The following is a summary, not a verbatim transcript:
ROBERT KEOUGH, COMMONWEALTH MAGAZINE EDITOR: Welcome to the discussion of minor league baseball and its role in revitalizing urban areas from Brockton to Lowell and Worcester and Lynn. In Commonwealth magazine this fall, we looked at the issue in our cover story “Rooting for the Home Team.” Mark Murphy was the author from the Boston Herald. The reason we call these teams minor league is the relationship to major league baseball. It’s a feeder league. In New England, we have a network of teams that serve the Red Sox. To kick things off we have Dr. Charles Steinberg of the Red Sox.
DR. CHARLES STEINBERG, RED SOX VP/PUBLIC AFFAIRS: There hasn’t been much going on with the Red Sox this week so we were glad to have something to do. It’s been an interesting time. What you do brings us back to the core of baseball. Don’t worry about the distinction of major and minor league. What we gravitate to are the values baseball represents, the effect it can have on boys and girls and families. David Ortiz used to be a little kid playing baseball in a tiny town on a faraway island. Now he plays for one of the best teams there could be. The road to that went through little towns and other countries. We find the effect of baseball remains deep and profound. I was with the Orioles for 19 years. We made an effort to surround ourselves with minor league teams. You wanted your young players near you. You wanted people feeling and talking about baseball on summer nights. When the strike came in 1994, a friend and I drove to the Field of Dreams movie site on Labor Day. It was as magnificent as we might have imagined. It was a special place. It taught me that day as I saw fathers and sons that my brand of baseball was not limited to the Orioles but that I loved actually the game. It was the effect on families. The atom of baseball was still the catch. A parent and child may not be able to talk about any number of subjects, but they can play catch and it heals relationships. If baseball is in Worcester and Brockton and Lowell, you are giving ballplayers chances to play professionally, but look at what you do for the families of your community. The effect of baseball on families can be fabulous. What I love is trying to stay focused on the core values that baseball represents. Everything you need to play baseball was in the Garden of Eden. It’s not only pure, it’s divine. The biggest challenges in baseball are the enemies of baseball and they are internal. Gambling, steroids, money, arbitration, agents, free agents. They so make you fatigued, but most of those are only at the major league level. We’ve got to keep amateur ball for five-year-olds pristine. Minor league baseball preserves that tranquility. If you put it in crass business terms, the Red Sox manufacture baseball on the field, we have a venue that is an attraction year-round worldwide, and there’s a third product and that’s the fan experience. It’s the night out. It’s the young adults and grandparents. Regardless of whether it’s Fenway or any other venue, there is still the concept of let’s do something tonight, let’s go to the ballgame. At the minor league level, you don’t have control of who your players are all the time. It’s about taking your family out to a place where you get a kick out of the mascot and the gifts they throw to you. So we actually try to take such concepts that are prevalent in minor league baseball and apply them at the big league level. Every day at the park, we have a child who says play ball. At every game, you either make someone fall in love with baseball or remind someone of why they fell in love with baseball. If they are from New York they talk about Ebbets Field. You take them on a time travel that is wonderfully therapeutic. Every night at Fenway there is a legend there. I want to provoke conversations and have a parent say ‘Johnny Pesky was my father’s favorite player.’ Then say how he compare’s to Nomar or Edgar Renteria. You also try to achieve the triple crown. Take a child and make the child happy. You then make the parents happy. You make the child happy with the parents. You tell me what parents wouldn’t give whatever they have for a day which at the end of the day they are a hero to their child? We have a women’s team in Lowell. These are opportunities for us to teach good lessons of life. Baseball is this storybook of stories from the past and the future to inspire young people to believe in baseball, in families, in their communities. In Worcester, you may be talking about who Rich Gedman is. But it doesn’t matter if they make it to the major leagues. I commend you and congratulate you for having this forum. May you continue these good deeds. Thanks very much.
JOHN SCHNEIDER (MASSINC VP), MODERATOR: Thanks Bob and good morning. I am known around the office for being passionate about minor league baseball and the old mill cities of Massachusetts. So what a wonderful opportunity I have today to facilitate a discussion about why minor league baseball has become so important to the smaller cities across Massachusetts and New England seeking economic renewal.
I grew up in Pittsfield, both an old mill city and a long time home to minor league baseball. My dad took me to me first professional baseball game in 1965 where I got to see George Scott, then playing for the Pittsfield Red Sox, play 3rd base. “The Boomer” as Scott became known was my dad’s favorite player and would soon become a fan favorite on the 1967 impossible dream team.
I have a lot of fond memories of Wahconah Park. For $5.00 a kid like me could buy a season’s pass and go to all the home games from April – September. And I did – the Red Sox left, but were soon replaced by the Senators, then the Rangers. Our family became friends with future major leaguers and I got to play catch with some of them before the game by the third base dugout. It was all so much more informal then and, to be blunt, minor league. The lighting was poor, the infield was a wreck, the ballpark stank, and the bathrooms – well I’ll stay away from that one. A team was important to a community, but responsible for economic renewal? That was a stretch.
Well, things change. Today I live in Lowell and minor league baseball seems much more serious. Perhaps a better way to say it is that it seems much more “produced.” The ballparks are civic jewels with all the amenities. Some even have luxury boxes. The fields and lighting are major league quality. You won’t find a park like Pittsfield’s any more with an infamous sun delay. And I doubt few 12- year old kids can casually walk on to the field and play catch with some of the players before a game. The lawyers have taken care of that. Minor league baseball is serious business and to the old mill cities of Massachusetts and New England, landing a team provides hope for the future.
Our panel today will help us understand why minor-league baseball has become a small-city hit in those cities that have landed a team.
Their biographies our in your program, but let me briefly introduce our panelists to you —
• Alan Stone is the President and CEO of the Worcester Tornadoes, and independent league team that won the 2005 CanAmerican League Championship
• Kendall Wallace is chairman of the board of the Lowell Sun. The Sun has been a strong supporter of bringing minor league sports to Lowell, and the Lowell Spinners have become one of the most successful franchises in minor league baseball history.
• Nancy Savoie is city planner for the city of champions – Brockton, MA. Brockton’s long and proud sports history has been greatly enhanced by the Rox who often make headlines not just for their play on the field but the fun in the stands.
• Charlie Euchner is an author and expert on baseball and public policy. Charlie is probably the only person in this room that could lead a discussion on both the inside game of baseball and the inside game of city politics.
• Tim Murray is the mayor of Worcester, a city that had the courage to say NO to building a new ballpark, but was still was able to bring a professional team “home” in 2005.
I’m going to kick things off with you Alan — why does anyone want to own a minor league baseball team and why put one in Worcester, especially when they weren’t going to build you a stadium? Possible follow-up: Do you worry that, like the city’s former AHL team the Ice Cats, interest in the Tornadoes will wane? What happens then? What obligations do you have to the community if things go south?
Then we’ll turn to Kendall — You have been an observer of urban revitalization for a long time. Why was it so important to Lowell to land the Spinners? Has minor league baseball made Lowell a better place to live? Possible follow-up: Who attends the Spinners games? Are these folks who live in Lowell?
Moving to Nancy — The city put up $8 million of its own money for a stadium. How do you justify that, especially when times are tough? How do you keep the Rox happy and the fans in the seats? Possible follow-up: What has been the measurable economic impact of the Rox in Brockton?
Charlie, here are your questions — Is the Worcester example of avoiding what we call in the article the “ballpark booby trap” the exception to the rule? Since there will never be enough teams to meet demand, how do cities like Lowell, Worcester, and Brockton decide whether or not to pursue a team and finance a stadium? Do cities like Pittsfield, Springfield, and Lawrence get used by owners looking for a sweet deal? Possible follow-up: Minor league baseball is hot now, but will these parks be white elephants someday?
Tim – what would have you done if Allan said “Thanks but no thanks. I want to go to a city that will build me a stadium”?
ALAN STONE, WORCESTER TORNADOES PRESIDENT/CEO: Charles is a tough act to follow, but he framed our answer. A group of us were searching for a safe mid-life crisis. We would talk about the little child in all of us. A year ago I would discuss it as kind of corny, but I stopped apologizing. If you got to know our core ownership group, to a person they would invoke the emotion and rationales Charles invoked for us. We can reconnect with our inner child. We have a season under our belt. The eye contact with families and children walking in and leaving with big smiles is a satisfaction that’s difficult to articulate. That’s why someone would do it. We want to sustain our presence in Worcester and Central Massachusetts so there is a rational economic plan. We decided to take the tack of build it and they will come. We’re thrilled that we managed ourselves to profitability in year one. We have tried to weave ourselves into the fabric of the city. We tried to be forthright from day one about who we are and what our approach is. The relationship with Tim Murray and city leadership is second to none.
JOHN SCHNEIDER (MASSINC VP), MODERATOR: Kendall, you have been an observer of urban revitalization for a long time. Why was it important to land the Spinners?
KENDALL WALLACE, LOWELL SUN BOARD CHAIRMAN: Sen. Tsongas was intent on restoring pride in an old mill town. The first step was a national park in Lowell. He knew it was not going to be an industrial city again. He thought part of it was to make it a center for arts, entertainment, sports, as part of a 25-year plan. Baseball was his biggest dream. He was a real Red Sox fan. Paul’s idea was go for the best. That has really permeated
the entire city. Empty buildings are seeding condos and artist lofts. It
isn’t only baseball, but it’s a big part of it. We have a hockey team and theater. Baseball really launched all those things.
JOHN SCHNEIDER (MASSINC VP), MODERATOR: Is Lowell a better place to live with the Spinners?
KENDALL WALLACE, LOWELL SUN BOARD CHAIRMAN: Oh absolutely. It’s brought suburban people who avoided Lowell into the city. They see it as an exciting place, a place of fun and arts and entertainment.
JOHN SCHNEIDER (MASSINC VP), MODERATOR: Nancy, Brockton put up $8 million for a stadium. How do you justify that?
NANCY SAVOIE, CITY OF BROCKTON PLANNER: The building of Campanelli Stadium was never intended to be an economic development engine. The goal was to rebuild the city’s image. It is a City of Champions. Studies showed the perception was that it was a tired industrial city, crime ridden. The perception needed to be improved. I give full credit to Mayor Jack Yunits. The concept was born on a napkin at a mayors’ meeting. The city floated an $8 million bond, but the city did not construct the
stadium. We figured out what we could afford for debt service without
negatively impacting services. It’s paid back wonders in terms of image and the effect of the Rox.
TIMOTHY MURRAY, WORCESTER MAYOR: In Worcester, we studied what had taken place in Brockton. Mayor Yunits was a terrific help. Given the fiscal constraints we are all under, it’s a tough argument to make. Alan Stone and his team were willing to work with the city. Worcester is blessed with institutions of higher learning. We formed a partnership to focus on assets that colleges and universities have that could spur job creation and tax base expansion and community spirit. The College of the Holy Cross said we want to play a role. A $5 million facility was built. It’s comparable to Brockton and Lowell. There was little or no expense to the city. It would have been difficult for us to do to financially.
JOHN SCHNEIDER (MASSINC VP), MODERATOR: Charles, is Worcester the exception to the rule of avoiding the ballpark booby trap?
CHARLES EUCHNER, AUTHOR OF “PLAYING THE FIELD”: It’s absolutely the exception to prove the rule. What’s going on in professional baseball is a skillful process. There are too many cities chasing too few teams. Simple economics, the price is going to go up. The new agreement with the minor leagues establishes high standards for stadiums so cities inevitably go to the public coffers for assistance. Worcester is working with an independent league, which is not so picky about amenities and the bathrooms and the wideness of the seats and the scoreboard. You are able to cut a decent deal with an independent league team. There is research on the impact of localities. What every study has found is there is no appreciable positive effect and there is often a negative effect of having professional sports teams in your town. The biggest impact is the advertising effect. It can be very positive. The question is what’s the price and wouldn’t it be better to produce a wonderful city that people just can’t wait to get to.
KENDALL WALLACE, LOWELL SUN BOARD CHAIRMAN: Building a stadium wasn’t the most wonderful thing when it started. But it went to the referendum and the people voted the funds.
JOHN SCHNEIDER (MASSINC VP), MODERATOR: Alan, Worcester had a minor league hockey team. The Icecats have moved on. Do you worry that interest in the Tornadoes will wane?
ALAN STONE, WORCESTER TORNADOES PRESIDENT/CEO: We did not overlap with the Icecats. The city was looking for an emotional rebound and we provided that in a big way. Just this week there was news about bringing a hockey team back. It was certainly value added in terms of the positive anticipation of a summertime activity we would be providing. We look forward to collaborating with any team that might come. We may be the exception, but as business people we saw an opportunity – Worcester should have had a team many years ago. We took an entrepreneurial leap to build it, but the relationship with the city is absolutely A-1. We are all in this. Short and long-term failure is not an option. We would welcome additional sports teams. I think it’s a win-win.
JOHN SCHNEIDER (MASSINC VP), MODERATOR: How much pressure did news of the Icecats leaving and the baseball team coming create for you to deliver?
TIMOTHY MURRAY, WORCESTER MAYOR: The St. Louis Blues had a chance to relocate the franchise to Peoria, much closer to the team. There was a level of disappointment given the fan base. On the baseball front, there had been lots of starts and stops. There was some pressure. But if we were going to do this, we didn’t want to disappoint and publicly announce it and then have it fail. There were lots of behind the scenes negotiations.
JOHN SCHNEIDER (MASSINC VP), MODERATOR: Charlie, do cities get used by owners to sweeten a deal?
CHARLES EUCHNER, AUTHOR OF “PLAYING THE FIELD”: Absolutely.
JOHN SCHNEIDER (MASSINC VP), MODERATOR: Pittsfield is often seen as a pawn.
CHARLES EUCHNER, AUTHOR OF “PLAYING THE FIELD”: There’s always a pawn to play off against you. If your lease is coming up or you are coming under pressure from your major league team, there’s always another city willing to hop right in. We have heard about the emotional pull of baseball. When there is emotional pull, you need a reality check. You have to have the guts to say no. And to realize cities and regions are made of so many things, so many small things that you need to be sensible. Money magazine surveyed people and listed 41 factors. It said rate these things in terms of how important they are for you to locate. Major and minor league baseball finished 39th and 40th. That isn’t to say that baseball isn’t great. You just always have to keep it in perspective. There are so many things begging for attention that are doable in cities.
JOHN SCHNEIDER (MASSINC VP), MODERATOR: Let me push back a bit. Nancy and the mayor have responsibilities for economic development. These communities were really struggling. What are they supposed to do?
CHARLES EUCHNER, AUTHOR OF “PLAYING THE FIELD”: There are lots of things. Baseball can be one of them if the price is right, which is say, zero. Worcester showed you don’t need to be pushed around. In Boston half the parks are poorly maintained and feel unsafe, school buildings, the neighborhoods, the streets, community centers, how about decent tax burdens and effective bureaucracies? In cities, spending so much time going after teams, they are not kind of tending to the meat and potatoes issues. I worked at the BRA when the Sox were under previous ownership and seeking subsidies. I was not part of the planning, but I watched the people who were and their days were monopolized with trying to come up with plans and programs that would please the Red Sox. The most talented people in the BRA were absolutely monopolized and there were so many things that were more important to do. The current ownership deserves credit for dropping the whole stadium idea. I don’t agree with everything they do. They point out that the experience of the ballpark does not have to mean every bell and every whistle. My big concern is the time and attention away from pressing public concerns and things you can do to fix your city.
JOHN SCHNEIDER (MASSINC VP), MODERATOR: Nancy, how have you used the ballpark to leverage other changes in Brockton?
NANCY SAVOIE, CITY OF BROCKTON PLANNER: We take exception Charles. The image enhancement is so important. We made sure the financing structure and level of debt would not impact other services. We have been building parks and investing. It hadn’t been drawing resources from the important business of the city. It’s been really a pretty smooth process in Brockton. How much was the attention from David Letterman worth? The Rox pay about $100,000 a year in hotel rooms. I understand it’s one facet, but it’s worked in Brockton. That’s the bottom line. We have a $6 million grant from the state. This was actually a public-private partnership. That’s what has made it unique and successful. It was on high school land. It’s just worked in Brockton. I guess the answer would
be: so what, it’s worked.
ALAN STONE, WORCESTER TORNADOES PRESIDENT/CEO: We are not trying to equate what we are doing with a cure for cancer. At the same time, the effect on the city and region is palpable, the emotional lift, the economic vitality. Fifty nights a year, yes you do know where your children are from seven to 10 at night. We’ve brought the city and the College of the Holy Cross together. We are all coming together. This has really been a catalyst for what we can all do together. I am teetering close to one cliché after another, but the economic data can support this and we have a plan to sustain ourselves. We hope to present concerts and other non-baseball events. There is an economic model. We have bought into it.
NANCY SAVOIE, CITY OF BROCKTON PLANNER: We’ve been doing concerts as well.
JOHN SCHNEIDER (MASSINC VP), MODERATOR: That’s happening in Lowell too.
KENDALL WALLACE, LOWELL SUN BOARD CHAIRMAN: The fact in Lowell is a first class stadium and ownership has driven the city to improve access and roadways and infrastructure. We spent $300 million building all new elementary schools. It has raised the city’s expectation and raised a sense of pride in the community. Across the street, mills that were falling into the ground are being converted to condos and artist lofts.
JOHN SCHNEIDER (MASSINC VP), MODERATOR: Partnerships with educational institutions have been mentioned. Charlie, are those exceptions?
CHARLES EUCHNER, AUTHOR OF “PLAYING THE FIELD”: It’s mostly unusual. I think it’s a really great thing. Holy Cross already had the bones for building this. There is so much opportunity for connecting that lower part of the campus with other properties in the area. It acquired the property that used to be the Holiday Inn. There may be linkage there, and out toward the outdoor mall. That’s what’s ultimately going to make this successful for the city. Making connections to other things. Arthur Johnson of the University of Maryland has studied this and says do it because it’s fun, there’s no economic impact: it’s a very unstable business, and to the extent that it can have any positive impact, it’s because of physical and social connections outward from whatever the venue may be. Often the stadium gets isolated from the real walking city and is surrounded by parking lots. I’ve been to a couple dozen minor league parks and few are really connected to the city. I used to live in Worcester and taught at Holy Cross. You would never know Worcester has ten colleges. The challenge is to make connection after connection after connection.
TIMOTHY MURRAY, WORCESTER MAYOR: You haven’t been to Worcester for a while. We have been able to draw the colleges out. Clark University is creating new housing and the Boys and Girls Club. WPI is working on a bioengineering institute near 290 and Rte. 190 and Holy Cross, seen up on the hill, they are reaching out. We are integrating them and they are investing in housing. I understand the studies, but there are intangibles that the Tornadoes have brought. To have people come in and have a positive experience, it makes them want to come back. Those are things you can’t necessarily quantify. People are investing in buildings and looking at condos. It is adding to that momentum.
JOHN SCHNEIDER (MASSINC VP), MODERATOR: It sounds like it’s not enough just to have the stadium and the team. There has got to be other things going on. Is that a reasonable statement?
TIMOTHY MURRAY, WORCESTER MAYOR: Absolutely. We want to create that gateway with Holy Cross. A mistake Worcester has made: poured concrete for the mall in the middle of the city that is not pedestrian friendly. We are going to have college students living and working downtown. That is a big focus, making the city pedestrian friendly.
ALAN STONE, WORCESTER TORNADOES PRESIDENT/CEO: From minute one, we have reached out to the neighborhood association. We had a job fair. Our section captains and ushers are from the neighborhoods. Interns are from the colleges. We have contributed to well over 150 charities. Twister, our mascot, we opened a kiosk for the holidays – a six-year-old raced across the mall last night to give Twister a kiss. When you see the bonds in real time, it’s really quite remarkable.
EMMET HAYES, VICE PRESIDENT PAYTON CONSTRUCTION: We are involved with the stadium in Brockton and the one built in Manchester, New Hampshire. This is a great topic. There really is nothing minor about minor league baseball. Last year, 40 million fans went to affiliated league games. They can’t afford to go to some of the more costly ones. There is an economic impact. In Brockton’s case, they built on a contaminated site. It was unlikely that a private company would have gone in there. The high school students can now play on a major league field. The gentleman who installed it just built the field at Fenway Park. They put in a conference center used for events that never would have been held in Brockton before. It’s a great facility and the mayor showed foresight to get it done. There is a common theme at these stadiums and that is leadership. In Lowell, it was Paul Tsongas. In Worcester, it was Tim Murray. In Brockton, it was Jack Yunits. There are cases where cities are played off each other, but it’s not always the case.
JOHN SCHNEIDER (MASSINC VP), MODERATOR: Relationships can break down. Kendall, how important is the relationship between the Spinners and the city and how have both sides worked to keep it a good relationship?
KENDALL WALLACE, LOWELL SUN BOARD CHAIRMAN: In eight or nine years, they have sold out every game. This is a whole new life for them. The only issue is whether to expand the park, which seats 5,000. They have embraced the community and moved to the city and are involved in charities. It’s hard in a place like Lowell to have a newcomer come in. They have quickly been accepted and are popular personally. They have enormous success and are aware of the mood of the community. Their lease is up next year. That could be controversial.
ALAN STONE, WORCESTER TORNADOES PRESIDENT/CEO: The good wheels have been invented. It’s all about relationships. We were invited over the moat and into the castle. From day one, we tried to do it as a collaborative. We did not come in in a preachy way. We all wanted this to work. We are off to a great start. There are numerous examples of how to do it correctly. We have an obligation to keep the product fresh, to keep listening to our fans.
JOHN SCHNEIDER (MASSINC VP), MODERATOR: How do cities and teams connect?
CHARLES EUCHNER, AUTHOR OF “PLAYING THE FIELD”: It’s all about entrepreneurship and someone deciding they want to get in the game and establish themselves as a community leader. Every community has its own networks. It comes down to people wanting this come hell or high water and they are going to hang in there and do it. It’s important for city officials to really know what their limits are. In any relationship, you have to be clear about what you are willing to do and not willing to do. One reason there is so much manipulation is the two sides are feeling each other out and they don’t know when no means no. Boston said no to a new stadium for the Red Sox. They are committed now to staying. [The state’s position on the Patriots] was a good strong decision. If people don’t go to a game, would they do nothing with their money? This is the key thing you have to remember. The people who come to the games would still exist if the team didn’t exist and they would still spend money and maybe spend it on things that are more beneficial to the local economy. I am as sentimental as anyone, but you have to ask yourself hard questions. Studies show the effects are negligible and sometimes negative. That does not mean don’t do it. Do it with your eyes wide open, not wide shut.
ALAN STONE, WORCESTER TORNADOES PRESIDENT/CEO: Parents are connecting with children, in the kind of environment that produces an added qualitative aspect to the city. People are connecting and reconnecting to new and old friends in a manner that was not available a year ago. I know I am advocating the intangibles, but it’s far beyond the dollars and the sense. City leaders must keep in mind the tangibles and the intangibles.
AUDIENCE QUESTION: I am a student at Harvard researching minor league teams. People talk about bringing suburban folks into a city. In Washington D.C. there is the issue of a stadium that serves suburban folks with taxpayer dollars. Can you speak to balancing the duties of the city and wanting to draw people into the city?
TIMOTHY MURRAY, WORCESTER MAYOR: Look at the headlines. Often times they are telling negative stories about urban areas. If you can bring people in for a positive experience who might not otherwise come, you are opening the door. The challenge is then to work on them visiting the art museum or restaurant options. It allows you to open the door. It’s not a panacea. It’s part of a strategic overall approach and it has value.
AUDIENCE QUESTION: To Charles, as a native of Worcester, you indicated dollars would be spent without a team. Cities like Worcester, aren’t you getting new dollars into the city as opposed to dollars that would be spent elsewhere? In Boston, they may go to the Opera House, but for some older cities the team is the leader.
CHARLES EUCHNER, AUTHOR OF “PLAYING THE FIELD”: When you bring money in from outside, from Oxford to Worcester say, the money does not necessarily circulate within the city. As soon as it’s brought in, it almost immediately gets right out through player salaries, owners and concessionaires. The stadium is the meeting place. The money comes in, gets dropped, and gets taken out. Everyone has known for a long time that sports teams don’t make any impact on local economies. I have been to Oriole Park and Fenway Park and there are lots of people going to bars and restaurants. That has to have a positive impact, right? John Zipp did an economic analysis of the communities surrounding stadiums during the year of the strike and he found that when they did not play games there was more economic activity in that area than when they played games. There is a blowout effect. People say there’s a game, got to stay away from there, it’s a mob scene. It’s quite frankly distasteful and people shout Yankees suck. So you don’t go to Sorrento’s that night. Money does not stay circulating within a community. There is no appreciable multiplier effect.
ALAN STONE, WORCESTER TORNADOES PRESIDENT/CEO: I respectfully disagree. The study may be appropriate in Manhattan or Boston. The opposite is indeed the case. We for a fact feel we have revitalized and sparked an area that needed one. There has been layer after layer of positive results.
AUDIENCE STATEMENT: The Rox draw people from outside the city. It has spawned restaurants, a conference center, a tremendous amount of activity.
AUDIENCE QUESTION: I write for the Newton Tab. I am glad that you are here Charles as the skunk at the garden party. I live in the suburbs with kids. I would not have gone to Lowell, but it’s far more affordable than Fenway. My son and I plan to go to all the parks in Massachusetts in 2006. Are the minor leagues reaching out to someone like me who would never go to Lowell or Brockton?
CHARLES EUCHNER, AUTHOR OF “PLAYING THE FIELD”: The quick answer is yes. If something draws you someplace, that’s terrific. I love the game and its traditions, though you can go over the top with some reminiscences. Don’t expect an economic bump. The money does not strictly circulate in the local economy. There have been studies after studies. There is an advertising effect. People are thinking about Lowell, Worcester, Brockton. What makes cities work is having safety, great schools, parks, and tolerance of all kinds of different wacky people, the creative class. If you want to have a ballpark, great. I suggest you don’t pay anything for it. It’s not an investment. It’s an expenditure. It’s like going out to a movie. It’s not something I am doing to improve myself economically. It’s totally fun. It’s more of an amenity that does not have any evidence of bringing economic development.
JOHN SCHNEIDER (MASSINC VP), MODERATOR: How about a quick closing comment? What advice would you give city officials from cities without a team who want a team?
NANCY SAVOIE, CITY OF BROCKTON PLANNER: It is one of the most significant and important positive things that’s taken place. I would say go for it. The image, it’s just immeasurable.
ALAN STONE, WORCESTER TORNADOES PRESIDENT/CEO: Know your market. Apply your priorities and due diligence. Scrutinize the studies and kick the tires yourself and take in the atmosphere at other parks.
KENDALL WALLACE, LOWELL SUN BOARD CHAIRMAN: It’s a piece of the puzzle in revitalizing a city, but it isn’t the whole piece.
TIMOTHY MURRAY, WORCESTER MAYOR: It adds to a perception and confidence about where your city is going. It shows you can get things done in a positive way that adds value. You have to weigh the pros and cons. The pros outweigh the cons, especially for cities.
CHARLES EUCHNER, AUTHOR OF “PLAYING THE FIELD”: If you are going to do it, don’t spend any money. If you are going to spend money, have a limit, just like when you go gambling. Stick to it. If you are going to spend money, do it in a way that connects pieces of the city puzzle rather than creating an isolated venue for people to zip in and zip out.
