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Marra buys Schooners, ends ballpark debate

Mystic SchoonersTom Marra is proving to be even more of a baseball white knight for fans of the Mystic Schooners (summer collegiate; NECBL): he’s buying the team after donating a half-million dollars toward the renovation of the team’s home field.

The donation actually came first, allowing the Schooners to begin play in 2011. Marra, the president and chief executive officer of Symetra Financial Corporation, was a minority investors under Kevin Kelleher’s ownership. But when the nonprofit ran into financial issues — despite Marra’s generosity, the ballpark renovation cost an additional $140,000, money that the school district was forced to cover — Marra stepped into buy out Kelleher and signed a new 20-year lease for the ballpark.

The Schooners attracted 300 fans a game this past season; Marra, who is planning on summering in the area, will be working to boost that number.

RELATED STORIES: New for 2011: Mystic Schooners

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