It has been teased enough. Now, it’s about to become official. The Triple-A minor-league Worcester Red Sox and the Worcester Bravehearts, who play in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, will hold a joint press conference at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 29, in the Players Clubhouse at Polar Park. That date happens to coincide with the City of Worcester’s birthday.
The gathering at the WooSox home park will include Charles Steinberg, president of the WooSox; Bravehearts owner Frank Vaccaro; his son, Matt Vaccaro, Bravehearts president; and Frankie Vaccaro Jr., chief operating officer of Masis Staffing. The Vaccaro family owns and operates Masis Staffing in Worcester. That company has been a partner with the WooSox since the team’s first season in 2021.
The Vaccaros bought the Bravehearts from John Creedon, Jr. in a deal announced earlier this month and first reported by The Worcester Guardian.
“The opportunity to promote baseball at all levels has been something we love,” Steinberg said on Friday, Feb. 23. “We love Holden Youth Softball. We love Saint Paul’s baseball. We love the Junior WooSox. We love children playing ball at ever amateur level and every professional level. So, it’s natural with us … to embrace the players who are playing their hearts out every summer for the Bravehearts. We’ve been watching them. We’ve been admiring them. I’ve gone to Bravehearts games. It’s natural for us to want to promote the Bravehearts as our partners in community baseball.”
Bravehearts General Manager Dave Peterson told The Worcester Guardian the press conference would explore the goals of the partnership between the WooSox and Bravehearts.
“With new ideas and a fresh perspective on community engagement,” said Peterson, “the Worcester Bravehearts will be partnering with the WooSox on multiple community initiatives to clean neighborhoods, address food insecurity in the city, and promote healthy living and sportsmanship with youth. Dr. Steinberg and the Vaccaro Family will outline their goals of the partnership on the anniversary of Worcester officially becoming chartered as a city.”
A collaboration between the two ballclubs is noteworthy in that, under Creedon, the Bravehearts, who play at Fitton Field, owned by the College of the Holy Cross, and WooSox did not comingle. The arrival of the WooSox in Worcester, in fact, became a source of tension at least within the Bravehearts organization. Peterson has acknowledged the team felt “slighted and disrespected.” Any hard feelings, however, appear not to be lingering.
“We had met with the Bravehearts when we were first coming to Worcester and had offered to promote them and support them,” Steinberg said. “Time has now passed, and we’re just thrilled the Vaccaro family has reached out and sought to partner with us, because we are partners in this community venture. A city is better, a community is healthier when children at all levels … know that baseball is accessible and available, that softball is a great way to spend your younger days and your older days. It just feels natural for us to partner with the Bravehearts, and we’re delighted to be doing so.”
ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT FOR ALL BRAVEHEARTS TICKETS
In related Bravehearts news, the team on Friday announced the introduction of All-You-Can-Eat for every ticket sold in the ballpark, becoming the first team in the Northeast to do so. The team has offered an All-You-Can-Eat ticket in the past, but it was separate from regular admission. Now, tickets will be $20 for every seat, including unlimited concessions and soft drinks. Parking, too, will remain free. That has been one of the Bravehearts’ strongest selling points.
“We’re so excited to offer an all-inclusive experience for every fan at our stadium this season,” Bravehearts President Matt Vaccaro said in the release.
A full All-You-Can-Eat menu will be announced at a later date, but fans can count on getting hot dogs, burgers, chicken nuggets, sausages, and more. There will also be vegetarian options. Additional items, such as chicken tenders, pizza, ice cream and fried dough, will be available for purchase.
“We have had so much success with the All-You-Can-Eat in previous seasons, we have finally decided to let the entire stadium participate,” Peterson said. “This has been something the Bravehearts front office has considered for a long time now, and we have felt with new ownership the timing could not have been better.”
The Bravehearts on Friday also announced any fan holding a 2024 ticket voucher can use them as a $10 credit to any home game this season.
The WooSox host their home opener at Polar Park on Tuesday, April 2. The Bravehearts open at Fitton Field Saturday, May 25.
With more than 30 years’ experience as a journalist, Walter Bird is a former editor of Worcester Magazine, former executive editor of Stonebridge Press Newspapers, and a two-time Weekly Reporter of the Year through the New England Newspaper & Press Association.
