COURTESY PHOTO
From left, Gannon Golf Course Chairman David J. Solimine Sr., head pro Dave Sibley, and officers of the Shoe City Golf League Jack Kennedy and Bart Conlon.
By STEVE KRAUSE
LYNN — Memorial Day was established to honor those who came before us, who gave their lives so that we can remain free, and who raised, nurtured and mentored us through the years.
There will be parades and commemoration ceremonies, and there will also be cookouts and other leisure and social activities that harken the first “official” weekend of summer (even though we haven’t seemed to have a spring yet).
The Lynn sports world has its rituals too. Next weekend, we honor two men who contributed mightily to baseball and softball in Lynn; and Gannon Golf Course will have its annual memorial service for fallen members.
The weekend begins next Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. with the Nipper Clancy baseball tournament. English and Classical will play in the opener and North Reading and St. Mary’s square off in the nightcap.
Those new to this might see North Reading as an interloper, but be assured it is not. When the tournament began in 1982, the four coaches who founded it — Frank Carey of North Reading, Bart Conlon of Lynn Tech, Jim Tgettis of St. Mary’s and Dick Maag of Classical — all had one thing in common. All played at one time or another for Clancy, a baseball pioneer in the city who coached both for St. Mary’s and the Connery Post 6 American Legion team.
Carey, who won a state-record 736 games while coaching at North Reading, said Clancy was years ahead of his time as a coach.
“When we were young kids, we aspired to go to St. Mary’s and, to be honest, that was because we all wanted to play for Nipper Clancy,” said Carey, who grew up in Breed Square. “He was way ahead of his time when it came to coaching. He was innovative in his own way, and that was before any of the technology like there is today.
“We all looked forward to playing for him,” Carey said.
Along the way, English was invited to join, and for a few years, the tournament rotated teams, with one sitting out each year. That made it an exclusively Lynn tournament at least once, when North Reading sat out. Tech has since bowed out, but the other schools remain.
It was set up by the coaches as a way for state tournament-bound teams to get a little warm-up action if they have to wait too long between their final games and the beginning of the postseason.
The consolation and championship games are Saturday at noon and 3 p.m., respectively.
Similarly, the John G. Holland tournament does for softball what the Clancy does for baseball. And as with both, there always seems to be at least one team that needs a victory in these tournaments to qualify for the postseason.
I had the extreme pleasure of knowing Holland quite well. We were friendly during our days together at Pine Hill Little League and he brought me onto the board of directors for Lynn Babe Ruth.
He was a tireless worker on behalf of baseball, softball and soccer, and was extremely instrumental in establishing the Babe Ruth softball program. When he died in 1996, his family instituted the tournament with the help of Lynn Babe Ruth softball. Three years ago, the family stepped aside, and Babe Ruth took over the organization and running of the Holland Tournament.
The Holland gets underway at 5:30 p.m. next Saturday with Classical playing English. St. Mary’s plays Swampscott at 7.
The third memorial involves Gannon. Each year, the golf course has a memorial service for members who have died within the previous year. This year’s service begins at 11 a.m.
Gannon chaplain Father James Riley will conduct the service, English’s USMC Junior ROTC cadets will present the colors, newly-commissioned Second Lieutenant Patrick Hogan will lead the salute to the flag, and Lynn’s Jack Simpson will render Taps.
Those remembered include Mike Carroll, Pat DiGiulo, Al Glennon, Mike Lauranzano, John Lombara, John MacDonald, James Mahan, Tom Murray, John O’Brien, John O’Connell, Andy O’Shea, Roger Pitcher, Jim Ryan, James Sibley and Kary Yanakakis.
Steve Murphy and Chris Carter, owners of Golf Facilities Management, Inc., along with club pro Dave Sibley will host the event.
Dave Solimine Sr. and his grandson, Joel, are co-chairmen. Solimine says there will be a shuttle from the lower parking lot and from Great Woods Road, limited handicapped parking and drop off area.
The event will be held rain or shine.