Baseball card shows to aid worthy causes

Three local baseball card enthusiasts with lofty aspirations have joined together and pooled their resources in an attempt to raise interest in baseball memorabilia to a new level in the Bangor area.

Hampden Academy basketball coach Jim DiFrederico, Machias basketball coach Ron Brown and Gary Brewster of Hampden have formed an organization called Mainely Sports Unlimited, and have scheduled two big baseball card shows in Bangor and one in Ellsworth.

The trio also has teamed up with the Maine Kidney Foundation and plans to donate a percentage of the revenue produced from each show to the organization. Mainely Sports Unlimited is also helping to support the D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program in conjunction with the Bangor Police Department.

“We wanted to help promote a growing hobby as well as local charities, so we aligned ourselves with the Kidney Foundation and D.A.R.E. because we feel they are worthy causes,” said Brown at a recent press conference called by MSU.

Besides helping to raise money for the Kidney Foundation, Brown and his partners said they hope also to increase both the charity’s and D.A.R.E.’s visibility in the area.

Another cause MSU is helping to promote is the Committee to Retire No. 25. This organization is leading a petition drive to persuade the Boston Red Sox to retire the uniform number of Tony Conigliaro. The local drive is being headed by Ted Reidt of Brewer.

The three shows are scheduled for June 2, Aug. 25 and Oct. 6. All three organizers are planning to make the Oct. 6 show the biggest in the state. They plan to bring in high-profile sports stars for autograph sessions at each show.

The first show at the Bangor Civic Center, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. June 2, will feature Maine native and former National League Rookie of the Year Carlton Willey. The August show at the Holiday Inn in Ellsworth will feature former Boston Red Sox shortstop Rico Petrocelli. October’s sports star is still being lined up by the organizers. The October show will be at the Bangor Auditorium.

“We know we’ll have to bring in a big star for the October show to attract the large crowd we need to make it the state’s biggest show,” said DiFrederico.

DiFrederico said that many local dealers were excited about the shows because they see the Bangor area as being “an untapped area for interest in the hobby” and having great potential.

“It’s really `wait and see’ for us right now,” said DiFrederico. “We really don’t know what to expect as far as the turnout at the first two shows. We’re just hoping to get off to a good start.