LYNN — While the season hasn’t gone quite the way the Navigators had hoped on the field, the organization is thriving.
The Navigators will wrap up their 2017 campaign this weekend, weather permitting, as they host the Pittsfield Suns this evening and travel to Brockton Sunday.
There would be no second-half turnaround for the North Shore squad this season. While the Navs maintained a steady pace throughout the latter part of the season, it wasn’t enough to clinch a playoff spot.
There were some challenges along the way on the field. Manager John Zizzo stepped down from his post midway through the year, and former Navs player Pete Gonski took over the role in July.
“It wasn’t an easy to task to come in here midseason, it’s never a good thing when something like that is going to happen,” Navigators general manager Bill Terlecky said. “I never hesitated for one second or thought that Pete wouldn’t be able to hold the reins and keep the ship steady.”
However, Gonski had to deal with a rash of injuries, as well as players being shut down by their college coaches.
“The way we’ve played since he’s been our manager is because of the injuries and the guys that got shut down and things like that,” Terlecky said. “Our two best pitchers got shut down by their coaches, which we totally understand, we’re fine with that, but it happens. Our three best hitters before the all-star break were no more. We really lost the heart of the team.
“I give a lot of credit to Pete and the rest of the guys, still playing hard and seem to still be enjoying themselves. It’s a long season, it’s a grind, but Pete has done a great job.”
The Navigators are wrapping up their sixth season under the current ownership, and Terlecky has seen progress every year. This season, the Navs set a new attendance record.
“There’s been a little bit of growth every year, and finally, the growth this year kind of pushed us to the best year we’ve had, and that’s a beautiful thing,” Terlecky said.
The amount of local sponsors at Fraser Field has also grown. The outfield walls are filled to capacity with sponsors’ banners, and the Navs pride themselves on keeping the concessions local as well.
“I build on what success we’ve had in the past, and luckily, we haven’t taken any steps backward, so we just continue to build and grow,” Terlecky said. “We’re lucky, because there are a lot of folks who are corporate sponsors of the Navigators because they also believe in Lynn. They want to support things that are good for the city, and we get the benefit of that.”
The Navigators saved one of the most special nights of the season for the final weekend. They debuted new jerseys for Stand Up 2 Cancer night, and handed out SU2C cards to all the fans to hold up during the middle of the fifth inning.
The cause was near and dear to the organization, as they recently lost a valuable member and close friend in Fred Laramie, who ran the concessions with his wife, Pam, and worked alongside his daughter Ashley as well. Fred Laramie passed away in December after battling cancer, and the SU2C night was a fitting tribute.
“It was so appropriate because of Fred,” Terlecky said. “We got these nice-looking jerseys to wear tonight, and here we are. It’s a nice tribute, I can’t imagine there’s anybody who hasn’t been touched by the disease.”
Of course, it takes a large team to keep everything at Fraser running smoothly all summer long. Terlecky is the point man, in a sense, but has three people under him — Joe Gill, Ashley Laramie and Melissa Abraham, a graphic artist who lives in Illinois.
“Each of those three, in their own special way, I would be lost without,” Terlecky said. “Then there’s Pam Laramie on our food and beverage, and every year we bring in a crew of about 25 interns, they’re always brand new and have never done this before, but we get them trained up. We also employ another 15 or so kids in our concession operation.”
The Navs have found a formula that works. The crowds grow each season, and now that the organization has really hit its stride, Terlecky hopes to see that continue.
“We’d like to thank the community, our business partners, the media, the fans. This is the sixth year of our ownership and we don’t have any reason to think, if we keep doing what we’re doing, that it shouldn’t continue,” Terlecky said. “Folks have really enjoyed and bought into the way we do the things we do…I like to take that little line from the Temptations, and that really says it all.”
