Bangor Legion job up in air

Those waiting for a new Bangor Comrades American Legion baseball coach to be named will have to be patient.

Bangor Legion Inc., which has overseen the program since 1989, hasn’t even scheduled a meeting yet, never mind given thought about who should succeed coach Steve Vanidestine.

Former UMaine coach Dr. John Winkin has stepped forward and expressed his interest in the position.

But Vanidestine, a member of the board of directors with his brother Tom, John Stubbs, Ron St. Pierre and Bob Kelley, hasn’t even handed in his official resignation. The three-year coach intends to step down and will formally do so at the next board meeting.

The board will meet some time this fall, and all persons who have expressed an interest in the coaching job will be considered, Vanidestine said Thursday afternoon.

“Our board will meet in the fall, as we traditionally have, and we will have information as to which direction we will go in,” he said. Overseeing the selection of the coach, fund-raising and the team, the board will consider Winkin’s name and any others brought to its attention.

“My responsibility is to make sure that we have a quality coach and that the kids are well-represented,” Vanidestine said.

Candidates have been turned down in the past, and the next coach must abide by the board’s philosophy of sharing the athletes with Bangor’s other sports programs, including summer basketball.

“All names that are discussed are voted on by the board,” Vanidestine said. “We usually deal with a coach with the most positives.”

The position pays on a fluctuating scale depending upon the fund-raising.