Changes may be in the offing for the Bangor Labor Day Invitational Men’s Slo-Pitch Softball Tournament.

Although the number of teams participating in the annual event has remained fairly constant the last few years, tournament organizers are looking into ways to improve the tourney format and attract more teams.

“We’re happy if we get 50 or so teams signed up,” said Dave Brewer, co-director of the tournament. “But we’d like to have a few more teams sign up.”

The tournament attracted 50 teams last year and 49 this year. In the mid-1970s, as many as 75 teams participated in the tourney.

Tournament officials may decide to re-organize the tourney format as early as next year. One possible change may be the switch from two divisions of play – Classes A-B and C-D – to three or four divisions.

“We’re looking into separating the divisions a little and going with A, B, C and D divisions or an A-B, C and D division format,” said Craig Orff, co-director of the tournamen and recreation superintendent for the Bangor Parks and Recreation Department.

The main reason behind the possible changes is to improve the level of competition and separate the better teams from the less-competitive ones.

“We think it would be better to have three or four divisions,” said Dave Brewer, co-director of the Labor Day Invitational with Orff. “That way, the better teams in the C-D class could move up to Class C without having to play in the A-B Class.”

There are other possible changes tourney organizers could consider, but Orff said the only ones being seriously considered involve the re-classification of the divisions.

Other changes include the institution of a home-run rule in which teams would be allowed a maximum number of home runs per inning or game. Another option open is to require teams having winning records in a certain class move up to the next class the following year. Both of these possible changes were flatly rejected by Orff, however.

“I don’t like to be too rigid with the rules,” Orff said. “In the case of a home-run rule, I wouldn’t want to discourage people from hitting home runs. It takes a lot of the fun out of it. People like to see home runs.”

One change which would definitely bring in a lot more teams in a hurry would be the addition of a coed division. However, that type of addition might work too well, according to Orff.

“I think that would definitely bring in a lot more teams, but it might bring in so many that we wouldn’t have enough fields to accommodate them all,” Orff explained.

Currently, the Labor Day tournament uses five local softball fields: Union Street field in Bangor, Dow 1 and Dow 2 in Bangor, and two fields without lights in Hermon.

“We could be stretched past our available resources if we expanded the field of teams too much,” Orff explained.

In any event, the Labor Day Invitational remains one of the most popular softball tournaments in the state and doesn’t appear to be in any danger of failing due to a drastic decrease in attendance.

“This event has become a traditional event,” said Orff. “We get teams from Canada, Massachussetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Vermont that come back every year.”

That would appear to be a good indication that Orff, Brewer and company must be doing something right.