Dear Newport Gulls Fans, I am delighted to announce that the Newport Gulls will return to Cardines Field as we celebrate the 20th Anniversary Season of the Newport Gulls. Last summer the NECBL season was cancelled and Gulls baseball took a vacation. Baseball has played an important part in American history; it has survived our most difficult periods of time in our storied past. Baseball is a reminder of all that is good, our country’s past time, like hot dogs and apple pie. I am reminded by a famous quote from Terrance Mann in the Field of Dreams: Chuck, people will come Chuck. They’ll come to Newport for reasons they can’t even fathom. They’ll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they’re doing it. They’ll arrive at Cardines as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won’t mind if you look around, you’ll say. It’s only $5 per person. They’ll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they’ll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They’ll find they have seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their Gulls. And they’ll watch the game and it’ll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they’ll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Chuck. The one constant through all the years, Chuck, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it’s a part of our past, Chuck. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Chuck. People will most definitely come.” This season let’s celebrate our past, appreciate our present and look forward to the future. On behalf of the Newport Gulls organization, we want to thank all of our former players, coaches, host families, sponsors, volunteers, interns and fans for your contributions to the last 19 years. Together we have accomplished something special here. The Newport Gulls are considered one of the premier organizations in the country and the beacon of light in the NEBCL. Let’s celebrate and be thankful. Lastly, we want to thank the City of Newport and the Newport Recreation Department for providing a home for the Newport Gulls. We are blessed to call Cardines Field our home and honored to be called the Newport Gulls. #Gullsflytogether Sincerely,
Chuck Paiva President and General Manager
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