The AAA Sox Stadium Thread: Where Ever They May Roam

yeahlunchbox

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I get the Worcester hate from the Pawtucket fans, but my understanding is the stadium is the most expensive minor league field in the country and is on schedule.

I saw the roster yesterday and am looking forward to seeing Durran play while sipping some excellent beer from
Greater Good.
Good luck with that, prospects have been skipping Pawtucket for years now. Of course that was never mentioned when the owners complained about reduced attendance and blamed it on McCoy instead of the product they were offering.
 

8slim

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Pablo's TB Lover

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I think the flimsy-ness of the rooftop is what throws everything off. in the early renderings it started out with a robust roof and open-looking concourse area beneath. The roof promotes that Camden Yards type warehouse façade, but the tiny roofs installed makes it feel like a spring training ballpark in Florida instead.

39912
 

TonyPenaNeverJuiced

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Expect a deemphasis on exit-velocity to protect the LF jumbotron. Probably fewer home-grown hitters taking advantage of the Monster once they reach the majors.
 

Pablo's TB Lover

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I get the Worcester hate from the Pawtucket fans, but my understanding is the stadium is the most expensive minor league field in the country and is on schedule.

I saw the roster yesterday and am looking forward to seeing Durran play while sipping some excellent beer from
Greater Good.
Probably the one thing that could get me inside TBH.
 

voidfunkt

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The design obviously got value engineered heavily from the initial proposals which made it look like a mini-Camden. I'm not a huge fan of the weird corrugated metal facade they ultimately went with. But it is often very difficult to judge the quality of these things from photographs.. I'm going to reserve judgement until I sit in the seats and experience a game or two.

Also a bunch of salty Rhode Islanders / Pawtucket folks on here.
 

Comfortably Lomb

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I just walked by the new park. You can a pretty good look at the field from the road above right-center field. They had the Sox-Baltimore game playing on the videoboard. While the park doesn't look like the early renderings (most things don't) it does look like a nice place to watch a baseball game. The corrugated steel panel siding of the upper deck boxes and exterior certainly gives it a bit of a warehouse vibe but the Telegram photos overemphasize that.

I'm not sure however many tens of millions invested by Worcester in the project was the best use of that money but the park is transformative for the area. Though, I just saw a guy stumbling down Madison Street throwing back a nip of something so there's a long way to go still.
 

FisksFinger

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Relative to the rest of Worcester, this looks like a gem of a ball park.

And for the record, I was born and raised there and still have family in the city.
 

8slim

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I'm not a Dope (I am, of course, a dope) so I shouldn't thread police. To add more substance, maybe the pictures we're reacting to aren't a fair depiction of the park. There are a lot of beautiful minor league parks though, so at first glance it's disappointing to see what has been built in Worcester.
 

Brohamer of the Gods

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As someone who was a Paw Sox fan I will be fair and say that the lack of signs on the walls tell me it isn't finished yet, so perhaps the final look will be a bit snazzier. That and a bunch of pics of a dark blue building taken on a rainy day in Worcester doesn't help anyone.

Oh, screw Larry and the Dentist.
 

Haunted

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I live about a 5 minute drive from the park so I’m delighted by the location.

Also, I can’t imagine is “properly” finished yet - a large amount of the construction time last year we were closed down, and they were already on an aggressive schedule.
 

PseuFighter

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I saw some photos of what it looks like compared to the renderings and it looks way off. It looks like they swapped out the vintage brick for steel and the front of the building is blue, like a rundown warehouse. I hope I'm wrong, but it feels like they went pretty cheap on it and wound up with a generic minor league park versus some mini Camden Yards. Unlike what you normally see from HOK/Populous. I hope this wasn't a Lucchino/Dentist fleecing.
 

nvalvo

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I saw some photos of what it looks like compared to the renderings and it looks way off. It looks like they swapped out the vintage brick for steel and the front of the building is blue, like a rundown warehouse. I hope I'm wrong, but it feels like they went pretty cheap on it and wound up with a generic minor league park versus some mini Camden Yards. Unlike what you normally see from HOK/Populous. I hope this wasn't a Lucchino/Dentist fleecing.
I don’t know that I’d worry too much about the facade. I’m impressed that fit 9500 real seats into a small site, and those party deck areas look pretty fun. No bleachers!

I read that they had to do a lot of site prep/grading that added to the cost, and they did everything/most of it with union workers, which is the right thing to do, but it adds up.

It’s a few blocks from the train station, and walkable from Clark and WPI. So the site seems highly desirable from an urbanism standpoint. From the city’s standpoint, the whole point of this project is to generate downtown foot traffic.

Hopefully there are opportunities to do some scheduling with MBTA to get folks in and out from Grafton and Framingham and even Newton via rail. Because a special Worcester Baseball Train sounds pretty fun.

If all of that means they replace the fake brick cladding with cheaper blue cladding made out of some sort of plastic on the facade, that seems like
the right place to compromise IMO. That’s trading style for substance.
 

Brohamer of the Gods

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I don’t know that I’d worry too much about the facade. I’m impressed that fit 9500 real seats into a small site, and those party deck areas look pretty fun. No bleachers!

I read that they had to do a lot of site prep/grading that added to the cost, and they did everything/most of it with union workers, which is the right thing to do, but it adds up.

It’s a few blocks from the train station, and walkable from Clark and WPI. So the site seems highly desirable from an urbanism standpoint. From the city’s standpoint, the whole point of this project is to generate downtown foot traffic.

Hopefully there are opportunities to do some scheduling with MBTA to get folks in and out from Grafton and Framingham and even Newton via rail. Because a special Worcester Baseball Train sounds pretty fun.

If all of that means they replace the fake brick cladding with cheaper blue cladding made out of some sort of plastic on the facade, that seems like
the right place to compromise IMO. That’s trading style for substance.
Does anyone know how many students are at Clark or WPI for summer sessions? Because for a usual season the Woo Sox will only be playing about six weeks of the main academic year, and most of that will be in April.
 

terrynever

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Does anyone know how many students are at Clark or WPI for summer sessions? Because for a usual season the Woo Sox will only be playing about six weeks of the main academic year, and most of that will be in April.
We were always running into those college hooligans from Brown and RISD at McCoy!
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Isn't proximity to the universities more about the businesses surrounding the park than the park/team itself? If the city's hope for the park is to revitalize the area around it, then having the students nearby to frequent the bars, restaurants, and shops year-round (or at least during the baseball off-season) is important to the viability of the area. If they go to games, great, but I don't think they're a key demographic for team ownership to be successful.
 

Pablo's TB Lover

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Knock off this garbage. People can have an opinion on the aesthetics of a new ballpark. I suspect most of those commenting are not Rhode Islanders (raises hand).
I am a Rhode Islander, but admittedly part of the problem since my attendance at McCoy fell off as years went on. I do put the RI politicians at fault for the move more so than ownership and would love for the Worcester site to be a success. The aesthetics I've seen for the new ballpark make me wonder why they left McCoy, but I'll try to hold judgment here on out until the signage and facades are completed. Also the renderings relied upon development of the surrounding land, and we'll see how those properties get populated. (This was the primary problem with McCoy.)
 

sittingstill

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I took an inside tour of the park today and it like great , my only feedback is they have a ton of work to get finished in less than one months time to open the place
I agree on both counts. I was there last weekend to shoot the sim game and had planned to shoot around the park a bit (even though it is definitely not my strong suit) but I didn't feel I would be doing any justice to what it will look like when done. I really like the way the bullpens are integrated and the different types of seating, and look forward to being able to walk all the way around the park, but there's a lot of work to do. (They are definitely working on weekends to get everything done!)
 

SidelineCameras

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Salty Rhode Islander here who works in Worcester. I wish them well enough although I will never, ever, not ever set foot in that park. The location makes sense with regard to downtown, and they actually improved Kelly Square, but that would be a miserable walk from WPI and even worse back to WPI. Uber would be easy enough but I wouldn’t walk that at all.
 

terrynever

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Salty Rhode Islander here who works in Worcester. I wish them well enough although I will never, ever, not ever set foot in that park. The location makes sense with regard to downtown, and they actually improved Kelly Square, but that would be a miserable walk from WPI and even worse back to WPI. Uber would be easy enough but I wouldn’t walk that at all.
Saltier than Salty Brine.
 

cherno

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So is that Camden Yards-esque warehouse beyond left field just not happening, or is it a part of future development plans?
When MassLive was giving a virtual tour of the park in the spring, I asked this question (which was then posed to the tour guide). Because of market conditions caused by the pandemic, the building will be built after they have a confirmed tenant for its use. The estimate is 2-3 years before the left field building is complete.

They are, however, presently building the parking garage (which occupy the bottom two floors of this structure). Additional surrounding buildings (such as the apartment complex & the hotel) have been delayed at least 2 years as well.
 

Over Guapo Grande

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I love the fact that I'll be able to walk to a game. Maybe catch a few innings with the mini OGG and then walk her back to her mom's house. Maybe go on my own. It is much more convenient to me than going to Pawtucket, and trying to remember which church I have to make the turn at.
 

Brohamer of the Gods

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I love the fact that I'll be able to walk to a game. Maybe catch a few innings with the mini OGG and then walk her back to her mom's house. Maybe go on my own. It is much more convenient to me than going to Pawtucket, and trying to remember which church I have to make the turn at.
I presume that most of the things that were working in Pawtucket will migrate north. If so, definitely look into their Kid's program. My youngest has at different times announced batters over the PA, take out the first pitch ball, and we got to see batting practice all by his signing up for free and going to X number of games. What made it more rediculous was he had a pass from school for free admittance to every game for him and a parent. Perfect for you and the mini, because if she is done after three innings, no problem it was free anyway.
 

The_Powa_of_Seiji_Ozawa

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I presume that most of the things that were working in Pawtucket will migrate north. If so, definitely look into their Kid's program. My youngest has at different times announced batters over the PA, take out the first pitch ball, and we got to see batting practice all by his signing up for free and going to X number of games. What made it more rediculous was he had a pass from school for free admittance to every game for him and a parent. Perfect for you and the mini, because if she is done after three innings, no problem it was free anyway.
That sounds pretty great. I doubt we will ever see that level of free admittance given in Worcester.
 

Brohamer of the Gods

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That sounds pretty great. I doubt we will ever see that level of free admittance given in Worcester.
Probably not. It was a deal through the Finestein Foundation. I think originally it was good for only a few games a year, but in more recent years when attendance plummeted they were letting anyone in who might buy a hot dog.

In the old days we got a free ticket or two on the last day of school direct from the Paw Sox for certain games. I remember Ben Mondor out there one night passing them out to every kid he saw walking by.

At least in Pawtucket, if you joined the kids club you also got moved to the front of the line to run the bases after Sunday games. Which was totally worth it because the line ran down by the dumpsters.
 

terrynever

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Probably not. It was a deal through the Finestein Foundation. I think originally it was good for only a few games a year, but in more recent years when attendance plummeted they were letting anyone in who might buy a hot dog.

In the old days we got a free ticket or two on the last day of school direct from the Paw Sox for certain games. I remember Ben Mondor out there one night passing them out to every kid he saw walking by.

At least in Pawtucket, if you joined the kids club you also got moved to the front of the line to run the bases after Sunday games. Which was totally worth it because the line ran down by the dumpsters.
Bro, do you think WooSox ownership will ever match the direct connection Ben Mondor and Mike Tamburro had with PawSox fans? Will Dr. Charles and Larry Lucchino stand at the gates before and after games? The PawSox grew their audience in a very personal way. The new owners never saw Ben and Mike do the heavy lifting in the 1980s. Hell, Ben and Mike did daily labor after Ben bought McCoy in 1977.
I probably miss Ben more than I miss the PawSox.
 

Brohamer of the Gods

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Bro, do you think WooSox ownership will ever match the direct connection Ben Mondor and Mike Tamburro had with PawSox fans? Will Dr. Charles and Larry Lucchino stand at the gates before and after games? The PawSox grew their audience in a very personal way. The new owners never saw Ben and Mike do the heavy lifting in the 1980s. Hell, Ben and Mike did daily labor after Ben bought McCoy in 1977.
I probably miss Ben more than I miss the PawSox.
Oh hell no. I've told the story here before, but when I was in 4th grade, Ben was booked at the Lincoln Library to do a pre season talk. The wrong date was publicized, so only I and one other kid who's mom worked at the library showed up.

Instead of storming off, Ben made a phone call and then took us over to McCoy, gave us a tour, t-shirts, tickets, team signed ball and other swag. Oh, the phone call. When we got to McCoy Bruce Hurst just happened to be there and he took a picture with us.

To be fair, at one fan fest The Dentist let my son strum his Green Monster guitar.
 

voidfunkt

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Anecdotal but I know some of my friends in Boston are excited about this stadium as well. The ability to get 10-15 dollar tickets and take the CR in is a big draw plus the relative cheapness of drinking afterwards in that part if town.

Without knowing the project requirements and selection process this article doesn’t really say much. It’s possible none of those businesses were qualified for work on the project for a variety of reasons.
 

edoug

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Oh hell no. I've told the story here before, but when I was in 4th grade, Ben was booked at the Lincoln Library to do a pre season talk. The wrong date was publicized, so only I and one other kid who's mom worked at the library showed up.

Instead of storming off, Ben made a phone call and then took us over to McCoy, gave us a tour, t-shirts, tickets, team signed ball and other swag. Oh, the phone call. When we got to McCoy Bruce Hurst just happened to be there and he took a picture with us.

To be fair, at one fan fest The Dentist let my son strum his Green Monster guitar.
You named your first born Ben right? Whether it was a boy or girl.
 

Ale Xander

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Anecdotal but I know some of my friends in Boston are excited about this stadium as well. The ability to get 10-15 dollar tickets and take the CR in is a big draw plus the relative cheapness of drinking afterwards in that part if town.



Without knowing the project requirements and selection process this article doesn’t really say much. It’s possible none of those businesses were qualified for work on the project for a variety of reasons.
They admitted they screwed up (overreported)

https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-red-sox/2021/04/09/polar-park-red-sox-construction-minority-contracts
 

RIFan

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I played little league in Pawtucket and Ben used to invite teams to come to McCoy and work out with the team. I played for Pineview, but I assume he was also involved with Darlington. He’s give us run of the stadium for hours at a time. One of my favorite memories was having a bullpen session with John Tudor. It was a far cry from the little league days with 100+ kids they had in later days.
 

steveluck7

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I played little league in Pawtucket and Ben used to invite teams to come to McCoy and work out with the team. I played for Pineview, but I assume he was also involved with Darlington. He’s give us run of the stadium for hours at a time. One of my favorite memories was having a bullpen session with John Tudor. It was a far cry from the little league days with 100+ kids they had in later days.
Fellow Pineview alum here!
 

Lose Remerswaal

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This is bullshit

“For various reasons, we have had some attempts at goals by our [subcontractors] that did not work out for various reasons,” Neil Benner, a project executive with Gilbane, said. “And that’s the reason why the percentage is lower now than it was at the time, at the time of award.”

Prior to Gilbane/Hunt’s admission, members of the Worcester Redevelopment Authority had praised the construction manager’s hiring practices despite the need to “continue to do better” at improving diversity in its workforce.
And nothing said by the WooSox or the BoSox as to how they are going to fix this. Looking forward to the Boston Herald expose on this as we know the Globe won't go into it any deeper than this "oops, we did it" piece
 

JimD

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And nothing said by the WooSox or the BoSox as to how they are going to fix this. Looking forward to the Boston Herald expose on this as we know the Globe won't go into it any deeper than this "oops, we did it" piece
Why would Henry feel the need to protect Lucky and the Dentist? On the contrary, I could see them deciding that this is a great opportunity to let the Globe show its independence (since it doesn't directly affect the Boston Red Sox).