Leagues Outside Can-Am Vie For Worcester Team
It's unlikely that the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball will resurrect a team in time for the 2013 season as Commissioner Miles Wolff had hoped, and prospects for the future are dim as other baseball leagues vie for the lease of Hanover Field at the College of the Holy Cross.
"Basically, it doesn't look very good. It doesn't look like we'll be able to get a lease from Holy Cross," Wolff said Thursday morning.
Since the former Can-Am team, the Worcester Tornadoes, was stripped of its league affiliation due to unpaid debts over the summer, Wolff had hoped one of a handful of interested ownership groups would be able to create a new team.
The Can-Am League had set the end of this month as the deadline, but without a deal with Holy Cross, the effort is moot.
That doesn't mean a new baseball team isn't on the horizon for Worcester. Officials from Holy Cross and City Hall have met with representatives from at least two other leagues – the Futures League and the Atlantic League – to discuss the creation of a new team in the city.
Wolff said he thinks the city is more interested in seeing the New Jersey-based Atlantic League bring a team here for the 2014 season, which is influencing Holy Cross's decision to hold off on awarding a lease. He said the independent, professional league wants to create a rookie league to feed its existing teams.
City officials were not available to comment this morning.
Meanwhile, local businessman John Creedon Jr. is pursuing a Futures League team here for the 2013 season. The Chelmsford-based summer collegiate organization has taken over former Can-Am teams that have folded in the past, and Worcester is its latest pursuit.
Futures League Commissioner Chris Hall said collegiate baseball is less expensive to manage but provides great entertainment for fans.
"We treat it like minor league baseball. The only difference is we play 27 home games," Hall said.
Creedon, owner of the Worcester catering and tent rental company Creedon & Co., said he's leading an ownership group that is ready to move forward immediately, if Holy Cross would issue him a lease.
"Our opportunity could be signed, sealed and delivered next week," said Creedon, who plans to provide concession services through his business, should a team form.
Meanwhile, Holy Cross seems to be in no hurry, though the college may favor leasing to a professional team.
Spokeswoman Cristal Steuer said in an e-mail that college officials are working with city leaders to "ensure the success of professional baseball in Worcester."
"The College has discussed general details about the use of Hanover Field with representation from both the Can-Am League and the Futures League. These have been informational meetings. There have not been any negotiations," Steuer wrote.
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