‘OIL CAN’ STANDS WITH FANS
Red Sox vet lends his support for new PawSox ballpark
PAWTUCKET – Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd certainly dressed for the occasion.
A popular pitcher for the PawSox and the Red Sox during the 1980s, the 57-year-old wore a throwback Pawtucket Slaters jersey to Tolman High School for Tuesday night’s Senate Finance Committee hearing on the PawSox ballpark proposal.
These days, Boyd makes his home in nearby East Providence. He was approached by PawSox management to come down and speak to the committee as an alum of the Triple-A ballclub and talk about how he’s maintained a close relationship with the local outfit in the years following his 1991 retirement from Major League Baseball.
“As someone who lives close by, I’m very in tune with what they’re doing,” Boyd said. “Having (current PawSox vice chairman) Mike Tamburro still involved is a very good thing. This is one of the most stable franchises that I know.”
Boyd, who pitched for the PawSox during parts of four seasons and won 16 games in 1986 to help the Red Sox
reach the World Series, attends a half-dozen games at McCoy Stadium per season. This past April, Boyd signed autographs and posed for pictures for fans at the free open house the PawSox staged.
“Personally, I enjoyed pitching here. The fans adored me and the atmosphere was great,” Boyd said. “If anything, take the pitcher’s mound when you go over to the new place, which should be right here in Pawtucket.”
Boyd was given the megaphone during the pro-ballpark rally that took place outside Tolman High. The Slaters jersey he sported was a throwback to the 1940s and one the PawSox wore several times at home during the 2016 season.
Before Tuesday’s session got underway, he outlined a few points he planned to make once the Senate Finance Committee opened the floor to public testimony.
“The franchise should stay in the city, no question about it. Some say that McCoy Stadium is outdated. I say it’s time for change,” Boyd said while standing just outside the Tolman High auditorium. “Pawtucket is a small city, but there’s plenty of fans who have passion for baseball. This is the offspring of the Boston Red Sox.
“To accommodate people who love the game, you need to give them a state-of-the-art atmosphere the creates revenue and jobs … something that helps the economy,” he added. “At the end of the day, the city is going to win.”
Boyd has visited the newest baseball stadium in New England, Dunkin’ Donuts Park, located in Hartford. He believes that those who object to the PawSox project should take a drive and check out what the home for the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats has to offer in terms of modern amenities that cater to both the casual and diehard fan.
“That’s a great ballpark and that’s exactly what is needed here, something that overlooks the river,” said Boyd, pointing to the Blackstone River that runs parallel to Tolman High. “It would be very, very nice.
“I’ve been to plenty of minor league ballparks. Some of the ones in the independent league that I’ve seen built over the last 25 years were specifically done so to accommodate the fans,” Boyd continued.
“The game has evolved and you have new fans. Change is a part of it.”