I was saddened to hear that the North Shore Spirit are going out of business. According to the Boston Globe, owner Nick Lopardo lost about $10 million in the five years that the Spirit played ball. He spent $5 million to refurbish Lynn's Fraser Field, and sustained another $5 million in operating losses.

I'm wondering if there may be too many minor league teams in the Boston area. Within an hour of the city you have the Pawtucket Red Sox, Lowell Spinners, New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Nashua Hawks, Brockton Rox and Worcester Tornadoes. Lowell and Pawtucket are Red Sox affiliates, which gives them a built in advantage over any other teams. It's getting tougher and tougher to compete, both with other minor league teams and with all the other entertainment options out there.

So, goodbye North Shore Spirit. It was fun while it lasted.