Tom King

Here’s a few tids and bits in your Easter basket to chew on besides the chocolate and jellybeans:

– Great move for the Nashua Silver Knights to be part of the city’s July 4 festivities, even if it is an ultra early game at 11 a.m. It’s a win-win, as the team provides the early day entertainment with a lot of perks. The Knights made it official a few days ago. As reported a little over a week ago at nashuatelegraph.com, youths 12 and under will be admitted free (must be accompanied by an adult), and the first 500 adults as well – courtesy of the city of Nashua.

The team announced the activities that will take place around the park during the game: face painting, 30-foot inflatable obstacle course, a bounce house, mini golf course, inflatable T-ball and a dunk tank, all presumably in the Kids Area. Also free T-shirts for the first 250 youths in the stadium.

Normally, of course, Holman is off limits on this day for any franchise, but with all the activities the Knights are willing to oversee in addition to the early game, it’s perfect. Good creativity on the part of not only the city but Knights general manager Cam Cook.

Of course, looks like someone is working on the Fourth. …

– It certainly seems like LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Mass. will not see any type of franchise call it home in the next couple of years.

We told you in the past how complicated the issue would be to get another team there after the Lowell Spinners were a victim of Major League Baseball’s awful minor league contraction plan.

Is there hope? Someone, a doer, a mover, a shaker had to step in and maybe that’s happening. According to a recent report in the Lawrence (Mass.) Eagle Tribune, UMass President Marty Meehan – he fits that description – has taken a look at the situation. After all, it sits on the school’s campus and Meehan reportedly wants to upgrade that area. He was quoted in the story as saying “We can’t afford as a university for that ballpark to deteriorate any more.”

The roadblocks? Dollars, what else? The stadium needs upwards of $40 million to bring it up to MiLB standards, and the story by Mac Cerullo said a minimum of $6-7 million just for basic repairs, etc.

The city of Lowell owns it, UMass-Lowell’s baseball team calls it home. Enter the Red Sox, who likely would move one of their Class A teams there, more likely the Salem, Va.the Sox have an ownership stake in.

Three thoughts: One, how about the Sox/Fenway Sports Group buy the stadium? They certainly have the money, right?

Two, it shows the difference in MiLB ballpark standards now, because Holman we were told in the late 1980s needed $200,000 in upgrades for a Double A Red Sox team. That’s a far cry from $40 million. And three, this shows what happens when a ballpark sits empty without a franchise tenant in the summer for more than one year. Hopefully that never happens to Holman again.

– The area’s best Rivier University team this year? We say it’s longtime coach Jay Delanoy’s men’s lacrosse team.

The Raiders at mid week were 9-2, and had won nine of its last 10. They have a few locals, most notably former BG player Chris Heitmiller, and in the last year accomplished the goal of hosting a GNAC playoff game. Now let’s see if they can host two rounds. The GNAC quarterfinals are on April 30, so mark it down. Should be a good take at Joanne Merrill Field.

– If you check out some of the lacrosse scores early on in both boys and girls high school contests, there have been very few close games. A few, but not many.

The haves and have nots have a clear dividing line, and it’s simple: the off-season programs, including indoor, etc. Those teams that have kids that made that commitment are going to succeed; those who don’t have as many are going to struggle in comparison. At least it looks that way.

That is always the case in high school sports in the age of specialization, but in lacrosse it seems to be even more of an issue, good or bad.

Tom King can be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or on twitter @Telegraph _TomK.

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