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League may take over Tornadoes

Worcester TornadoesThe independent Can-Am League may take over the Worcester Tornadoes a day after employees were locked out of offices and the team shop to satisfy a lien.

Usually it’s the last gasp of a team when personnel are locked out of the office, so it’s no surprise Miles Wolff and crew are mapping their next move. If the intent is indeed to keep Worcester and Fitton Field as a home to a pro baseball team, the next logical move is to take back the franchise and try to clean up the financial mess. From the Worcester Business Journal:

“We’re going to make every effort,” Wolff said Tuesday, a day after the Tornadoes’ downtown office closed. “We think it’s a strong city, a good city for our baseball league. Yes, we definitely want to keep Worcester in the league.”

But Breighner is still the team’s owner, Wolff noted, and for now, league officials are waiting to see if he can settle payments with creditors that have filed lawsuits against him, including the Hilton Garden Inn of Worcester, and Jose Canseco, the former major-league outfielder who played for the team earlier this season….

“(Breighner) has told us he has plans, absolutely,” Wolff said. Breighner was not immediately available for comment Tuesday.

It’s hard to see how Breighner could make this happen: we’re talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars owed to several vendors, and even the seizing of team property probably won’t be enough to satisfy the $32,562 claim brought by the Hilton Garden Inn. There’s a hard deadline of Oct. 1 to plan for the 2013 season, which gives the league and a potential new owner not much time to work out a new plan.

RELATED STORIES: Tornadoes locked out of offices, team shopMore financial woes for W-Tornadoes: team uniforms seizedCanseco sues Worcester Tornadoes over unpaid salaryIndy teams fighting over Canseco?Canseco signs with Rio Grande; misses first gameJose Canseco files for bankruptcyJose Canseco resurfaces, this time in Worcester

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