffalo in the Governor's Cup finals.
"There just was never any clarity that the financial structure was going to work in Richmond," Plant said. "That left me with a lot of concern I knew what we were willing to put on the table and nobody else made any commitments."
I'll take a look for the reaction in Richmond later today.
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