The current brouhaha over replacing The Diamond with a newer, shinier stadium in another corner of the city gives The Hat a serious case of déja vú all over again. 

I recently blew the dust off an old leather-bound collection of Richmond magazines stored deep in the nuclear-blast-resistant vaults here at the Bookbindery. Something about all this to-ing and fro-ing struck me as familiar. In August 2001, now a whole world distant, I composed An Award-Winning Feature™ titled "The Bottom of the Ninth at the Diamond: A Tough Call Needs To Be Made About the Stadium's Future."

Before you rush off to greedily consume this astounding piece of sports/civic journalism, let me give you the "executive summary" and some Valentine's Meat-Juice-style extracts from it and other pieces since.

But first, scrivener Terry Rea has covered sports and culture in Richmond for quite a while, including for Richmond magazine on occasion, and on Feb. 11 over at his Slantblog, he posted an assessment of Movieland on the Boulevard as a potential catalyst for that part of town:

"Will Movieland eventually play a role in the story of where to play baseball in Richmond? Movie theaters can act as hubs for further development. Restaurants like to locate nearby. So, whether it's part of a plan, or not, more nightlife options will be coming soon to the neighborhood surrounding Movieland."

In August 2005, I contributed to "Saving Shockoe Bottom." Scroll down to my section, "Is Baseball Very, Very Good for Downtowns?" I spoke with officials in Memphis, Toledo and Indianapolis, and in "Braves New World" included more financial analysis.

Indianapolis' Victory Field is located amid a concentration of attractions, including an urban mall with a multiplex cinema and nearby restaurants.

Memphis' AutoZone Park is the highest-end minor-league stadium, the gold standard of such endeavors. Look twice at this picture: It bears an odd resemblance to Shockoe, almost like it's 18th and Broad. The stadium provided the keystone of an eight-block rehabilitation that includes apartments, retail, the Memphian version of the Carpenter Center, called the Orpheum Theater, and AutoZone's headquarters. 

Memphis Magazine's managing editor then and now Frank Murtaugh, a baseball fan, replied when I asked about trash (not much, the park management is fastidious), and noise: "You want your downtowns to be lively and a little noisy." And, in my notes, not appearing in the article, he noted, “That’s what downtowns are,” adding somewhat facetiously, “You can bring them back with casinos or baseball parks.”

Kathy Steingraber, then director of the Toledo Warehouse District Association, told me about their unusual Third Fifth Field, home of the Mud Hens. It, too, has a Richmond-esque quality.

“You cannot let a ballpark gentrify a neighborhood,” Steingraber instructed. She explained that a socially and financially diverse neighborhood yields the greatest opportunity for success. “If you stray from that, it won’t work. And the people who live there have to know there’ll be noise at night. If you want the peace and quiet of the suburbs, you shouldn’t live downtown.”

Several buildings on the Ohio Historic Register were integrated into the park’s façade. Around 10 older buildings also underwent demolition to make room for the stadium. About that, Steingraber told me — and due to space it didn't make it in the published article (but I kept my notes): 

“If we had to do it all over again, we might’ve moved it two blocks in another direction and saved those buildings.” She admitted that the loss of the buildings was a disappointment, and that greater thought could have been put into the siting process. 

And now, a mashup of quotes from my 2001 piece:

"In late June, City Councilman G. Manoli Loupassi asked that the city study the region’s long-term stadium concerns. Loupassi represents the city on the stadium’s operating committee.

“Most people react this way: 'What’s a matter with The Diamond?’ Loupassi says. “The Diamond has served the community well and it’s a strong site. Most people don’t see the need for something new. So, we need some kind of decision relative to this issue one way, or the other; the idea of a downtown stadium, either acted upon or put to sleep.”

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"While Loupassi’s idea to explore stadium options passed, some residents loudly proclaimed their opposition to a downtown stadium. Pressing concerns, such as deteriorating schools, the condition of the city jail and the need for improvements to the police headquarters, all are in competition for City Council’s attention and taxpayer dollars.

"Beyond these needs, other development issues, such as a central-city arts district and continuing improvements along the riverfront, all require large sums of money.

"One resident, commenting on the proposed stadium study, snapped, 'If you build it, nobody will come!' Another resident exploded with, 'Richmond doesn’t like sports! We don’t support what we got!' ”

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"In 1998, [Braves General Manager Bruce Baldwin] floated a concept about converting The Diamond into a 40,000-seat arena with a domed, retractable roof. The dramatically remade Diamond of Baldwin’s blue-sky idea would host preseason NFL games, an NCAA Final Four, wrestling shows, major concerts, high-school championship games, Special Olympics, even dog shows.

"He laughs, 'Who knows how much that would cost! But then, like now, I’m asking: What is the next level? Where do we want to go with baseball here?' .... 'What will $20 million get us, if we got it?' he asks. 'Are we talking cosmetic or structural?'

"The 2004 deadline isn’t so distant. Somebody must do something and relatively soon, if Richmond wants to keep its AAA ballclub."

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"Robert Ukrop [businessman, sports program supporter] mulls various plans. ... A downtown stadium would require nearly constant use to justify itself, day and night, perhaps with an attached fitness club, retail and office space. Parking is a major issue, (there’d likely be none on site) as would be the increase of traffic.

Ukrop explains, 'When we start discussing these kinds of major undertakings it’s never about this one thing: Move the stadium, or redo the stadium. It’s about how it all interconnects. Will a downtown stadium be the best long-term solution, in terms of the impact it’ll make on business and visitation? It’s like a big jigsaw puzzle.' "

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"Frank Soden, the beloved sports broadcaster who called hundreds of Braves games, and whose name was given to The Diamond’s press box, is well aware of trends in stadium location.

"Soden, however, lists the familiar Diamond assets; its location, accessibility, recently improved parking lots and familiarity. Perhaps a downtown location near the canal wouldn’t be the best use for Richmond’s riverfront or for Braves fans.

“ 'Look, the July 4th celebration changed from one night to two. That’s just great. I think until we can prove otherwise, put a certain amount of money into The Diamond and keep what we got for now. Let’s not rush into something that we can’t get out of. Of course, that’s just one man’s opinion.' ”

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And finally, one more trip into the memory banks for this sidebar to my 2001 article, in which Federal Reserve economist Adam Zaretsky weighs in on the economic merits of sports stadiums.

P.S. If and when we get a Diamond replacement, I'm begging and pleading with Those Who Decide Such Things: Don't give the place a dehumanized designation like GlobeCo Field or MegaThing Park. Give it a name — either of a person or the city itself.

Baseball is in part about personality and character. And Richmond's got plenty of both.