Futures League Bringing Baseball Back To Worcester
PHOTO/MICHAEL NOVINSON
Worcester City Manager Michael O'Brien buttons a jersey for the new Futures Collegiate Baseball League franchise this morning in a ceremony at the College of the Holy Cross. With him, from left, are team owner John Creedon Jr., Holy Cross President Rev. Philip Boroughs and Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce President Tim Murray.
A new Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) team will call Worcester home, making it the 10th franchise for the league in New England.
The team, which has yet to be named, will fill the baseball void created when the Worcester Tornadoes of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball folded due to financial troubles in 2012. The FCBL team will begin play starting in June 2014, and host 27 games each year at Fitton Field, on the campus of The College of the Holy Cross.
“We are humbled to be the stewards of the national pastime in our beloved city,” said new owner John Creedon Jr., who owns a Worcester catering and tent rental company.
Creedon signed a memorandum of understanding with Holy Cross on Monday, but declined to discuss financial details of the deal.
Holy Cross officials announced the partnership along with city officials, business leaders and league officials at Fitton Field Monday morning.
“Sports, and baseball in particular, can bring a community together in ways few other activities can,” said Holy Cross President Rev. Philip Boroughs.
Officials promised that games would be affordable and entertaining for fans. Tickets are expected to cost $6 to $10 for adults and $4 to $6 for children, Creedon said.
Similar to those of a minor league club, games for Worcester’s new team will be packed with promotions and between-innings activities.
“Even if you don’t remember the score of the game when you leave, you will at least remember having a good time,” Creedon said.
Creedon was among a handful of local business owners who had pursued a baseball franchise in Worcester after the Tornadoes folded. The Can-Am league, to which the Tornadoes belonged, was unable to find a viable owner to take over the Worcester team after it ran into financial difficulty.
The New England-based futures league allows student athletes to compete in a nine-week, 54-game summer schedule. The league requires that 13 of the 26 players on each squad live or attend school in New England, said commissioner Christopher Hall. Other Massachusetts teams are based in Brockton, Martha's Vineyard, Lynn, Pittsfield and Leominster.
Hall pledged that Futures players would demonstrate more hustle than Cam-Am players since Futures players are hungry for a deal with a major league baseball franchise. Twelve futures players were drafted or signed last summer by an MLB club, Hall said.
Creedon said Monday he will launch a naming contest for the new team. People are asked to submit their ideas to www.worcesterbaseball.com by Oct. 25. Voting will take place between Oct. 28 and Nov. 8 and the winning name will be announced, along with the team logo and mascot, on Dec. 2.
The person with the winning submission will get to throw the first pitch at the franchise’s inaugural game, Creedon said, and be rewarded with season tickets for life.
Read more
No Pro-Baseball Team Takers Yet
Leagues Outside Can-Am Vie For Worcester Team
Central Mass. Should Embrace New Worcester Baseball Team
Q&A With John W.S. Creedon Jr. Of Creedon & Co.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments