CNMI making the most of visit to Maine Team’s goals include feasting on lobster, shopping at mall

BANGOR – It was an odyssey that lasted 20 hours.

But the players, coaches and fans from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are going to make the most of their stay in Bangor for the Senior League World Series.

Some have already attained one of their goals.

“We looked forward to eating lots of lobsters,” said Annie Flores. “I brought my own sauce and hot peppers.”

And Mrs. Flores was quick to point out that she doesn’t get cheated on her lobster.

“I eat the legs and the insides,” said Annie Flores.

“We ate lobster for lunch and then we went back and had it for dinner,” said Lillian Ada.

Nora Quitugua, Esther Guerrero and Joseph and Aida Ada have also experienced Maine lobster and many of them have already been to Bar Harbor.

“There were a lot of antiques,” observed Lillian Ada. “And there are a lot of stores where you can buy things for a dollar.”

Shopping, probably the Bangor Mall, is next on the priority list.

The trip to Maine involved going from Saipan to Japan to Detroit. There was an eight-hour layover in Detroit.

The team and the coaches flew to Portland and bussed the rest of the way while the parents flew from Detroit to Bangor.

“It’s nice here but I’m not too crazy about the weather,” said Esther Guerrero, echoing what every Maine resident has mumbled this summer.

But Lillian Ada pointed out that this is the rainy season in the Mariana Islands so they are used to precipitation this time of year.

They have been impressed by Mansfield Stadium.

“It’s a real nice field,” said CNMI center fielder Tyrone Omar.

“Our infields are all dirt. We don’t have grass infields like this field,” said Omar.

Annie Flores said even though the trip is expensive, “it’s worth it.”

Texans have a shotgun start

Superstitions abound on sports teams of all sorts, and the Greater Helotes National Little League team of San Antonio, Texas, that is representing the U.S. Southwest at the Senior League Baseball World Series is no exception.

“During pre-game we try to do the same thing every day,” said center fielder Austin Cunningham.

That ritual of running and stretching is capped off by a “shotgun drill.”

“We get in our stretching circle, and one person stands in the middle,” Cunningham said. “It’s always Lucky [left fielder Nathaniel Muhleman] who stands in the middle. He shoots one guy and we all fall in a circle. Every time we’ve done that we’ve beat every team we’ve played, so we’ll keep doing it.”

San Antonio used the shotgun approach before edging Maracaibo, Venezuela, 2-1 on Monday to become the first team in the 10-team World Series to improve to 2-0 in pool play.

The Southwest champs, now 16-0 overall in post-season play, figure to get another stern test at 5 p.m. Tuesday when they face U.S. East champion Freehold Township, N.J., 1-0 in the SLWS and 17-0 overall during the postseason heading into Monday night’s game against Rotterdam, Netherlands.

“We’re feeling great about [being 2-0), and I know we’ve got a super-tough game against New Jersey tomorrow. They really look like a top-notch ball team,” said San Antonio manager Paul Noland.

But right now we can’t argue with success, and we hope to continue our success.”