All talk, all baseball, all the time

Around the horn…

Call me Mr. Exciting, but my idea of a relaxing evening is stretching out in a recliner with a good book while listening to the radio broadcast of the Red Sox game.

While I do break down and sometimes watch a few innings on TV, radio is still the best way to keep up with our local heroes.

Radio doesn’t tie you down like TV, as you can still do lots of other things with the game blaring in the background – such as tending the barbecue or attempting some demanding chores or projects around the house.

In the Bangor area, we’re fortunate to have WZON 620 AM of Bangor carrying the Red Sox games along with Boston’s pre- and post-game shows. WZON, an all-sports station, is a great boon to a radio junkie like me as it features a healthy dose of local programming with a wide assortment of high school and college games, along with national ones.

On the national side, the Tony Kornheiser Show, on the Sports Zone from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., is a personal favorite and one of the more popular radio sports shows in the country. While Kornheiser has enjoyed more acclaim with his new ESPN-TV show, “Pardon the Interruption” with Washington Post buddy Michael Wilbon, he’s still at his best on the radio.

Kornheiser, unlike the “talking heads” he used to criticize more regularly before his TV show, has an extensive newspaper background as an accomplished columnist – and this stands out during the radio show.

His depth of knowledge mixed with humor, cynicism and sarcasm – along with the ability to actually ask good questions and not kiss up to overpaid athletes – put his show on top.

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Feeling a bit guilty for not yet attending a Bangor Lumberjacks game, I finally made the trek up to Orono a couple of weeks ago to see a game. The weather was not the most cooperative, as it was one of those humid, 80-degree days, but the Lumberjacks do offer a chance to watch some good baseball and be entertained by some between-inning promotions.

I was there just for the baseball and could care less about the other entertainment, but it was good for my wife, Kathy, and children, Matthew and Tess. However, they seemed even happier when we left the game for pizza at Pat’s in downtown Orono.

The Lumberjacks organization has the right idea about keeping busy between innings to appeal to more fans, but for those of us who just love baseball, it sure drags out the game. We were there for two hours when only five innings were played, before the family finally succumbed to the heat and hard bleachers.

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Yeah, I know you’ve been loyally counting down the days to that big, big event coming to Bangor in August … no, not the one with music unless you count the “Star-Spangled Banner,” but the one with baseball games, lots of good baseball games.

The Senior League World Series is returning to Bangor for its second-straight year Aug. 10-16 at Mansfield Stadium. The series gives baseball fans a chance to see some of the world’s best players ages 15-16.

An added bonus is watching how the local team does, as the District 3 Senior League champ from Maine is guaranteed a spot because it’s the host team.

As last year’s District 3 champ, Bangor turned in a respectable showing at the series and pulled off a big victory when it beat the U.S. West champ, San Pedro, Calif., behind a strong pitching performance from Josh Young.

Mark those tourney dates on your calendar, you’ll enjoy the games. It’s even worth getting out of the recliner and setting aside that book.