By Kirby Arnold
Herald Writer
Mark Sperandio followed his love of baseball 3Z\x years ago and found the love of his life.
He bought the Everett AquaSox in 1998, moved 3,000 miles from the East Coast and latched onto not only baseball bliss, but also a woman willing to experience it with him.
“The best thing about buying the ballclub is I met Joan,” Sperandio said. “I wouldn’t have met her if I hadn’t moved away from my family and friends and come 3,000 miles in chase of a dream.”
Sperandio and his wife met through mutual friends three years ago, and he said she learned quickly what it takes to run a minor league franchise.
“All our dates were at the ballpark,” he said. “I would put her behind home plate, and between innings I would swing by.”
Life since then has been nothing but a fairy tale.
Mark and Joan have married and the franchise continues to occupy an important place in the community.
“I never want to go to the majors. Never,” said Sperandio, a native of Rochester, N.Y., who worked in group sales with the Harrisburg (Pa.) Senators before he bought the AquaSox from Bob and Margaret Bavasi in 1998. “This is what I do. This is what I love.”
Sperandio is proud of the team’s involvement in the community, especially with schools and non-profit organizations. The AquaSox have given away more than $275,000, and more than 90 schools and 21 libraries have taken part in reading programs that encourage kids to reach reading goals in exchange for AquaSox tickets and merchandise.
He also led improvements to Everett Memorial Stadium that included installation of bleachers that continued the stadium renovation that took place under the Bavasis. The team drew 114,750 fans last year, the second-best single-season attendance total in franchise history.
Northwest League owners have certainly noticed. They honored Sperandio last year as the league’s executive of the year.
“Only being here three years and still making a lot of mistakes, it really felt good to know that your peers felt you and your front office staff are doing a great job,” he said.
Most of all, Sperandio likes being a hands-on owner who not only is visible in the community but is involved in almost every aspect of the franchise. One night he might be pulling the tarp off the field, another night pouring beer, and some nights he may be doing both.
“I knew when I got into it that it was really important to be local,” he said. “To live here and be very hands-on. My approach when I bought it was I wanted to be the guy who is pulling the tarp on the field. I enjoy embracing the operation in that way.”
He also gives a heavy dose of credit to the AquaSox employees, who he says are the true backbone of the franchise.
“They’re all cohesive and talented in what they do,” he said. “They all love baseball and they all take great pride in making sure our guests have a great time at the ballpark and that’s it’s a safe place and a fun place to spend an evening.”
Sperandio wants to make it better.
“We’re always looking for ways to tweak the formula,” he said. “We want to improve on the experience, make the ballpark cleaner, make the concession lines go quicker and make the food product tastier. We have 38 games and I want to have something great going on every night in addition to baseball.
“We never turn down a non-profit organization in a request for a donation, and I want to be able to give more.”
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