PawSox owners remain focused on downtown stadium

BOSTON RED SOX President Larry Lucchino - who is part of the ownership group for the Pawtucket Red Sox - will spearhead negotiations to move the team to downtown Providence after the death this week of James J. Skeffington. Skeffington was president of the PawSox. / COURTESY PBC ASSOCIATES
BOSTON RED SOX President Larry Lucchino - who is part of the ownership group for the Pawtucket Red Sox - will spearhead negotiations to move the team to downtown Providence after the death this week of James J. Skeffington. Skeffington was president of the PawSox. / COURTESY PBC ASSOCIATES

PROVIDENCE – The owners of the Pawtucket Red Sox remain focused on moving the team to downtown Providence, according to a team spokeswoman, and hope to finalize a deal by June.
Larry Lucchino, president and CEO of the Boston Red Sox, and a principal owner of the PawSox team, will spearhead those negotiations following the death of attorney James J. Skeffington, a principal team owner.
“He and Jim shared that responsibility, and Larry remains firmly focused on finding an agreeable way to keep the PawSox in Rhode Island,” said Patti Doyle, a team spokeswoman, in an email.
“There is no delay in those deliberations, although we are pausing this week to grieve, honor and remember Jim. We continue to focus on the site within the I-195 district as we believe strongly in the transformative qualities of a well-placed urban ballpark.”
Neither Lucchino nor Gov. Gina M. Raimondo could be reached Wednesday for comment.
Skeffington, the president of the PawSox, died on Sunday while jogging near his Barrington home. Funeral services have been scheduled for Saturday, with a wake scheduled for Friday.

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  1. Mary, All options should be on the table. If Lucchino wants to go to Worcester, that’s OK. Pawtucket will be able to attract another Triple-A team to come to Pawtucket. Five International League teams have poor attendance. Foxboro is not OK because it is too close to Pawtucket. Lucchino should be up front about his intentions.

    The new owners of the PawSox are shortsighted. They should stay in Pawtucket. With the coming of the new Blackstone River Valley National Park, a lot of federal funding will be coming to the Blackstone Valley area. McCoy Stadium could become part of the new National Park. Pageants, band concerts and historical dramas could be perfomed there. Visitors to the new National Park would love to go to McCoy Stadium to see future major league baseball players in action. A lot of federl matching funds would become available to make massive improvements in McCoy Stadium. For every million dollar invested by the owners, there would be 10 million dollars available in federal matching funds. A lot of federal matching funds would also be available to improve the infrastructure around McCoy Stadium. There is a future in Pawtucket. The state of Rhode Island would save money and the new owners of the PawSox would save money. There is no guarantee that the new stadium in Providence will be successful. If the hurricane barrier fails, the new stadium could be severely damaged. International League records show that in the last ten years, during a recession, the PawSox averaged over 8,400 fans per game. With an influx of tourist, the PawSox could easily average 10,000 fans per game. Many more good paying jobs will be created by keeping the PawSox in Pawtucket.