The Wilmington City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to begin negotiations with the Braves and Mandalay Baseball Properties, and to explore the level of public support and costs and funding options for a new ballpark necessary bring the team to the city.

“The hope is that we can get this done and start moving dirt by this fall,” said Mike Plant, Braves executive vice president of business operations, who said they want to move the team to the coastal North Carolina city  in time for the 2014 season.

Braves general manager Frank Wren and former manager Bobby Cox attended Tuesday’s meeting in Wilmington along with Plant. There was a packed house in the council chambers, including many fans in Braves gear.

There were also a few sign-wielding protestors …

Wilmington’s City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to begin negotiations with the Braves and Mandalay Baseball Properties, and to explore the level of public support, potential cost and funding for a ballpark necessary to bring the team to the coastal city.

Braves general manager Frank Wren and former manager Bobby Cox attended Tuesday’s meeting in Wilmington. The Wilmington Star-News reported there was a packed house in the council chambers, including many fans in Braves attire.

Cox also traveled to Wilmington in November to discuss the possibility of bringing a Braves affiliate to the city.

The city council agreed Tuesday to enter a six-month negotiation period with the Braves and Mandalay through July 31, with an option to extend if necessary. To entice the city to build a ballpark – estimated …

The design closely resembles the home uniform worn by the Hank Aaron-led Braves during their first two seasons in Atlanta in 1966-1967, right down to the player number instead of a tomahawk beneath the “Braves” script on front of the jersey.

The new home-alternate uniform (right) will be worn for weekend home games. The traditional home white (left) will be worn Monday-Thursday, and red jerseys on Friday.

The new attire will serve as an alternate uniform for home games and won’t replace any of the other four uniforms currently worn by the Braves. The initial plan is to wear it for Saturday and Sunday home games.

The Braves’ red jerseys worn for Sunday home games in recent years will be switched to Friday home games, said Derek Schiller, Braves executive vice president of sales and marketing. Traditional white home uniforms …

The longtime former Braves skipper, who retired after the 2010 season, will manage Braves prospects in an April 3 exhibition game against the big-league Braves at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville. General manager Frank Wren made the announcement Friday.

Officially called the Braves Stars vs. Future Stars game, it features current Braves against a team of prospects. The 7:05 p.m. game at the Triple-A Gwinnett ballpark is the first of its kind for the Braves and replaces a pair of exhibitions the team has traditionally played against American League teams at Turner Field just before opening day.

Braves and G-Braves full-season ticket holders can purchase tickets for the April 3 game at a $5 discount off regular prices, which are $10-$45. Those with partial season ticket plans can purchase tickets beginning Monday at 10 a.m., also at a $5 discount.

Beginning Feb. 18, fans without season-ticket plans can …

The Braves hope to see more of this from Jason Heyward in 2012. He's been working with their new hitting coaches and with Chipper Jones.

For the record, the nearly 6-foot-5 right fielder has gone from an imposing, chiseled 256 pounds to a chiseled, imposing 235. In terms to which some of our readers may better relate, Heyward’s gone from D-1 defensive end to D-1 tight end.

Now back to our story. Two or three times a week since the beginning of January, Heyward has been working in the batting cage at Turner Field with new hitting coach Greg Walker and assistant hitting coach Scott Fletcher. There has been a third instructor of sorts taking part in many of those sessions: Chipper Jones.

Walker and Fletcher have worked with Heyward …

Eight of the Braves’ top nine prospects (as rated by Baseball America) will be in big-league camp, including four already on the 40-man roster: pitchers Julio Teheran, Arodys Vizcaino and Randall Delgado and shortstop Tyler Pastornicky.

Pastornicky is penciled in as the Braves’ starting shortstop, despite no major league experience. Teheran and Delgado will compete with lefty Mike Minor for the fifth spot in the rotation, and Vizcaino is a strong candidate for a bullpen job.

None of the four highest-rated prospects on the non-roster invitee list is expected to compete for a job this spring, but they’ll experience the big-league atmosphere and try to leave a good impression with Braves officials and coaches.

Others non-roster invitees: lefties …

Atlanta’s iconic third baseman is preparing for his 19th season with the Braves, and Tuesday he made it clear the 2012 season might not be his last.

“As long as I stay healthy and I’m having fun, I’m going to keep going,” he said before an informal hitting session at Turner Field. “I sit here with three weeks to go before spring training and I’m not ready to say this is it.”

Jones is entering the final guaranteed year of a contract that will pay $14 million in 2012. The deal includes a $7 million team option for 2013, which vests automatically at $9 million if he plays at least 123 games in 2012.

He played 126 games in 2011 despite a stint on the disabled list for arthroscopic knee surgery, which kept him out of the All-Star game.

The 2013 option has escalators that could …

When pitching coach Roger McDowell welcomed back some of his charges Monday for the first day of the Braves’ early pitching camp at Turner Field, questions about The Collapse and lessons learned from it elicited similar responses.

Not terse, but succinct.

“The calendar turned over to 2012, and so it is a new year,” McDowell said. “Like any other experience you go through, good, bad or indifferent, you learn from it and move on.”

To a follow-up question moments later, he answered: “We’re going to play 162 [games on the schedule], prepare in spring training and get ready for the season. What happened in the past is not going to dictate what happens in the future. So we’ll move on.”

Brandon …

Edward Salcedo, 20, a prized international free-agent signee two years ago, was moved from shortstop to third base at Class-A Rome, and 2010 first-round draft pick Matt Lipka switched from shortstop to center field last fall at the instructional league in Florida.

Lipka will play center field this year, likely at high-A Lynchburg. The Braves were pleased with how well he took to center field in the fall and believe his speed and athleticism are well suited for the position. He also worked extensively on his approach as a leadoff hitter during the instructional league.

Moving Salcedo and Lipka still left four shortstops whom the Braves consider promising in the minor league system: Tyler Pastornicky, who’s penciled in for the major league job in 2012, top …

It looks like we’re about to find out if he’s ready.

Barring anything unexpected in the next two months, it looks as if the Braves will go into the upcoming season with the speedy rookie as their regular shortstop and veteran Jack Wilson as his backup. The Braves didn’t try to retain slick-fielding, weak-hitting veteran Alex Gonzalez, who signed a free-agent contract with Milwaukee.

Pastornicky had a career-best season in 2011, hitting .314 with a .359 on-base percentage, seven homers and 27 stolen bases in 117 games last season at Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett. He hit .365 in 27 games for Gwinnett before missing the final month with a sprained ankle.

He was added to Atlanta’s roster for the last game of the season but didn’t play …