Jim Pankovits feels the pain of Richmond baseball fans. He was one.

The Douglas Freeman High alum grew up watching the Triple-A Richmond Braves, who are relocating to Gwinnett County, Ga., at the conclusion of this season, ending a 43-year stay here. Pankovits, 52, is a veteran minor-league manager and instructor who appreciates the R-Braves' extended stay here, laments their loss, and sees potential silver linings.

Still an area resident, Pankovits said the Braves' departure, while "unfortunate," could cause a couple of positive effects: a new stadium to replace The Diamond, and local ownership. The R-Braves are owned by the Atlanta Braves.

"A new facility could attract a quality organization to start a long relationship like the Atlanta Braves had there in Richmond," Pankovits said from Salem. "It would be nice if there was local ownership that could take the initiative to get the ball rolling, to [organize] funding.

"Plus, local ownership gives that city or community more of a connection because they obviously have a better grasp of the inner workings of the government and the community, and what that area's population likes most in their entertainment. The bottom line is entertainment."

After being selected by the Houston Astros in the fourth round of the 1976 draft, Pankovits elevated through the minor leagues and played five big-league seasons ('84-88) with the Astros. He is in his third season as the manager of Houston's Class A Salem club in the Carolina League and previously managed five years in Double-A, including three in the Eastern League (New Britain).

Richmond may be in line for an Eastern League franchise or one from the Carolina League. Speaking to the possibility of Richmond becoming home to a Class A club, Pankovits said, "It may take a while to attract the attention, and I guess to gain the trust of the fan base. But I think if you put a quality product on the field, even at the A-ball level, it's very entertaining. You see a lot of future major-leaguers in the Carolina League."

Richmond could wait for another Triple-A franchise to become available. Pankovits played in Triple-A and spent several years as an Astros' minor-league field coordinator, a roving job that re-exposed him, as a non-player, to every classification in the minors.

"The range in ability is wider at the lower levels, and as you move up the ladder, there is less disparity," Pankovits said.