"Connecticut," the large Native American figure that peers out at North Boulevard over a rooftop at The Diamond, was installed there in 1985. Sculptor Paul DiPasquale created the fiberglass and epoxy figure. To some it has become as much a symbol of Richmond Braves baseball in Virginia's capital city as anything else.

Parker Field was demolished immediately after the 1984 baseball season ended in September. The Diamond was built in time to be ready for the next season in April. That rapid transformation cost just $8 million, which was quite a bargain compared to the numbers that get tossed around these days.

Fast-forward to the 2003 baseball season: a piece of concrete the size of a loaf of bread dropped from The Diamond's then 18-year-old roof onto the stands below during a game. No one was hurt, but as repairs were made, the incident clearly underlined the need to upgrade the facility, or build a new one. Yet, that same year an $18.5-million renovation plan for the facility also fell apart. 

Although the grandstands, the press box and roof, were all new in 1985, the actual playing surface was a leftover from Parker Field; it went all the way back to 1954, when the Richmond Virginians began playing there. That aspect of the quickie makeover reared its ugly head in 2004, when several R-Braves games were postponed and played elsewhere due to the soggy field that had serious drainage problems.

Subsequently, prior to the 2005 season, The Diamond got its infield and outfield redone, which cost the Richmond Metropolitan Authority $418,000.

The RMA, which has represented the combined wills of the jurisdictions of Richmond (six votes), Chesterfield (two votes) and Henrico (two votes) since 1966, owns and operates The Diamond. RMA general manager Mike Berry said, "Now the playing condition is as good as you'll find."

DiPasquale's Connecticut is also owned by the RMA. So, what will happen to the sculpture when the Braves vamoose?

Nobody knows, yet. Meanwhile, here's how it came to find a home at The Diamond:

Finished in 1983, the original plan was for the piece to sit atop a building in Washington, D.C., at the intersection of Calvert Street and Connecticut Avenue. When DiPasquale's Plan A unexpectedly unraveled, Plan B had the piece looking out over the roof of Best Products' corporate headquarters, near Ashland, for a couple of years.

Then Signet Bank bought the sculpture from DiPasquale, in order to donate it to the RMA, so it could be placed where it is today.

"The whole reason I made it was to create a monument to Native Americans," said DiPasquale.

Then on Jan. 14, the bombshell dropped. The Atlanta Braves Triple A franchise plans to pack up after the 2008 season ends and move into a new stadium being built in Gwinnett County, a densely populated suburb of Atlanta.

Adding to Richmond's problem in replacing the R-Braves is that if the construction schedule of the new stadium in Gwinnett falls behind, there's a slim chance the R-Braves could opt to stay here for the 2009 season. All of which has tied local hands, somewhat, with respect to attracting a new team to The Diamond.

For Berry the mission is simple -- "Uninterrupted professional baseball in Richmond." But that's easier said than done.

For the time being, the future for baseball at The Diamond remains unclear. The field is good, while the amenities outside the lines are rather dilapidated.

DiPasquale fears the routine cleaning and maintenance of Connecticut has been neglected over the years. He said his offers to see to that himself have been rebuffed by R-Braves management.

Once the R-Braves do leave The Diamond, is there another roof in the Richmond area that would be suitable for a giant Indian to call home? Perhaps another bank will buy it. 

Berry's plate is full enough that he isn't worried about Connecticut's next location yet. But if the next occupant of The Diamond is an outfit called the Ducks or the Zephyrs, it won't make much sense for Connecticut to stay where he is. 

"Public art is about location," DiPasquale said.

So, Connecticut continues to scan the horizon, watching for the next development in the ongoing soap opera of who will play baseball where in Richmond. Baseball is about location, too.