Worcester's pitch for the PawSox
Before his sudden death last week at age 73, James Skeffington, true to his Rhode Island roots, was committed to keeping his Pawtucket Red Sox in the Ocean State, though he and the rest of the team's new ownership had already announced plans to leave Pawtucket's McCoy Stadium and push for a more modern, $85-million ballpark in Providence.
With significant public money subsidizing the plan, state officials, especially Gov. Gina Raimondo, have balked. When Skeffington talked with the Worcester Business Journal in March about Worcester officials' efforts to bring the PawSox here, he expressed an interest in those efforts, even though his heart remained in Rhode Island.
Skeffington's death may slow down the team's plans to leave Pawtucket in two or three years, possibly even leading the other owners — and whoever assumes Skeffington's share and leadership role — to look outside the state as a possible destination.
The initial resistance in Rhode Island to a new stadium should embolden Worcester's efforts to pursue the team. It may be a long shot, but the possibility of the Red Sox's top minor-league affiliate landing in Central Massachusetts feels too good to take a pass. New Bedford and some other cities may arise as competition, but as New England's second-largest city, shouldn't Worcester deliver a pitch?
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