Navigators beginning a busy part of their summer

LYNN – One of the biggest features of the North Shore Navigators – aside from playing baseball, that is – is the team’s willingness to circulate among the community.Beginning today, the Navigators and their players will be doing just that.As part of a weekend-long Dominican festival, the Navigators will host an exhibition game at 5 p.m. today against Los Tigres Dominicanos, a team comprised of players from the Lynn area who have roots in the Dominican Republic.The team, managed by Lynn’s Ruben Pimental, will consist of several recent Lynn public school graduates who played at either English or Classical, plus a few others from the immediate area.Pimental is no stranger to Lynn baseball. In 2006, he managed the Lynn 14-year-old Babe Ruth team to a state championship and a spot in the New England regionals in Connecticut.Two of his players from that team, Brian Maynard and Clemente Parra, will be among the Los Tigres Dominicanos players today.The festivities begin with a parade in downtown Lynn (2 p.m. start) that will wind its way to Fraser. And they end Sunday with the Dominican Festival at Fraser Field.Navigators general manager Bill Terlecky hopes that the game, and the festival, will steer people toward going to some games.”If it can get some people in the park, let’s do it,” said Terlecky.Beginning Monday, the Navigators players will conduct clinics at Fraser Field for school-age children under a program in partnership with North Shore Community College.The clinic, which costs $150 per person, will be run for three weeks, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to noon, beginning this Monday.”It’ll be three separate clinics,” said Terlecky. “We’ll give it a try and see what happens.”The players will meet the boys and girls at 8:50 every morning and lead them down to the field for the clinic.Aside from benefitting the children in the community, Terlecky said, the clinic will give the players a chance to earn some money.”A lot of them come here, and they don’t have a chance to get jobs” he said. “This will give them a chance to earn a few bucks. So we’re happy to be able to do this for the kids and for the players.”Steve Krause can be reached at [email protected].