Fans and players alike really dug Triple-A Worcester's recent name change.
The WooSox went by the Wicked Worms of Worcester on Aug. 17 as a tribute to their city, affectionately known as "Wormtown." Not only did the moniker poke fun at New England slang, but it also paid homage to the history of Worcester.
In the late '70s, local deejay Leonard B. Saarinen, also known as L.B. Worm, described the area's underground punk rock music scene as "Wormtown." All these years later, Worcester denizens continue to use the lighthearted nickname for their town.
The idea for the WooSox to become the Wicked Worms originated five years to the very day of the Worms’ debut, when the Pawtucket Red Sox announced they were moving to Worcester.
“One of the things we did was we started soliciting names for the team,” said Brooke Cooper, WooSox senior vice president and assistant GM. “We had 218 unique names that were submitted by fans. And one of the names was Wicked Worms.”
Every detail counted for the design team, down to the dual-toned word mark meant to emulate worms emerging from the brown dirt and moving into the green grass. It took about a year-and-a-half from the first planning meeting until the team had the uniforms in hand.
“Deadlines are really far in advance [for New Era]. You have to make sure that you get the thread colors right,” Cooper said. “Sometimes it's a lot of going back and forth. You know, 'Does this look okay? Does the worm like like a snake?'"
The ultimate design was a groundbreaking hit. The cap features a grimacing worm in a pile of dirt inching forward to create a “W” shape with its body.
“I feel like the fans don't realize how much we've been working on something before they even see it,” Worcester's director of graphic and web design Courtney Cowsill said.
One of the sweeter parts of the promotion came in the form of an updated menu at Polar Park. One of the ice cream stands served a "Wicked Worms Sundae." A frozen take on the classic dirt cup treat, it contained chocolate soft serve, chocolate crumbs and gummy worms.
Although the Wicked Worms fell to rival Yankees affiliate Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a 2-1 heartbreaker that night, the fans had something to smile about.
“[The players] are always really good sports about honoring Worcester in whatever way it is,” Cooper said. “We're really fortunate that we have a great group of guys who are happy to play great baseball but also have some fun with our fans.”