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If there is a villain, it is Larry Lucchino and the rest of the team ownership. Maybe the deal doesn't fork over enough cash to appease the millionaire leeches, but Mattiello did at least try to listen to the vast majority of state taxpayers who oppose funding of the ballpark.
I don't disagree that Lucchino is also a villain. I have never liked nor trutsted him.
As for your assertion that a vast majority state taxpayers oppose funding of the ballpark, could you please provide a source for this. Was there some statewide vote with overwhelming results I am not aware of? Mattiello has often referred to a golocalprov poll which has zero credibility. Any poll on that site is a joke.
The Pawtucket Red Sox are gone. Count on it. As soon as the 2018 International League season draws to a close, the announcement will come down that the franchise is relocating to Worcester.
International League President Randy Mobley has seen the ballpark financing package that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and City of Worcester have put together. Said proposal is far more generous to the Paw Sox ownership team than the deal that Rhode Island political leaders have cobbled together. As a result, Mobley has candidly told Larry Lucchino that there is no chance - ZERO - that the league will sign-off on allowing the franchise to accept the Rhode Island ballpark financing plan as currently constituted. Mobley believes - and both IL owners and officials at MiLB officials in St. Petersburg, Florida are in agreement with him on this - that the offer currently on the table in the Ocean State would set a precedent for minor league ballpark financing deals going forward... and it is a funding model that minor-pro baseball executives are loathe to see repeated.
Barring an 11th hour about-face on the part of political leadership that miraculously sweetens the deal in "Little Rhody", the Paw Sox are a thing of the past. It's all over but the press release.
If the PawSox move to Worcester, there will he a lot of local blame to pass around - PawSox ownership, Mattiello, RI legislators, Raimondo, Worcester/Massachussetts, Boston Red Sox (part owners of PawSox). The hurt feeling of disappointment will be directed at many.
One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the effect on the parent club, the Boston Red Sox. They are actually an owner of the PawSox and will be part of any decision. My thinking is that they will take heat and may some suffer long term fan damage by having no minor league presence in the 2nd largest metro/media market area of New England. Minor league teams in Lowell and Worcester do not move the needle much for the BoSox as both cities are also in the BoSox home state and firmly in the Boston media market. The residents of those cities are always going to be BoSox fans. Having a team in a separate media market which is also the 2nd largest in the region has been a benefit to the BoSox. No Red Sox presence and direct connection in RI will be a detriment. My feeling is RI will continue to always be a part of Red Sox nation but it will be a little less so going forward. It will be interesting to see if the NY Yankees make further new inroads into the state. Many older RI Italian-Americans latched onto them decades ago when many of their star players shared their heritage. Local radio even used to broadcast Yankees games. Would the NYY stand to increase their following in RI? Who knows what a future without the Red Sox top farm team in RI will bring. It however is sure to have pitfalls.
I wonder if there will be some public blow-back once Worcester and MA taxpayers realize how much of their money is going toward this.
I certainly don't know (or understand) all of the details, but I've been under the impression that the new ballpark would pay for itself - regardless of whether it was in Worcester or Pawtucket. But I have to assume RI wouldn't just let it slip away if that was accurate.
The Pawtucket Red Sox are gone. Count on it. As soon as the 2018 International League season draws to a close, the announcement will come down that the franchise is relocating to Worcester.
International League President Randy Mobley has seen the ballpark financing package that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and City of Worcester have put together. Said proposal is far more generous to the Paw Sox ownership team than the deal that Rhode Island political leaders have cobbled together. As a result, Mobley has candidly told Larry Lucchino that there is no chance - ZERO - that the league will sign-off on allowing the franchise to accept the Rhode Island ballpark financing plan as currently constituted. Mobley believes - and both IL owners and officials at MiLB officials in St. Petersburg, Florida are in agreement with him on this - that the offer currently on the table in the Ocean State would set a precedent for minor league ballpark financing deals going forward... and it is a funding model that minor-pro baseball executives are loathe to see repeated.
Barring an 11th hour about-face on the part of political leadership that miraculously sweetens the deal in "Little Rhody", the Paw Sox are a thing of the past. It's all over but the press release.
"Minor League Baseball filed this trademark application because other cities are under consideration," he wrote. "This filing is a legal safety measure and should not be construed as suggesting that any decision has been made."
I'm not sure if this is anything more than a perfunctory act of due diligence. A move to Worcester is on the table and they would look foolish if someone else registered the trademark first.
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