NECBL seal of approval
League commissioner sees signs of a healthy organization in Mystic
Groton — Sean McGrath looked around the Shipyard, the Mystic Schooners home field at Fitch High School, and saw signs of a healthy organization.
A larger than usual crowd was on hand for Tuesday night's New England Collegiate Baseball League game. Kids played catch behind the stands. Schooners players threw a football around in the outfield before the game.
"There's something special going on here," said McGrath, the NECBL commissioner.
Few people know more about the NECBL than McGrath, who's been involved with the amateur summer league for 19 years.
He joined the Danbury-Westerners as a player in 1996 and spent two seasons there. After three years in the New York Mets minor league system, he became a coach for the North Adams SteepleCats in 2002 and then had a nine-year stint there as executive vice president and general manager.
He's been the league's commissioner since 2013.
During the season, McGrath checks in on all 12 NECBL teams, traveling from his North Adams, Mass., home. He juggles his various duties while holding a full-time job in development at Williams College and spending quality time with his family that includes his wife, Kristine and two daughters.
He's learned to master the art of time management.
"I try to keep everybody happy," McGrath said. "Baseball has always been my passion. This is my involvement and personal enjoyment with the game still. I used to be able to play it and coach it. Now I get to be around the management side of things."
During his visit Tuesday, McGrath chatted with Tom and Michelle Marra, Mystic's dedicated and generous owners. They talked about health of the Mystic organization — sponsorship is up this season— and about the great player turnout for a recent cookout for host families at the Marras' house.
"The Mystic Schooner organization has grown every year and continues to grow," McGrath said. "I've seen more and more growth in the community. A great sign is when you can be in town and see people wearing your logo. Instead of wearing a Red Sox or Yankees hat, they'rewearing a Schooners hat. It's a great sign when people in the community think summer begins when the Schooners show up.
"It definitely takes some time in every community for teams to build that loyalty and that bond with the fans of the community."
On the field, the Schooners also are experiencing success.
Mystic has gone from winning just nine games in 2012 to attempting to qualify for the playoffs for the third straight season this summer. The Schooners are earning high marks for player development. A scout from the San Francisco Giants attended Tuesday's game.
McGrath marveled about a defensive play that he witnessed shortstop Aaron Hill make.
"To see a play made like that here says everything about the talent that they're recruiting," McGrath said. "They certainly are competing. They're certainly giving everyone in the (Southern Division) a run for their money.
"... And they also putting guys in professional baseball. That's one of the other measurements that we evaluate ourselves on. It gives me a lot of pride when I'm in our meetings with Major League Baseball telling them we had 94 alumni selected in the major league draft."
Overall, McGrath is pleased with the state of the NECBL, which is in its 22nd season. He compares the NECBL to minor league baseball 20 years ago before minor league baseball became big business.
Overall attendance is on the rise. Small town teams like North Adams and the Vermont Mountaineers, who had almost 1,300 fans on a recent weekend night, are drawing good crowds, according to McGrath. Newport, the league's most successful franchise, routinely plays before over 2,000 fans.
Mystic faces some challenges in the fan department. Playing behind Fitch and out of sight from a main road makes it difficult for the Schooners to be noticed on game nights. They listed their attendance as 245 for Tuesday's game.
But there's not a more fan-friendly, inexpensive way to spend a summer evening if you're a local baseball fan and enjoy watching some of the best college talent in the nation.
McGrath believes the Schooners are in good hands with the Marras, general manager Dennis Long, manager Phil Orbe, a merry band of game day volunteers and welcoming host families involved with the organization.
"Without their leadership and yearround commitment, it wouldn't be possible," McGrath said of the ownership and baseball staff. "Certainly you need the volunteers, the sponsors, the community members to support the organization, otherwise you're not going to have aspiring future Schooners walking around chasing foul balls." g.keefe@theday.com Twitter: @GavinKeefe