Happier days: Robby Hammock, center, celebrates after he and Brian Barden, right, scored during the 2006 Triple-A championship game. Tucson won 5-2.

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SK Baseball LLC completed its purchase of the Sidewinders from Jay Zucker on Wednesday and continued paving the way for the team to move to Reno, Nev., by 2009.

Zucker will receive $15 million, or $13.5 million if the team does not move.

A relocation filing with the Pacific Coast League "is imminent," said George King, the league's vice president of business and baseball operations. Once filed, relocation must be approved by the league, Minor League Baseball and Major League Baseball.

SK Baseball's push for a new $42 million downtown stadium in Reno was delayed, however. The Reno Redevelopment Agency decided in a meeting Wednesday to table the stadium's Development Disposition Agreement until Sept. 20 to give staff more time to examine the details.

If the agreement, which would be considered the final go-ahead, is approved, construction will begin in January, city of Reno spokesman Chris Good said.

Good said the stadium would be on track to be ready for opening day 2009. "It still looks very positive from the staff's perspective," he said.

Reno has an Oct. 1 deadline to approve the project to receive stadium funding from a Washoe County rental car tax.

SK Baseball, comprised of New York businessmen Jerry and Stuart Katzoff and Indiana Pacers owner Herb Simon, has been working with the city of Reno to choose and develop the ballpark site.

The Sidewinders have struggled to draw fans to Tucson Electric Park over the years, a motivating factor to move the franchise.

The Sidewinders averaged 3,983 fans this season, the lowest in the 16-team PCL.

"It's been given its fair shake over the past couple years," King said of the Tucson market. "Is it on a decline? We'd all be kidding ourselves if we didn't say it was. It could be a situation of oversaturation of things to do. It may be the dynamic of the location of the ballpark, which isn't ideal. Whatever the causes, we can all agree there is a waning interest.

"From the standpoint of what's gone on the past 10 to 15 years," King said, Tucson "doesn't have the same interest" in professional sports as UA sports.

"You have to consider the fact there's spring training there, and there's an oversaturation," he said. "Tucson is dynamically different (from other PCL markets) because there's a strong winter population. You've also got the other dynamic that people leave to get away from the heat in the summer."

Zucker and his wife, Melinda, will serve as Sidewinders consultants for the 2008 season.

Jay Zucker said despite the likelihood of it being the final season in Tucson, there will be "no budget cuts" next season.