Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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PR O M OT I ON John Isner THE BOSTON LOBSTERS W Boston Lobsters Kick Off Their Fifth Year at Joan Norton Stadium at the Ferncroft Country Club By Adam Kurkjian hen Bahar Uttam reviews his previous seven seasons of owning the Boston Lobsters, he feels that each one has been better than the last. Looking ahead to the summer of 2012, that upward trend promises to continue. "I'm looking forward to just an exciting season and to build on the foundation we set before," he said. Many of the pillars of that foundation return this summer. There will also be some new additions to certainly capture the attention of those who are eagerly anticipating the Summer Games in London. Some familiar faces slated to return to Ferncroſt Country Club's Joan Norton Stadium in Middleton include marquee player John Isner, rising women's star Irina Falconi and doubles specialist Eric Butorac. Coach Bud Schultz will be back for his fourth year on the sideline. Isner is slated to make his appearance on Monday, July 23 against the Philadelphia Freedoms before going on the road for a return match against the Freedoms on the 25th. Uttam is also planning on bringing in past and present Olympians from multiple sports to make appearances during the season, which is set to begin July 9 with an Opening Night match against the Sacramento Capitals. Two former Olympians already set to come in include former No. 1 and American Olympian Lindsay Davenport and fellow former No. 1 and Swiss Olympian Martina Hingis. Davenport comes in with the Orange County Breakers on Tuesday, July 17, a match presented by EBSCO, and Hingis for the New York Sportimes on Sunday, July 22. "It's exciting to have that theme," Uttam said. "It's nice to recognize those athletes, so we're reaching out to as many Olympians as we can. We want to recognize them and let our fans have the opportunity to meet with them in our new VIP hospitality tent, which will be exciting for our fans." When Isner makes his appearance, it won't be hard to recognize him, either, and that doesn't necessarily have to do with his height at 6-feet, 9-inches. Entering his third season with the Lobsters, Isner is currently enjoying his best year to date on the court. Currently ranked a career-best No. 11 in the world and second among Americans, Isner stunned Roger Federer in a Davis Cup defeat of Switzerland in February. Said U.S. team captain Jim Courier of Isner's win: "I don't know I have ever seen anyone finish a match against Roger Federer the way he did today. That was pretty amazing." There's a little bit of amazing to many different facets of Isner's