When you think of Norwich, CT you may not necessarily think of professional baseball. However, the former home of  the Connecticut Defenders is trying to bring baseball back after losing the Double-A team following the 2009 season. As an article published on TheDay.com reported today, the Norwich Baseball Stadium Authority took the next step in bringing baseball back As reported by reporter Claire Bessette:

“The Norwich Baseball Stadium Authority unanimously approved a letter of intent Monday with the New York-Penn League that would bring one of the 14 teams from the short-season Class A league to Dodd Stadium for 10 years.”

NYPL President, Ben Hayes will decide which current franchise will negotiate with Norwich. Many believe that either Batavia or Oneonta may be that team as both ranked at the bottom on the league in attendance last season. Batavia was nearly succumbed to bankruptcy after the 2008 season until being saved by Triple-A Rochester. Additionally, Oneonta, who ranked last in the league in attendance, according to Baseball America, was sold in July 2008. The former owner, Sam Nader, announced at the time that the sale would keep the club in Oneonta only until 2010.

The letter of intent read as follows:

“This letter sets the terms and conditions under which the undersigned New York-Pennsylvania Professional Baseball League, Inc. is willing to present one of its member clubs as a basis for entering into a stadium lease agreement with the city of Norwich,”

The lease amount will start at $100,000 and can go as high as $165,000 through 2034, assuming all options are exercised. We’ll make sure to keep an eye on any developments regarding Norwich’s attempt at bringing baseball back before the start of the 2010 season, as this could have an affect on Longsnap clients and many other ballplayers.