New
ballclub navigates to the North Shore
Bill Kipouras
LYNN — Two months after a dispiriting departure of professional
baseball, the summer game has found its way back to this North
Shore city.
A press event yesterday at the Porthole Restaurant announced the
arrival of the North Shore Navigators, a team of the New England
Collegiate Baseball League. While the former denizens of Fraser
Field — the North Shore Spirit of the independent Northeast
League — featured ballplayers creeping toward the end of their
professional careers, the Navigators will give fans a look at
athletes on their way up.
The Navigators, formerly the Holyoke Giants, were the team name
announced yesterday by team owner and president Phil Rosenfield.
He said the name is fitting because navigators set goals, are
successful and are willing to make sacrifices.
The press event was also a homecoming for the 55-year-old
Rosenfield, who found it easy to navigate his way to the North
Shore, since he grew up around Phillips Park (“the Jewish side,
but don’t mention that,” he joked) in Swampscott.
What Rosenfield brings to Lynn, following six professionally
related franchises — the Lynn Red Sox, Lynn Tigers, Lynn
Pirates, Lynn Sailors, Massachusetts Mad Dogs and North Shore
Spirit — is an all-collegiate club that will play a 42-game
schedule over an eight-week season.
The Navigators open their inaugural season on June 6 at home
against the Lowell All-Americans.
Other NECBL franchises are the Sanford Mainers, Newport Gulls,
Danbury Westerners, Keene Swamp Bats, Torrington Twisters,
Vermont Mountaineers, Holyoke Sox, Manchester Silkworms,
Pittsfield Dukes (owned by former Red Sox GM Dan Duquette) and
the North Adams Steeple Cats.
The departure of the Spirit in October was the open window for
Rosenfield, who said it was pretty sad leaving Holyoke.
“Almost like the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn,” he said.
In addition to a homecoming, though, the move made sense
economically, since his team will now be playing in a city of
85,000.
Lynn Mayor Chip Clancy, who had said he didn’t want a mausoleum
at Fraser after the Spirit folded their tent, solidly supported
the Navigators. Rosenfield, part owner of JN Phillips Auto Glass
of Woburn, reportedly got the same lease terms that Spirit owner
Nick Lopardo had the past five seasons.
The “Navs” will operate in Lynn for at least two seasons. In the
$1 annual lease, the city will cover water, sewer and electrical
costs. The club’s responsibilities include maintenance, upkeep,
operating the concessions and in-stadium advertising.
The players, all college underclassmen, are not paid (an NCAA
edict) and are housed in local homes over the season, thus
cutting down on overhead.
There was a sense of relief on the face of Lynn-born Judy
Rosenfield, the owner’s wife, who has the job of finding
quarters for the players.
“My husband traveled five hours back and forth to Holyoke every
game for three years, as well as other days of the week — it was
insane,” she said.
The Rosenfields reside in Wayland.
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