Spirit say farewell; ‘Navs’ new team in town

It was a year of comings and goings at Fraser Field, with the North Shore Spirit saying “goodbye,” and the North Shore Navigators checking in with a hearty “hello.”In the end, the Spirit were marvelously successful on the field, but not successful enough off it – at least not successful enough to suit owner Nick Lopardo.Actually, the Spirit almost left after the 2006 season, but Lopardo was persuaded to give it one more year. But early in the season, rumors started flying that 2007 would be his last in Lynn – rumors that were confirmed within the organization before the team could complete its post-season playoffs.On the field, the Spirit finished with the best overall record in the league for the second straight year. But once again, they fell short of that elusive CanAm League title.All told, however, the Spirit reached the CanAm Finals three times in five seasons.Despite its on-field success, keeping the turnstiles moving proved to be just as elusive a proposition for Lopardo. In the end, they just didn’t move fast enough, or consistently enough, to keep Lopardo from losing money. So, after five seasons, he pulled the plug.After some negotiating, Lopardo sold the permanent box seats he’d installed in 2002 back to the city. The turf he installed will also stay. Gone, however, are the scoreboard, concession stands, restrooms, playground, and modular office building and locker rooms.Shortly after the Spirit departed, however, Fraser had another suitor. Philip Rosenfield, a Swampscott native who owns J.M. Phillips Auto Glass, moved his Holyoke Giants team in the New England Collegiate Baseball League to Lynn and rechristened the franchise as the North Shore Navigators.The NECBL is an elite college wood bat league, and it also has a team in Lowell (the All Americans).Billed as just a step below the Cape Cod League, the NECBL plays a 42-game schedule from the beginning of June through the first week of August (there will be 21 games at Fraser).The Navs plan to model themselves similar to the Spirit, with promotions, fireworks, and as much community involvement as they can muster.Since the players are not paid (NCAA regulations) and they cannot afford housing, the NECBL asks the communities of its baseball teams to voluntarily house players.Rosenfield is a Swampscott native.