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THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Wednesday, November 25, 2020 Page 13 THEY’RE COMING! Lynn Classical and Lynn English cleared to join GBL in 2021 NEC votes 12-0 to let “Lynns” leave league as of June 2021 By Steve Freker A nd then there were EIGHT! That’s how many teams are now in the fold as the Greater Boston League (GBL) got the great news it had been waiting for on Friday morning when officials learned that Lynn Classical High School and Lynn English High School will be officially joining the GBL as full members beginning in June 2021. The final hurdle was passed Friday when the Northeastern Conference (NEC) principals voted unanimously, 12-0, to approve the petition of the two Lynn high schools to leave the NEC immediately, without a potential two-year wait period. The Bulldogs of Lynn English and the Rams of Lynn Classical will be ready for competition as “GBLers” for the fall season of the 2021-22 school year. The addition of the two Lynn schools, which officially came about in lightning fashion, in a span of just two weeks, bolsters the GBL to eight teams, the largest the league has been since the early 2000s. The league already includes Everett, Malden, Medford, Revere, Somerville and Chelsea (rejoining the GBL in the fall of 2021). The addition of Lynn Classical and Lynn English in June will make it an eightteam league. Many around the region have stated that with the addition of the two Lynn schools the GBL will become the top urban-based high school league in Massachusetts. There has been talk of the two Lynn teams coming in the GBL ever since the four GBLers – Everett, Malden, Medford and Somerville – indicated they’d like to end their brief, two-year pilot program stay in the NEC at the end of the 2018-2019 school year. Revere quickly left the NEC and joined the GBL midway through the summer of 2019 as the league grew to five members. The move of the two Lynn schools picked up steam when it became known they had officially petitioned the NEC to leave the league in which they had been charter members for over 30 years. On November 13, the GBL Board officially voted unanimously, 6-0, to officially welMALDEN: TODAY | FROM PAGE 4 ed on the corner of Pearl and Charles Streets. That was the only real hit for the Braves because the ‘Suffolk Square Kid,’ Twisty Nager, cooled down the Braves allowing no more runs. After the game was over, the Braves’ coach offered Twisty a spot on their farm team. Twisty asked how much salary he would receive. When he was told there was no salary attached Twisty quipped back, “I make more money selling ice cream at the dog track.” He refused to join the team and the Braves left town without him. “There were two local footLynn Classical football celebrated a 22-9 Thanksgiving win over archrival Lynn English last year. (Courtesy Photo) ball teams that came out of ‘Old Suffolk Square’ in those days. They were the Steamrollers and the Samosets. They were made up mostly of boys of the Jewish faith. They played with very little equipment because they could not afford to buy any. But they did manage to wear football jerseys that were all the same. The games were played all over the city at such places as Dell Park (now Roosevelt Park). And of course, the old Malden High football field located where the Newland Street housing project now stands. There were good ball players in those days. “One day while the team Lynn English girls’ basketball played Lynn English in a rivalry matchup last year. (Courte come the two schools as members to join the GBL. “It was an easy decision and we are thrilled as a league that Lynn Classical and Lynn English wanted to become part of the Greater Boston League,” Malden High School Principal and GBL President Chris Mastrangelo said at the time of the vote. “We will become a stronger, eight-team league with these two great additions. Moving forward, we believe the GBL will be the premier urban-based league in Massachusetts.” Immediately, the GBL becomes stronger in basketball as the Lynn English boys basketball team is the two-time defending MIAA Division 1 State Champion. The Bulldogs are also highly competitive in boys and girls soccer and track. Classical has been solid in football, soccer, boys basketball and baseball in the past several years. Both of the Lynn schools’ athletic directors were pleased with the vote and the new move to the GBL. “We’re incredibly excited to join the GBL,” said Lynn Classical Athletic Director Bill Devin. “We feel that this really is the best fit for both sides, and we’re still going to look forward to scheduling and playing our NEC foes in our non-conference games going forward.” “I’m glad to see the league [NEC] went with this and made it a smooth transition,” said Lynn English Athletic Director Dick Newton. “This is pretty much how I expected things would go, and I think it’s a great move for both sides. “We move into an eightteam league [GBL]; they GBL | SEE PAGE 22 was practicing at the old high school field they were met by visitors from the corners of Ferry and Belmont Streets. They were the ‘Monkey Corner Gang’ who, for some reason did not care for the boys from Suffolk Square (hmmm I wonder why? my note). They picked on the wrong guys this day because these Jewish boys were tough, and before long the ‘Monkey Corner Gang’ was seen fleeing up Rich Street with their tails between their legs never to return.” To be continued. “This is the end, beautiful friend, this is the end, my only friend, the end” – the undefeated 1929 Lincoln Junior High football team was stacked with what Bill referred to as “members of the Jewish faith.” They were the “boys from Suffolk Square.” Young Jewish boys like Captain Harry Berg, Abraham Miller, Joseph Weinberg, Isaac Rigmont, Tommy Lutch and Leonard Lutes went 7-0 and outscored their opponents by an amazing 180-6. In Game 4, they blew out the Centre School of Malden 88-6. Actually, Lincoln went undefeated for the third consecutive year, going 25-0 in the process. The annual Football Banquet was held in November 1929 at the Malden Club Banquet Hall catered by Fitzgerald Brothers. Principal Galvin could not attend due to a “heavy cold” contracted by “following the boys at practice.” Superintendent of Schools Mr. Marshall was the toastmaster and introduced the school committee. The “popular football official” James Parker was the principal speaker and gave the boys “much good advice” according to written accounts from the day. Coach Dempsey and Coach Goodreau were “loud in their praise of the boy’s spirit and success.” Each player was given a pencil. Mr. Galvin was presented with a gold piece by the team, and Mr. Dempsey was awarded a gold football. For those unfamiliar with the term “boys from Suffolk Square” here is a (very) short tutorial. The Suffolk Square area was located around Bryant/Cross Street and was heavily populated with most of the Jewish population in Malden. A large community, it consisted of Jewish delis, houses of worship, a movie theater and much more. It was a vibrant, robust neighborhood until Urban Renewal reared its ugly head. Unfortunately, very few remnants of that beloved Jewish enclave exist today. Former residents scattered against the wind. Michael Goldman, Norman Greenbaum (and many others, including most of West Peabody) mourn to this very day. Postscript 1: I simply cannot imagine better nicknames than the “boys from Suffolk Square” had! Postscript 2: I had the great pleasure of meeting Bill (Mini’s) great-granddaughter Sara (Mini) this morning, a wonderful young woman. Bill, you’d be darn proud! Postscript 3: Don’t ya wish you could time travel back and spend just a couple of hours in Mrs. Gordon’s variety store? Postscript 4: In my eyes the late great Bill Mini will always be the foremost authority, historically and contemporarily speaking, on the city of Malden. In my lifetime nobody could touch Bill’s memories as he lovingly documented the many diverse neighborhoods, the many historic events and the many colorful characters that the city has produced. His obituary made mention of him graduating Malden High School in 1940, being a World War II veteran and attending Fitchburg State, where he received his teaching degree. It also told of his love of photography and his joy of painting (a Bill Mini original hangs proudly on my living room wall). But in my opinion his obit could have gone on for 25 pages and not tell the complete story of this extraordinary man’s life.

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