Sports

Worcester's Polar Park hosts a vibrant taste of baseball

Published

7 months ago

June 12, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Worcester’s Polar Park hosts a vibrant taste of baseball and the city

Catch a WooSox game, snack on a local-favorite, and find public art inspired by Worcester itself

WHO? IT’S GAME NIGHT IN WORCESTER. SOMEONE TOLD ME IT’S A HAPPY PLACE. OH, IT REALLY IS. IT’S BASEBALL AT ITS FINEST. HOME TO THE WORCESTER RED SOX. NOT TO MENTION SMILEY BALL. HE JUST LOOKS COOL WITH THE BAT. WORCESTER. AND THE HEART OF THE COMMONWEALTH. AT MOST GAMES YOU CAN FIND SAMSON AKA PEOPLE CALL ME FLAVOR FLAV. DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF LIKE A NUMBER ONE FAN? WELL, THERE HAS TO BE SOME. SOMEONE HAS TO BE THE THE BIGGEST FAN. MAYBE JUST ONE TEAM PRESIDENT. CHARLES STEINBERG. WHY? WORCESTER? THAT WAS A QUESTION A LOT OF PEOPLE WONDERED WHEN WE WERE LOOKING TO SEE WHERE THE FOREVER HOME SHOULD BE OF THE RED SOX TRIPLE-A CLUB, WORCESTER WAS THIS WELCOMING, COMPASSIONATE COMMUNITY THAT HAD LIVED IN THE SHADOW OF BOSTON BUT WAS CONTENT WITH ITSELF, AND THERE WAS SUCH A SENSE OF COMMUNITY. IT’S A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH THE PLAYERS. ONE BALL SIGNED BY EVERY SINGLE PLAYER. I’VE GOT ABOUT THIS IS MY 11TH YEAR. THE COMMUNITY IS CELEBRATED. MY FIRST RESPONDER, AND IT’S WE GOT SOME FREE TICKETS. SO WE’RE HERE TONIGHT. A RELAXED YET VIBRANT TASTE OF BASEBALL AND THE CITY. YOU HAVE A FAVORITE FOOD HERE. PIZZA. THE TOP DOG, PUN INTENDED. GEORGE’S CONEY ISLAND. SO WE TRAVELED ABOUT A HOME RUN, HIT AWAY. TO ITS ORIGINAL LOCATION. FIRST OPENING AS A COFFEE SHOP IN 1918. YOU HAVE TO KEEP COOKING THEM BECAUSE YOU DON’T KNOW IF IT’S GOING TO GET BUSY. CATHERINE, SAN DIEGO’S GRANDFATHER, PURCHASED THE SPOT IN THE 1920S, AND FAMILY HAS BEEN BEHIND THE GRILL HERE EVER SINCE. NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED HERE IN THE LAST 100 YEARS. WE’VE NEVER CHANGED ANYTHING, RIGHT? YOU CAN’T REALLY EVER CHANGE IT. AND PEOPLE TELL YOU THAT I THINK THE HOT DOGS, OF COURSE, ARE DELICIOUS. THE WORKS IS THE MOST POPULAR. MUSTARD, HOMEMADE CHILI, ONIONS. SAN DIEGO’S SON, SOLON KELLEHER, IS FOURTH GENERATION MANAGEMENT HERE. I WAS PROBABLY NO MORE THAN 3 OR 4 YEARS OLD, AND MY FATHER, HE’D HAVE ME POKE MY HEAD OVER THE COUNTER AND WAIT ON CUSTOMERS. AND THIS PLACE IS HOME TO ME. NOSTALGIA RUNS DEEP HERE. THREE DECADES AGO, I SAT IN THIS VERY BOOTH, CARVED MY INITIALS HERE, AND THAT’S WHEN I HAD MY FIRST GEORGE’S CONEY ISLAND DOG. THERE NEEDED TO BE MORE ART IN THE WORLD. ART WAS THE OBVIOUS CHOICE. JUST ALONG THE BACKSIDE OF POLAR PARK, THE CENTER POINT OF THE CANAL DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT, A MURAL HONORING THE LEGACY OF THOSE WHO PUT WORCESTER ON THE MAP. EMMA GOLDMAN. SHE WAS LIKE A POLITICAL ACTIVIST, ARTIST RYAN GARDELL SAYS HE DIDN’T HESITATE TO BRING THIS PROJECT TO LIFE. IT WAS PRETTY SURREAL, HONESTLY. WHEN I GOT THE CALL FROM ONE OF THE MEDIA GUYS WHO WORKED FOR POLAR PARK, I WAS DEFINITELY BLOWN AWAY. AND SO ARE WE. WITH NEARLY 50 MURALS THROUGHOUT THE CITY, YOU CAN LITERALLY TAKE A WALKING TOUR VIA HIS PUBLIC ART. I JUST LOVED THE SCALE OF IT, OF HOW, YOU KNOW, IT JUST SEEMED LARGER THAN LIFE. GARDELL HAS NEVER REALLY COLORED INSIDE THE LINES. SEVEN YEARS OLD, FOUND A CAN IN SOMEBODY’S GARAGE, AND WE WENT OFF IN THE WOODS AND I THINK WE SPRAY PAINTED ON A TREE OR A LOG OR SOMETHING BINDING PAINT. AND YOUR PARENTS GARAGE. SOMETHING JUST KIND OF INNOCENT AND PLAYFUL. HE BECAME FASCINATED WITH GRAFFITI, AND IT LEFT THIS MYSTERY OF LIKE, WHO DID THIS AND WHY? I BECAME JUST INFATUATED WITH THAT. IN 2013, HE WAS HIRED FOR HIS FIRST COMMISSION INSIDE A PRIVATE HOME IN FITCHBURG, AND WITH THAT, HIS CAREER HAS BEEN FILLED WITH COLOR AND PURPOSE. I WAKE UP EVERY DAY AND I. I HAVE THE INTENTION OR THE GOAL OF CREATING SOMETHING. A CULTURE THAT BOTH THE ARTIST AND THE PASSERBY CAN ENGAGE WITH. PUBLIC ART IS THAT IT’S ACCESSIBLE AND FREE FOR EVERYBODY ACROSS THE BOARD. IT DOESN’T REQUIRE ANYTHING OF YOU OTHER THAN TO JUST BE THERE AND VIEW IT AND ENJOY IT. HIS COMPANY, ARTIFACT STUDIOS, HE RUNS WITH HIS PARTNER AUDREY TESORO, HAS A BRICK AND MORTAR LOCATION IN THE BACK. HE CREATED A PATH FOR OTHERS TO EXPLORE STREET ART. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HAVE SPACES LIKE THIS FOR PEOPLE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES? IT’S SO IMPORTANT NOT ONLY FOR THE ARTISTS BUT FOR THE COMMUNITY. THEY’RE TALENTED. THEY DESERVE US. A PLATFORM IN WHICH TO PRESENT THEIR WORK. WITH THAT IN MIND, HE WAS PART OF A GROUP THAT WORKED WITH A WORCESTER ARTS GRANT TO HELP TRANSFORM THIS SPACE THROUGH A PROJECT CALLED BRICK BY BRICK. STREET ART HAS THE POWER AND THE POTENTIAL FOR URBAN REVITALIZATION TO BY SIMPLY TRANSFORMING UGLY SPACES INTO BEAUTIFUL GALLERIES. A LITTLE COLOR IN A CITY WHERE GRATITUDE AND LOYALTY HAVE FOUND A HOME. WORCESTER HAS A LONG HISTORY OF WELCOMING NEWCOMERS AND GIVING THEM A SHOT. RYAN GARDELL SAYS THERE ISN’T A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR STREET ARTISTS TO LEARN AND PRACTICE THEIR SKILLS. HE SAYS. THE SPACE HE IS OPEN IN THE BACK OF HIS BUILDING, A PAINT PARK, IS THE FIRST A

Worcester’s Polar Park hosts a vibrant taste of baseball and the city

Catch a WooSox game, snack on a local-favorite, and find public art inspired by Worcester itself

Updated: 12:15 AM UTC Jun 12, 2025

Editorial Standards ⓘ

With nearly 50 murals, Ryan Gardell’s art is some of the most prolific street art in the city of Worcester! His brick-and-mortar location, Artifakt Studios, features the only legal space of its kind for artists to both learn the craft and have a place to practiceThe Worcester Red Sox (nicknamed the WooSox) are a professional Minor League Baseball team based in Worcester, Mass. Beginning play in 2021, the team is the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, succeeding the Pawtucket Red Sox. The team plays at Polar Park. First established in 1918 as a coffee shop, George’s Coney Island has been serving up some of the most beloved hot dogs in Worcester for more than a century. They also happen to be the top-selling vendor inside Polar Park.

The Worcester Red Sox (nicknamed the WooSox) are a professional Minor League Baseball team based in Worcester, Mass. Beginning play in 2021, the team is the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, succeeding the Pawtucket Red Sox. The team plays at Polar Park.

First established in 1918 as a coffee shop, George’s Coney Island has been serving up some of the most beloved hot dogs in Worcester for more than a century. They also happen to be the top-selling vendor inside Polar Park.

Sports

Lednicky Signs Professional Contract with LOVB Houston – Texas A&M Athletics

Published

18 minutes ago

December 26, 2025

Your Sports Nation

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M volleyball’s Logan Lednicky signed her first professional contract with League One Volleyball (LOVB) Houston, the organization announced Friday.

Staying in the Lone Star State, Lednicky joins the Houston based LOVB team after spearheading the Aggies to the program’s first national title. The opposite hitter etched her name in Texas A&M history, as she broke the program rally-scoring record for career kills concluding her four years with 1,686.

“I’m so excited for Logan [Lednicky] to start her professional career,” head coach Jamie Morrison said. “Since taking over this program, it’s been our goal to help set up out athletes for the next step after college and seeing it come to fruition is incredible. Logan has developed every year she has been at Texas A&M and has all the skills necessary to succeed at the next level.”

The Sugar Land, Texas, native developed a well-rounded game throughout her four years but offensively is where she excelled. She recorded double-digit kills in 94 matches during her career, including 23 straight to conclude the 2025 campaign which led to a national crown.

Lednicky showed her versatility during her time in Aggieland, racking up 379 blocks which ranks 11^th in program history and secured back-to-back 100-block seasons in her junior and senior campaigns. She also tacked on 808 digs which helped account for 28 career double-doubles.

Cementing herself as an all-time great for the program, she received a pair of AVCA Second Team All-America honors, was a four-time All-SEC and All-Region selection, AVCA Player of the Year Semifinalist, NCAA Tournament Team recipient, NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player and five-time SEC weekly award winner.

The pin hitter got her international career started this past summer, as she received her first senior-national team call up for the United States and was named to the Volleyball Nation’s League roster for the opening two weeks in Brazil and Serbia. She competed in seven of the eight matches over the two weeks, tallying 43 points on 38 kills and five blocks, while adding 26 digs.

FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M volleyball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M volleyball team on Facebook, Instagram and on Twitter/X by following @AggieVolleyball.

Link