Spirit Float a Success

Thanks everyone for helping with the North Shore Spirit float for the Lynn Christmas Parade. The Frasier Faithful are the best! I love you guys!

Christmas Parade Float Update North Shore Spirit

This is our last chance to thank the North Shore Spirit & Nick Lopardo for 5 great summers of baseball- so let's make this a success!
The parade is on Dec. 24 at 5 p.m.
The Kevin Kennedy Band has offered us the use of a sound system for the float. We have a white reindeer & sleigh we can use on the float along with a white Christmas tree.
Judging from the response we're getting there may be too many of us to ride on one flatbed- the company we're getting it from is limiting the number of people for safety reasons. I'm still trying to find out what happened to the Slugger uniform-- does anyone know how we can get our hands on that?
BJ Weed & Andy Theriault have agreed to ride on the float. We'd love to get as many players as possible so if you have contact information for any of the boys pass this along.

BJ WEED & THERIAULT will ride on float in Christmas Eve Parade

I'm so excited. The Lynn Chirstmas parade is on Dec. 24. It starts at 6 p.m. but everyone has to be there at 5 p.m. to ride on the float. My Grandma talked to BJ Weed and he said he'd ride on the float in the Lynn Christmas Eve Parade. Andy Theriault (#9 Bullpen Catcher) is coming from N.H. to ride on the float too. BJ's going to call other players & see if they will ride on the float too. I'm so excited. Cathy said she'd paint a backdrop. Dave at LynnCam TV said he'd wear a Santa suit with a Spirit jersey over it. Someone is donating a tree and someone else is donating lights. A group of 10 awesome kids from Classical High School and several families emailed and said they'd help. My Grandma thinks she has a flatbed truck from Four Star Towing but we might have to raise $200 or more to pay for it. And if we can get someone with a truck with a trailer hitch we can also get an open trailer so more people can ride for $100. Anyone else interested email me.

Christmas Parade North Shore Spirit Baseball Float

I have an idea that might sound crazy but has anyone ever seen the Lynn Christmas Parade? It's really cool ! They have it every year on Christmas Eve. I was thinking it would be really awesome if we have a float in the parade this year to thank Nick Lopardo & the North Shore Spirit for 5 great years of CanAm League baseball. I REALLY REALLY want to do this. Does anyone know what happened to the Slugger costume? We could have someone dress like Santa and wear a North Shore Spirit jersey. Maybe we could get a local towing company to donate use of a flatbed truck to ride on. If not we could probably ride in cars and decorate them. We have a couple of huge Spirit banners someone already said we can borrow. We could put a tree and lights on the truck with the banners and make signs thanking Nick & the Spirit. We'll need a tree, decorations and lights. We'll also need people to help make signs for the float. Anyone interested contact me. I really want to do this. If anyone knows a Red Sox player or North Shore Spirit player that would ride with us that would be awesome too

College Ball NECBL Replacing North Shore Spirit at Fraser Field?

Here are some of my thoughts on this:
***Steve and mayor Clancy are wrong! Some college kids playing college ball for a couple of months will not fill the void left by the Spirit leaving.I don't know why people are excited about this. Think about it. If the Red Sox were booted out of Fenway Park would everyone be jumping for joy if the Pennsylvania Road Warriors decided to play at Fenway. I don't think so.

*** Someone suggested having the NECBL Holyoke Giants use the Spirit name. NO! There will only be one Spirit. That's like having the Red Sox leave Fenway & naming some non-pro ball team that decides to play at Fenway the Boston Red Sox. It would be terrible. It's like swearing.

*** I'm only 9 but even I know the difference between college baseball, CanAm league ball, Indie Ball and farm teams. I've seen college baseball games and they are not very good. And how can you be a real fan of a team that has a whole new set of players every season? That's lame.

This is part of a story on www.itemlive.com
By Steve Krause / The Daily Item

LYNN - Fans who feel the void left by the departure of the North Shore Spirit may soon have a new team to follow.
The New England Collegiate Baseball League - which consists of players culled from various college teams around the country - is on the verge of agreeing to move its Holyoke franchise to Lynn in time for next season, Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr. said Thursday.
The new team could be officially approved Tuesday, if the Lynn Stadium Commission votes in favor of the proposed lease, Clancy said...
Clancy said the lease compares with the one the city gave the Spirit: $1 from June 1 through Sept. 30.
"We're not in this to make a dime," he said. "We want to have the facility used, and kept in pristine condition, and be available for a people to go out and have nice, affordable family entertainment."
That was the Spirit's objective too. And Clancy said that the city's experience with the Spirit and its owner, Nick Lopardo, is one of the reasons that the NECBL and Holyoke owner Phil Rosenfield, a Swampscott native, were so anxious to enter the Lynn market.
"The Spirit's presence, and what Nick did, and what the city did in partnership, speaks volumes about the marketability of Fraser Field," Clancy said. "Fraser Field has been deemed a safe, family-friendly location for sporting events for people and families all summer long."

"We're very pleased that someone is going to come forward and fill the void that the Spirit left," Clancy said. "And we'll all go forward, hopefully

My Red Sox Baseball Halloween Graveyard RIP Yankees Devil Rays ET AL

I'm having a World Series Baseball Party next Saturday so I made my Halloween Graveyard in front of my house all about Baseball. I buried the Indians, Yankees, Devil Rays and other Sox Foes. I hope you like my pictures.





RIP all Red Sox foes.

Giving SOS Petitions to Mayor Clancy Tuesday, Oct 9 at 5:30 PM

Tuesday. Oct. 9, 5:30 p.m.
Lynn City hall, 3 City Hall Square

I know everything is down at Fraser Field and the Spirit probably won't come
back. But I have over 700 signatures and am going to give them to Mayor Chip
Clancy on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. City Hall is open until 9pm on Tuesday and the Mayor will be there because there is a city council meeting that night. If you can please come and wear your Spirit gear if you have any. Maybe we can't save the Spirit but we can show the mayor how much we love the Spirit and how much we support Nick Lopardo & our North Shore Spirit. Nick and the Spirit gave us 5 awesome summers of baseball and this is the least we can do to say thanks. Maybe the TV and newspapers will show up too.

How Rude

I have almost 600 signatures now. I emailed Mayor Chip Clancys office for 2 weeks and called to try to get a time when I can take him the Save Our Spirit petitions. He hasn't answered my emails or calls. I know other people that emailed and called him too and he hasn't answered them either. How Rude!
There was a story about the North Shore Spirit on the front page of the Lynn Journal today. There was a picture of me with Alex Trezza. And Sam Stevens in Canada writes "The Baseball Files." He sent me a link to a story he put on his blog about the Spirit. Here's the link.
http://www.baseballfiles.com/the-dugout/losing-the-spirit/
I still haven't got my North Shore Spirit chair Nick Lopardo promised me. I'll post a picture of me in it when I get it.

I just don't get it! This year Clancy said Spirit is great for city & Spirit said they want to stay

I just don’t get it.
On April 18, 2007 Mayor Chip Clancy told the Gloucester Times a baseball team should move to Gloucester because the Spirit is so good for Lynn. On July 15, 2007 Vic Davilla told the Boston Globe the team wants to stay in Lynn.
SO WHY CAN’T WE MAKE THIS WORK? Everyone just needs to work together and bring the North Shore Spirit back year.
Both stories are below. BE SURE TO READ THEM!

http://www.gloucestertimes.com/pusports/local_story_108093918?keyword=secondarystory+page=0

This is what Clancy said.

Whether it be Plan A, B, or C, the city would benefit from having a baseball team in the city, Lynn Mayor Edward "Chip" Clancy said.
Lynn faced a similar situation early this decade when Boxford businessman Nick Lopardo pitched a similar idea. Lopardo purchased the Waterbury Spirit Independent baseball team and wanted to move it to the North Shore.
To make this idea work, Lopardo spent over $2.5 million to renovate Fraser Field. He added new seating, dugouts, concession stands, restrooms and clubhouses at the field. Lopardo also renovated an adjacent building into ticket offices, a retail 'Pro Shop' and a media area. He also added parking spaces, a play area for children, and a state-of-the-art scoreboard.
More importantly, Lopardo also created jobs for Lynn residents, while also bringing in added revenue to retail stores and restaurants. The players on the Sprit also moved into homes and apartments in the city, adding increased tax dollars.
Clancy also said that the neighborhood where Evans Field is located saw its crime rate decrease since the Spirit moved there, as additional police presence was added. There has not been a major incident at Fraser Field since the Sprit moved in. Lopardo has also helped neighboring cities, donating money to area high schools to support its athletic programs.
"This has been a win-win situation for the both of us," Clancy said. "The attendance has increased each year and the games have been competitive. We've also had no problems whatsoever. It has been all positive and a great success."
Clancy said that adding a baseball team in Gloucester would give families wholesome, affordable entertainment, while also creating new jobs.
"The North Shore Sprit brought affordable entertainment into an older urban area," Clancy said. "They have given residents something to look forward to each summer and have supported the city in many ways. This is a perfect situation for us and it can be a positive situation for Gloucester. I hope it works out."

THEN ON JULY 15, 2007 Vic Davilla told The Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/07/15/in_the_family_spirit/?page=1

When the Spirit first arrived in Lynn, the team drew 100,000 spectators and lost $1.8 million in the first season, Connolly said. The team lost $1.7 million in its second season, $700,000 the next, and $600,000 last year. This summer, Connolly said, the team is averaging about 2,300 fans, compared with 2,500 last season, and is looking to break even.
But it's still a long way from being Lynn's team rather than just another team that plays in Lynn.
"I would like to see the city more involved," said manager Vic Davilla, a Georgetown native. "I think this could be a great thing if they came together and said, 'You know what, what Nick Lopardo's doing here is not a joke, it's a great thing.' Hopefully in the near future the city can say let's re evaluate the situation because we want this team to stay here."

Former MLB Spokesman Bob Wirz Wrote About Me & The North Shore Spirit

This is an article Bob Wirz wrote about me and the North Shore Spirit.
http://www.indybaseballchatter.com/
If you don't know who he is you should. Bob Wirz used to be the spokesman for Major League Baseball Commissioners Bowie Kuhn and Peter Ueberroth. He also used to work for the Kansas City Royals. He said he talked about me last night in a speech about baseball. Bob sold the Spirit to Nick Lopardo so I wrote to him and asked him to buy the Spirit back and keep them in Lynn but he can't. But at least he wrote a good story.

I have a new pen pal, and I have to admit she has stolen my heart.

Don't worry, my wife will not be jealous.

All of the Independent Baseball world needs to know about Victoria Glidden. Many know about her already.

Victoria is 9, and she is crushed that the North Shore Spirit, the Can-Am League team in Lynn, MA, will not be playing again. Owner Nick Lopardo, who poured a great deal of money and energy into the Spirit for five seasons, has closed up shop. He has not said it in so many words, to my knowledge, but the Spirit apparently did not receive the support they needed from the City Hall or the business and fan base to stop the financial losses.

"The Spirit is the best part of living in Lynn and it's being taken away from us," Victoria wrote in her first email to me. "We love the Spirit. I'm just a kid but I want to help find a way to keep the team in Lynn."

But unlike so many people who might say something similar, Victoria Glidden is not stopping with a few emails. She started a petition, and the last I knew she had collected 447 signatures. She got 209 from the internet and 238 from "talking to people". "I want a million (signatures)", she wrote, and she may be well on her way by now.

Victoria's plight has been on television and in newspapers in Massachusetts although she admits Mayor Chip Clancy, the primary target in her effort, has not responded.

"One of the things I want to do when I have enough money is buy a baseball team," Ms. Glidden told me in her most recent message. "The kids could always go to games and I'd give free tickets to the poor kids too so everyone can have fun."

Victoria's grandmother, Debra, told me "she (Victoria) is a wreck over the Spirit leaving. Spirit games are the highlight of her life. She has been to almost every game for five years."

"I'm so sad thinking I won't be able to go to any Spirit games next summer," was the most heartfelt of all of her lines. "It makes me want to cry."

Victoria even asked me if I would buy the team. I am afraid I remain powerless in this situation, Victoria. Maybe your message will get through to someone who can help. And regardless, Victoria, your determination will win out in life.

He asked me to put this with his post: Bob Wirz has 16 years of major league baseball public relations experience with Kansas City and as chief spokesman for two Commissioners and runs his own sports consulting company in Stratford, CT. He is the author of a newly-published book ‘The Independent Minor Leagues: 2006 Season in Review’ and this blog, www.IndyBaseballChatter.com. Subscriptions to the book and this weekly Independent Baseball Insider column are available at www.WirzandAssociates.com .)

Media Coverage Where have they been for 5 years & NO ICE SKATING

Here's a link to the North Shore Sunday Article
http://www.townonline.com/northshoresunday/homepage/x2033924180

Link to Boston Globe Story
www.boston.com/north


Leave it Lynn to get rid of the best thing in the city for kids. Guess what Lynn has an ice skating rink and it has public skating. Great right? NOT! It's CLOSED IN THE SUMMER and open for public skating Monday through Friday during the school year from 12:30 until 2:20 WHEN KIDS ARE IN SCHOOL so we can't even use it!
WHAT ARE KIDS IN THIS CITY SUPPOSED TO DO?

I'm NOT Quitting even though Trezza was sold

Today Nick Lopardo posted a letter on the North Shore Spirit Website saying the team won't be back but I'm not giving up. I'm still continuing my SOS campaign and I have 427 signatures. the story was in the Boston Globe North today. it's online at www.boston.com/north and wbz.com has a video of the last game. If I can i'll try to get a copy of the channel 5 story and post it on my blog too.
The bad news is Alex Trezza was sold to the Worcester Tornados. I wish i could go to the games to see him play but it's too far. Even if I went to Worcester I WILL NEVER cheer for the Worcester Tornados even if Trezza is on the team. My only teams are North Shore Spirit and the Red Sox. People wouldn't think it was no big deal if the Red Sox stopped playing and quit Fenway. People wouldn't just go pick another team to cheer for and I won't do that to the Spirit. I'm still going to try to save the team. I grew up at Spirit games at Fraser Field and made a lot of friends there. The mayor didn't even talk to me about all the petitions I sent him. This stinks.

I HAVE 381 SIGNATURES & AM STILL COLLECTING THEM

I'm still going to try to turn this around and bring the Spirit back next year! Please sign my online petition and send the link to everyone you know. use the link on the right to download and print out a petition. Take it to soccer practice, football practice, Red Sox games and anywhere else there are LOTS of people. The lease on Fraser Field doesn't run out until the end of Oct and Nick has at least until the league meeting on Oct. 7 to tell the league if he's coming back so this is NOT over. Nick has exercised the option on the team and the mayor said he would renew the lease. Email me and I'll tell you how to get the petition to me so I can get them to Mayor Clancy and Nick Lopardo! I emailed the mayor some of the petitions but he didn't answer my so email so I'll have to take to his office in city hall. Please help SOS (SAVE OUR SPIRIT) for all us kids.

Bye Spirit Bye Fraser Field Bye Alex Trezza

Bye Spirit Bye Fraser Field Bye Alex Trezza!
I can't believe the Spirit lost tonight. I am so sad. I cried all the way home. I can't believe I'll never get to see the North Shore Spirit play at Fraser Field again. I feel so bad for the players, my friends at Fraser, Nick Lopardo and all the kids that won't get to have fun next summer at Spirit Games.
Bye Spirit Bye Fraser Field Bye Alex Trezza!
Thank you Nick for giving me the Spirit chair. I love it but I'd rather have the Spirit back next year.
We have a field and the North Shore Spirit exercised an option for 2008 on almost all the team. There's no reason we can't bring them back! Nashua was going to fold this year and decided to give it 1 more year.

Mayor Clancy if you read this please help and do something to help bring the Spirit back.

PLEASE LET US HAVE 1 MORE YEAR!
PLEASE SAVE THE NORTH SHORE SPIRIT!

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WIN OR LOSE THE NORTH SHORE SPIRIT ARE CHAMPIONS

This is a quick post before I head out to Fraser. Let's Go Spirit! You can do this. I saw you come from 10 runs behind to win 1 game this year and you can sweep the next 3 games at home to take the title.

But whether we win or lose the NORTH SHORE SPIRIT ARE CHAMPIONS

WE LOVE THE NORTH SHORE SPIRIT

Whether we win or lose tonight please keep signing petitions and writing the newspapers and Mayor Clancy and let Nick Lopardo know how much we love the Spirit. The addresses and links are all here in my blog.

We have to keep the Spirit in Lynn.

WELCOME HOME SPIRIT

I went out to Fraser Field today to welcome the team home. I made a big Welcome Home Spirit sign. Their bus was supposed to be in at 5 but they got in 4:30 instead.Good thing I was early! Everyone else that was going missed them. Most of the guys on the bus waved to me when they saw me and Alex Trezza came over and was talking to me after he got off the bus. It would be so awesome if some of the guys on the team found my blog and left me a note.

We're #1

SPIRIT RULE!!!

SEE YOU AT FRASER FIELD ON FRIDAY!

I have a homework assignment for everybody!

MAKE LOTS OF SIGNS AND BRING THEM TO FRASER FIELD ON FRIDAY GAME TIME 6:05 PM

The players will think they're at Fenway

&

Make sure you look at the pictures in the earlier entries on my blog.

We're in the championships!

YES! The Spirit beat the Surf in Atlantic City to take 3 of 4 tonight in the series and we're in the championships! We're unstoppable! We get see them again at Fraser Field! YES!!!

The bad news is the Spirit won't be coming back next year. I'm just a kid but I'm not going to let the Spirit leave at the end of the season without a fight so lets keep working on ways to bring the Spirit back to Fraser Field next year! So read the rest of my blog and see how you can help. Maybe we can get our Spirit back for 2008.

This was posted on the CanAm league Website under transactions on September 7, 2007 "North Shore: Exercised the 2008 option on the following players: RHP Jamie Baker, RHP Matt Bishop, RHP Gary Galvez, LHP Brandon Martin, LHP Joey Siak, C Alex Trezza, INF Gilbert Gil, INF Luis Lopez, INF Gary Roche, OF Joe Hough, RHP Ryan Bicondoa, RHP Derek Drage, LHP Donny Langdon, RHP Dennis Robinson, C Allen Mottram, INF Vic Davilla, INF Josue Lopez, INF Jerson Perez, INF Mike Torres and OF John Welch."
SO WE HAVE A TEAM!

And in todays Daily Item Mayor Chip Clancy said he would extend the lease on Fraser Field
AND WE HAVE A FIELD

&
we have lots of fans signing petitions

so lets do everything we can to bring the Spirit back in 2008
&
if anyone has a $1 million they can give me I'll buy the NORTH SHORE SPIRIT

The Spirit Won Game 3

YES! The Spirit beat the Surf in Atlantic City 5-4 to take game 3 tonight and Trezza hit a home run! BJ Weed, Torres and all the guys were great! We're unstoppable! Lets finish it Saturday night by taking Game 4 then it's 2 on the road and 3 at home for the CHAMPIONSHIP! GO SPIRIT!
I'm just a kid but I'm not going to let the Spirit go without a fight so lets keep working on ways to bring the Spirit back to Fraser Field next year! Sign the petitions and get everyone else to sign! Lynn needs the Spirit!
Please sign my online petition and send this to everyone you know
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/SaveOurNorthShoreSpirit/

This link is to a petition you can print out and have people sign. The blog entry before this tells you where to send them
icesk8ingtrezzafan.googlepages.com/saveourspirit

SOS SAVE OUR SPIRIT PETITION

Please visit this website and print the petition I wrote.

icesk8ingtrezzafan.googlepages.com/saveourspirit

Get it signed by everyone you know and people you don't know!
PLEASE make copies and send 1 copy to each of these 3 places:

Mayor Chip Clancy
3 City Hall Square
Lynn, MA 01901
Phone: 781-598-4000
jmarsh@ci.lynn.ma.us

North Shore Spirit
P.O. Box 8120
Lynn, MA 01904
info@northshorespirit.com
bconnolly@northshorespirit.com
tel: 781-592-0007

And email or mail LOTS of letters to the editor at:
The Daily Item
38 Exchange St.
Lynn,MA 01901
news@itemlive.com

Please Help!

I also posted an online petition:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/SaveOurNorthShoreSpirit/
Please send this link to everyone you know! Thanks to my friends on the Fraser Faithful Blog for the tip about the on line petition

Goodbye Spirit

I am so sad thinking this is could be the last Spirit game I'll ever go to at Fraser Field unless the Spirit win this round of playoffs. Someone has to talk to Mayor Chip Clancy. Everyone should write, email and call Chip Clancy. Tell him he has to let the Spirit come back next year. It'll be so sad for the kids that won't have anything to do. I'll miss going to the games with all my friends and seeing the new friends I made at the ballpark. The Spirit is the best part of living in Lynn and the city is taking it away from us. We love the Spirit and Nick Lopardo! I'm so sad I'll never get to see another game at Fraser Field. I'm sad I'll never get to sing the National Anthem at a Spirit Game. Bye Alex Trezza! Bye Spirit!


ClipArt Images

Please bring the North Shore Spirit back for 2008

I read on the internet the North Shore Spirit won't be back next year. That made me so sad that I'm crying. I love baseball and the Spirit. I went to every game this year except one. I missed that one because my Grandma was working. If the Spirit don't come back the kids in Lynn won't have anything to look forward to next summer and will have nothing fun to do. I asked for season tickets for next year for Christmas. The North Shore Spirit are the best. Kids in Lynn LOVE the Spirit. I am so upset and sad I even wrote to the mayor. I'm so sad thinking I'll never be able to go to another Spirit Game. If I had a million dollars I'd buy them. Can kids buy baseball teams or only grownups? I love the Red Sox too but the tickets are hard to get and cost too much money so I only go to Fenway for one or two games a year. I missed birthday parties, pool parties and a trip to Water Country so I could go to Spirit games. And when I went to Camp Rotary for a week this summer I went the week there weren't any home games so I didn't have to miss a Spirit game.

Alex Trezza Fan Club Debut

Alex Trezza was born on Sept. 1 so the (unofficial) official Alex Trezza Fan Club made its debut that night at the North Shore Spirit game at fraser Field in Lynn, MA.

Here are some pictures of the Fan Club before the Spirit and Sussex Skyhawks Game on Sept. 1, 2007 (too bad we lost) but the Red Sox won!!!

Thanks Athena, Felicia, Mia, Hailey, Courtney, Colin, Cheryl and Mark!

I Have an Alex Trezza Game Jersey

Hooray! I have an Alex Trezza Game Jersey! It was supposed to be a Christmas present but my Grandma let me have it now so I can wear it to the playoff games. This is me and Alex Trezza in MATCHING GAME JERSEYS on Sept. 2 after the North Shore Spirit beat the Sussex Skyhawks 7-2 at Fraser Field.

Now if I could just get his hockey jersey from when he used to play hockey so I can wear it ice skating!

Other Sites I didn't Know I was On

Since I started this blog people have sent me links to a couple of sites that had my picture on it. I don't know who took the pictures but they obviously saw me at the games. Some of these pictures are pretty cool.

http://flickr.com/photos/bostonfaninmichigan/1270547621/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bostonfaninmichigan/1270547753/

http://flickr.com/photos/bostonfaninmichigan/964256185/in/set-72157601107913818/

Anyone know who Boston Fan in Michigan is?

This is going to be a great day! The ICE SKATING RINK is open this afternoon for the first time since April and there is a North Shore Spirit game tonight!

More Alex Trezza Fans