EVERETT – The fate of the Everett AquaSox came down to an individual younger than 1 year old.
After six years as owners of the minor-league baseball franchise, Mark and Joan Sperandio announced the sale of the AquaSox to the Carfagna family of Cleveland on Wednesday.
The determining factor behind the Sperandios’ decision boiled down to their daughter, Cecilia, who turns 1 later this month.
“Both of our parents are on the East Coast – Joan’s are in Michigan, mine are in upstate New York – and we have a lot of friends and family that are in that part of the country,” Mark Sperandio said during a press conference at the Best Western Inn.
“We miss them. Ever since Cecilia was born, we’ve felt the need to get back to our families. We thought about owning the franchise from the East Coast, but we didn’t feel we could. We thought it would be better to find another family to operate the team.
“We feel lucky to have owned the AquaSox the last six years,” Mark Sperandio added. “It’s one of the best franchises in the country. We’ve enjoyed a great relationship with the Seattle Mariners, the Everett School District and the fans of the club.”
The sale the AquaSox, a member of the short-season single-A Northwest League, will be finalized Oct. 1, subject to approval from the Northwest League, the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues and Major League Baseball. Financial details of the sale were not disclosed.
The Sperandios will remain with the AquaSox until February to help with the transition.
The Carfagnas – Peter A. Carfagna; his wife, Rita Murphy Carfagna; and their son Pete E. Carfagna – become the third owners in franchise history. Bob and Margaret Bavasi created the team in 1984 before selling to Mark Sperandio in 1998. Pete E. Carfagna will relocate to the Puget Sound area and take over as vice president of baseball operations.
The Carfagnas also own the Lake County Captains, based in the Cleveland suburb of Eastlake. The Captains are a Cleveland Indians affiliate in the full-season class-A South Atlantic League.
“This is exciting for us,” Pete E. Carfagna said. “We attended two or three homestands this season, and they were all positive experiences. It’s sad to see Mark go, but we couldn’t be more excited. The employees showed great professionalism and presented positive, quality, family entertainment. That’s what we’re about, that’s what we do at Lake County, and that’s what we’re going to do here.”
Under the Sperandios’ ownership, the AquaSox oversaw substantial improvements to Everett Memorial Stadium and were heavily involved in the local community in terms of donations, which during their six years reached $600,000.
The Sperandios made the final decision to sell in July. The details of the sale were kept quiet, with the news not reaching the AquaSox front-office staff until Wednesday morning.
“Obviously, we’re surprised a little bit,” said Dan Lewis, AquaSox director of operations. “But I’m also very excited for Joan and Mark. I’m excited for the new owners that are going to be here in Everett. It’s a mixture of feelings, but I feel good for Mark and Joan.
“I know this was a very hard decision. They’re very involved in the community and very involved with the AquaSox. But I also know they didn’t just choose somebody to sell the club to. They did a lot of due diligence and a lot of work to make sure to continue the tradition that they continued from Bob and Margaret.”
Mark Sperandio reflected on the difficulty of the decision to sell the team.
“It was hard,” he said. “It’s a job and something to do, and there are other things that are more important, but I found myself wrapped up in it. Pulling away is hard when it’s something you love and worked so hard on. The relationships we’ve built with the employees, the sponsors, the fans, the media, that’s been special. It’s been a great six years.
“It’s hard to pull away and it was a hard decision. But we knew it was the right decision because of family and because of our daughter. It was the most important thing to do and it was the right decision at the right time.”
Although the Carfagnas moved the Captains from Columbus, Ga., to Eastlake last season after buying the team in 2000, Peter A. Carfagna said they have no intention of making any drastic changes in Everett.
“This mirrors what we have at home,” Peter A. Carfagna said. “We’re 22 miles from home plate (at Cleveland’s Jacobs Field) at home, and 26 miles from home plate (at Seattle’s Safeco Field) here. I think those are the two closest affiliations in the country, and that’s beautiful. If it ain’t broke, we’re not even going to think about trying to fix it.”
Members of the AquaSox front office are looking forward to working with the Carfagnas.
“I’m going to miss Mark and Joan,” director of corporate sales Brian Sloan said. “I went through the last switch in ownership, and I thought Bob and Margaret were the best people to work for, which they were.
“But then Mark and Joan stepped up to the plate and made some real positive changes, and things got better. So I’m just going forward and thinking it’s going to get better again.
“It’s a little bit surprising, but at the same time I’m looking forward to the future with the new ownership. Mark definitely raised the bar, and I’m looking forward to the bar being raised again.”
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