North Shore Spirit set for home opener

Published on May 26, 2003 under Canadian American League (Can-Am)
North Shore Spirit News Release


LYNN, Mass. – After a four-year absence, professional baseball makes its triumphant return to Lynn Wednesday night when the North Shore Spirit play their home opener in the independent Northeast League at the New Fraser Field.

When the Spirit take on the Bangor Lumberjacks (7 p.m.) the players won't be the only ones on display. Sharing the spotlight will be Fraser, which has undergone a complete overhaul in the last nine months.

Bucking the national trend of professional owners asking municipalities to build or renovate stadiums for them, Spirit owner Nick Lopardo has invested more than $3 million of private money into a public facility.

Much has been said and written about the transformation of Fraser Field from a good municipal stadium to a first-class minor league baseball facility, but it really has to be seen to be fully appreciated.

Where to begin? There is the new synthetic turf infield which has the look and feel of grass but the durability of turf. The Spirit logo is inlaid in the turf behind the plate, reminiscent of the "NY" in the grass at fabled Yankee Stadium.

There is a new video projection scoreboard, new field-level seats, new box seats with cup holders, new dugouts and locker rooms, new playground, new concession stands, new PA system and new lights supplied by General Electric. (Coincidentally, it was at GE Field in Lynn in 1927 that the first professional baseball game ever played under electric lighting was held.) The Howie Grob Clubhouse has been remodeled to include a media room, pro shop, weight room and executive offices.

Basically, the only thing not new in the facility is the cement concourse and cantilevered roof. Fraser Field was built in 1940 as part of the Works Progress Administration program. It has been home to several minor-league teams, most recently the Massachusetts Mad Dogs from 1996-99.

There has arguably never been this much anticipation for an Opening Day, however, as the Spirit have been the talk of the region since Lopardo announced last August he was bringing the team to Lynn. Lopardo, who retired in 2001 as the CEO of State Street Global Advisors, may have grown up a Yankees fan on Long Island, but when it came to hiring his coaching staff he looked no further than the Olde Towne Team. Three former Red Sox are directing the Spirit: manager John Kennedy, pitching coach Dick "The Monster" Radatz and third-base coach Rich Gedman.

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