NORMAL - Successful minor league baseball owner Mike Veeck called Normal "a terrific situation" and a "huge opportunity" Monday after meeting with a committee exploring the feasibility of bringing a minor league club to Normal at a Heartland Community College site.

"I think somebody should have been here yesterday (with a team)," said Veeck, the son of former Chicago White Sox owner Bill Veeck. "At first blush, I love this. This has all the earmarks of an up and comer."

Mike Veeck is part owner of Major League Baseball-affiliated minor league teams in Fort Myers, Fla., Charleston, S.C., and Fishkill, N.Y., as well as independent league teams in St. Paul, Minn., Brockton, Mass., and Sioux Falls, S.D. His teams are known for wacky, innovative promotions.

"It was a very productive meeting (with) positive feedback," said Normal City Manager Mark Peterson. "Mike brings a tremendous amount of credibility to the table. There is no question he is clearly interested in this market and bringing minor league baseball to this community."

Veeck believes Normal would be a good fit to join St. Paul and Sioux Falls in the American Association but added the Frontier League also is a possibility.

"Looking at the commitment of the people I'm meeting with, I think either one is going to be very lucky," said Veeck. "I would love to see an American Association club in here selfishly because Miles Woolf runs that. He's a visionary. I will call Miles first, but the second call I make is to (Frontier League commissioner) Bill Lee."

The 10-team American Association has no teams within easy driving distance of Central Illinois. Other locations include Wichita, Kan., Lincoln, Neb., Pensacola, Fla., Shreveport, La., and Sioux City, Iowa. Three other teams are based in Texas.

"It is a huge consideration. So far it's the only drawback that I see, but it's not a drawback as far as I'm concerned," Veeck said of travel costs. "I'm going to go back to the American Association membership and say we should not think about the mileage and figure out how it works. Travel is never an insurmountable problem."

The 12-team Frontier League would be a better geographic fit with four Illinois teams (Rockford, Marion, Crestwood, Sauget) and others in O'Fallon, Mo., and Evansville, Ind. Veeck has ownership interest in the O'Fallon team.

The Northern League also has expressed interest in a Normal franchise.

While it remains a possibility that Normal could have a baseball team on the field by 2009, details must be worked out quickly so construction on a stadium could begin with an eye on a May 2009 opening day.

Committee members are working under a deadline of April 1 to report progress on the project to Heartland.

"I understand and appreciate the pressure. Actually, in my business that's kind of refreshing," Veeck said of the timetable. "Deadlines are just that. Nobody dies or gets maimed. If we're a week or two after, I'm sure for the right fit we could work out a deal. I'm very enthusiastic. I don't think the community can lose in this."

According to committee chair Alan Sender, Veeck was thrilled with the proposed stadium site that features nearby access to Interstates 55, 74 and 39.

"We asked him point blank if he was interested and it was an unequivocal yes. Mike's group is interested," said Sender. "We are not tiptoeing around this. We are making it very clear that time is of the essence. We'll have a sense pretty soon if we have the elements of a deal the town and Heartland can live with."

Peterson said Heartland officials have attended committee meetings and are being kept informed throughout the process.

"We won't have a signed deal as of April 1. That was never our intent," said Peterson. "But we are certainly hopeful we will have enough detail and enough expression of serious interest that Heartland will feel comfortable continuing down this path. We are optimistic that things are moving forward very quickly.

"We have stressed this needs to be largely a private deal. This is not a situation where a college or municipality is going to build you a stadium and say 'Here, now you bring your team.' "

Veeck, who is a partner in the Goldklang Group and oversees minor league franchises along with Marv Goldklang, is not the first and he will not be the last representative of an ownership group to meet with the committee.

"We expect at least one more meeting this week," Peterson said, "and maybe some the following week with other investors."

Along with his extensive minor league experience, Veeck also has worked for the Chicago White Sox, Florida Marlins, Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Detroit Tigers.

A highly sought public speaker, Veeck has released a corporate training video based on his "Fun is Good" philosophy.