Bordick helps Jays’ infielders

Winterport’s Mike Bordick is back in professional baseball on a limited scale.

The former Hampden Academy and University of Maine star, who retired from a 1,720-game major league career following the 2003 season, spent 10 days working with the Toronto Blue Jays’ major league and minor league infielders during spring training in Dunedin, Fla.

“And I’ll be doing a couple things over the course of the summer [for the Jays] although it won’t be the total commitment of a roving infield instructor,” said the 39-year-old Bordick who expects to occasionally work with the infielders for the Jays’ Eastern League (Double A) Manchester (N.H.) Fisher Cats this summer.

“I’ll work with them on things they’ll need to understand to make it to the next level,” said Bordick who summers in Rangeley with wife Monica and their five kids.

His spring training stint was “a good experience. It’s something I might think about doing full time some day. I’m happy the Blue Jays have given me a chance to be involved and to stay involved. When I want to get back into it full time, the opportunity might be there.”

He said all the infielders worked hard.

Bordick has instant credibility since he has the second-highest fielding percentage among shortstops who played at least 1,000 games at .982. And he owns the single-season record among shortstops for highest fielding percentage (.998), fewest errors (1), consecutive errorless games (110) and consecutive errorless chances (543).

Baseball is now battling a steroid controversy, but Bordick said he never witnessed steroid abuse during his career but feels “since it has been brought to the forefront, it seems like it is cleaning itself up with the new policy.”

He said watching former Oakland teammate Mark McGwire testify in front of a House committee was “disheartening.

“Mark has done so much for the game,” said Bordick.

Besides working part time with the Jays, Bordick has also launched a TV career after throwing out the first pitch for the Portland Sea Dogs’ home opener earlier this month.

He was the color commentator with play-by-play man Norm Karkos of WMTW of Portland.

Bordick said he will be doing three more games with Karkos this summer.

“It was fun. I was a little bit nervous but Norm helped me out. He coached me on some of the things and I felt like I loosened up a little bit. Luckily, it was a cold night and they swung at a lot of first pitches,” quipped Bordick.

In addition, Bordick is trying to “finish up my degree on-line” and he has been helping coach his 10-year-old twins’ (Dylan and Casey) recreational league baseball team and 5-year-old son Dawson’s tee-ball team.

Bordick was elated with the Red Sox’s World Series championship last year, saying, “That series with the Yankees was mind-boggling. It blew me away. I couldn’t believe they kept their composure and came back [from a 3-0 series deficit].

“It was great for New England,” said Bordick.

He is picking the Red Sox to win the American League East, saying, “They have the experience now. They’ve won a world championship. They have an air of confidence. Knowing they can beat the Yankees definitely helps. Pitching is always the key and once their bullpen settles in, their experience will help them down the stretch.”

Larry Mahoney can be reached at 990-8231, 1-800-310-8600 or by email and lmahoney@bangordailynews.net.