By Cary Shuman
Rick Ford is bringing a touch of Fenway Park to the Little River Inn on Boston Street.
Ford, former Lynn city councilor and owner of the well-known breakfast spot, has created an outdoor eating area adjacent to the restaurant.
“We’re calling it Fenway Park Lynn,” said Ford at a press conference Saturday. “We’ll have four or five picnic tables and we’re hoping to attract some Little League teams and things like that.”
Ford said “opening day” for the new area will be soon, depending on the weather, and the spot will be open seven days a week, including holidays.
“Any of our customers can sit out here and enjoy their breakfast outdoors in the fresh air,” said Ford.
Ford has painted the wall with the old-fashioned Fenway Park scoreboard. There is a Boston Red Sox lineup on one side and the 1973 state champion Lynn Tech baseball lineup on the other side. Lynn Tech won the state championship game, 1-0, and that final score appears on the scoreboard. There are also tributes to Tony Conigiliaro and Muhammad Ali in the new area of the restaurant.
Ford has loved baseball since his days as a sensational Lynn Little League pitcher. He was a 6-foot, fireballing southpaw on the 1973 Tech Tigers, striking out 14 batters in the state final against Quabbin Regional. A member of the Class of 1973, Ford is an inductee in the Tech Hall of Fame.
He was drafted in the tenth round of the Major League Draft and went on to pitch in the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers farm systems. Fred Pustarino, who was Ford’s catcher at Lynn Tech, played in the New York Mets farm system.