AFC Allied Capital Corporation

Hanover Insurance Steps Up to the Plate Insurer to be Primary Sponsor for Worcester Tornadoes, City's New Minor League Baseball Team, Company Acquires Ballpark Naming Rights WORCESTER, Mass., May 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Hanover Insurance Company and Worcester Professional Baseball, LLC, today announced that they have reached an agreement for Hanover to be the primary sponsor for the Worcester Tornadoes. The Tornadoes are the first professional baseball team to call Worcester home in 71 years and the newest member of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball, an independent professional baseball minor league. Hanover's sponsorship agreement extends for three years, beginning with the Tornadoes' inaugural season in 2005 and continuing through the 2007 season. "As a property and casualty insurer, we generally try to keep a distance from tornadoes," joked Frederick H. Eppinger, president and chief executive officer of Allmerica Financial Corporation, parent company to Hanover Insurance. "But, in this case, we are happy to make an exception and excited to be the primary sponsor of the Tornadoes, welcoming professional baseball back to Worcester. Our relationship with the Tornadoes is in keeping with the Allmerica and Hanover tradition of teamwork and collaboration to make our community a better place for families to live and work." Hanover's agreement with the team includes naming rights to the extensively renovated ballpark at Fitton Field, on the campus of The College of the Holy Cross, in Worcester, where the Tornadoes will play their 52 home games. The stadium, which is being expanded to accommodate 3,000 seats, will be renamed Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field in time for the team's home opener on Monday, June 6, vs. the Brockton Rox. In addition to signage at the renamed stadium, the Hanover name and logo also will appear on Tornadoes players' uniforms, in program advertising, at the official Tornadoes Web site and on some team souvenirs. Hanover also will have use of a "branded" hospitality tent where the company plans to host community groups and guests at interactive events, such as player autograph signings. A group of 100 designated seats also will be used by Allmerica and Hanover to benefit agencies and organizations that provide services to local youth. Allmerica and Hanover employees, and Hanover agents also will benefit through discounted tickets and special employee events. Hanover and the Tornadoes have agreed to work together throughout the calendar year--not only during the baseball season--to create new opportunities for families and children to connect with their schools, with the team and with the community. "Hanover and the Tornadoes will work together to leverage the popularity and visibility of the team," said Eppinger. "We will be out in the schools and neighborhoods, talking to children about the importance of teamwork, commitment and community." "It was very important for our organization to start off with the right sponsors and so, we certainly are thrilled to have Allmerica and Hanover Insurance on our team," said Alan Stone, team president and CEO of Worcester Professional Baseball, LLC. "As our primary sponsor, Hanover swings a big bat. I know they will bring tremendous energy and enthusiasm that will benefit baseball fans from throughout the region, as well as the city and our community as a whole." In February, Worcester Professional Baseball introduced Rich Gedman as the team's first manager. Gedman, a Worcester native, is best known as an All-Star catcher with the Boston Red Sox from 1980 to 1990. He concluded his 13-year major league career with the Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals. The Tornadoes will play in the South Division of the Can-Am League, together with teams from Elmira, New Haven and New Jersey. Teams in the North Division are from Bangor, Brockton, Lynn and Quebec. "It has taken great vision and collaboration in the public spirit to make baseball a reality for Worcester," said Michael O'Brien, Worcester City Manager. "Allmerica and Hanover Insurance exemplify that collaborative spirit in our city and Hanover, in a sense, leads the way as the Tornadoes' primary sponsor." "It is great teamwork by partners across the city that made this exciting day possible for our city," said Worcester Mayor Tim Murray. "The Tornadoes and the CanAm league, Holy Cross, the City of Worcester, the private sector-- we all have played an important part in a great team effort. Today we tip our hats to Allmerica and Hanover Insurance, who, as the primary team sponsors, have really delivered for the families of Worcester." "Today's announcement continues the positive momentum that City Manager O'Brien and Mayor Murray have generated in bringing renewed economic development and a stronger sense of civic life to the city," said Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J., president of Holy Cross. "Sports, in particular baseball, can bring a community together in a way that few other activities can. Holy Cross is proud to contribute to this development as a part of the UniverCity Partnership. We welcome Hanover Insurance as another important partner in this endeavor. We are seeing what can be accomplished when the City, the colleges and universities and the business community work together for the common good." About Hanover Insurance The Hanover Insurance Company is a member of the Allmerica Financial group of insurance companies headed by Allmerica Financial Corporation (NYSE:AFC). Both companies are headquartered in Worcester, Massachusetts. Hanover, founded in 1852, is a leading regional property and casualty company. The company markets a wide range of personal and commercial insurance coverages to individuals, families and businesses, primarily in the Northeast and Southeast, through a broad network of independent insurance agents. Taken together, Hanover and its affiliate, Howell, Michigan, based Citizens Insurance Company of America, rank among the 35 largest property and casualty groups in the country. CONTACTS: Allmerica Financial/Hanover Insurance Media: Todd M. Peckham, (508) 855-4460 E-mail: Michael Buckley, (508) 855-3099 E-mail: Investors: Sujata Mutalik, (508) 855-3457 E-mail: Worcester Professional Baseball, LLC - Worcester Tornadoes Alan Stone, President and Chief Executive Officer, (508) 792-2288 E-mail: Mike Lieberman, General Manager, (508) 792-2288 E-mail: DATASOURCE: Allmerica Financial/Hanover Insurance CONTACT: Media: Todd M. Peckham, +1-508-855-4460, , or Michael Buckley, +1-508-855-3099, , or Investors: Sujata Mutalik, +1-508-855-3457, , all of Allmerica Financial/Hanover Insurance; or Alan Stone, President and Chief Executive Officer, +1-508-792-2288, , or Mike Lieberman, General Manager, +1-508-792-2288, both of Worcester Professional Baseball, LLC - Worcester Tornadoes

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