Revamped Lumberjacks have more power, speed Team excited about playing ’04 season in Bangor

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BANGOR – It’s a whole new ballgame for the Bangor Lumberjacks in 2004.

The Northeast League affiliate’s second season of independent ball in the Pine Tree State features a roster which has been almost completely revamped, a different home city, and a new ballpark. There’s even a different feeling with this team as it prepares to open the season in New Jersey Thursday.

Bangor made several offseason trades, but the biggest one with the most lasting effects should be the swap of Mahaney Diamond in Orono for Winkin Baseball Complex in Bangor.

For the first time in four seasons of pro baseball in Greater Bangor, team officials and players won’t have to answer a question asked so repeatedly it made them want to take a bat to the water cooler: If you’re the Bangor Lumberjacks/Blue Ox, how come you don’t play in Bangor?

“That’s huge, having a stadium that’s inside your city,” said first baseman-designated hitter Mark Burke. “A product like this, to be feasible for the fan base, has to be local.”

The Lumberjacks play two series on the road and then return to Bangor for their home opener Thursday, June 3, at 6:30 p.m., against the New Jersey Jackals.

“We know this is our place and where we’re playing,” said relief pitcher Brandon Bowe. “Last year, we were looking forward to this.”

Burke and Bowe are rarities on the Lumberjacks’ 24-man roster. They’re both returning players – two of only six who can make that claim. Burke, catcher Brad Hargreaves, infielder Donnie Ross and pitchers Jerry Long, Bowe, and Matt Scheuing are the only second- year Lumberjack players.

Bowe, Hargreaves, Ross and Long are the only ones who played the entire 2003 season with Bangor, but rather than begrudge the wholesale changes, they welcome them.

“I think there’s more maturity on the team,” Hargreaves said. “Personality-wise, chemistry, professionalism, yeah… I notice a difference on this year’s team. We got rid of a lot of the guys who caused problems last year and this year everyone seems to be on the same page.”

They hope it’s the first page of a storybook season that is at least 98 pages long and ends with a championship.

“This spring training … It’s like black and white compared to last year,” said Bowe. “Plus, we’re way more talented this year, I feel.”

He’s not the only one who feels that way, and if the projected lineup is any indication, the ‘Jacks should be much improved, if only on offense.

“I think we have a certain part of our lineup where we can nickel and dime you to death and then if you make a mistake to three or four guys, they can put one in the gap or on top of one of those apartments over there,” said manager Kash Beauchamp.

Ross, the No. 3 batter most of last season, will likely bat sixth or seventh this year despite leading the team with 13 home runs and driving in 48 runs – just one short of the team lead. The 26-year-old first and third baseman doesn’t seem to mind.

“One of the big things with winning is team chemistry. I’ve been on teams that had a lot of talent and couldn’t win and I’ve played on teams that had less talent, but meshed together and played well,” said Ross. “Here, everybody knows their job and everybody has a great attitude. It makes it easy to play.”

It should be easier for Ross as he no longer appears to be the team’s sole source of power. Designated hitter-backup catcher Ryan Sienko, left fielder Derry Hammond, and Burke can turn a pitcher’s mistake into one run or more with one quick swing of the bat.

Those who can’t slam the ball over the fence can slam it into high gear on the basepaths as Beauchamp has placed a premium on speed to better utilize Winkin’s quick, artificial FieldTurf surface.

“The field doesn’t play exactly like Astroturf. It plays more like grass, but it’s still fast,” Beauchamp said. “The ball still gets through the infield and you can run it so team speed will be important. We led the league in steals last year and we want the same thing this year. If a guy doesn’t have power, we want him to have speed, steal a base, and score from second on a base hit.”

Second baseman Mike Grasso, center fielder Jake Whitesides and shortstop Shin Uchino can all fly, on and off the bases. The rest of the players are no slouches, speed-wise, either. Utility man Willie King and third baseman/shortstop Paul Powell can get around efficiently.

Beauchamp thinks defense and hitting, both sore spots last year, should be greatly improved. His biggest question mark, despite some solid returnees, is pitching.

“I don’t think we have a dominant guy like Jeff Sparks last year who can dominate a game, but Jerry Long, who was our No. 2 or 3 guy last year, is the No. 5 starter this year.”

Sparks and fellow veteran Kevin Pincavitch, who doubled as pitcher and pitching coach last year, will concentrate on coaching this season after offseason shoulder surgery.

The ‘Jacks will start the season with 13 pitchers. The rotation shapes up as righthanders Adam Thomas (age 25), Lance Calmus (31), lefties Scheuing (23) and Ernie Miller (25), Long (23) with righty Doug Kohl (24) vying for starts as well. Middle and long relievers are Lance Odom (25), Bowe (28), J.C. Huguet (26), and Laine McKeller (25). John Duffy (30) is the situational lefty, John Rohlfing (27) is the setup man, and John Mangieri (27) is the closer.

“The way we looked this spring, everyone can pitch. There’s no question of that,” Bowe said. “Seems like this year, even some of the rookies we’ve got have experience.”

Lumberjacks schedule

May

27 ? at New Jersey, 6:30 p.m.

28 ? at New Jersey, 6:30 p.m.

29 ? at New Jersey, 6:30 p.m.

30 ? at New Jersey, 2 p.m.

JUNE

1 ? at Brockton, 6:30 p.m.

2 ? at Brockton, 6:30 p.m.

3 ? New Jersey, 6:30 p.m.

4 ? New Jersey, 6:30 p.m.

5 ? New Jersey, 6:30 p.m.

6 ? New Jersey, 2 p.m.

7 ? Elmira, 6:30 p.m.

8 ? Elmira, 11 a.m.

9 ? Elmira, 6:30 p.m.

11 ? at North Shore, 6:30 p.m.

12 ? at North Shore, 6:30 p.m.

13 ? at North Shore, 2 p.m.

14 ? at Quebec, 6:30 p.m.

15 ? at Quebec, 6:30 p.m.

16 ? at Quebec, 6:30 p.m.

17 ? at Quebec, 6:30 p.m.

18 ? Berkshire, 6:30 p.m.

19 ? Berkshire, 6:30 p.m.

20 ? Berkshire, 2:00 p.m.

22 ? Allentown, 6:30 p.m.

23 ? Allentown, 6:30 p.m.

24 ? Allentown, 6:30 p.m.

25 ? at Elmira, 6:30 p.m.

26 ? at Elmira, 6:30 p.m.

27 ? at Elmira, 2:00 p.m.

28 ? Aces, 6:30 p.m.

29 ? Aces, 6:30 p.m.

30 ? Aces, 6:30 p.m.

July

2 ? Quebec 6:30 p.m.

3 ? Quebec 6:30 p.m.

4 ? Quebec 2:00 p.m.

5 ? at Berkshire, 6:30 p.m.

6 ? at Berkshire, 6:30 p.m.

7 ? at Berkshire, 6:30 p.m.

8 ? North Shore, 6:30 p.m.

9 ? North Shore, 6:30 p.m.

10 ? North Shore, 6:30 p.m.

11 ? North Shore, 2:00 p.m.

12 ? Brockton, 6:30 p.m.

13 ? Brockton, 6:30 p.m.

14 ? Brockton, 6:30 p.m.

16 ? at Berkshire, 6:30 p.m.

17 ? at Berkshire, 6:30 p.m.

18 ? at Berkshire, 2:00 p.m.

20 ? All-Star Game, 6:30 p.m.

22 ? at Brockton, 6:30 p.m.

23 ? at Brockton, 6:30 p.m.

24 ? at Brockton, 6:30 p.m.

25 ? at Brockton, 2:00 p.m.

26 ? Berkshire, 6:30 p.m.

27 ? Berkshire, 6:30 p.m.

28 ? Berkshire, 6:30 p.m.

29 ? Elmira, 6:30 p.m.

30 ? Elmira, 6:30 p.m.

31 ? Elmira, 6:30 p.m.

August

1 ? Elmira, 2:00 p.m.

2 ? at North Shore, 6:30 p.m.

3 ? at North Shore, 6:30 p.m.

4 ? at North Shore, 6:30 p.m.

5 ? at Quebec, 6:30 p.m.

6 ? at Quebec, 6:30 p.m.

7 ? at Quebec, 6:30 p.m.

9 ? New Jersey, 6:30 p.m.

10 ? New Jersey, 6:30 p.m.

11 ? New Jersey, 6:30 p.m.

12 ? Allentown, 6:30 p.m.

13 ? Allentown, 6:30 p.m.

14 ? Allentown, 6:30 p.m.

15 ? Allentown, 2:00 p.m.

17 ? at Elmira, 6:30 p.m.

18 ? at Elmira, 6:30 p.m.

19 ? at Elmira, 6:30 p.m.

20 ? Aces, 6:30 p.m.

21 ? Aces, 6:30 p.m.

22 ? Aces, 2:00 p.m.

24 ? Quebec, 6:30 p.m.

25 ? Quebec, 6:30 p.m.

26 ? Quebec, 6:30 p.m.

27 ? at New Jersey, 6:30 p.m.

28 ? at New Jersey, 6:30 p.m.

29 ? at New Jersey, 2:00 p.m.

30 ? at New Jersey, 6:30 p.m.

September

1 ? North Shore, 6:30 p.m.

2 ? North Shore, 6:30 p.m.

3 ? North Shore, 6:30 p.m.

4 ? Brockton, 6:30 p.m.

5 ? Brockton, 2:00 p.m.

6 ? Brockton, 6:30 p.m