Baseball clinic set for Portland

PORTLAND – The second annual Black Bear Baseball Clinic will be held Jan. 11-12 at the Ramada Inn here.

Maine baseball coach John Winkin, Ed Flaherty, coach of the Division III National Champion Southern Maine baseball team; Oakland A’s infielder Mike Bordick, Maine assistant coaches Mike Coutts, Jay Kemble, and Bill Reynolds, Southern Maine assistant Scott Littlefield, and baseball umpire Mike Parquette are featured speakers.

The clinic is designed for coaches. Any players interested in attending should check with their coaches regarding regulations that may govern their team or team’s season.

In addition, representatives from more than 20 sporting goods companies will be on hand to promote their newest products.

Saturday night, Flaherty, Winkin, and Bordick will talk about hitting fundamentals and drills as well as other aspects of offense and winning. A reception will follow at Bleachers Sports Bar in Portland.

Sunday will be broken down into 20-minute sessions by all the instructors on hand to discuss skills for fielding, pitching, and hitting. Parquette, who was a crew chief in the 1990 Goodwill games and the 1991 American Legion World Series, will discuss rule changes.

Preregistration for coaches is $30. Checks should be made payable to the University of Maine and sent to Mike Coutts, Mahaney Clubhouse, University of Maine, Orono 04469.

Admission the day of the event is $35 and starts one-half hour prior to the start of each day’s session. Day-of-the-event registration will start at 6 p.m. on Jan. 11 and 8 a.m. on Jan. 12. Second-day registration cost is $25. More information regarding the clinic, including a complete list of events, may be obtained from Mike Coutts or Jay Kemble at the UM baseball office, (207) 581-1096.

Saturday night hotel reservations can be made by calling the Ramada Inn on Congress St. in Portland at 774-5611. Clinic participants will receive a reduced room rate.