Field of memories: Ken Ryan's connection to PawSox and McCoy are unlike any other

Ken Ryan has enough McCoy Stadium memories to last a lifetime, or maybe 33. The former big-league pitcher has also stockpiled enough PawSox memorabilia that it's easy to confuse his Higginson Ave. indoor baseball facility as a shrine that still carries much significance.

There's framed pictures of McCoy hanging on the walls - youngsters can't miss them as they put on a helmet and step inside the hitting cages. Jerseys from Ryan's days as a member of the Pawtucket ball club are also visible, though the most unique item might reside in his office. It's a stool with an old school PawSox logo on full display atop the seat cover.

The vast array of collectables and keepsakes help Ryan in remembering the PawSox just the way he always did. Such recollections … they are probably in heavy rotation these days after the new owners indicated that they plan to cease operations at McCoy Stadium sometime over the next few years.   

"McCoy Stadium has always represented baseball and if you're a baseball fan growing up in this area, to me it was always the Pawtucket Red Sox," said Ryan while tending to customers. "That affiliation with Boston, that was so close to use and made it feel that the dream was right there. You could see it.

"If they leave, it will definitely be an era that's difficult to replicate," Ryan added. "When people heard about Pawtucket, Rhode Island, their first thought was the PawSox. There's a lot of rich history in the city, but there's no doubt that the PawSox are at the forefront of anything. It was the heartbeat of the city."

Very few individuals from around these parts have the sort of all-encompassing connection that Ryan has with the PawSox. He grew up in Pawtucket and frequently visited his grandparents house on Columbus Ave. 

"They literally lived two-tenths of a mile from McCoy," Ryan said. 

Part of Darlington American Little League, Ryan recalls making a bee line down Newport Ave. and toward McCoy once his games were done.

"We would get there right at game time or in the second inning," he said. "It always seemed they were playing the Maine Guides every time I went there."

Ryan's fan-viewing experience coincided with the passing through of notables such as Wade Boggs, Bruce Hurst, Rich Gedman and Marty Barrett. Even when his family moved to the north end of Seekonk, Ryan had no problem viewing when fireworks were shot off at the venerable establishment.  

"As a kid, McCoy was a place to go with your family and just enjoy a great night and your dreams - like all kids do - of playing professional baseball," Ryan said.

A high-school graduate when he signed with the Red Sox in 1986, Ryan would frequently pass by McCoy during the winter months. Looking at a stadium in its quiet state provided him with all sorts of motivation as he climbed through the minor-league ranks. 

"God, to ever play in Triple-A …" said Ryan. "And then to finally get there was like … it was incredible."

Ryan reached Pawtucket in 1992 as a 23-year-old. The homecoming was short and sweet, a nine-game cameo where he won two of the nine games he appeared in before getting summoned to Boston. Appearances with the PawSox would follow in 1993 and 1995 with return trips to McCoy coming as a reliever with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Columbus.

As a native son, Ryan made sure to educate his Class AAA teammates on the proper way of pronouncing Pawtucket. 

"We would be down in spring training and they would say 'Paw-tucket'. When they finally got here, they realized they were calling it by the wrong name," he said. 

His service time in the International League provided Ryan was a firsthand look at a movement where franchises wanted to have their stadiums located in major metropolitan areas. It's a blueprint that the new ownership group has gone on the record in emulating. 

"I look at all the other Triple-A stadiums I've been to. Rochester, Syracuse and Durham are right in the middle of the city," said Ryan. "In many ways, McCoy was able to not only sustain but also continue to thrive." 

Retirement didn't mark the end of Ryan's ties with the PawSox. NESN employed him as an analyst whenever the cable station broadcast games from McCoy. Ryan has also been behind the mike the past three seasons for the call of the R.I. interscholastic baseball championships.

Ryan credits the numerous times he's spent in the company of the Pawtucket staff in providing him with business savvy that proved handy when he started KR Baseball Academy.

"I've known the front office forever and they've ran it as good as you can. True professionalism," said Ryan. "I've learned a lot from how they do things. It's all about treating the customers the right way."  

Last summer, Ryan was faced with a tough choice. As much as he had every intention of keeping KR Baseball Academy in Pawtucket, the 46-year-old ultimately came to terms that relocation represented his best option.

On a bigger scale, the team that Ryan grew up rooting for and later playing for is looking for a way to remain faithful to its proud Pawtucket roots while at the same time expressing a strong commitment to provide it with a new lease on life.

"You know how hard Ben (Mondor, the late PawSox owner) and his staff worked to make it what it is and where it is," said Ryan. "There was plenty of hard work and elbow grease that was involved in getting the franchise to where it is today. 

"Like anything else, you have to look at the other side," Ryan added. "If they go to Providence, it is what it is."

If such a scenario does come to pass, do yourself a favor and head over to Ryan's complex. It's there where the PawSox and McCoy Stadium will never go out of style.