Second Season Momentum

Their inaugural season achieved a level of success that the Tornadoes couldn’t have scripted, even if they tried. A last minute addition to the newly formed CanAm league, the Worcester team, its front office, stadium and sponsors came together in a hectic few months from late Jan. to May last year.

But the feisty Tornadoes’ whirlwind start carried over into the season. They drew an average of 2,600 fans each night to its games and rode that support to the league championship.

After season’s end in Aug., the team had another first — a genuine off-season to prepare, line up sponsorships and focus on the business of running the team.

Creating an identity

There was a lot to do at the end of last season, says Alan Stone, president and CEO of the team. One of the most important priorities: Building on the Tornadoes identity to the point where it becomes a regional household name.

"Day after day we’re reaching into undiscovered territory," Stone says. "We’re very new and fresh and still at the point where we’re educating people about getting to the ballpark."

Stone blames the quick start in 2005 for some of the lack of name recognition. But the success of the team on the field last year, plus a front office that has doubled in size over the Fall and Winter, will fix that, he says. The championship trophy also makes it easier to draw fans and sponsors alike, says Stone, and for ball clubs, those elements form the twin pillars of success. Sponsorships can increase attendance, and higher attendance yields more sponsorships.

With more time to focus on sponsorships and ticket sales, the season opens with several sell-outs. Management believes that five-game ticket packs and more than 20 sponsorship nights with free giveaways should draw even more into The Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field, located on the Holy Cross campus. Together with group sales efforts, these new ticket plans have already eaten up more of the supply of tickets than last year, notes General Manger Todd Marlin. That means tickets are harder to get, driving up demand for games, he says.

Tornadoes tickets range from $6 for general admission to $18 for executive seats, higher than the scale for other minor league teams. Tickets for the Lowell Spinners, a Class A affiliate of the Red Sox, range from $ 4.50 to $7.50. The Triple A Pawtucket Red Sox charge $6 to $9. Tickers for Marlin’s former team, the Nashua Pride, cost from $7 to $10.

Down the line, Marlin envisions turning the ballpark into a destination restaurant for families. The team is also working on promoting concert nights for national acts, Marlin says, since there is no outdoor stadium like the park in the area.

Although he would not disclose Tornadoes’ revenues, profit margins, or investor commitments, Stone told reporters last year that the team was profitable. And while profits are the name of the game, the owners have loftier ambitions, Stone says. He wants to give something back to the community: Pride in its winning team, role models for kids and a place where families can go for entertainment.

Fnding more backers

As for sponsorship, Marlin and Stone say they would like to see more companies follow in the footsteps of The Hanover Insurance Group in Worcester, the Tornadoes’ largest single sponsor.

Sponsorship of the team, says CEO Frederick H. Eppinger, provides the company with a vehicle to spearhead its charitable efforts in the community. Hanover bought the naming rights and handled the expenses of upgrading Fitton Field at Holy Cross.

In return, the Tornadoes gives Hanover some perks, such as the 12 season tickets that managers can use to reward employees. On two nights last season, Hanover sponsored outings for its employees and their families at the ballpark. The company has planned more such nights for this season. In addition, Hanover donated hundreds of tickets to non-profit and child outreach organizations last year, a practice it plans to repeat for the 2006 season.

"A world class company needs a world class hometown," Eppinger says. The Tornadoes took off like a rocket ship. The people who really thought about this were right; it does help the image of the city."

To attract other companies for employee gatherings, the team maintains a tent on the left field sideline. It also is stepping up its marketing efforts with local businesses.

Expanding media presence

A big part of growing the Tornadoes name recognition rests in the media deals it has struck over the Winter.

The team negotiated a five-station radio deal that cuts a wide swath across Central Mass. Included in this arrangment: an AM and FM radio presence

in Worcester and an AM presence

in Framingham, Gardner and Southbridge. The move ensures potential listeners from Springfield to Boston, says Marlin. The Tornadoes insist that they’ll have no trouble selling the radio spots.

Even more notable, the team has signed an 18-game television broadcast contract with Charter. That makes it one of the few minor league organizations to have a television presence. That outreach, says Marlin, will go a long way to making the team a household name.

The radio and TV spots give the organization a chance to expand on their existing sponsorship packages, which include such options as full-page ads in programs ($2,750), onfield promotion activities ($3,000), and outfield billboards ($10,000) — just to give a few examples.

Stone says the media deals "validate our existence." He adds: "To have these sophisticated media relationships so early is a tribute to the sophistication of the market here. There are one or two teams that have radio in the CanAm League, but we are lapping the field when it comes to television."

Competition for bush league dollars

As far as competition is concerned, the Tornadoes aren’t concerned with other minor league teams like the Lowell Spinners or Pawtucket Red Sox. But other entertainment providers, such as concerts and movie theatres, pose more of a threat. Says Stone: "We have that competitive fire in the belly, but it’s not against one competitor."

Putting together a winning team is the best way to compete, he says, and the Tornadoes have gone a long way to insuring that success by retaining their field manager, Rich Gedman. The former Red Sox catcher was voted the CanAm League’s manager of the year last season, and is very popular with fans.

As for the overall quality of play, Dan Moushon, president of the CanAm league, claims that it’s better than in many leagues where teams are affiliated with major league clubs. As he explains it, affiliated clubs tend to emphasize rehabilitation and training for big league players. For example, he says, if Red Sox ace Curt Schilling goes to Pawtucket for a rehab stint, the focus of the team will be on Schilling rebuilding his pitching skills rather than on the team winning the game. Although seeing Schilling would be a potential draw for some fans, Moushon says, the level of competition drops. In an independent league, there are no rehab or practice stints. As a result, the goal is to win games, which Moushon says resonates with the fans. "Here, everyone plays to win," he says.

This season could well determine the Tornadoes’ fate down the line, observes Miles Wolff, the CanAm league commissioner and author of a book on the recent history of independent league baseball.

"They’re still introducing people to the team, but there’s a lot of work to be done," Wolff says. "The first year is always the honeymoon year where people will be coming out to the games, but you need to keep their attention."

But the strong momentum that the Tornadoes established in 2005, management believes, should position them well in 2006 as they look to build Worcester into a franchise city.

Kenneth J. St. Onge can be reached at kstonge@wbjournal.com

SIDEBAR: A launchpad for sports careers

For those who play or work for the team, The
Tornadoes organization offers an opportunity
to live their dream of making money from
baseball. For these Tornadoes, it’s one of the most
endearing aspects of the team.
Path to the “bigs.” First baseman and designated
hitter Chris Colabello grew up splitting his childhood
between Milford and Rimini, Italy, where his
father Lou pitched for the Italian national team.
There, the younger Colabello honed his skills playing
in championship little league games across Europe
alongside future Italian baseball stars.
Back in America, Colabello transitioned a solid
high school baseball career at Milford High to an All-
American caliber bid at Assumption College in his
senior year, when he expected to be drafted by a
major league squad.
It didn’t happen. But within a month he was playing
for the Tornadoes. The 22-year-old finished the
season hitting .320 with eight homers and 31 RBIs.
That success led to off-season workouts with the
Italian team at the World Baseball Classic. He also
was signed, but later released, by the Detroit Tigers.
“When I wasn’t drafted I thought it was the end of
the world and I didn’t know what to expect, but it
turned out to be a blessing in disguise,” he says. The
Tornadoes offer a chance to fine tune his skills and
showcase his talents while he hopes for a call from
another major league team.
Up-and-coming staffer. Media Relations Director
Krista Boyd was also born with a love of the game.
The Dallas native’s grandfather owned a minor
league team in West Texas, and summer vacations
often revolved around visiting ballparks. At eight,
says Boyd, 23, she decided that her goal was to be
paid to watch baseball.
As this season opens, her first with the team, Boyd
will run the press box, send out press releases, work
with reporters covering the team and help coordinate
radio and television coverage.
The recent Drake University graduate jump-started
her career by interning at Roger Dean Stadium in
FL. There she put together programs for the St. Louis
Cardinals and Florida Marlins spring training seasons,
and later for their minor league affiliated teams
in Palm Beach and Jupiter.
“This is a hard industry to break into. It’s not
something where you can walk up, and they hire
you,” she says. In Boyd’s case, it took months of
unpaid internships before landing her first minor
league job. Her advice to young graduates: Make
yourself available as an intern or unpaid volunteer
and use that chance to prove your worth to an organization.
Seconed career. Assistant General Manager Jorg
Bassiacos, 42, saw the Tornadoes as a second chance
to pursue a baseball career that he put off while working
in the insurance business.
A former tri-captain of the North Adams State
College baseball squad, the Brookline native spent 15
years in sales and marketing. He became jaded with
the industry after a lawsuit against his former
employer, Marsh McLellan Inc.
Bassiacos had maintained his interest in baseball
playing in park leagues in Boston and attending
umpire school. But he didn’t know how to make the
jump into baseball until an announcement on television
that the Tornadoes had formed.
“I had always talked about it, but it wasn’t until
then that thought I could give it a shot,” he says.
He parlayed his skills as a salesman into an assistant
GM job.
“It’s all about sales,” says Bassiacos. “ We all sell –
outfield billboards, sideline billboards, space in the
souvenir programs. That’s what a lot of the pre-season
is about.”
During the season, he focuses on managing the
field, from security to ticket taking to grounds maintenance.
Although he works long hours and makes
much less than he used to, any insomnia he has stems
from excitement rather than frustration. “If there’s any
regret, it’s not having done this 20 years ago,” he says.
- K.J.S.