Several sources tell us the Oneonta Tigers have jumped to the front of the line of teams pursuing a move to Norwich, but lease issues remain.
Several sources tell us the Oneonta Tigers (short season; NY-Penn League) have jumped to the front of the line of teams pursuing a move to Norwich for either the 2010 or 2011 season.
There are lease issues to work out; the Tigers reportedly have a lease in place at Damaschke Field through the 2010 season, but we don't know the specifics (whether there's a performance clause, for instance). And the NY-Penn League signed a letter of intent with the Norwich Baseball Stadium Authority for a 10-year deal for Dodd Stadium that would begin in 2010 and cost $100,000 annually; we assume the league isn't doing this to pay for a year of an empty ballpark, but the 2010 NY-Penn schedule has been released.
The only teams with a realistic chance of moving are Jamestown and Oneonta. We continue to hear Vermont Lake Monsters owner Ray Pecor is working on a proposal for a new or renovated ballpark (a twist of sorts may be involved), and the owners of Batavia have no interest in moving at this time. Jamestown had been considered the frontrunner to land Norwich — at least until Tigers owner Miles Prentice entered the picture.
Dodd Stadium was the home of the Connecticut Defenders (Class AA; Eastern League) until the franchise was moved to Richmond.
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