Bangor gets rave reviews from participants

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BANGOR – By most accounts, the estimated 1,000 to 1,200 work hours that went into readying the field and organizing the 2002 Senior League World Series was time well spent.

“This was our first time here and I mean, we loved it. I’ve never been to New England before. I don’t think any of us have,” said 16-year-old Luis Maldonado, a pitcher for Boynton Beach, Fla. “The field was great and it was a nice place to visit.”

“You guys have one heck of a facility here and you ought to be proud of it. We’re just sorry we couldn’t play one more game here,” said Spring, Texas manager Chad Watson.

“We were embraced by this community and that was a surprise for us,” said Curacao manager Norval Faneyte. “We had a very, very good time here. I would like to come back if I can.”

The seven-day tournament required hundreds of volunteers to run concessions, prep the field, sell tickets, run computers to print out statistics and box scores, help the players and coaches, and innumerable other tasks and responsibilities.

“We have some great people helping us. We couldn’t do it without them,” said Series director Mike Brooker, who finally admitted to being a bit weary on Saturday.

“I’ll catch up on my sleep during the Folk Festival,” he joked.

Knot in the family tree

A lot of conflicting information has been broadcast and bandied about concerning whether one of Curacao’s players is related for former Boston Red Sox infielder Jose Offerman.

So when the opportunity came to go directly to the prime person connected to these conflicting stories, Curacao pitcher Eugene Offerman, the question was asked: Are you really related to him?

“We are not sure. He might be a distant relative. Not that distant, but maybe,” said Eugene Offerman. “There are many unsolved mysteries in my family. Right now, I don’t know if I am related to him or not.”

Jose Offerman, a 12-year Major League Baseball veteran who was just traded from Boston to Seattle, is listed as a native of the Dominican Republic’s San Pedro de Marcoris, a fellow island nation located about 600 miles north of Curacao in the Carribean.

“We’re not really sure of what the relationship is,” said Eunice Offerman, Eugene’s older sister.

Rooting for the ‘home’ team

With one out in the top of the fourth inning of Saturday’s Senior League World Series championship game, one of the signs bearing the names of the teams involved fell off the scoreboard.

The sign reading “Central America,” which was taped over the permanently-painted “HOME” portion of the score by innings line, was blown off by a stiff breeze and onto the field. One of the umpires took the sign from a Curacao player and tossed it over the fence.

The sign didn’t lie around too long as a work crew in a pickup truck quickly went out and, within 10 minutes, had re-taped the sign to the scoreboard.

Live and unplugged

The national anthems for each team playing in Saturday’s championship game were sung live, adding a little extra pomp and circumstance to the pregame ceremonies.

A trio of Curacao natives, who are relatives of players on Curacao’s roster, sang the island nation’s anthem as all four members of Curacao’s Radio Giminis (106.1 FM) sang along in the press box. The locally based quartet called River Town, a Maine recording group, sang the Star-Spangled Banner.

Mapping out return to Maine

Bangor is growing on Reggie Plaisir, but he’s not the only baseball fan the Queen City is charming the stirrups off.

After planning on only staying in Bangor for a day to attend the Senior League World Series and scout some possible candidates for his New England Prospects business – a private agency which places, per subscription, foreign players into United States high schools and colleges on an exchange student basis – his one-day stop has stretched into three.

He already has three potential clients who he wants to help arrange for a return to the Bangor-Brewer area.

“[Curacao players] Rubinet Koko, Sharlan Shoop and Arshwin Asjes all have a high interest in coming to high school in the United States, preferably Bangor or Brewer,” said Plaisir, who serves as New England Prospects’ director.

Plaisir said their interest stems from the hospitality and treatment they’ve received during their week-long stay in Bangor, a chance to take part in high school athletics – something their country doesn’t offer – and a desire to get higher-quality instruction in baseball and other sports.

“They think they would benefit from coming to school here because training and competition are so much better here,” said Plaisir. “I also have four or five players in Aruba, the team who lost to Curacao 1-0 in the Latin American championship, who want to come here also.”

Plaisir, who specializes in student-athletes in Latin America, grew up in St. Martin, part of the Leeward Island chain southeast of Puerto Rico, and moved to Massachusetts in 1989, when he was 16.

“I’m trying to assist kids who have the potential to do better than I did, or at least be a good college player and get an education,” he said.