"Sun Sets On The Spirit"

Lost among all of the insanity that comes with following the New England teams came news of the death of a dream: The North Shore Spirit. For a few seasons, the Spirit were a highly-entertaining and competitive independent-league baseball club that played in the Can-Am League. Most of all, attending their ballgames was a fun, family-oriented relatively inexpensive experience of which I tried to avail with family and friends 2-3 times a year.

While this experience was a fun pastime for the community, it was also quite expensive, ultimately more so than the ownership could bear. Mr. Lopardo is to be commended and applauded for the commitment he made to the community and for providing the residents of the North Shore with a highly entertaining experience. Unlike some people who were more concerned with amenities than absorbing an actual baseball experience, watching a game at Fraser Field was always worth the trip. Anyone who loves traditional minor-league baseball with all of its small town quirks would have loved what the Spirit represented. In an era of petulant superstars and their obnoxiously tiresome agents, the Spirit roster was comprised of young men who were earning for a year less than half of what Manny Ramirez earns for an inning. These young men played for the love of the game as well as an improbable chance to make it to the majors. Indeed, a number of contracts of Spirit players were sold to Major League organizations and one player, Ken Ray, actually made it to the bigs last year with Atlanta.

Although the caliber of play was equivalent to High A or Double-A ball, the Spirit and management never tried to sell the fans on a product that wasn’t true. The experience was fun and minor-league all the way (in the very best sense of the phrase). It provided families who couldn’t afford the “Fenway Experience” (without having to give the bank a second mortgage) an enjoyable and affordable afternoon or evening’s entertainment. So what if it wasn’t major league? The will to succeed was none the less on the players’ part. It was damned competitive baseball.

This year, the Spirit made it all the way to the Can-Am League Championship, where the Nashua Pride defeated them, managed by former Red Sox notable Butch Hobson. None other than the Great El Guapo, Rich Garces, anchored the Pride’s bullpen and he was on the mound when the final pitch was thrown at Fraser Field.

Prior to the Spirit, the words “Fraser Field” and “dump” were synonymous. Millions of dollars were spent to refurbish the place and the field and stands were beautiful. It remains to be seen if anyone else is willing to take on the challenge of operating another franchise in Lynn. Seattle and Pittsburgh each had Double-A franchises there in the ‘80’s that failed. Perhaps the fact that the park is ten miles away from Fenway is part of the reason. Maybe folks around here figure that minor league ball is for those who live in the boondocks and that to take interest in anything less than world-class entertainment isn’t worth the bother. They never knew how much fun they missed. Thanks for the memories.