Triple-A Int’l League Pawtucket Red Sox President JAMES SKEFFINGTON, who "became the minor league affiliate's public face and lead cheerleader for a plan to move the team to downtown Providence, has died" at the age of 73, according to the AP. He died last night "while jogging" in Barrington, R.I. Skeffington bought the PawSox in February "with a group that includes" Red Sox President & CEO LARRY LUCCHINO. They announced a "controversial and potentially expensive decision: The team would leave Pawtucket's McCoy Stadium and hoped to build a stadium on riverfront land in downtown Providence." Skeffington in recent days "had been visiting community groups and others to talk about his vision" (AP, 5/18). WPRI.com's Caligiuri & Nesi report it is "unclear how Skeffington’s death will impact the team’s future in Rhode Island." He had been the "dominant force locally among the 10 co-owners, and at the time of his death he had yet to reach an agreement with state leaders to build the new stadium in Providence they wanted." Skeffington had indicated that without an agreement, the team "would likely move to Massachusetts" (WPRI.com, 5/18). Skeffington had been a "powerful Rhode Island insider for more than four decades" (PROVIDENCEJOURNAL.com, 5/18).
