This one hurts. So many games, so many firework shows all very good memories of McCoy growing up for me. My grandmother lived within walking distance when I was younger
This one hurt me as well. I lived in CT but spent the summers in Cumberland/Pawtucket with my grandparents. Spent many nights at this stadium , saw many firework shows and so many red sox greats play here, this stadium is what sparked my love for baseball , my grandfather loved the red sox and the paw sox he was very proud to be from the area and a proud red sox fan. He passed away this January and seeing this kills me. I want to get a paw sox tattoo in memory of him.
Ben Mondor was the greatest owner in pro sports. In 35 years, he never raised ticket prices. Even in 2015, you could sit front row for $14 a seat and grandstand seats were $6. The man truly didn't care about making a dime from the team and purely loved baseball
Growing up, my parents couldn't (wouldn't?) afford Boston Red Sox tickets, so we spent our summer nights here. Such fond memories. Thank you for sharing your memories with us.
This brought back so many memories. I grew up in Pawtucket, and residents often got free tickets. My friends and I would go all the time, we also loved seeing the Boston RedSox rehab there and practice......wieners from the Right Spot were always amazing. Also we always watched the 4th of July fireworks from there. So many of us also first time behind the wheel was in the McKoy parking lot.
My father took my brother and I to the Redwings game in 81. I was 6 and my brother was 4. My father had us leave in the 8th inning to beat traffic, and I still remember how upset I was with him when my Grandmother told us the game was still going while Jason and I were both taking a bath in the tub! I went to Baseball camp at McCoy for 3 years, and sleeping out on the field was the coolest thing in my world. I remember getting a stadium gym bag, and taking it with me Everywhere until it fell apart from wear and tear. The last game I saw at McCoy was in 2007, when I came back to R.I. to bury my Grandfather. Clay Bucholz pitched a gem, and I ate roughly a dozen NY system weiners before heading back to SF. Your video really brought these memories back for me, so thank you my brother from the state that is neither Road nor Island! It's awful misty up in here now! Respect.
in 1984 I worked for the Pawtucket Red Sox in the front office as a low level employee from January until September. The stadium and this video brings back fond memories of that year
Mr Mondor kept the prices crazy low so families could go. The place was at least half kids, you could hear it in every cheer. Such a shame that the greed of the Sox owners had to ruin it. It was packed all the time, had great fireworks shows, camp outs on the grass for Scouts. Every Sunday any kid could go down after the game and run the bases. So many great memories there, thank you Mr Mondor!
From the time Ben Mondor bought the team, til the year he past away, ticket prices were raised 3 times. I believe a GA ticket in the 70's was $4 and in 2009 you were paying $7. Once good old Larry took over by 2019 the GA ticket $10,with a senior still being I think $7
When Larry Lucchino and his group came to the Newport Chamber Board (which I was on at the time) they said definitively they wanted to stay in Pawtucket. They lied and I'll never forget it. Like others, so many good memories, including seeing Jose Canseco play here.
I used to go to Paw Sox games all the time as a little kid. It was a bit of a drive, but it was worth it. One time I got to run around the bases in a mini mascot outfit. It was awesome.
I’m from Pawtucket and this saddens me. I even went to one of the schools being replaced by the future school planned to be built which sort of saddens me more. There were also many thanksgiving day high school rivalry games played here between my Tolman Tigers and St Raphael Academy….technically games even though St Rays always creamed us. Thanks for at least preserving the memories digitally. Hopefully they salvage the portrait murals and the 33 inning score board mural somehow.
My time was relatively short in Pawtucket. About the last 15 years or so. Took the kids to many games. It was so much better than going to Boston. It was a less than an hour ride for us. I’ll never go to Worcester… Thank you for painting as nice a picture as you could for the future. Best wishes to Pawtucket. Thank You for all the great memories.
Back when I went to school in the Boston area, I once saw the Boston Red Sox play an afternoon game. When the game was over, I still needed to see more baseball, so I raced down to Pawtucket to see the PawSox play a night game. What a great day!!
I was a kid in RI in the 70s. We would get free Pawsox tickets from Allie”s donuts in Norrth Kingston, RI. My mom would drop my two brothers and myself off at the park and give us a dime to phone home when the game was over. We spent many days at the park seeing such Red Sox greats as: Carlton Fisk, Jim Rice, Fred Lynn, to name just a few. Such wonderful memories. Sad to see the team leave Pawtucket
as someone who grew up going to pawsox games, and not following sports sense 2015, this video hurts to see but brings back so many great memories, thank you for this video so we will have this to help us remember one of the places that we went to so many times as a kid
I grew up just a short walk from McCoy. I saw every Major League Red Sox great from the 60's and 70's at McCoy. I can't believe the city let the PawSox get away! I have so many stories about this place, I could write paragraphs.
Born, raised and never left South Kingstown and inherited my childhood home recently where I currently live (age 33). I grew up with baseball and probably went to 100+ games throughout my lifetime. Every year me and my dad (and sometimes mom 😂) would go to Pawtucket and enjoy everything we could in the area.... I've never been anymore upset when I first heard the rumors that the pawsox were going to be moving out of state....It still bothers me to this day and everyone I know. Whoever let this happen really dropped the ball on this one and I don't think I'll ever get over it. Edit - Love your videos bro. Been spreading your name around with people I know. Always love when I get a notification saying you dropped something. Keep up the good work man!!
I’ve lived in RI for over 10 years and most of that was in Pawtucket, I attended a game back in my Jr high days when I went to the school across the street! I had no idea of half of this history. Thank you!
I'm from CA and I was very fortunate to visit this ballpark in 2012 while I was training in Groton, CT. I thought the stadium was awesome and got to see Mark Prior pitch.
I was fortunate enough to attend my one and only game here in July 2019. Without knowing, that was less than two months before their last game at McCoy Stadium. 2020 was suppose to be their last season there until Covid hit. My family used to live in the area and would go to games every once in a while
I'm from Lowell, MA and I spent all of my childhood at McCoy Stadium. I went to a bar named Mai Tai's in Worcester this past weekend, and right beside it is Polar Park. I told my friends eventually I will make it to a game. It still bothers me that they moved to Worcester. I wanted to see just one more game at McCoy, but Covid ruined it. I remember as a kid walking up the ramp seeing the murals on the wall, by the end could recite every player. I wish the PawSox were never sold to that weasel Larry Lucchino. He has the face you would love to just punch. Thank You for this great video, I didn't know who McCoy was.
I now prefer going to Polar Park than Fenway now such a great experience. I met Larry a few times and he is a good guy. He used to be with Maria Shriver over fourty years ago but left him for a musclehead body builder. Larry gave Rhode Island a chance to keep them but they didn't want them and Massachusetts did.
@@willisapril I aways thought Lucchino’s purchase of the AAA Sox was a demotion! Things have changed, as they’re actually owned by the big club and not just an affiliate. The Commissioner of Baseball now is in charge of the minors.
@@CatholicTraditional Larry is the majority owner of the team. The Crowley family who own Polar Beverages, and Wachusett Mountain are minority owners. John Henry and To Werner are also minority owners as well.
What a great video.... thank u for sharing it. As a huge baseball fan and a redsox fan since 1984 this video has a ton of meaning for me. My dad took me to this stadium once as a kid as he wanted to show me the Sox minor league team and I still remember that day. As today I'm a 47 year old and have 2 sons I've taken them both to Fenway but sadly not to here. Thank u again for honoring such a great stadium and a huge part of baseball history.
My dad said he was a night foreman when the WPA was building the stadium and the amount of cement poured day and nigh into the swamp land on which it was built was incredible also that the structure itself was supported by rail road rails.
The reminiscing in this video gives me flashbacks to childhood trips with my dad to Bristol Red Sox games at Muzzy Field in Bristol CT. I was today years old when I found out that the BriSox actually began as the Eastern League Pawtucket Red Sox before they left McCoy Field for Bristol in 1973.
Thank you Jason for sharing this gem of a stadium. It still makes me so sad and really pisses me off. I grew up in Worcester county and went to the Paw Sox every year for decades. Hell will freeze over before I step into the Poo Sox stadium!
My First professional baseball game as a child was at McCoy. I loved that place and would go any chance I could. Great experience. So Sad that the PawSox moved to Worcester
This is such a good documentary, in one of the zoom out shots i can see my grandfathers house, he was the one that took me to most games. The fireworks, the food, the longest game in history, there was just so much there. I was really sad when it shut down, especially because there was no longer a 4th of July fireworks show. Really sad to see.
I have so many fond memories at McCoy. As many were, I was heartbroken when they moved. The owners of the Red Sox made me realize I was just rooting for a t-shirt. They don’t give a damn about the fans or heritage. After 30 years of being a die hard Red Sox fan… I am without a team. I do, however, have one team I will no longer ever spend a dime on. Larry’s Red Sox.
I saw my first game there when I was very young. My Dad took my brother and I to see a young Deion Sanders coming up for the Yankees. I saw a lot more games there over the years, with a lot more great players, and I'm really gong to miss going there.
I grew up living about 8 blocks from mccoy. Used to go catch home run balls during batting practice and sell them back to the stadium for 50 cents. Late 70’s. We also went to the 33 inning game when it was rescheduled. First time that stadium was full. So many tv trucks and press. Really good memories. Saw so many greats come through there. Especially jim rice and fred lynn in 1974. I was 6😂
Great video. I'm from Worcester and would enjoy going to PawSox games throughout the summer. As nice as the new Polar Park is, it lacks the charm and family feel of McCoy. So sad that another team was not able to fill the void but nice to hear that the land will be put to good use. Pretty cool that kids will be able to tell their kids that they went to school where the longest baseball game in history was played.
Excellent video! I really miss the Pawsox. The stadium was easy to get to, there really wasn't a bad seat in the house and it was pure baseball as it is meant to be. McCoy is a great place to watch a game. I've been to a several of the newer statiums, and all of them were strerile compared to McCoy. I had Pawsox season tickets during the 90's, and Ben Mondor would stand outside the gates every game greeting fans, and he would also man the grills, cooking fresh burgers along the third base sidelines (before the rennovations moved it to the first base side). He hosted a lot of community events and in my mind he was the best owner in all of baseball. They also swapped the dugouts, so the home duguout was on the third base side. That was because the setting sun would bake and blind the players on the first base bench. The Pawsox players would be enjoying the game from the comfortable shaded side
Great tribute video to McCoy! I only saw a handful of ball games there over the years, but enjoyed each one and have fond memories of just relaxing with my friends while taking in a game on a warm evening. I also remember at least one year where the annual Jack-O-Lantern display was held there instead of at Roger Williams Zoo (admittedly, McCoy was not the right setting for it). I attended the concert at Mccoy with Bob Dylan headlining (that was August 24, 2006, the opening acts were Elana James & the Continental Two, Junior Brown, Jimmie Vaughan with Lou Ann Barton). The last time I went there was when they turned it into a testing site during COVID.
Going to PawSox games with my grandfather is one of my favorite childhood memories. Was hoping to fly back for a game during their last season in Pawtucket, but COVID botched those plans. Great (but sad) video!
Just excellent, Jason. I relate. I used to take my son to see the AAA Edmonton Trappers until they were bought by Nolan Ryan and moved to Texas. It’s such a personal loss.
My company had season tix to McCoy, I would go frequently, especially when the Baby Bombers were in. (YUP! I'm a Yankee's Fan). The seats we had were right behind home Plate.. Many many fun times at McCoy.
So glad to see another Yankees fan here who was also a PawSox fan :D!! I grew up at this place, but Wade Boggs was my favorite player in the 90s and when he went to NY....so did I :). Always was loyal to the PawSox though!!
I’ve been to that stadium several times before, it was always my favorite. It was sad when it shut down, which is why I was so happy when I went to Fenway Park not long ago and saw the Red Sox go against Seattle
I live in Rochester and that game is a big piece of history. I honestly didn’t realize they had moved but that makes me sad, they were one of the memorable teams that the red wings played
I miss McCoy always lived near it and on game night you could hear the energy, the crack of the bats, Boos and cheers. I miss it a lot also glad the helmet sundaes are loved by others.
My grandfather worked security outside the locker room for decades. Every bday my mom would take me and my friends to a game, I have pics with so many players like Pedroia and Ellsbury before they got called up. Was always special walking down to the clubhouse to visit him and see players walking by. Polar park is nice but nothing will replace the memories. So many greats played at this stadium too, such a historical place. By the end, attendance was so low. Now we all miss what's gone, wish they figured out a way to keep it going
I played here my sophomore year of HS in the state championship…even a couple years before it was abandoned the playing surface was amazing. Even tho there were only a couple hundred people there, the echoing of the crowd was electric
As someone who’s been to 100s of pawsox games I still feel I took the team for granted. From playin HS thanksgiving games to just attending games on school field trips. The pawsox and McCoy stadium will be missed.
I remember coming here as a kid running the bases seeing games with my family, being able to meet some of the players and everything like that really is a sad thing to see this beautiful place abandoned
So much nostalgia for me going there when I was a kid in the 2000's. I remember my elementary school would do a whole school field trip to the stadium at the start of the baseball season. I remember how cheap those tickets were when I was little. 7 dollars it not mistaken? Was also the time I got my first catch of a homerun. Good times... 🙂
This was definitely the hardest one to watch, and I'm sure the hardest one for you to make. Thank you so much for keeping the memories alive with all of your videos. Larry Lucchino is a very bad man.
My Grandfather was a sports writer for the Pawtucket Times. When he passed away they gave my grandmother a lifetime pass to the stadium. Growing up any game i wanted to go to all i had to do was reserve the tickets ahead of time.
Talkin baseball would blare over the loud speakers! The Seven Dwarfs HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGH HOOOOOO as the grounds crew did the between inning work. So many good memories and absolutely gorgeous sunsets taken in here. (For some reason, McCoy always had the most gorgeous sunsets) Grew up where from my bedroom you could see the lights of the stadium.
I never went to rhode island till I was in my late 20s first fit a trucking company then as an Amtrak employee. I have a love for rhode island and especially Providence.
I went to high school in Providence and look back fondly on those days. Our school was a block away from Thayer Street, and I can't imagine many other kids having so many great places to grab lunch or an early dinner before basketball or baseball practice. Oh, and all the great music stores... sigh. Good times.
Just like everyone in the comment section including myself has been to Mc Stadium a zillion times and it was truly a hidden gem in Rhode Island Good thing People like you Mr Jason that takes the time and Documents important places in history before they all despair forever ... Mr Jason you are truly a hidden gem for Rhode Island .. Just make sure that you dont go Abandoned LOL 😆🤣😆☺
I'm from MA, I went to several PawSox games when I was a kid. It was always fun, McCoy was a sweet little ballpark honestly. I do like the move to Worcester though, partially because it's closer to me, but they did a great job with Polar Park.
When I was a Cub Master, my pack took in Scout night. We took part in the flag cerimony on the field. Big Pappi played that night. After the game, we camped out on the field. This was probally around 2008. Good memories.
I went to my first game there in 1966 to see the Red Sox double-A team (Pittsfield Red Sox) play against Pawtucket. The stadium is only a mile and half from Massachusetts and drew as many fans from there as from RI. Before I thankfully moved to FL 23 years ago I probably went to at least 600 games there (I never resided near there) and my last game was in 2019 against Durham. Been to Worcester once. I miss McCoy, but on the bright side, Pawtucket is getting a soccer stadium instead. Pawtucket of the 21st century is not the Pawtucket of the 20th.
When you said "Bandos" in your life I could immediately relate. Amusement Park(Jazzland/sixflags New Orleans), My elementary school(St. Agnes), Navy depot where i enlisted(New Orleans), New Orleans Zephys/Baby Cakes(AAA) gone. I havent been home in awhile to know if anything else is abandoned. I can't believe no more Pawsox.
Great one, Jason! I moved to the Providence area in '81 for a job change at a small division of Denison Mfg. on Bacon St., just a block from McCoy. Such proximity seemed like a big deal to me at the time. I made a point to go to one more game during that final season in '19. Kind of sad that I did my one and only COVID test there a year or so later, AND got a speeding ticket on the way there. But I must admit, Polar Park is a great place to watch a game. We can walk to it from daughter Helen's apartment.
So cool. I just explored an abandoned minor league ballpark in Texas, it was in worse shape than this though. It's wild dude, we have a lot of similarities in how we make videos but your production quality and graphics blow me out of the water completely. Thanks for the extra kick, I gotta work harder. Your videos are incredible.
Same! I left RI in 2008 to California! I moved back her in Pawtucket in 2021 and everything changed! No McCoy, no Apex heck no Memorial hospital! I was born there and it’s closed! No idea why? Man it’s strange
Living in RI really saddens me. I really thought I would be able to take my son there one day! You have done great work making these videos to share with everyone!
Just found your channel! You are very talented. I’m sure the research, editing and scripting of these videos is very time consuming. This method of telling historical stories is a great way to help educate a public that mostly has no attention span. Nice work!
"I hope nothing bad happens to this beloved place!" *weeps violently* I'm not a sports person, but I loved PawSox. It was more about eating the good food, hanging out with friends and watching the funny skits on the big screen while a bunch of guys happened to be playing baseball. Very heartbroken over its closing. I wonder if a video on Fantasy Land in Seekonk, MA will ever be done.....
I was heartbroken when I found out Fantasyland was closing. Occasionally my dad used to take me for mini-golf, and then I'd convince him to let me go in the arcade.
What a wonderful video! But what a sad story also, with the team owners looking for taxpayer dollars for new stadiums. I hope that the WooSox will give a discount or some other promotion for Rhode Island residents. On another point: I do remember the time limit rules against long baseball games that were put in the rules in the 1960s after a very long Tigers-Yankees game. It is strange that the umpires in Pawtucket did not know of those rules.
Great video. I was born and raised in pawtucket and still drive by the stadium every so often. This one hurts that they werent able to come to common ground to keep the stadium from leaving. I had many memories of going to baseball games, watching the fireworks displays having food truck events on the field and even playing thanksgiving football games as a tolman football player against shea and st Ray's. It looks like theyve already started laying the land on the other side of the city for the new soccer stadium but this one hurts
I remember going to an Ottawa Lynx vs. PawSox Triple A game in the early-to-mid 2000's. Years later, the Lynx ceased to exist, but the Ottawa ballpark is still used to this day. A shame that this ballpark doesn't get the same treatment that Fenway Park does. Hopefully they keep some of the stadium features (31-inning boxscore, etc.) with whatever gets built in its place. Love the videos, man! Cheers from Canada.
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This was my childhood … goin to see fireworks with my family … miss u pops and I miss u pawsox 😢😢
This one hurts. So many games, so many firework shows all very good memories of McCoy growing up for me. My grandmother lived within walking distance when I was younger
Same dude! I must've went so many times!
This one hurt me as well. I lived in CT but spent the summers in Cumberland/Pawtucket with my grandparents. Spent many nights at this stadium , saw many firework shows and so many red sox greats play here, this stadium is what sparked my love for baseball , my grandfather loved the red sox and the paw sox he was very proud to be from the area and a proud red sox fan. He passed away this January and seeing this kills me. I want to get a paw sox tattoo in memory of him.
My grandmother had a picture of McCoy being built. Her house was right next to the linen company. House is no longer their either.
I slept on the field once as a cub scout. It was a lot of fun.
I did too
I saw Bob Dylan play here when i was very young under 10 was a very cool time
Ben Mondor was the greatest owner in pro sports. In 35 years, he never raised ticket prices. Even in 2015, you could sit front row for $14 a seat and grandstand seats were $6. The man truly didn't care about making a dime from the team and purely loved baseball
Went to McCoy in 2002 with Scouts, we just bought $8 GA tickets at the gate after caravanning! Wonderful day! Park was coming off 1999 renovation.
Growing up, my parents couldn't (wouldn't?) afford Boston Red Sox tickets, so we spent our summer nights here. Such fond memories. Thank you for sharing your memories with us.
I loved going there from Massachusetts once or twice a year
This brought back so many memories. I grew up in Pawtucket, and residents often got free tickets. My friends and I would go all the time, we also loved seeing the Boston RedSox rehab there and practice......wieners from the Right Spot were always amazing. Also we always watched the 4th of July fireworks from there. So many of us also first time behind the wheel was in the McKoy parking lot.
My father took my brother and I to the Redwings game in 81. I was 6 and my brother was 4. My father had us leave in the 8th inning to beat traffic, and I still remember how upset I was with him when my Grandmother told us the game was still going while Jason and I were both taking a bath in the tub! I went to Baseball camp at McCoy for 3 years, and sleeping out on the field was the coolest thing in my world. I remember getting a stadium gym bag, and taking it with me Everywhere until it fell apart from wear and tear. The last game I saw at McCoy was in 2007, when I came back to R.I. to bury my Grandfather. Clay Bucholz pitched a gem, and I ate roughly a dozen NY system weiners before heading back to SF. Your video really brought these memories back for me, so thank you my brother from the state that is neither Road nor Island! It's awful misty up in here now! Respect.
in 1984 I worked for the Pawtucket Red Sox in the front office as a low level employee from January until September. The stadium and this video brings back fond memories of that year
Hi
Mr Mondor kept the prices crazy low so families could go. The place was at least half kids, you could hear it in every cheer. Such a shame that the greed of the Sox owners had to ruin it. It was packed all the time, had great fireworks shows, camp outs on the grass for Scouts. Every Sunday any kid could go down after the game and run the bases. So many great memories there, thank you Mr Mondor!
From the time Ben Mondor bought the team, til the year he past away, ticket prices were raised 3 times. I believe a GA ticket in the 70's was $4 and in 2009 you were paying $7. Once good old Larry took over by 2019 the GA ticket $10,with a senior still being I think $7
When Larry Lucchino and his group came to the Newport Chamber Board (which I was on at the time) they said definitively they wanted to stay in Pawtucket. They lied and I'll never forget it. Like others, so many good memories, including seeing Jose Canseco play here.
I used to go to Paw Sox games all the time as a little kid. It was a bit of a drive, but it was worth it. One time I got to run around the bases in a mini mascot outfit. It was awesome.
I’m from Pawtucket and this saddens me. I even went to one of the schools being replaced by the future school planned to be built which sort of saddens me more. There were also many thanksgiving day high school rivalry games played here between my Tolman Tigers and St Raphael Academy….technically games even though St Rays always creamed us. Thanks for at least preserving the memories digitally. Hopefully they salvage the portrait murals and the 33 inning score board mural somehow.
I was a Tolman Tiger and graduated in 1970. The Saints/Tiger games were the best.
There were plenty of years that tolman creamed saints too!
My time was relatively short in Pawtucket. About the last 15 years or so. Took the kids to many games. It was so much better than going to Boston. It was a less than an hour ride for us. I’ll never go to Worcester… Thank you for painting as nice a picture as you could for the future. Best wishes to Pawtucket. Thank You for all the great memories.
Back when I went to school in the Boston area, I once saw the Boston Red Sox play an afternoon game. When the game was over, I still needed to see more baseball, so I raced down to Pawtucket to see the PawSox play a night game. What a great day!!
My father took me there many times in the 80’s when he lived in Woonsocket. Very sad to see the stadium in this shape…
I was a kid in RI in the 70s. We would get free Pawsox tickets from Allie”s donuts in Norrth Kingston, RI. My mom would drop my two brothers and myself off at the park and give us a dime to phone home when the game was over. We spent many days at the park seeing such Red Sox greats as: Carlton Fisk, Jim Rice, Fred Lynn, to name just a few. Such wonderful memories. Sad to see the team leave Pawtucket
as someone who grew up going to pawsox games, and not following sports sense 2015, this video hurts to see but brings back so many great memories, thank you for this video so we will have this to help us remember one of the places that we went to so many times as a kid
I grew up just a short walk from McCoy. I saw every Major League Red Sox great from the 60's and 70's at McCoy. I can't believe the city let the PawSox get away! I have so many stories about this place, I could write paragraphs.
they should have coughed up the dough at any price
The best and saddest video yet.
Born, raised and never left South Kingstown and inherited my childhood home recently where I currently live (age 33). I grew up with baseball and probably went to 100+ games throughout my lifetime. Every year me and my dad (and sometimes mom 😂) would go to Pawtucket and enjoy everything we could in the area.... I've never been anymore upset when I first heard the rumors that the pawsox were going to be moving out of state....It still bothers me to this day and everyone I know.
Whoever let this happen really dropped the ball on this one and I don't think I'll ever get over it.
Edit - Love your videos bro. Been spreading your name around with people I know. Always love when I get a notification saying you dropped something. Keep up the good work man!!
you are so right! we have lost the Massachusetts/ RI connection with this catastrophe
I’ve lived in RI for over 10 years and most of that was in Pawtucket, I attended a game back in my Jr high days when I went to the school across the street! I had no idea of half of this history. Thank you!
I went to Jenks in 85-87, and lived a few blocks from McCoy. Those places were in my hood.
I lived within walking distance, and sat in my driveway every fourth of july to watch the fireworks at mccoy. Rip
I'm from CA and I was very fortunate to visit this ballpark in 2012 while I was training in Groton, CT. I thought the stadium was awesome and got to see Mark Prior pitch.
I was fortunate enough to attend my one and only game here in July 2019. Without knowing, that was less than two months before their last game at McCoy Stadium. 2020 was suppose to be their last season there until Covid hit. My family used to live in the area and would go to games every once in a while
I'm from Lowell, MA and I spent all of my childhood at McCoy Stadium. I went to a bar named Mai Tai's in Worcester this past weekend, and right beside it is Polar Park. I told my friends eventually I will make it to a game. It still bothers me that they moved to Worcester. I wanted to see just one more game at McCoy, but Covid ruined it. I remember as a kid walking up the ramp seeing the murals on the wall, by the end could recite every player. I wish the PawSox were never sold to that weasel Larry Lucchino. He has the face you would love to just punch.
Thank You for this great video, I didn't know who McCoy was.
I now prefer going to Polar Park than Fenway now such a great experience. I met Larry a few times and he is a good guy. He used to be with Maria Shriver over fourty years ago but left him for a musclehead body builder. Larry gave Rhode Island a chance to keep them but they didn't want them and Massachusetts did.
Long live the Lowell Spinners
@@willisapril I aways thought Lucchino’s purchase of the AAA Sox was a demotion! Things have changed, as they’re actually owned by the big club and not just an affiliate. The Commissioner of Baseball now is in charge of the minors.
@@CatholicTraditional Larry is the majority owner of the team. The Crowley family who own Polar Beverages, and Wachusett Mountain are minority owners. John Henry and To Werner are also minority owners as well.
What a great video.... thank u for sharing it. As a huge baseball fan and a redsox fan since 1984 this video has a ton of meaning for me. My dad took me to this stadium once as a kid as he wanted to show me the Sox minor league team and I still remember that day. As today I'm a 47 year old and have 2 sons I've taken them both to Fenway but sadly not to here. Thank u again for honoring such a great stadium and a huge part of baseball history.
Bunker Hill 👍🏼
My dad said he was a night foreman when the WPA was building the stadium and the amount of cement poured day and nigh into the swamp land on which it was built was incredible also that the structure itself was supported by rail road rails.
I swear, I've heard that same story.
Wonderful walk down memory lane! Thank you!
The reminiscing in this video gives me flashbacks to childhood trips with my dad to Bristol Red Sox games at Muzzy Field in Bristol CT. I was today years old when I found out that the BriSox actually began as the Eastern League Pawtucket Red Sox before they left McCoy Field for Bristol in 1973.
Thank you Jason for sharing this gem of a stadium. It still makes me so sad and really pisses me off. I grew up in Worcester county and went to the Paw Sox every year for decades. Hell will freeze over before I step into the Poo Sox stadium!
It’s a shame this stadium is being torn down.
My First professional baseball game as a child was at McCoy. I loved that place and would go any chance I could. Great experience. So Sad that the PawSox moved to Worcester
I’m a Tigers fan, but appreciate the loyalty of Red Sox fans in New England, both at the major and minor league levels. Outstanding video
This is such a good documentary, in one of the zoom out shots i can see my grandfathers house, he was the one that took me to most games. The fireworks, the food, the longest game in history, there was just so much there. I was really sad when it shut down, especially because there was no longer a 4th of July fireworks show. Really sad to see.
I have so many fond memories at McCoy. As many were, I was heartbroken when they moved. The owners of the Red Sox made me realize I was just rooting for a t-shirt. They don’t give a damn about the fans or heritage. After 30 years of being a die hard Red Sox fan… I am without a team. I do, however, have one team I will no longer ever spend a dime on. Larry’s Red Sox.
What a nice video!!! I remember going to many Pawsox games, especially in 2019!!! It is something I will never forget!!!
I remember going to mccoy on a school trip back in 2019 :)
I saw my first game there when I was very young. My Dad took my brother and I to see a young Deion Sanders coming up for the Yankees. I saw a lot more games there over the years, with a lot more great players, and I'm really gong to miss going there.
I miss baseball in RI. great job on presenting this.
I grew up living about 8 blocks from mccoy. Used to go catch home run balls during batting practice and sell them back to the stadium for 50 cents. Late 70’s. We also went to the 33 inning game when it was rescheduled. First time that stadium was full. So many tv trucks and press. Really good memories. Saw so many greats come through there. Especially jim rice and fred lynn in 1974. I was 6😂
Great video. I'm from Worcester and would enjoy going to PawSox games throughout the summer. As nice as the new Polar Park is, it lacks the charm and family feel of McCoy. So sad that another team was not able to fill the void but nice to hear that the land will be put to good use. Pretty cool that kids will be able to tell their kids that they went to school where the longest baseball game in history was played.
Excellent video! I really miss the Pawsox. The stadium was easy to get to, there really wasn't a bad seat in the house and it was pure baseball as it is meant to be. McCoy is a great place to watch a game. I've been to a several of the newer statiums, and all of them were strerile compared to McCoy. I had Pawsox season tickets during the 90's, and Ben Mondor would stand outside the gates every game greeting fans, and he would also man the grills, cooking fresh burgers along the third base sidelines (before the rennovations moved it to the first base side). He hosted a lot of community events and in my mind he was the best owner in all of baseball.
They also swapped the dugouts, so the home duguout was on the third base side. That was because the setting sun would bake and blind the players on the first base bench. The Pawsox players would be enjoying the game from the comfortable shaded side
This one hurts the most.
Great tribute video to McCoy! I only saw a handful of ball games there over the years, but enjoyed each one and have fond memories of just relaxing with my friends while taking in a game on a warm evening. I also remember at least one year where the annual Jack-O-Lantern display was held there instead of at Roger Williams Zoo (admittedly, McCoy was not the right setting for it). I attended the concert at Mccoy with Bob Dylan headlining (that was August 24, 2006, the opening acts were Elana James & the Continental Two, Junior Brown, Jimmie Vaughan with Lou Ann Barton). The last time I went there was when they turned it into a testing site during COVID.
Going to PawSox games with my grandfather is one of my favorite childhood memories. Was hoping to fly back for a game during their last season in Pawtucket, but COVID botched those plans. Great (but sad) video!
Just excellent, Jason. I relate. I used to take my son to see the AAA Edmonton Trappers until they were bought by Nolan Ryan and moved to Texas. It’s such a personal loss.
Remember everyone, July 3rd they are doing a send off for the stadium. Be sure to go!
An honorable man named Ben made this place great again.
Greed turned it into this😢
My company had season tix to McCoy, I would go frequently, especially when the Baby Bombers were in. (YUP! I'm a Yankee's Fan). The seats we had were right behind home Plate.. Many many fun times at McCoy.
So glad to see another Yankees fan here who was also a PawSox fan :D!! I grew up at this place, but Wade Boggs was my favorite player in the 90s and when he went to NY....so did I :). Always was loyal to the PawSox though!!
Use to love walking from central falls to McCoy in the summer. Pawsox for life!
I’ve been to that stadium several times before, it was always my favorite. It was sad when it shut down, which is why I was so happy when I went to Fenway Park not long ago and saw the Red Sox go against Seattle
I live in Rochester and that game is a big piece of history. I honestly didn’t realize they had moved but that makes me sad, they were one of the memorable teams that the red wings played
I grew up in Pawtucket and would frequently attend McCoy Stadium. WOW, what a shame! So many memories!
I miss McCoy always lived near it and on game night you could hear the energy, the crack of the bats, Boos and cheers. I miss it a lot also glad the helmet sundaes are loved by others.
will you cover the final firework show ?
My grandfather worked security outside the locker room for decades. Every bday my mom would take me and my friends to a game, I have pics with so many players like Pedroia and Ellsbury before they got called up. Was always special walking down to the clubhouse to visit him and see players walking by. Polar park is nice but nothing will replace the memories. So many greats played at this stadium too, such a historical place. By the end, attendance was so low. Now we all miss what's gone, wish they figured out a way to keep it going
I have so many memories from there. I went there as a kid and then took my kids there when I was older.
I played here my sophomore year of HS in the state championship…even a couple years before it was abandoned the playing surface was amazing. Even tho there were only a couple hundred people there, the echoing of the crowd was electric
Great video Jason, you are a master history/storyteller!
As someone who’s been to 100s of pawsox games I still feel I took the team for granted. From playin HS thanksgiving games to just attending games on school field trips. The pawsox and McCoy stadium will be missed.
Well done, Sir. Keep up the great work!
I remember coming here as a kid running the bases seeing games with my family, being able to meet some of the players and everything like that really is a sad thing to see this beautiful place abandoned
Really special installment Jason-well done. Thanks for one last memory of McCoy. #teammondor
Eh ,oh, my fatha abandoned me too!! I mostly remember fireworks show every summer !!
So much nostalgia for me going there when I was a kid in the 2000's. I remember my elementary school would do a whole school field trip to the stadium at the start of the baseball season. I remember how cheap those tickets were when I was little. 7 dollars it not mistaken? Was also the time I got my first catch of a homerun. Good times... 🙂
This was definitely the hardest one to watch, and I'm sure the hardest one for you to make. Thank you so much for keeping the memories alive with all of your videos.
Larry Lucchino is a very bad man.
My Grandfather was a sports writer for the Pawtucket Times. When he passed away they gave my grandmother a lifetime pass to the stadium. Growing up any game i wanted to go to all i had to do was reserve the tickets ahead of time.
I wish someone told me about this stadium sooner. I’m impressed
Talkin baseball would blare over the loud speakers! The Seven Dwarfs HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGH HOOOOOO as the grounds crew did the between inning work. So many good memories and absolutely gorgeous sunsets taken in here. (For some reason, McCoy always had the most gorgeous sunsets)
Grew up where from my bedroom you could see the lights of the stadium.
I never went to rhode island till I was in my late 20s first fit a trucking company then as an Amtrak employee. I have a love for rhode island and especially Providence.
I went to high school in Providence and look back fondly on those days. Our school was a block away from Thayer Street, and I can't imagine many other kids having so many great places to grab lunch or an early dinner before basketball or baseball practice. Oh, and all the great music stores... sigh. Good times.
Just like everyone in the comment section including myself has been to Mc Stadium a zillion times and it was truly a hidden gem in Rhode Island Good thing People like you Mr Jason that takes the time and Documents important places in history before they all despair forever ... Mr Jason you are truly a hidden gem for Rhode Island .. Just make sure that you dont go Abandoned LOL 😆🤣😆☺
I lived across the street from McCoy stadium when i was younger. The fireworks on the 4th were the best
Sad.......wonderful memories 😢
I'm from MA, I went to several PawSox games when I was a kid. It was always fun, McCoy was a sweet little ballpark honestly. I do like the move to Worcester though, partially because it's closer to me, but they did a great job with Polar Park.
When I was a Cub Master, my pack took in Scout night. We took part in the flag cerimony on the field. Big Pappi played that night. After the game, we camped out on the field. This was probally around 2008. Good memories.
I went to my first game there in 1966 to see the Red Sox double-A team (Pittsfield Red Sox) play against Pawtucket. The stadium is only a mile and half from Massachusetts and drew as many fans from there as from RI. Before I thankfully moved to FL 23 years ago I probably went to at least 600 games there (I never resided near there) and my last game was in 2019 against Durham. Been to Worcester once. I miss McCoy, but on the bright side, Pawtucket is getting a soccer stadium instead. Pawtucket of the 21st century is not the Pawtucket of the 20th.
Every day every summer for years me and my Dad went to see pawsox games, and we had soo much fun, it hurts me to see that it is abandoned
This is the best video on McCoy out there. Thank you.
When you said "Bandos" in your life I could immediately relate. Amusement Park(Jazzland/sixflags New Orleans), My elementary school(St. Agnes), Navy depot where i enlisted(New Orleans), New Orleans Zephys/Baby Cakes(AAA) gone. I havent been home in awhile to know if anything else is abandoned. I can't believe no more Pawsox.
Amazing! I am hoping we can save McCoy! Praying!
you should make a video on the Ladd School in exeter or the abandoned post office in west warwick
Great one, Jason!
I moved to the Providence area in '81 for a job change at a small division of Denison Mfg. on Bacon St., just a block from McCoy. Such proximity seemed like a big deal to me at the time.
I made a point to go to one more game during that final season in '19.
Kind of sad that I did my one and only COVID test there a year or so later, AND got a speeding ticket on the way there.
But I must admit, Polar Park is a great place to watch a game. We can walk to it from daughter Helen's apartment.
So cool. I just explored an abandoned minor league ballpark in Texas, it was in worse shape than this though.
It's wild dude, we have a lot of similarities in how we make videos but your production quality and graphics blow me out of the water completely. Thanks for the extra kick, I gotta work harder. Your videos are incredible.
18 years of opening night would have been 19 if i hadn't missed a year being at CCRI in 08. lot of cold but worth it nights of baseball
This is so sad… and it really hits hard as a big baseball fan who lives in RI
I moved away decades ago and I had no idea this stadium was abandoned. Wow. Thanks for making this.
Same! I left RI in 2008 to California! I moved back her in Pawtucket in 2021 and everything changed! No McCoy, no Apex heck no Memorial hospital! I was born there and it’s closed! No idea why? Man it’s strange
Man I wish they never left 😪 such an icon such a shame its abandoned just like many other iconic rhode island land marks
Production is really great in this one. Very sad story, as I spent quite a few nights as a child here.
Living in RI really saddens me. I really thought I would be able to take my son there one day! You have done great work making these videos to share with everyone!
Just found your channel! You are very talented. I’m sure the research, editing and scripting of these videos is very time consuming.
This method of telling historical stories is a great way to help educate a public that mostly has no attention span. Nice work!
"I hope nothing bad happens to this beloved place!" *weeps violently*
I'm not a sports person, but I loved PawSox. It was more about eating the good food, hanging out with friends and watching the funny skits on the big screen while a bunch of guys happened to be playing baseball. Very heartbroken over its closing.
I wonder if a video on Fantasy Land in Seekonk, MA will ever be done.....
I was heartbroken when I found out Fantasyland was closing. Occasionally my dad used to take me for mini-golf, and then I'd convince him to let me go in the arcade.
@@rosykindbunny1313what???
@@rosykindbunny1313what a fun place as a kid.
Crazy I live next to the stadium grew up in Mass , recently moved to Pawtucket and I see the stadium across my crib here
I grew up going these games and worked concession/grounds up to the last game. I lost my first job and a massive piece of my childhood
Went there for summer camp trips and family trips sad to see it sit now.
What a wonderful video! But what a sad story also, with the team owners looking for taxpayer dollars for new stadiums. I hope that the WooSox will give a discount or some other promotion for Rhode Island residents. On another point: I do remember the time limit rules against long baseball games that were put in the rules in the 1960s after a very long Tigers-Yankees game. It is strange that the umpires in Pawtucket did not know of those rules.
Great video. I was born and raised in pawtucket and still drive by the stadium every so often. This one hurts that they werent able to come to common ground to keep the stadium from leaving. I had many memories of going to baseball games, watching the fireworks displays having food truck events on the field and even playing thanksgiving football games as a tolman football player against shea and st Ray's. It looks like theyve already started laying the land on the other side of the city for the new soccer stadium but this one hurts
Considering it's abandoned, it still looks pretty good and salvageable!
I went to the last inning for McCoy Stadium😭
I remember going to an Ottawa Lynx vs. PawSox Triple A game in the early-to-mid 2000's. Years later, the Lynx ceased to exist, but the Ottawa ballpark is still used to this day. A shame that this ballpark doesn't get the same treatment that Fenway Park does. Hopefully they keep some of the stadium features (31-inning boxscore, etc.) with whatever gets built in its place. Love the videos, man! Cheers from Canada.
Jason this was one of my favorites of all the videos so far ❤ great job on the history 👍👍