Telegraph Sports Reporter Tom KIng.

Ahhh, summer is here.

The high school team sports season was slated to close this past weekend, weather permitting, with only next weekend’s state Heptathlon/Decathlon taking place at Nashua High School North left for what was an amazing year of high school sports in the COVID era.

That means American Legion ball will be starting up – circle Hudson at Nashua on June 21 at Holman on your calendar.

But it also means a lot of Nashua Silver Knights baseball, and it should be interesting.

We got a big dose of it nearly two weeks ago, when the Knights had six home games in six nights, unprecedented for their schedule. Now they push forward with school just about out, the memory of last year’s title, but also the remarkable feat of the entire league making it through the pandemic season of 2020 still fresh in their minds.

Nashua Silver Knights owner John Creedon,Jr., right, celebrates last year's title with general manager Cam Cook and manager Kyle Jackson during the Opening Night ring ceremony back on May 27. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

We asked the Knights owner, John Creedon Jr., to reflect on 2020 and talk about 2021.

“It was remarkable,” Creedon said of last year. “It came down to bold but responsible leadership by Joe Paolucci, the league commissioner, every owner in the league, every executive, every manager had to be on their toes all summer long last summer. We were able to accomplish something special.

“All summer long last summer I said, look, every game’s a victory. It all meant something more last summer. It’s all going to mean something more this summer, too. There were conferences, like the Ivy League, that didn’t even play all year long. It means a lot.”

Creedon’s other team, the Worcester Bravehearts, played in Leominster just to keep the franchise alive, basically, and this year are back at the College of Holy Cross. As he said, “A body in motion stays in motion; a body of rest stays in rest. We just wanted to keep it going.”

So, now we are two full weeks into the 2021 season, and because of all the Nashua home games, it seems like four.

But now there are fans in the stands everywhere, not just in Nashua and New Britain, and baseball is thriving.

Economically, can the league recover from last year’s losses?

“We have to,” Creedon said. “There’s so much financial and economic carnage throughout industries. Baseball and the Future League is certainly not immune to that. … We (all businesses) are going to bounce back. We’ve hit the bottom, and we’re climbing.”

Creedon has really not been able to put his entire plan in place for Nashua. Consider this: He purchased the team in March 2019, so that meant putting things together on the fly. Then the pandemic hit, wiping out the gains from what was said to have been a banner off-season business-wise in 2020. Just a 39 game season from early July to mid-August, a COVID cap on attendance, etc.

And this year? More games, but still restrictions, etc.

“I feel like we’ve been clearing our throats around here for two years, before we are finally hitting our stride and and trying to accomplish the things we’ve got in mind,” Creedon said.

It’ll take awhile. The team has drawn OK with the 50 percent capacity rule, and had a four-figure crowd on its first fireworks night last Friday. Six nights in early June when kids are still in school is tough to deal with, but later this week they should draw well with a Thursday-Friday homestand. Having 18 of their 34 home dates in June doesn’t help, but the schedule is the schedule.

But that doesn’t deter Creedon. He and his family are in it for the long haul in Nashua.

“I’m totally excited for the future of the Silver Knights this summer, and the years to come here,” he said. “Really excited.”

In a way, last year brought Creedon, who is a Worcester guy, closer to Nashua.

“I have to tell you, nobody managed the pandemic better than New Hampshire and better than Nashua last summer,” he said. “And I can tell you from operating in different states, it was responsible, it was sensible, it was balanced, it was reasonable, and the responsiveness from every level of government for a small business like us couldn’t have been better. From the Mayor’s office, to the Governor’s office, the Publich Health folks, Public Works – everybody wanted us to not fall down and get through it. They couldn’t have been more supportive and I could not be more appreciative of that.”

Of course, Creedon has his hands full with his other FCBL franchise, the Bravehearts, as they now have serious competition from the WooSox, the Red Sox Triple A affiliate that opened up the new park in town after moving from Pawtucket.

Creedon says there’s no doubt in his mind that his franchise can survive there.

“We’re making a go,” he said. “Competition is good for consumers, it’s going to ensure the quality of the product.”

In terms of not just baseball, but the entertainment, fan experience, price, etc. In the Bravehearts’ first two home dates, the crowds were noticeably smaller, but there were other factors: restrictions, weather, and so on.

“We have every intention of the Bravehearts sticking around Worcester for the long haul,” Creedon said. “The Bravehearts are not going anywhere.”

Nor should they. Meanwhile, Creedon said not to worry about losing another franchise to the rival New England Collegiate Baseball League when the North Shore Navigators were the third team in three years to defect. Instead, after the league added Vermont and Norwich, things in Creedon’s mind couldn’t be better. And make no mistake, his mind is perhaps the one that counts the most in this league.

“Perception is not reality,” he said. “I can tell you, as an insider in the Futures League, the Futures League has never been stronger in terms of the quality of our franchises, facilities, owners and operators.

“Everybody in the league right now is a great fit. You’re right, you never want to see teams league, but if it’s not a good fit, it’s not a good fit, and folks have to move on. And that’s fine.”

The Silver Knights owner has spoken. Let the summer season of 2021 begin.

Tom King can be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or on twitter @Telegraph _TomK.

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