ACC's Fenway date moved to 2010

The ACC’s date with history in Boston’s famed Fenway Park has been moved back a year because of a scheduling mistake.

Fenway Sports Group asked major league baseball to save the wrong dates in 2009 for the ACC baseball tournament at the home of the Boston Red Sox. So the ACC will go to Fenway in 2010 instead, and must scramble to find a site for the 2009 tournament.

Fans who purchased tickets to the 2009 tournament at Fenway will be entitled to a full refund. Ticket holders can visit www.redsox.com for more information.

"We sincerely apologize for the error that resulted in Fenway Park being unavailable to host the 2009 ACC baseball championship,” Fenway Sports Group president Mike Dee said in a statement. “The Atlantic Coast Conference and its baseball championship are very important to us and we are truly sorry for this situation.”

ACC assistant commissioner for championships Davis Whitfield said Fenway Sports Group officials were extremely apologetic and quickly made amends by agreeing to the 2010 date with the ACC.

Whitfield said he couldn’t even speculate which cities might be interested or considered for the 2009 tournament.

"I would say all options are open,” Whitfield said. “I expect we’ll get some calls from facilities that might be interested in helping. We’ve got to figure out who’s available.”

Jacksonville, Fla., played host from 2005-08.

In June, the ACC sent more than a dozen cities requests to bid for the 2010 through 2012 tournaments. Some are previous hosts; others had expressed interest in bidding.

The ACC wants the bids returned by Oct. 1. Charlotte received a bid request, but city officials still are working to get a stadium built downtown.

Whitfield said an ACC rule prevents awarding bids to cities that don’t have facilities in place at the time a bid is accepted.

Durham, the host in 1996, 1998 and 1999, didn’t receive a bid request because officials there didn’t express interest, Whitfield said.