Home		International League

Will the IL's Richmond Braves move to Birmingham?

August 17, 1976
It is reported that Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves are considering moving their AAA International League team from Richmond, Virginia to Birmingham.

Braves farm director Bill Lucas, assistant Paul Snyder, and Scout Dickie Martin were in Birmingham recently to look at Rickwood Field. Currently, no team is playing in Rickwood as the Birmingham Athletics recently left for Chattanooga because of an increase in the facility rental fee charged by the city.

"I think Rickwood could easily be upgraded into an adequate facility. A few years ago we went through a concentrated effort to bring our farm operations closer to Atlanta. From that standpoint, Birmingham is very appealing", Lucas said.

Dickie Martin is a longtime Braves scout headquartered in Birmingham and has campaigned for a move such as this for years. "I've worked hard to sell the Braves on Birmingham. I believe Birmingham will support Triple A. We need baseball in town."

The Braves are having lease problems with the city of Richmond after they determined they had one of the worst leases in the league.

Park Board superintendent Frank Wagner says they have been negotiating with Braves officials for the past few days. "Right now, we are in general agreement on terms. If the Braves are favorably impressed with the park and the city, then I think we'll get the team."

The city has a long association with AA baseball with the Birmingham Barons and Birmingham Athletics, but has never had a AAA level club. AAA baseball is a higher quality baseball and is one step below the major leagues.

The Braves have their eye on two or three other cities that have shown interest but believe the decision won't be long in coming. "We'd like to decide this thing as soon as possible so we can come in and rev up fan interest", Lucas said.

August 24, 1976

	Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner

Wagner says he will travel to Atlanta to talk to the Braves. Board member Don Hawkins suggested the trip to Wagner. "It seems to me, that if we want something like this it's up to us to go after it", Hawkins said.

Wagner said he has had telephone conversations with Braves officials, but no proposals have been made. "I invited them to have someone here at this morning's (board) meeting, or to put a proposal in writing, but I haven't heard anything form them."

The only proposal the Park Board has concerning Rickwood and the Braves is a written proposal from local baseball fan Dr. Robert Day. Day proposes that he would rent Rickwood Field for $25,000 provided that the Braves would rent Rickwood from him for $15,000. This means Dr. Day is willing to underwrite baseball in Birmingham himself for $10,000.

Braves owner Ted Turner is considering the possibility of moving the AAA team to Atlanta and allowing them to play their games at Atlanta Stadium when the Braves are out of town.

August 29, 1976
When asked about a possible move for the Braves AAA club to Birmingham, International League president George Sisler said the league would not deny it. "The International League is not adverse to the Braves transferring their franchise from Richmond to Birmingham. The directors of the league have instructed me to go to Birmingham and inspect the facilities and report back to them. I will go as soon as a convenient time can be worked out where I can be in Birmingham along with the Atlanta people so I can give them my opinion on the spot."

Wagner has not finalized anything with Atlanta, "I'm waiting for Atlanta to contact me. I hope to go over there this week and find out where we stand. I have had several letters from other clubs expressing interest in moving franchises here in the meanwhile,"

September 13, 1976
Turner says they will probably keep their AAA franchise in Richmond. "It's not absolutely final, but it looks like we will probably go back to Richmond. I would personally have preferred to come to Birmingham, for server reasons."

Unfortunately, it seemed Richmond was more interested in keeping their team than Birmingham was in getting a team. "Richmond got in the (International League) playoffs, and when we went up there people came to us with tears in their eyes saying, 'don't' take our baseball team away.' We didn't find anybody in Birmingham who really wanted us to move the team over there. We got a lot of boos from the press in Richmond when we announced that we might move, but it was the people who touched me," Turner said.

April 1977

			1977                         International League
xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx
	Charleston Charlies		Columbus Clippers		Pawtucket Red Sox		Richmond Braves		Rochester Red Wings
	Syracuse Chiefs		Tidewater Tides		Toledo Mud Hens

Epilogue
The Braves returned to Richmond as expected and played in the International League until they were relocated to Georgia as the Gwinnett Braves beginning with the 2009 season.

In 2018 the team was renamed the Gwinnett Stripers, and is still a part of the International League.

			Teams of the                             International League
xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx
	NEED LOGO		NEED LOGO		NEED LOGO		NEED LOGO
	Akron Buckeyes 1920		Albany Governors 1888		Albany Senators 1932 to 1936		Arkansas Travelers 1963		Atlanta Crackers 1962 to 1965
			NEED LOGO
	Baltimore Orioles 1912 to 1914; 1916 to 1953		Binghamton Bingos 1918 to 1919		Buffalo Bisons 1912 to 1970; 1998 to 2025		Charleston Charlies 1971 to 1983		Charlotte Knights 1993 to 2025
									NEED LOGO
	Charleston Marlins 1961		Columbus Clippers 1977 to 2025		Columbus Jets 1955; 1959 to 1970		Columbus Red Birds 1956 to 1958		Detroit Wolverines 1889 to 1890
							NEED LOGO		NEED LOGO
	Durham Bulls 1998 to 2025		Gwinnett Braves 2009 to 2017		Gwinnett Stripers 2018 to 2025		Hamilton Hams 1900		Hamilton Tigers 1918
	NEED LOGO
	Harrisburg Senators 1915		Havana Sugar Kings 1954 to 1960		Indianapolis Indians 1963; 1998 to 2025		Iowa Cubs 2022 to 2025		Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 2021 to 2025
			NEED LOGO						NEED LOGO
	Jacksonville Suns 1962 to 1968		Jersey City Colts 1920 to 1924		Jersey City Giants 1937 to 1950		Jersey City Jerseys 1960 to 1961		Jersey City Skeeters 1912 to 1915; 1918 to 1919; 1923; 1925 to 1933
			NEED LOGO
	Lehigh Valley IronPigs 2008 to 2025		London Tecumsehs 1900		Louisville Bats 2002 to 2025		Louisville Colonels 1968 to 1972		Louisville Redbirds 1998
	Louisville RiverBats 1999 to 2001		Maine Guides 1984 to 1987		Maine Phillies 1988		Memphis Blues 1974 to 1976		Memphis Redbirds 2021 to 2025
							NEED LOGO		NEED LOGO
	Miami Marlins 1956 to 1960		Montreal Royals 1912 to 1917; 1928 to 1960		Nashville Sounds 2021 to 2025		Newark Bears 1917 to 1919; 1921 to 1949		Newark Indians 1912 to 1916
							NEED LOGO
	Norfolk Tides 1993 to 2025		Omaha Storm Chasers 2021 to 2025		Ottawa Athletics 1952 to 1954		Ottawa Giants 1951		Ottawa Lynx 1993 to 2007
					NEED LOGO		NEED LOGO		NEED LOGO
	Pawtucket Red Sox 1973 to 1975; 1977 to 2019		Peninsula Whips 1972 to 1973		Providence Grays 1912 to 1917		Reading Aces 1921 to 1922		Reading Coal Barons 1919
	NEED LOGO		NEED LOGO		NEED LOGO
	Reading Keys 1930 to 1932		Reading Keystones 1923 to 1929		Reading Marines 1920		Rhode Island Red Sox 1976		Richmond Braves 1966 to 1977
	NEED LOGO				NEED LOGO		NEED LOGO
	Richmond Climbers 1915 to 1916		Richmond Virginians 1917; 1954 to 1964		Rochester Colts 1921		Rochester Hustlers 1912 to 1920		Rochester Red Wings 1928 to 2025
	NEED LOGO		NEED LOGO
	Rochester Tribe 1922 to 1927		San Juan Marlins 1961		Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders 2013 to 2025		Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons 1989 to 2006		Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees 2007 to 2012
	NEED LOGO
	Springfield Cubs 1950 to 1953		St. Paul Saints 2021 to 2025		Syracuse Chiefs 1934 to 1940; 1942 to 1955; 1961 to 1996; 2007 to 2018		Syracuse Mets 2019 to 2025		Syracuse SkyChiefs 1997 to 2006
	NEED LOGO
	Syracuse Stars 1918; 1920 to 1927; 1941		Tidewater Tides 1969 to 1992		Toledo Mud Hens 1965 to 2025		Toronto Maple Leafs 1912 to 1967		Winnipeg Whips 1970 to 1971
	Worcester Red Sox 2021 to 2025

International League ball

International League logo 1998 to present

Contact Gene Crowley
Last update: April 30, 2025