What’s Next for the PawSox?

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Kate Nagle, GoLocal Contributor

Jim Skeffington, 1942-2015

The passing of Pawtucket Red Sox President James Skeffington raises new questions about the future of a Providence stadium, as the ownership group was in the midst of negotiating a new deal with Governor Raimondo and state leaders -- and embarking on a community tour to hear from residents of the city, spearheaded by Skeffington.

"In my experience as a member of corporate boards, there have been times when a key player involved in a deal changed such as a loss of a CEO. The change slowed down the process but did not derail the deal. In this case, there is no deal," said URI Distinguished Professor of Business Edward Mazze. "There is a proposal which has been rejected. Deal discussions will still continue. There is too much money involved in the purchase of the PawSox to allow too much time to pass."

Speaker of the House Nicholas Mattiello was one of the many elected officials who expressed his sympathies on the passing of the 73 year old lawyer on Monday -- and indicated his optimism that a Providence stadium deal will in fact happen.

“I am deeply saddened by the stunning news of the passing of Jim Skeffington. He was a true legend in the Rhode Island legal and business communities, having a hand in nearly every major project in our state for decades. Jim was a gentleman in every sense of the word and a real champion for all that is good about Rhode Island," said Mattiello. "It is tragic that he did not live long enough to see his vision for the Pawtucket Red Sox come to fruition, but he left a legacy that will live on for generations to come. He loved Rhode Island, and I will miss my friend."

Plan in Transition

One of Skeffington's last public appearances had been a community discussion at the Mt. Hope Community Center last Thursday; a forum at Hope High School had been scheduled for Monday, which still took place.

"Putting together a stadium deal -- especially given how poorly the first one went over -- was going to require someone with energy, charisma, and drive to get it done," said Holy Cross Economics Professor Victor Matheson, who recently gave a talk on stadium financing in Pawtucket. "The real thing to look for is if there is an obvious voice and face who steps forward and is willing to do the heavy lifting, a person who has that gravitas, and clout to negotiate the sort of deal the ownership group will need to have to make the stadium deal."

What are the prospects facing the PawSox now? See what experts have to say.

"The financing probably doesn't work privately -- I've been saying it doesn't work with public financing -- so they need a strong leader now for any deal they may broker," said Matheson.

Mazze similarly saw an opportunity for a new face on the effort to emerge.

"There is now an opportunity for a new spokesperson/leader to evolve and present a new proposal. It would be unusual for this group of owners not to have a succession plan in place as a result of their own experiences in business as well as for estate planning purposes," said Mazze. "Sharp businesspeople recognize that there investment is at risk so decisions must continue to be made even when you lose a great leader like Jim Skeffington."

Politics of the Deal

Political experts in the state offered their perspectives on the chance for a new deal to take place -- and what the ramifications for elected officials might be.

"Given Rhode Island’s political climate, it’s going to be difficult to justify any significant financial package. With the numerous poor choices made in the last few years, the General Assembly will be hard pressed to vote for any proposal that doesn’t show immediate return to the economy and state’s finances," said Rhode Island College Professor of Communications Kay Israel. "Of all the concerns facing the legislature this session, it’s the one issue that will be most closely scrutinized and remembered by the voters in the next election. That means the individual legislator won’t have the benefit of cover by the Governor, the leadership, or eleventh hour sleight of hand votes. Instead any legislator will have to justify both the need and the benefit of any subsidies enacted."

"Still there is always the possibility of the emergence of a competitive offer from out of state adding more impetus for coming to an agreement," continued Israel. "Similarly, the offer by another farm system team to use McCoy Stadium could halt the negotiations and appease R.I. baseball fans."

Last Thursday, Skeffington had indicated that Raimondo had asked the owners to not disclose the terms being discussed on a new proposal.

Strong opposition had emerged for the first deal proposed. Where will things stand moving forward?

"The most logical way to move forward is to operate in an atmosphere of transparency and disclosure. While behind-closed-doors negotiating is part of the process, political leaders simply have to go the extra mile to make sure their constituents understand what is at stake and the repercussions," said Rhode Island College Professor of Communications Val Endress. "The sort of shot-in-the-dark decision making that often characterizes economic projects in the state, and the zero-hour decision making that often characterizes major decisions in the RI General Assembly will only serve to create more public distrust."

The consequences of a stadium vote at the General Assembly -- if one is to take place this year -- was broached by Roger Williams University Professor of Politics June Speakman.

"In terms of the electoral consequences, 2016 is right around the corner, and neither the promised benefits or anticipated costs of the relocation will be clear by then. Even 2018 is probably too early to see the real economic, job-creation and tax implications of a new stadium for Providence and the state," said Speakman. "If the stadium is built and does not bring the promised benefits, opponents will not forget, nor will they hesitate to draw the connection between this project and 38 Studios."

Opposition Remains Vigilant

One of the most vocal segments of the initial opposition group, spearheaded by Coalition Radio host Pat Ford, weighed in on Monday.

"The membership of "Citizens Enraged & Engaged, Say No! To The Providence Baseball Stadium" wish to express their condolences to the family and friends of Mr. James Skeffington. Many of our members have shared personal recollections of the positive impact Mr. Skeffington had on both family and community members during his storied career as an attorney," said Ford, who had spearheaded call-in campaigns and protests against the first deal proposed. "We ask that the community move past recent controversies, and maintain an attitude of respect and dignity in the coming days. As an organization, we will be quietly vigilant as new details emerge about the future of the Pawtucket Red Sox."

Dave Fisher, who co-hosts the Coalition along with Ford, say he hoped the circumstances would allow elected officials -- and the public -- to "take a step back."

"A lot's at play. There's going to be some legal wrangling of Skeffington's slice of the pie. Will it be bequeathed to his heirs, will he be bought out? There's a slew of questions that need to be answered," said Fisher.

"You're probable looking at a close to a month before anything gets settled legally. It's good for people to step back, and fully vet it, and all of it," offered Fisher. "We need to realize there's so many hoops for this to jump through, in spite of -- or in conjunction -- with the financial aspect."

Related Slideshow: 10 Things That Need to Happen to Get PawSox to Worcester

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Arrange Meeting with PawSox Owners

City officials need to sit down with the new PawSox ownership group. CEO Michael Tamburro grew up in Worcester and is a graduate of North High.

The new ownership group is led by Boston Red Sox President Larry Lucchino, who will serve as Chairman, and James J. Skeffington, who will be President

"We are very excited about our purchase of the Pawtucket Red Sox and the opportunity to partner with the Boston Red Sox to provide first class baseball and family entertainment to our loyal fan base in New England," said Skeffington, who will oversee the operation on a daily basis.

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Providence Deal Needs to Fall Through

There's always the chance that Providence could balk at the amount of public funding that the new ownership group is looking for. Early indications show that the number could be upwards of $70 million.

"The doors are always open," said Tim Murray, President and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce. "If the deal were to fall apart, I think people here would be willing to listen, but everyone recognizes this requires signifcant municipal assistance. Massachusetts, traditionally, has been reluctant to use tax dollars to those kind of things, and I think in most cases, appropriately so."

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Sell Public on WHY It Will Work

With the loss of the AHL Worcester Sharks looming after this season, Worcester will be without a professional sports team. Worcester residents will look to its city officials to do something to get a pro team back to the city.

"As usual, the city leaders have done nothing to attract the PawSox. It's been known for several months that the PawSox were going to be sold. Much like with the Sharks, the city has been reactive instead of proactive. The city leaders - (i.e. government and businesses), and some state leaders as well - need to step it up. Unfortunately, they seem to think Spag's is still around and want something for nothing (or almost nothing). Looking for bargains where very little effort has to be put into it. The city manager, mayor, and city council have been virtually silent on the Sharks move, and probably weren't even aware about the PawSox until it was too late," said Rich Lubin, President of the Worcester Sharks Booster Club.

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Strengthen Public Support

Worcester is home to the Worcester Bravehearts, the defending Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) Champions. After the fiasco that the Worcester Tornadoes turned out to be, residents of Worcester would be proud to see both the Bravehearts and the PawSox succeeding in the city.

“Worcester is a city that has always loved baseball. You can track the history all the way back to the early 1900’s when we had a team in the National League. With the (Boston) Red Sox so close, and all of these minor league teams, the city still took to the Worcester Bravehearts. We were tops in attendance and won the Championship game in front of more than 2,000 people. Baseball will certainly thrive in this city,” said Casey Cummins, Bravehearts pitching coach.

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Find Land in Worcester for Stadium

“The 'WorSox' could purchase, clean up and build a fine stadium on the spacious Wyman Gordon property near Kelly Square. That location also has excellent highway access. What a welcome neighbor the team would be to the up-and-coming Canal District. Worcester, New England's 2nd largest city, would be a much better home for the "WorSox." People from cities and towns throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and beyond would flock to our city on a frequent basis to see such high level and quality baseball," said City Councilor Gary Rosen.

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Utilize Central MA Connections in MA Gov

Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, of Shrewsbury, now holds the highest seat of anyone from Central Massachusetts in state government. Her position was formerly occupied by Tim Murray, now the President of Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Worcester could use this connection to help gain support from Governor Charlie Baker and may even be able to garner state funding to help lure the PawSox to the city.

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Find Local Business Partners

The cost of a new stadium could run the city and state upwards of $70 million.

Worcester will need to turn to local businesses to invest in the cleaning up of any area they decide to build a stadium and the actual construction of the stadium.

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Push Forward Canal District Plans

The Canal District is located on the "Green Island" area of Worcester that includes Water Street, Green Street, Millbury Street, and Kelley Square.

Over the past ten years, the city and the Canal District Business Association has put a lot of money into the area to revive it and bring business in.

A push to gain funding to continue to improve the Canal District could be a great sign to the PawSox owners that Worester means business.

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Pay to Clean Up Proposed Land

Tim Murray, President and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce said the city has looked previously at the Wyman Gordon site, discussed expanding the field at Lake Park, or partnering with one of the colleges or universities on a site to build a baseball stadium. Murray noted that things get tricky when you start looking at these sites when you begin dealing with property and land acquisition costs and clean-up costs.

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Keep the Bravehearts in the Discussion

The Worcester Bravehearts, the 2014 Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) Champions in their inaugural season, will be entering their second season as the only local major sport team left in the city. Last season, they drew over 50,000 people to Fitton Field.

Murray said "We have a great product with the Bravehearts and they had a great inaugural season. The Bravehearts are locally owned and controlled, and they had a great product and strong attendance in their first year. It plays on one of the advantages that Worcester does have that a lot of places don't, is the amount of colleges and universities around and the large number of student atheletes we have here."