BY MICHAEL MARTZ

Times-Dispatch Staff Writer

The Richmond Braves' general manager says the city's proposal for a new baseball stadium next to Interstate 95 is a bad idea.

"Sorry, it does not work," General Manager Bruce Baldwin told the Kiwanis Cub of Richmond at a luncheon today at the Virginia Historical Society. "It makes no sense whatsoever."

Baldwin declined to blame Mayor L. Douglas Wilder for the Braves' departure after this season after more than 40 years in Richmond, and said he expects minor-league baseball eventually to return to the city.

However, he referred to the mayor as "King Wilder" on one occasion and faulted the administration's decision to oppose a new stadium in Shockoe Bottom. "I don't think you'll ever see a ballpark in the Bottom . . . not in this administration," he said.

A spokesman for Wilder did not return a call for comment on Baldwin's remarks.

In a speech that mixed humor and regret, Baldwin said he is sorry for the effect of the Braves' impending departure for Gwinnett County, Ga., on employees and local charitable organizations, including the Kiwanis Club, that rely on the club for fund-raising initiatives. "I spend a lot of money," he said. "Apparently, I don't spend enough to keep the Richmond Braves in town."

He attributed the Braves' declining attendance at The Diamond op a combination of public apathy and the physical problems at The Diamond, where the Triple-A franchise has played since 1985.

The Braves announced their decision to leave Richmond less than a week after the Wilder administration issued a request for qualifications from developers interested in developing city-owned land along North Boulevard. The request outlined a phased development plan that included a new, 8,000-seat stadium that would require moving Robin Hood Road, and demolishing both the Arthur Ashe Center and The Diamond.

In an exchange of e-mails released by the administration, a top Atlanta Braves official expressed dismay that his organization had not been consulted before the city chose to place the ballpark site north of The Diamond next to I-95 -- where a softball field is now.

Baldwin said today that the site is too close to the highway -- unpleasant for fans and potentially dangerous for someone passing on the interstate. The city's plan shows the ballfield angled so that a right-handed power pull-hitter might be able to reach the highway with a home run.

Baldwin said a new ballpark could work at The Diamond or the property around it, if Richmond would move the city vehicle maintenance and operations site on 30 acres next to the stadium between North Boulevard and Hermitage Road.

Wilder has said that moving the maintenance facility could cost up to $30 million. The city's plan shows the property being developed later.

Baldwin said a stadium also could succeed at the intersection of Interstates 95 and 295, where Henrico County officials tried to attract the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

However, his personal preference remains Shockoe Bottom, where the Braves and an investment group pitched a plan for a ballpark in 2004 as part of a larger development that he said would not require public dollars. Wilder opposed the project, citing financing and tax-subsidy concerns.

"The Bottom is the best place to go," Baldwin said.

Contact Michael Martz at mmartz@timesdispatch.com.