Rename the Red Sox AAA Team!

Rovin Romine

Johnny Rico
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
23,675
Miami (oh, Miami!)
Everything about this says "bland, boring, safe marketing to 10 year olds."

FWIW, the Tarpon name upthread is actually filled with local resonance; there are any number of Tarpon place names in the area. I don't know if "the Woo" is a thing or not, but this feels like several steps in the wrong direction.
 

Minneapolis Millers

Wants you to please think of the Twins fans!
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
4,753
Twin Cities
Going with a local theme seems well-intentioned and homey, if also homely in this instance. I personally preferred the alliteration of Seven Hills Sox.

Also, I never understood why they used a polar bear as a mascot in Pawtucket, instead of, say, a black bear. Not exactly a native species. What was the thinking there, if any?
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

Throw Momma From the Train
Moderator
SoSH Member
May 20, 2003
35,724
Deep inside Muppet Labs
Paws. As in Paw Sox. It made sense.

I hate the new name, I hate the new logo, I hate that they're moving, I hate every last thing about it.

The Pawsox leaving RI killed something in my soul. Growing up there, we went to dozens of games at McCoy Stadium a year. This sucks. The move, the new name, the awful logo, losing my childhood....everything.

Lucchino can burn in hell.
 

8slim

has trust issues
SoSH Member
Nov 6, 2001
24,829
Unreal America
I'm all in on silly minor league names. For example, I love 'Yard Goats'. However, this stinks. WooSox is supposed to be a nickname, not THE name.

More like BooSox, am I right?
 

Harry Hooper

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jan 4, 2002
34,367
WooWoo Sox would have been better, but they didn't want to send any $ to Arnie.
 

John Marzano Olympic Hero

has fancy plans, and pants to match
Dope
SoSH Member
Apr 12, 2001
24,536
According to Paul Lukas, their real name is the Worcester Red Sox, but they're called the Woo Sox.

I kind of like the logo more today than last night, TBH. The smiley guy wearing red socks is growing on me. The name sucks though, not a fan of that at all.
 

brs3

sings praises of pinstripes
SoSH Member
May 20, 2008
5,200
Jackson Heights, NYC
Everything about this says "bland, boring, safe marketing to 10 year olds."

FWIW, the Tarpon name upthread is actually filled with local resonance; there are any number of Tarpon place names in the area. I don't know if "the Woo" is a thing or not, but this feels like several steps in the wrong direction.
At the end of the day, isn't it the 10 year old that you want to market to? Obviously adults need to be drawn in, but at the end of the day, if a kid wants to own a hat with a smiley faced mascot, so be it.

I'm sad it's not a more ridiculous name and logo. I envy the Yard Goats.
 

thehitcat

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 25, 2003
2,376
Windham, ME
I dig it. I like the elements that are Worcester (the smiley face and heart of the commonwealth) and the parts that are tied to the parent club (the team name, and the socks on smiley's feet) and as a lefty I love the swing finish whether its Ted or Papi. Now back to our regularly scheduled haterade.
 

Beomoose

is insoxicated
SoSH Member
May 28, 2006
21,388
Exiled
All 218 unique names submitted by the "over 1000 fans." Somehow I think the person who submitted "Defectors" wasn't a fan of the move either.
Paws. As in Paw Sox. It made sense.

I hate the new name, I hate the new logo, I hate that they're moving, I hate every last thing about it.

The Pawsox leaving RI killed something in my soul. Growing up there, we went to dozens of games at McCoy Stadium a year. This sucks. The move, the new name, the awful logo, losing my childhood....everything.

Lucchino can burn in hell.
Same here, SJH, same here.
 

Fratboy

Mr. MENsa
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Nov 29, 2003
18,151
McCarver Park
The Dentist, in an MiLB article linked in the Paul Lukas piece:

"We didn't go into it as though WooSox would be a unanimous pick -- it just edged out every contender in every form of March Madness bracket that we went over with fans for more than a year," said Steinberg. "We wanted to resonate with the city. If WooSox is the answer, then WooSox is the answer. If the question is 'Who beats the WooSox?' then the answer is 'Nobody beats the WooSox.'"
The logic is... suspicious.
 

Joe D Reid

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jan 15, 2004
4,208
It's hard to get too worked up about a name change that didn't actually happen--they were the Red Sox in Pawtucket and they'll be the Red Sox in Worcester. Granted that the PawSox thing didn't come down from the top like WooSox has, but wasn't PawSox originally just a way for newspapers to reference the team without (1) conflating it with the big club or (2) having to write out "Pawtucket" every time? I feel like folks' feelings about the move are getting displaced onto the aesthetic stuff.

The logo is twee but fine. The W hat is a missed opportunity and looks like a Nationals logo that's sucking in its gut.
 

Ale Xander

Hamilton
SoSH Member
Oct 31, 2013
72,430
I hope the Manfred deal doesn't go through, but if it does, and a MA team has to go for some reason, I hope Lowell stays!
 

Doug Beerabelli

Killer Threads
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
"Rusney Down in Triple-A":

Let me tell you a story of a man named Rusney
On a tragic and fateful day
he signed a contract for 70 million
then got stuck in Triple-A

Did he ever return? No, he never returned
and his contract's still unearned
he may play forever in the upper minors
he's the man who never returned

Now you citizens of Boston
don't you think it's a scandal
how we never got to see him play?
Screw the luxury tax, go and tell John Henry
get poor Rusney out of Triple-A!
Poor Old Rusney, May he ride (the bench)
 

Rovin Romine

Johnny Rico
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
23,675
Miami (oh, Miami!)
At the end of the day, isn't it the 10 year old that you want to market to? Obviously adults need to be drawn in, but at the end of the day, if a kid wants to own a hat with a smiley faced mascot, so be it.

I'm sad it's not a more ridiculous name and logo. I envy the Yard Goats.
I think I did just fine growing up as a sox fan without being ridiculously pandered to. But, YMMV.
 

yeahlunchbox

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 21, 2008
764
The team was looking to rebrand itself in the late 90's at the same time that McCoy was being remodeled. While that was happening the polar bears were the most popular animals at Roger Williams Zoo and a polar bear cub was born with almost as much fanfare as Panda Watch, so it all just came together.

Also, I never understood why they used a polar bear as a mascot in Pawtucket, instead of, say, a black bear. Not exactly a native species. What was the thinking there, if any?
 

phrenile

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Aug 4, 2005
13,837
And then in 2005, the Roger Williams Zoo killed its polar bear, decided it was too expensive to build an upgraded polar bear facility, and no longer has any polar bears.
 

nvalvo

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
21,478
Rogers Park
27100

Now that I know about the very handsome Worcester flag, I kind of want to work up a visual identity based on that. I love that Green Monsterish green.

Fake update: you can tell I have papers I should be grading, because I just spent ~25 minutes putting this together.

27099

The white hat has a heart in a wreath on it. The others have the W in Red Sox lettering.

The smiley slugger would be the team mascot.
 
Last edited:

mauf

Anderson Cooper × Mr. Rogers
Moderator
SoSH Member
At the end of the day, isn't it the 10 year old that you want to market to? Obviously adults need to be drawn in, but at the end of the day, if a kid wants to own a hat with a smiley faced mascot, so be it.

I'm sad it's not a more ridiculous name and logo. I envy the Yard Goats.
I would love to know who the target customer is for WooSox apparel.

Ten-year olds won’t be caught dead in a smiley-face hat. But it’s not like I’ve seen any 10-year olds in PawSox gear — kids in New England who care about baseball want a Bosox hat.

I’m guessing the WooSox‘ market is very young kids, plus grown-ups looking for a bit of novelty. I could see the smiley-face design ticking both boxes.
 

steveluck7

Member
SoSH Member
May 10, 2007
3,994
Burrillville, RI
I would love to know who the target customer is for WooSox apparel.

Ten-year olds won’t be caught dead in a smiley-face hat. But it’s not like I’ve seen any 10-year olds in PawSox gear — kids in New England who care about baseball want a Bosox Hat.
Yeah, I grew up in Pawtucket and the only people I know who own Pawsox apparel are those who are actually from Pawtucket and moved far away. I would be the ratio between Red Sox and PawSox apparel sold at McCoy is 90 - 10 Boston.
When we go, the only pawsox branded things we’ve gotten are foam fingers, and a stuff polar bear.... Oh, and the Pawsox helmet full of French fries
 

Spacemans Bong

chapeau rose
SoSH Member
I have a Pawtucket Red Sox hat -- the old kind with just a P -- and I love it. I have a BritSox one too, which I've wanted for at least 15 years. I would wear it more often if Ebbets Field Flannels and New Era had the same definition of 7 5/8.

If they do a 59/50 Worcester Red Sox one like below, I'd probably buy it.

 

Brohamer of the Gods

Well-Known Member
Silver Supporter
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
3,947
Warwick, RI
I would love to know who the target customer is for WooSox apparel.

Ten-year olds won’t be caught dead in a smiley-face hat. But it’s not like I’ve seen any 10-year olds in PawSox gear — kids in New England who care about baseball want a Bosox hat.

I’m guessing the WooSox‘ market is very young kids, plus grown-ups looking for a bit of novelty. I could see the smiley-face design ticking both boxes.
Yeah, I grew up in Pawtucket and the only people I know who own Pawsox apparel are those who are actually from Pawtucket and moved far away. I would be the ratio between Red Sox and PawSox apparel sold at McCoy is 90 - 10 Boston.
When we go, the only pawsox branded things we’ve gotten are foam fingers, and a stuff polar bear.... Oh, and the Pawsox helmet full of French fries
My 7 year old got and wears one of the Hot Weiner hats, and also has a Paws bear face cap. I have some gear, mostly give away swag including a Paw Sox/ taco bell t shirt I caught out of the cannon that I will be buried in. My wife and I each own a store bought team cap, but just with the P logo.
 

terrynever

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Aug 25, 2005
21,717
pawtucket
Paws. As in Paw Sox. It made sense.

I hate the new name, I hate the new logo, I hate that they're moving, I hate every last thing about it.

The Pawsox leaving RI killed something in my soul. Growing up there, we went to dozens of games at McCoy Stadium a year. This sucks. The move, the new name, the awful logo, losing my childhood....everything.

Lucchino can burn in hell.
I blame the RI Speaker of the House. The PawSox owners made a fair offer, putting $45M into their final proposal. The state Senate passed the bill. The Speaker effectively killed the bill by sitting on it. The Governor, up for re-election, took a Van Winkle-like nap. The Speaker is generally the most powerful politician in the state, unless we happen to elect a strong Governor.
Lucchino did everything he could to stay in RI. Until he got sick of the politics.

https://www.providencejournal.com/news/20191126/mark-patinkin-how-ris-speaker-drove-pawsox-into-becoming-woosox
 

yeahlunchbox

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 21, 2008
764
I blame the RI Speaker of the House. The PawSox owners made a fair offer, putting $45M into their final proposal. The state Senate passed the bill. The Speaker effectively killed the bill by sitting on it. The Governor, up for re-election, took a Van Winkle-like nap. The Speaker is generally the most powerful politician in the state, unless we happen to elect a strong Governor.
Lucchino did everything he could to stay in RI. Until he got sick of the politics.

https://www.providencejournal.com/news/20191126/mark-patinkin-how-ris-speaker-drove-pawsox-into-becoming-woosox
Mattiello (the RI Speaker) was the worst player in all this and he certainly is the one that killed things in the end, but let's not absolve Lucchino and the PawSox ownership of blame in this. Their Providence proposal tied things up too long in an option that wasn't feasible and the proposal was so obscene that when they finally moved to something that was actually realistic you couldn't trust that they were negotiating in good faith.

I've never understood placing any blame at the Governor's feet. Gina was the one that came out first and strongest against the irresponsible Providence proposal when many people, including the Speaker were supporting it. When Providence thankfully was taken off the board she stuck her neck out and was instrumental in getting talks going again and her team, along with PawSox ownership, came up with a solid Pawtucket plan that the Senate went along with. She had already stuck her neck out getting things to that point, there's only so far she could go when Mattiello said the plan was a non-starter but refused to put forth any plan that made sense himself. As you indicated, the Speaker of the House is the most important person in Rhode Island, which is a real issue on a whole host of issues. Having the most important person in the state be someone that's only actually accountable to a small portion of the electorate instead of the entire state leads to greater corruption and dysfunctionality and less accountability.
 

terrynever

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Aug 25, 2005
21,717
pawtucket
Mattiello (the RI Speaker) was the worst player in all this and he certainly is the one that killed things in the end, but let's not absolve Lucchino and the PawSox ownership of blame in this. Their Providence proposal tied things up too long in an option that wasn't feasible and the proposal was so obscene that when they finally moved to something that was actually realistic you couldn't trust that they were negotiating in good faith.

I've never understood placing any blame at the Governor's feet. Gina was the one that came out first and strongest against the irresponsible Providence proposal when many people, including the Speaker were supporting it. When Providence thankfully was taken off the board she stuck her neck out and was instrumental in getting talks going again and her team, along with PawSox ownership, came up with a solid Pawtucket plan that the Senate went along with. She had already stuck her neck out getting things to that point, there's only so far she could go when Mattiello said the plan was a non-starter but refused to put forth any plan that made sense himself. As you indicated, the Speaker of the House is the most important person in Rhode Island, which is a real issue on a whole host of issues. Having the most important person in the state be someone that's only actually accountable to a small portion of the electorate instead of the entire state leads to greater corruption and dysfunctionality and less accountability.
Very well stated. The second half of your post is really insightful. Yes, the first offer to build in Providence was ridiculous but I thought PawSox owners learned their lesson and came up with a fair proposal. What bothers me most is Mattiello screwed the city of Pawtucket, which had been trending down for decades. City lost its only hospital last year. Hasbro might be moving. The PawSox are going away. The new stadium would have revitalized downtown over the next decade.
 

stepson_and_toe

New Member
Aug 11, 2019
386
Is there a canon for being buried in a cannon?
I have been watching Monty Python's Flying Circus this afternoon since posting this and they had a skit called "The Bishop" where a bishop was rushing around trying to keep priests from being blown up. etc. One of the happenings was at a burial where a cannon rose out of the grave and shot the priest.
 

steveluck7

Member
SoSH Member
May 10, 2007
3,994
Burrillville, RI
The Providence proposal was going to happen. The sudden death of Jim Skeffington really ended that. He was brought into the fold to be the liaison between the state and the team and had enough allies and had built up enough capital on both sides that it would have gotten done.
 

Brohamer of the Gods

Well-Known Member
Silver Supporter
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
3,947
Warwick, RI
Nah, Skeffington was overselling his pull by that point. The politicians he worked with to get the mall done were gone by then. Also Brown was not going to give up their land that the stadium needed. Look at what Brown has going on there right now, there was no way they were going to punt on those plans.
 

Scoots McBoots

nothing Sinista here
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
2,831
Worcester, MA
I have been watching Monty Python's Flying Circus this afternoon since posting this and they had a skit called "The Bishop" where a bishop was rushing around trying to keep priests from being blown up. etc. One of the happenings was at a burial where a cannon rose out of the grave and shot the priest.
The Bishop is one of my favorite Python bits. "We was too late...The Rev. Neuk saw the light."
 

P'tucket rhymes with...

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2006
11,624
The Coney Island of my mind
Very well stated. The second half of your post is really insightful. Yes, the first offer to build in Providence was ridiculous but I thought PawSox owners learned their lesson and came up with a fair proposal. What bothers me most is Mattiello screwed the city of Pawtucket, which had been trending down for decades. City lost its only hospital last year. Hasbro might be moving. The PawSox are going away. The new stadium would have revitalized downtown over the next decade.
Remind us again how a project that would have developed a minimal amount of land beyond the park itself, an uncovered, minor league facility that would have been functionally useless six months of the year, would have "revitalized downtown?"
 

terrynever

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Aug 25, 2005
21,717
pawtucket
Remind us again how a project that would have developed a minimal amount of land beyond the park itself, an uncovered, minor league facility that would have been functionally useless six months of the year, would have "revitalized downtown?"
I will give you an example of what a new stadium downtown might have done. I was recently talking with the owner of a new bookstore downtown, a guy who signed a two-year lease in 2018 before the stadium deal collapsed. He says he will be leaving when the lease expires. He signed on because of the hope a new stadium would revitalize downtown. Now he says there is not even a CVS or convenience store to attract people. The mayor and his staff haven’t stopped in in more than a year. The stadium would have been a magnet business. Six months of activity, bringing people into the downtown, with new business gradually filling in.
I’m not an economics whiz, just someone who has lived here for 37 years. What is your perspective?
 

Brohamer of the Gods

Well-Known Member
Silver Supporter
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
3,947
Warwick, RI
As someone involved in developing a National Park across the street from Apex, we (and the Slater Mill folks) were as interested in the proposed retail and restaurants that were part of the bigger package as the stadium itself. I feel that one of the biggest failings of this proposal was focusing on just the new McCoy, and not the rest of the development proposed for the immediate area which also included a hotel and some new apartments.