Roy Jackson downplays role in West Chester stadium plan

Roy Jackson owned minor league teams in York, Pa., and Tucson, Ariz. He ran the Eastern League and then the Pacific Coast League. So he knows minor league baseball.

When a group decided it wanted to see whether it was feasible to build a minor league ballpark in West Chester, the members sought Jackson's advice.

"My part in it is I know some of the people, and a fellow I've known for a long time [Howie Bedell] is helping them, too," said Jackson, whose Lael Farm is not far from West Chester. "They just asked me because of my background to sort of be a sounding board or somebody they could ask questions to. That's all I've done, just try to answer some of their questions."

The proposed $40 million stadium is quite a ways from reality. The Turk's Head Stadium Alliance made some of its plans public on Tuesday. The alliance hopes to attract a Class A team to play in the stadium, preferably a Phillies affiliate. There is no commitment from the Phillies to do that.

"I'm not involved at all," Jackson said. "They've got a piece of ground they are trying to work out."

The 4,000- to 5,000-seat stadium is proposed for an old Pfizer Pharmaceuticals site, previously owned by Wyeth Laboratories.

"It's a bare piece of ground that they had some buildings on," Jackson said. "I haven't been involved with any of that. I've just tried to answer some questions about the minor leagues, about stadiums."

He would know.

"Being involved with the leagues, I've seen franchises move, franchises start from scratch, seen various problems over the years," Jackson said. "I can help a little bit."

Is this plan viable?

"I would think so," said Jackson, who, along with his wife Gretchen, owned 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro. "There's a pretty good population in that area."

Obviously, it would be more viable if the Phillies were willing to commit to having one of their minor league teams play there.

"They've talked to the Phillies," Jackson said. "I don't know whether that's feasible down the road. Obviously, it would be more of an attraction than if you had some other minor league club." *