We’ve written about the sale of the Lowell Spinners (Short Season A; NY-Penn League), and with a deal on the horizon, the question is whether Drew Weber will hold onto his summer-collegiate Nashua Silver Knights team.
It’s been a time of transition for the Spinners, as previous attempts to sell the team fell through before a tentative deal was struck with a current MiLB owner of multiple teams. (There was, reportedly, quite the spirited bidding process for the Spinners.) Jon Goode and Tim Bawmann have stepped down from their positions (though Bawmann has a worthy, albeir temporary replacement in Shawn Smith), and that leaves both the Spinners and the Silver Knights in need of some personnel TLC in the future.
In the meantime, it sound like Weber might keep the Silver Knights, who play out of historic Holman Stadium, the ballpark where Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe helped integrate Minor League Baseball. From the Nashua Telegraph:
But the irony of all this is that while Lowell will undergo a management ownership facelift, Nashua, with the exception of Bawmann and Goode’s departures, will not. In fact, one industry source feels the status quo, with Weber owning and [general manager Ron] Wallace in charge, could last beyond this season.
“I think right now (Weber) finally realizes Nashua can be a profitable venture for him,” the source said. “I think it’s going to be hard for him to get out of baseball entirely.
“He’ll make his money in (selling) Lowell. But Nashua is low-risk for him. … He’s going to make money there this year. No risk at all. … He may keep that club forever.”
When the independent Can-Am League pulled out of Nashua, a summer-collegiate league was the perfect way to keep the historic ballpark open. And with only 21 or so miles between Lowell and Nashua, it was a smart business decision to set up shop in Nashua and run the team out of Lowell.