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Worcester Tornadoes Twister Represents at Harvard

WorcesterLocal — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:41:31 +0000

Worcester Tornadoes Twister ©DirectoryofWorcester.com

Though the Worcester Tornadoes had a pretty hard time the first half ending in last place that hasn't affected Twister. He is still loved wherever he goes. This past weekend we drove in to see a Boston Breakers soccer game at Harvard Stadium. We were surprised to find that Twister had followed us there.

The halftime entertainment was a game of soccer between team mascots from Massachusetts sports teams. It seemed that everyone was represented from the Pawsox to the Boston Blazers. The lovable Worcester Sharks Finz was also there but it was Twister who really seemed to put on a show even scoring a goal.

Though we haven't had a chance to go see a Worcester Tornadoes game this year it is definitely on our list of things to do this summer. The heat has been pretty monstrous which has been a bit of disincentive but that won't stop us.

Having changed ownership in the last year the Worcester Tornadoes need to pull in as many fans as possible. Though the second half of the season has just begun they are on a mini winning streak and technically at number 1 for now. They are playing the New Jersey Jackals tonight. Night games are definitely much cooler. They will then be away until the end of the month When they play the dreaded Capitales that were the first half winners. Tickets can be bought in person or online at the Worcester Tornadoes website.

Here is the video of Twister's goal:

Worcester Sharks Bring Finals Action to DCU

WorcesterLocal — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:36:39 +0000

Hockey fans rejoice more hockey championship action is coming to the DCU center. Worcester recently got a chance to host the BC eagles on their way to the Frozen Four championship now the Worcester Sharks kick of their finals series against the Manchester Sharks here this Sunday.

If you were lucky enough to stay tuned to the Boston Bruins last night you would have gotten a dose of hockey finals intensity. In double overtime the Bruins won against the Sabres 3-2 bringing them to a 3-1 lead in the series. The Worcester Sharks will hopefully bring that level of intensity to their series against the Manchester Monarchs.

Tickets have gone on sale for the first 2 games here in Worcester. The first game will be an afternoon game on Sunday which is always great as a family event. The second game will be on Wednesday evening. This is the second round of the Calder Cup finals. Both Manchester and Worcester have been on a winning streak in the finals so the first game may cause a momentum shift.

Thankfully the Worcester Sharks continue to draw good attendance which is a must for local teams like the Worcester Tornadoes which are back this season after trading hands. The Lowell Devils for example have not been able to get the attendance needed and may change hands.

You can get tickets for the Worcester Sharks online at http://www.sharksahl.com/playoffs2010.asp. You can also get them at the DCU Center box office.

Ellsbury Gives Red Sox Nation a Scare

WorcesterLocal — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 18:40:04 +0000

Courtesy of NESN

Red Sox Nation breathes a sigh of relief today as the X-Rays of Jacoby Ellsbury's ribs come back negative. According to USAToday he may not even miss any games.

Though it may seem to some that Jacoby has be "demoted" with his move to left field I think the fast outfield including Ellsbury is a key to Red Sox success this year. He sometimes seems to take risks but it's what makes him such an exciting player to watch.

As we all winced at the collision between Ellsbury and Beltre during the win over the Royals we also got a chance to see a fan favorite give us all more hope for the season than we already had. Jason Varitek came out with a great performance with 2 home runs.

At a birthday party this weekend it is hard to avoid sports discussions. We are so lucky to have so many teams continuing to play. At this time though the better weather always brings the discussion back to our boys of summer. Sadly David Ortiz can't seem to get into the groove. He continued to struggle. At the beginning of Spring Training I was hopeful that Big Papi was on his way back but maybe this is the end for one of Boston's favorite all time sluggers. I will still keep my fingers crossed.

For now we're hopeful for Varitek and thankful that Ellsbury lives to play another day...

Here is a video interview with Jacoby by NESN about his move to left field:

Update 4-21-10
Sadly Ellsbury's injury was more serious than he and the Red Sox let on. He is now on the 15 day disabled list. At least we were able to win finally after a long losing streak courtesy of Ellsbury's replacement newcomer Darnell McDonald...

Championship Ice Hockey Comes to Worcester’s DCU

WorcesterLocal — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 14:45:48 +0000

Boston College coming to Worcester

Boston College will be one of four teams competing for the 2010 NorthEast Ice Hockey Championship at the DCU Center this weekend March 27 and 28. There should be quite a few BC fans at the Worcester DCU Center since it is only 45 or so minutes from Boston. Boston College fought tooth and nail with Maine this past weekend at the TD Bank Garden. They won the game in overtime after Maine clawed there way back into the game to bring it to a 6 to 6 tie.

Worcester's DCU Center is no stranger to exciting hockey. The Worcester Sharks play there regularly. The Worcester Sharks are sitting at first place in the Atlantic Division and should be playing in the 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs. They also broke their franchise attendance record this past Saturday night.

Sadly BC is the only Massachusetts team making the NorthEast Regional SemiFinals. They play Alaska on Saturday and it they win they get to play for the NorthEast Regional Championship on Sunday. Tickets are still available as of this writing. You can even purchase a Season Ticket Pass that would give you access to all 3 games this weekend. The Regional Champion will go on to the Frozen Four in April. The 2 other teams playing are North Dakota and Yale so you may also see a lot of Connecticut plates around this weekend too.

If you are a college hockey fan this event is sure to offer some exciting play. You can find more information on the Worcester DCU website. You can also find more information about the rest of the Worcester Sharks season on their website.

Red Sox Curt Schilling Still in the Spotlight

WorcesterLocal — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:55:06 +0000

Courtesy of GoogieMan

As a Boston sports fan it is hard to argue Curt Schilling's role in the Red Sox folklore. How can anyone forget the bloody sock incident? Though Schilling has been out of baseball since 2007 he continues to be in the spotlight because of his many roles in the Massachusetts community and in business. He has most recently been chosen to be the speaker at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute's commencement this May 2010.

Thankfully this new honor in Worcester will overshadow the strange controversy regarding Schilling's former doctor, the very one that worked on the bloody ankle. The Worcester Telegram is reporting that the former Red Sox team doctor Dr. William Morgan has given up his license while he is investigated for something that has not been made public yet. Dr. Morgan was also the team doctor for the Worcester Sharks until last year when he apparently left St. Vincent Hospital.

Since Schilling's departure from professional baseball he has gone on to be more vocal in politics and the charities he is passionate about. He is a big supporter of ALS and even gives the proceeds from his WEEI talk show to that cause. Schilling and his wife also have their own charity The Shade Foundation that focuses on sun safety due his wife's own bout with melanoma. He and his wife are involved in other causes as well.

The WPI press release brings to light something that may not be as in the spotlight as some of these other things. Schilling's company 38 Studios has been involved in supporting students at the Interactive Media and Game Development program that was started in 2005. The game development industry continues to evolve and Schilling's company is growing in anticipation of the growth in online multi-player games. It will be interesting to see what insights Schilling will share with the graduates in May. His varied background and interests are sure to make for a treasure-trove of advice.

Randolph Brings More Excitement to Holy Cross

WorcesterLocal — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:58:59 +0000

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The Holy Cross Crusaders are on the verge of winning first place in the Patriot League. Tomorrow they face the Lafayette Leopards in what is one of the most anticipated games in recent Holy Cross Football. Both teams have identical records of 8-1 overall and 4-0 in the Patriot League.

Quarterback Dominic Randolph continues to impress and even is garnering interest from the NFL. Throwing for over 10000 career yards he is favored to win the Walter Payton Award. This is probably the last chance to see him play in Worcester even if they do make the playoffs. Though sadly the success of Randolph and the Crusaders this year has not been enough to fill Fitton Field perhaps the excitement of a Division Title game will bring the crowds out. We have been to a couple of games this year and he is a pleasure to watch. His composure reminds me a lot of Tom Brady.

If you can't make it out to the field you can catch the game on WCTR-3 or even on the internet via Crusader Vision. The game starts at 12:30pm.

UPDATE: 11/25/09

By now you know that the Crusaders won the Patriot League Title and are headed to the playoffs. They will be playing Villanova this Saturday at Noon in what promises to be an exciting game. Sadly they will be away in Pennsylvania but you can catch the game via radio at WWFX 100.1 FM, they also broadcast via the internet. Go Holy Cross!!!

Worcester Tornadoes Change Hands

WorcesterLocal — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:22:19 +0000

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Yesterday the Worcester Tornadoes announced that "controlling interest" had been sold to a group out of Maryland. I must confess I was surprised since I have written about the great family experiences we've had attending the games. When you get right down to it though the problem seems to be in their attendance numbers. The Telegram has reported their attendance has dropped steadily since they started out back in 2005. Their total season attendance dropped by a staggering 37% since 2005. The significant first drop was in the 2008 season which slightly preceded the economic downturn.

The good news is that the new owners do not plan to move the Tornadoes out of Worcester. This is at least for the 2010 season. Peterman(Sales) and Bassiocos(general manager) seem to be staying for now. The interesting subtle implication in the Telegram article is that Worcester's Rich Gedman may not return.

The Tornadoes did have some challenges this year even though they got to the playoffs. Their regular season record was 43-50. They went on a skid in the second half with an 8 game losing streak that may not have helped ticket sales. Bad weather and the economy also played a role in decreased attendance. The main problem according to the press release seems to be paying off debt associated with the building of the ballpark.

Even though the Worcester Tornadoes have only been here for 5 seasons it would be hard to imagine not having our own team. Hopefully the changes will be good for Worcester and Tornado fans. The burden just isn't on the new owners but on the fans as well. If you want a local professional baseball team you need to support them.

On a lighter note, my kids are hoping they won't get rid of the whirly pops...

Worcester Sharks BOGO Free Offer

WorcesterLocal — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:35:48 +0000

Courtesy of the Worcester Sharks

The Worcester Sharks are kicking off the 2009-2010 season this weekend in Glen Falls, New York but the news of the day is their BOGO offer for the month of October. If you are a big shoe shopper you might be familiar with the term. Payless and Famous Footwear use the Buy One Get One (BOGO) offer on a regular basis. The Worcester Sharks are creatively bringing it to hockey. For the month of October they are offering one free ticket with a purchase of any adult Teal level seat for the 19 home games in 2009.

I have been checking some of the games trying to order the BOGO seats and some seem to already be sold out so it you aren't sure you may want to give the the Sharks a call directly at 1-508-929-0500.

The Worcester Sharks are a great family outing particularly for the 3 pm games on Sunday so you should probably get tickets in advance. The home opener is scheduled at the DCU Center on October 17th against the Lowell Devils.

If you want to get back in the spirit of things I found a video on Youtube that is a tribute to the Worcester Sharks 2008-2009 season. I found myself almost jumping out of my chair with the music...Thank You SJLissa

Crusaders’ Randolph Makes it 3-0

WorcesterLocal — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:26:19 +0000

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The Holy Cross Crusaders were not phased by Harvard's initial 79 yard drive to score the first touchdown of the game. Dominic Randolph calmly brought his team down the field directing traffic like a wily old veteran to match Harvard's TD.

Both teams had something to prove on Saturday. Harvard, last year's Ivy League Champion was looking to get their season off to the right start. Holy Cross and Randolph wanting payback for last year's upset win in the last year with Harvard shocking Sader Nation in the fourth quarter and bringing them to a 25-24 win.

Holy Cross seemed more hungry for the win. They had after all only won 1 of the last 10 games against Harvard(until Saturday). The atmosphere at Worcester's Fitton field was definitely more charged with almost 13000 fans attending.

Harvard did seem off in their timing and could not get their arms around Randolph who was responsible for 3 touchdowns and 334 yards of offense. Randolph is impressive enough when he is just throwing but he is also a rushing threat. That seems to be what had Harvard a few steps behind and brought Holy Cross the win with a 27-20 score.

Holy Cross ranked 23d in the football championship subdivision moves to 3-0 and is getting some much deserved national attention. Holy Cross' next game will be at Northeastern on October 3rd.

Worcester Tornadoes In Championship Series

WorcesterLocal — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:41:35 +0000

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If you had asked realists in Worcester a few weeks ago whether there was hope the Tornadoes would be in the Championship Series you might have gotten a few laughs. The Tornadoes struggled at the end of the year with 8 straight losses. They turned it around though and were able to sweep the stunned New Jersey Jackals.

The CAN-AM League playoffs remind me of the Final Four in college basketball where in essence if you can make it in anything is possible. The Tornadoes finished the 2009 season in fourth place 13 games behind the first place Brockton Rox who ironically were defeated in the playoffs by the 3rd place Quebec Capitales.

You will be able to see Worcester's own Rich Gedman and the Tornadoes in the 2009 Championship series here at Fitton Field tomorrow and Wednesday. As of this writing there are plenty of tickets left. Let's go out and support the Tornadoes in their quest for a second championship!

Holy Cross Offense Finally Explodes in the 4th Quarter

WorcesterLocal — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:11:10 +0000

If you were at the Holy Cross versus Georgetown game this Saturday and left before the fourth quarter you might have been wondering if the offense was going to break through in the red zone. Sader Nation breathed a sigh of relief when they finally did and seemed to shake off what might have been first game jitters.

Labor Day Weekend is historically the start of the College Football Season. Worcester can enjoy great football this season at Holy Cross' Fitton Field with Senior Quarterback Dominic Randolph in the hunt for breaking all sorts of records.

The Holy Cross Crusaders defeated the Georgetown Hoyas 20-7 despite the ability for Holy Cross to capitalize on great offensive drives in the first 3 quarters. The defense kept them in the game though holding the Hoyas to only 7 points. This gave the Crusaders a chance to take the lead in the 4th quarter and the rest is history. Randolph passed for an unbelievable 414 yards allowing him to break the Holy Cross record for career passing yards as well as the Patriot League record for the same.

My family came with me to the game and it was another great example of inexpensive family outings in the Worcester area. Similar to the Worcester Tornadoes experience the kids enjoyed the smaller venue especially when the cheerleaders came around giving candy to the kids. The tickets are $12 for adults and $5 for kids so it proved to be a pretty economical trip. Holy Cross is holding a special kid's day event this Saturday for the game against Sacred Heart. The event is called Price Chopper Kid's Day which includes a clinic with the players and coaches, free t-shirts and $1 tickets.

Central Mass Gets More Pro Hockey

WorcesterLocal — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:45:59 +0000

The Worcester Sharks will be getting some professional hockey neighbors in Fitchburg Massachusetts. A new league called the North East Professional Hockey League(NEPHL) is starting up in November of this year. Fitchburg will be the home to the Yeti. Yes the same Yeti that came out in Star Wars in other words the abominable snow men. Pretty cool name for a hockey team.

The NEPHL is said to be more of a single A league so that would make it a couple of leagues away from the triple A league the Worcester Sharks play in. The team will be playing at the Wallace Civic Center at Fitchburg State College. The plans are for 22 home games.

Is there room for another professional team in Central Mass? There seems to be plenty of talent to go around and there is always a demand for less expensive family entertainment. The toughest part is for these types of independent leagues to survive. The Worcester Tornadoes are a good example of an team(baseball) in an independent league that are making a go of it.

Time will tell but I look forward to checking out the Fitchburg Yeti!

Tom Brady Fans Breathe a Sigh of Relief

WorcesterLocal — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:46:04 +0000

Last night's Patriot's preseason game against the Bengals was "highlighted" by a couple of big hits on Tom Brady. My family and I decided to catch this preseason game at Gillette Stadium to catch a glimpse of Tom Brady in "real" action. As you may recall we attended a training camp session recently and were quite impressed with it as a family day trip from Worcester.

We thought that a preseason game would be low key enough to bring our young kids. For the most part it was a good experience. Unfortunately you can't avoid some bad behavior and crude comments from a professional football crowd. Other than that we were lucky to get tickets on the 50 yard line and even though they were in the 300 Section the view was great, especially since we were sitting in the front of the section with a fence in front of us. Basically no one is sitting in front of you.

Tom Brady only stayed in the game for a couple of series before they brought in Kevin O'Connell (which is when some of the crude comments were being thrown around). Tom Brady was taken down pretty hard by Bengals 91 and in the news highlights you could see that he landed on his injured leg. He got up and seemed fine but there was a big groan from the Gillette Stadium crowd when he went down.

The game itself was pretty lackluster as Coach Belichick emphasized in his usual understated press conference. I think they probably would have kept Brady in the game longer if he hadn't taken some hits. These are really the first hits he's received since rehab so you don't want to take any chances. It would have made for a better game though. As preseason games go though you usually don't expect the best play.

If you have younger kids I would recommend going to a New England Revolution game as a more Rated G type of outing.

Free Worcester Sharks Tickets for a Good Cause

WorcesterLocal — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:01:15 +0000

The DCU Center and the Worcester Sharks are sponsoring a blood drive this Friday August 21st from 10:00am to 4:00pm. This is a tough time of year for hospitals who continue to need blood even though people are not as available.

This is the 4th year that the Sharks have sponsored the blood drive. This is a great cause in and of itself but the Sharks have added the incentive of 2 free tickets for a game this season. Friendly's will be providing half a gallon of ice cream to donors(great in this "heat wave" and Dunkin Donuts will be providing a pound of coffee.

The Sharks recently released their 2009-2010 schedule. Is it time to get back into the hockey mindset? I'm not ready to call an end to the good weather yet but I am willing to sign up for a good cause. For more information on the Blood Drive as well as to preregister as requested please visit the Sharks website.

Worcester Tornadoes Stop the Slide

WorcesterLocal — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:05:18 +0000

The Tornadoes broke out of their slump yesterday beating the Sussex SkyHawks 12-2. I will have to say it was highly likely that it was due to my family's presence at the game. OK, OK maybe not. I recently wrote about the Worcester Tornadoes as a great value for family entertainment. We were not disappointed. The heat was a bit of a damper since the temperature was in the low 90's. My kids were troopers though just like many of the kids that were there because it was Tykes Club Sunday.

Jusef Frias was very much in control for this outing which held Sussex to only 2 runs. The Tornadoes had been on a bit of a skid since they were in 1st place the last time I wrote about them. Yesterday's win brings them up to 2 games behind Brockton and Quebec that are currently tied for first. The Tornadoes will be taking Brockton on next weekend.

As much as my kids like sports and the Tornadoes the highlight of the outing was the Whirly Pop that they received from the Tykes Club crew. A Whirly Pop is a huge lollipop with many different flavors and colors. They also handed out a notice for an event at the 5&Diner at Lincoln Plaza 525 Lincoln Street, where the players are going to be waiting on customers from 5-8pm on tonight (Monday).

Safety Notes(especially for kids):

Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field is a small cozy park. So cozy that if you are not paying attention you can get hit by a ball. It is easy to forget that when you are walking around buying food or ice cream.
Bring something to sit on like a stadium pad or even a towel. The seats can get hot.
Use plenty of sunscreen
Drink plenty of water