PORTLAND – First baseman Shelley Duncan of the Trenton Thunder outdistanced the rest of the eight-man field in Wednesday’s Eastern League Home Run Derby with a total of nine home runs in the opening round.

Dan Ortmeier of the Norwich Navigators was the distant runnerup with seven. He hit only one in the semifinal round since the other two semifinalists (Ortmeier and Binghamton’s Mike Jacobs, who had six in the first round) hit none.

Jacobs hit a home run to break the tie and determine who advanced to face Duncan in the final, where Duncan won the $500 prize with two blasts after Jacobs managed just one.

Hail to the Chief

George Herbert Walker and Barbara Bush, complete with a United States Secret Service detail, made their way into Hadlock Field through the crowd on the way up to their press box suite on the third level in the top of the first inning. The former President and First Lady were guests of honor at the Eastern League All-Star Game.

Barbara Bush has a special connection with the Portland Sea Dogs as the All-Star Game’s home run derby raised $2,150 for the Maine Children’s Cancer Program run by the Barbara Bush Hospital at Maine Medical Center. Western Union donated pledged a $50 donation for each home run hit during Wednesday’s pre-game contest. After the eight sluggers belted a total of 43 pitches over the wall, Western Union opted to double the amount, making it a total donation of $4,300 to the program.

Glittering prize

Sea Dogs president and general manager Charlie Eshbach was proudly wearing his newly acquired 2004 World Series champions ring after being presented the ring before Wednesday’s All-Star game by Ben Cherington, the Boston Red Sox director of player development.

When told there was a Russian diplomat outside the press box who would like to see his ring, Eshbach jokingly replied that he refused to take it off his finger, even when he met President Bush.

“I don’t want to take any chances,” Eshbach said with a wide smile.

How prophetic

Trenton Thunder righthander Matt DeSalvo proved himself to be a bit of a prophet, or at least prognosticator Wednesday as he talked to reporters before warm-ups at the Eastern League All-Star Game.

While talking about his approach to a game like Wednesday’s – his second Eastern League All-Star appearance in two years and third All-Star game overall – DeSalvo talked about how the most important thing is to have fun, and not worry too much about what could go wrong.

“Hopefully I don’t give up any home runs or hits. Hopefully some guy doesn’t put one out on the highway. That would be a highlight – for him,” DeSalvo said with a chuckle. “If I give up seven home runs in a row, I might be a little [ticked] off, but I’ll get over it and it doesn’t count for anything. If one of the guys becomes a star in the big leagues, I can always say I pitched against him.”

Well, the good news for the happy-go-lucky pitcher from Atlanta is he didn’t give up seven straight round-trippers, or that shot onto Interstate 95, but he did give up a mammoth, 325-foot solo blast to Erie catcher Max St. Pierre in the top of the fifth that tied the game at 4-4 for the southern division stars.

DeSalvo struck out two in two innings of work, but also gave up two hits.