The804.com–Richmond VA Real Estate Blog

the audience in Richmond are beyond description for rowdyism…treating all the visiting clubs to the vilest abuse.
Delaware Sunday Critic, 1884

A Richmond crowd thinks it their right, if not their duty, to ratify or disapprove the decisions of the umpire; but they ought to nonetheless, always to remember the presence of the ladies.
Richmond Daily Dispatch, 1884

Not much has changed in a 120 years…I realize everyone is piling on Mayor Wilder about this whole Braves thing, but I still think we are totally overreacting.  You know, it’s almost a blessing that the Braves are leaving…We can start this whole thing from scratch and have a real fun time creating something new and exceptional.

(1) Let’s start with new team name suggestions:

• Historical Names (retro is always cool):
  • Richmond Red Stockings–This name would be an homage to the only Virginia Negro League team in history, the Norfolk Red Stockings.
  • Richmond Colts (1933-53)
  • Richmond Virginians (the precedent team of the Braves. They were the Yankees’ farm team. How about that?)
    Check out Baseball and Richmond: A History of the Professional Game, 1884-2000 By W. Harrison Daniel on Google books where you can read up on the history of Richmond baseball. (this is where I got the newspaper quotes).
• Fun Names: (I’m a big fan of the Japanese baseball league. I love their fans and energy. I especially get a chuckle out of team names like Ham Fighters and Carp).  So, why not…
  • The Virginia Ham Fighters
  • Richmond Giant Catfish (an homage to the blues lurking the lower James)
  • Richmond Shad Roe
    I think a fun nickname would give the Richmond team a national cult following. Think of the merchandising possibilities.

(2) As for a stadium, the biggest mistake would be to take a boring cookie cutter approach. It’d be great to combine a classic, old-school “Fenway” look (take elements from the old Parker Field) with modern amenities/seating. I would try to maximize architectural seating design where fans are as close to the action as possible. Smaller, intimate is better. Creating a “danger to sellout” environment via scarce seating will create a self-fulfilling prophecy in this bandwagon town.
I believe Parker Field would be a great name for a new park. 

(3) I pose this question: What do NASCAR (On race night, RIR is the 8th largest “city” in Virginia); the Monument 10K (4th largest in the entire country!); Strawberry Hill races; and Urbanna Oyster Fest (half the attendees are Richmonders) all have in common other than being wildly successful events that bring together more people than a region this size is supposed to?

The answer: A-L-C-O-H-O-L. That’s right, Richmonders absolutely love a good cocktail party and will come out in droves for the right event. Our collective psyches are deeply rooted in either frat parties at Tech and UVA or Shockoe Bottom bars with fake ids (with late night meals at 3rd St or Aladdin’s). We love beer on a deep, psychological level.

Any new stadium design needs to keep this mind. My suggestion is to create the “world’s longest bar” along the outfield wall. Cordon this section off as Richmond’s largest happy hour (21+ only). I love the fact that we would do this in the shadow of the ABC corporate offices!

(4) Other ideas:

• Designate a family friendly section, maybe, the third base side where no alcohol is served and cursing is not allowed. Have balloon artists, a kids fun area, etc.
• Create a fun section where you can rotate “wacky” promotionals (hot tubs, easy chairs, massages, barber chairs for haircuts, ping pong tables, cockfighting arena, just kidding). Deep first base side near the bleachers might be a good place.
• Add new food choices that show off the excellence of Richmond dining: Akida sushi? Mama ZU pasta? Gelati Celesti ice cream?

So the Braves are leaving for the greener* pastures of Gwinnett County (basically, the “Short Pump” of Atlanta)? (see Richmond Business: Richmond Braves moving to Atlanta — or is it just another rumor?  and Atlanta Constitution Journal: Richmond Braves coming to Gwinnett )

Tobacco Avenue’s headline of “Entire city reeling over inability of 250 Richmonders to continue attending R-Braves games” sums up my personal feelings.  

(in the voice of Allen Iverson), We’re talking Triple A, Triple A.  Only the nerdiest of baseball fanboys (A-Braves fanboys no less) really care.  From a practical average fan standpoint, there is absolutely no difference  if we wind up with a double A or even a single A team (though, you think the Nats or Orioles might be interested in partnering on Triple A?).  Pop quiz: name me three players that played for the R-Braves last year?  Ok, how about one?

Actually, from a baseball connoisseur perspective, Double A is a more exciting brand of baseball anyways from a prospects standpoint.  Half of Triple A rosters are filled with 30 something “has-beens” or “never wases” for insurance purposes for the major league team.  Elite prospects tend to go straight from Double A to the majors (As you recall, Andruw Jones only had a cup of coffee in Richmond).  Again, I’m straying a bit here as the average Richmond fan couldn’t care less about the number of “A’s” in the league.  They really just want to take their five year old, shag some foul balls, eat some hotdogs, watch the fireworks on the 4th, and bond.

We’re Richmond, Virginia, goddamit.  We’re the 60th largest market in the country, and we’re growing.  We’ll have another baseball team without even trying.  On our terms (no taxpayer boondoggles!).  If the Braves want to leave us, then I say, “oh u oh oh ooh…out the do-oh-oh-or.”

Last thing, who’s the business genius in the Braves’ organization that decided to cannibalize their own major league ticket sales by placing a more affordable minor league option in the heart of the most affluent area of the shared MSA?  I’d understand if they left us for Durham, Charlotte, or Columbia, but Gwinnett?  Why not just put the new team in Buckhead or Virginia Highlands?

*OK, with their drought issues and water restrictions, maybe not greener.
**Disclaimer: If this post seems a bit harsh, it has nothing to do with the author being a Mets fan.
*** The name for the new Richmond team should be the “Richmond Shad Roe” (an embroidered shad roe on a baseball cap would be cool and gross!).  The name of the new ball park should be called Parker Field.

There’s some fantastic discussion in the Richmond blogara around the proposed arrival of “Bus Rapid Transit” and Trolleys in downtown Richmond:

• Times Dispatch: Official urges return of Richmond trolleys | Fast Shockoe-Short Pump bus service is envisioned | ON THE FUTURE OF TRANSPORTATION IN VIRGINIA (op-ed)
• Urban Richmond: Trolleys coming back to Richmond 
• River City Rapids: Welcome BRT to the RIC
• Bacon’s Rebellion: How Biased Numbers Could Kill Mass Transit in Richmond

This is exciting stuff.  The phase one East-West transit route will probably link Main Street Station/Shockoe Bottom to Willow Lawn (eventually Short Pump) via Broad Street.  The buses will fly through Broad via a combination of exclusive lanes and traffic light changing technology (where do I buy one of those remote controls!).  Presumably, major stops along the Broad St corridor could include (going East to West):

• Main Street Station–One reader in the feedback section of the Times Dispatch article urges that Main Street Station should serve as our primary regional transportation hub (buses, taxis, Amtrak trains, shuttles to the airport, etc).  Great idea!
• MCV/City Hall/State offices--I love the fact that city residents can hop on this shuttle to take care of City Hall or court business.  Parking is such a pain in that area.
• Virginia Performing Arts Center/National Theatre
• Convention Center/Coliseum--Finally, convention-goers can easily access the city’s tourist attractions.
• Broad St Arts District
• VCU/Siegel Center
• Virginal Union/Lowe’s Hardware--Students from VCU and VUU will now have easy access to support downtown businesses.  What a great and affordable DUI-avoidance option for the party set. 
• Science Museum/DMV
• Boulevard (see my notes below about a complementary North-South line…)
• Willow Lawn
• eventually, the next stops…
  • Philip Morris/Westin/Hyatt 
  • Chain restaurant corridor hell (Fridays, Hooters, etc)
  • Parham Road/Henrico Government Center
  • West Tower Cinemas/Gelati Celesti area
  • Innsbrook
  • “Downtonwn” Short Pump

Two More Ideas: 

(1) Getting VCU in the Game

Wouldn’t it be great if the GRTC and City could somehow work with VCU on expanding the East-West options?  Currently, VCU runs a shuttle for students and faculty between the MCV and Monroe campuses via Grace Street (going west) and Franklin Street (going east).  See route map.  Now, imagine two east-west routes running concurrently (for all riders!).  One serving Broad Street, the other serving the Franklin corridor.  With the new Broad St shuttle, I’d change the VCU westward route from Grace (which’ll be served by the new Broad route) over to Main St.  That makes sense since the new business school is on Main.

If I’m not mistaken, there is a precedent here.  I believe UVA has worked with the city of Charlottesville in creating an easily accessible shuttle between the UVA campuses/hospital and Downtown Charlottesville.  This has worked really, really well and has contributed to the vitality of the Downtown Mall area.

 (2) North-South Route along the Boulevard

To really get this thing going, what about a North-South route on the Boulevard (with a major hub station on Broad/Boulevard).  Imagine the stops on the North-South line?

• Dare I say, Lakeside?!
• The Diamond/Arthur Ashe/Sportsbacker Stadium–where there’s ample parking to launch a day trip
• The new movie theatre complex
• Greyhound Station
• Buzz n Neds
• Chinatown bus
• Boulevard/Broad, connection to the Broad St line…This hub would have to be really clean and touristy (maybe, put a Visitor’s Center there).
• Stonewall Jackson/Monument Avenue
• Virginia Historical Society 
• Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
• Carytown
• Byrd Park
• Maymont Park
• James River North Bank Trail
• Dare I say, Forest Hill?!

Think of this from the perspective of the tourist/conventioneer.  They now have easy access to visit all the great attractions that make Richmond, what I believe, the most hidden gem of the South.  A unified local transportation strategy could go a long way in showing off our civic bling.

One last thing, to do this right, the signage along the route has got to be dead on perfect.