Coffin comes up short

On Saturday (June 17), we were fortunate to have both the boys baseball and girls softball represent Bucksport in the State Class B tournament. We traveled to Mansfield Stadium (in Bangor) in the morning to cheer on the boys. We were a bit startled at the $7 admission price, with no breaks for Seniors, but enjoyed our view and the Bucksport fans camaraderie from the bleachers. Refreshments and cold drinks were available to help cool off from the 90-degree sun, either from the concession stand or the Mansfield help bringing them into the stands for the fans and also to the umpires on the field. “Thank you.”

From there we traveled to the Brewer High School Field for a 4:00 game against Cape Elizabeth for the softball B title. Arriving at 3:15, we again paid the $7 admission (with no break for Seniors). We walked to the Bucksport side only to find the one small set of bleachers already filled to the max and the fence line up the third base line also filled with fans. We traveled on out to the outfield to find a view to watch the game. Imagine our disappointment as we discovered the green tarp covering the entire fence all the way to the other side and down toward the first-base line. Unless we were close to 6 feet tall we could find no view of the game. Several people left to purchase milk crates to stand on in order to see the game. As we baked in mid-80’s sun, trying to peek over the fence, many wandered toward the concession for a cold drink to hydrate with. Imagine the dismay when discovering there was no concession available. Thank goodness for Hannaford’s close proximity.

We cannot believe that better accommodations are not available for a “State Championship” game. There has to be a field somewhere with a better view, and a willing booster club to run a concession, with a least some cold drinks.

With that said, congratulations to both the Bucksport boys (Class B State Runners-up) and the girls (State Champs) for a fantastic season! Great Job!

Friends, family and fans,

Valerie Hopkins

Jane Hopkins

Fran Maguire

Karen Bowden

Terry Bowden

Bucksport

SJC proud of facilities

I wanted to respond to a column that was run in the sports section of your paper last week (Larry Mahoney column, June 21) regarding the State baseball and softball tournaments held at Saint Joseph’s College. We at Saint Joseph’s know that this is a special week for the players, the teams and their fans and we are proud to host these games, proud of the presentation we put forth last week, and proud of our college, our campus and our athletic facilities.

All events improve with time and so, too, will this one held at Saint Joseph’s. But, I wanted to express my displeasure at the column and the radio announcer focusing on our lack of bleachers when we know that our lack of bleacher space was overshadowed by many positive characteristics: Our concessions tent was large, easily accessed with high quality food; our press boxes for both baseball and softball serviced radio stations (plural), MPA (Maine Principals’ Association) officials, newspaper writers and game personnel; our campus easily held the high demand for parking (over 4,100 fans attended), the atmosphere created with back-to-back manicured lighted fields was perfect for such quality games and, as was mentioned, our fields are two of the best-kept fields in the state.

This was a positive event, but for your readers who may not have attended they came away from the article with a very (incorrect) negative picture.

We look forward to future years of hosting this tournament and know what we offer will continue to improve. In the meantime, we want all of Maine to know that this is a well-run, quality tournament held at Saint Joseph’s College in a beautiful setting on Sebago Lake.

Sincerely,

Brian Curtin

Director of Athletics

Saint Joseph’s College

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