OK, so the puck has dropped and these never-to-be-read-at-the-end-of-the-season predictions are a little late. Nothing has happened to give me an edge since all the hockey players are still watching baseball anyway. The Bruins are building a new off ice front office and a new… Read More
NFL player deserves more punishment Last weekend an NFL player kicked the helmet off a downed opponent, then stomped on his face with his cleats, causing the player to require 30 stitches. For punishment, he was suspended for five games. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
Early Monday morning, 1,705 moose hunters (along with their designated sub-permittees, family members and guides) will head into the woods to open the state’s second session in the split-season moose hunt. In places like Ashland and Greenville, spectators will flock to tagging stations, some to… Read More
Normally, the pace car would already be tucked away in some garage, the stables would be nearly empty, and the track would be a pretty quiet place to hang out. That’s not the case this fall at Bangor Raceway as Bangor Historic Track will host… Read More
By most accounts, Sept. 11 would have been a good day to launch a kayak and do some coastal exploration. The weather forecast called for mostly sunny weather with temperatures in the 60s and northeast winds around 10-15 mph. For the family of Susan Wakelin,… Read More
Having publicly stated, vocally and in print, that I considered the Penobscot River’s special fall fishing season for Atlantic salmon to be nothing more than eyewash, I intended to let my opinion rest. That is, until I learned why the rules of the special season prohibited fishing in… Read More
The three Atlantic salmon clubs in the Bangor area will host their second combined banquet on Oct. 14 at the Bangor Conference Center on Hogan Road. The event is a fund-raising banquet to support community programs, student enrichment, in-school incubation tanks, river cruises and the… Read More
Most high school runners are just that, runners. Cross country in the autumn, indoor track during the winter, and outdoor track during the spring – a ready-made schedule designed to produce variety in one of the most basic of sports. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle signed a multiyear contract extension Thursday and added a new title as executive vice president of basketball operations. The new position puts the former University of Maine standout directly below CEO Donnie Walsh and president Larry Bird and… Read More
At least when it comes to hockey, the University of Maine is turning into a marquee attraction, sports’ silver screen version of Matthew McConaughey. The Black Bears will appear in almost 33 percent of the Hockey East games being televised this season, and that’s saying… Read More
Joe Gallant has a busy couple of weeks ahead of him. Gallant, the principal of Old Town High, will also be handling athletic director duties with Greg Thibodeau sidelined until later this month. Thibodeau is out on medical leave – Gallant declined to elaborate –… Read More
The lessons we learn in pursuit of our outdoor adventures are often hard-earned, and truly absorbed only in those moments immediately following one miscue or other. Over the past several years, I have been fortunate enough to talk with dozens of moose hunters. Last week,… Read More
It was well worth the long trip from Aroostook Country to the Maine Marathon in Portland for the Spudland Racers of Caribou. Jeff Sprague, Thomas, Beckum, P.J. Gorneault and Scotty Dorrity ran to a course record in the marathon relay portion of Sunday’s race, finishing… Read More
Dr. John Winkin, vice president of sports leadership and head baseball coach at Husson College in Bangor, has been selected to receive the 2006 Distinguished Service Award from the Katahdin Area Council, Boy Scouts of America. Winkin will be honored Nov. 15 during an award… Read More
You are in Red Sox withdrawal. No playoffs for the first time in four years. To his credit, general manger Theo Epstein took responsibility for his poor decisions. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner =… Read More
Two weekends ago, Brewer needed a victory to keep its Pine Tree Conference Class B playoff hopes alive, and a trip to then-undefeated Mount Desert Island produced a 7-6 victory. Last weekend Hampden Academy was in the same predicament and, like Brewer, got the win… Read More
BANGOR – The Northeast Maine Dart League will hold an organization and informational meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at the Sports Arena, its new home location. All players and/or prospective team captains are encouraged to attend and discus the schedule and all other questions or concerns. The league… Read More
WINTERPORT – Winterport Dragway will hold its sixth annual Car Show and Drag Race beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday. The car show, sponsored by Jordan’s Snack Bar of Bucksport, will feature a camp-out weekend, Gambler’s Race and Import/Sport Compact Challenge. There will also be a… Read More
He is, as they say, a well-traveled man. Germany, the Czech Republic, the Philippines, South Korea, and Canada top a list of places he has been. Pope Benedict XVI, you’re asking? Nope. Maine’s Commissioner of Basketball, Peter Webb. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
During the first week of Maine’s bear-hunting season, I introduced you to Rebekah Rounds, an 18-year-old girl from Hudson who had just tagged her first bear. On that late-August morning, John Dykstra, a guide and taxidermist who owns Northland Taxidermy in Alton, told me that… Read More
Jackpot! That’s what the operation of a slot machine and video poker casino in Bangor have been for state officials, especially those connected with Maine’s harness racing industry. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner =… Read More
There is something wonderful about this. This is a warning to all who think the games in April don’t count. This is about winning early and not having to sweat out the last weekend of the regular season – because that is just what a bunch of MLB… Read More
Don’t ask me why, but I often look at something and wonder whether I could change it or use it for something other than its intended use. It’s not that I think I can do any better, I just have some innate curiosity that I think I got… Read More
Moose hunters headed into the woods of Maine on Monday, and the final stragglers will finish their hunts today across the northern portions of the state. If past seasons are any indication, chances are that about 80 percent of those hunters will emerge with a… Read More
A few weeks ago I wrote about the nocturnal migration of songbirds. A few people responded so enthusiastically that I thought I’d write a little more in depth about it. I happened to be up very late one night earlier this week. I had opened… Read More
Nearly all of Maine’s 2006 inductees into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame can quantify their successes in the sport. Among the coaches selected, Katahdin of Stacyville’s Dick Barstow has more than 600 high school wins to his credit, while Bruce MacGregor compiled a… Read More
When Albert Harmon, owner of Harmon’s Tire and Service Center in Ellsworth, asked distributor Bob Hepp if administrators at Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC could supply something special for Harmon Tire’s 60th anniversary, he had no idea what the company would provide. None other… Read More
The office of Cod Rock Media Productions now has an impressive pair of bookends. Former Bangor television and radio reporter Dan Hannigan – now co-owner of Cod Rock Media Productions in Kittery and radio play-by-play voice of the University of Maine hockey team – has… Read More
The new Sprinturf on Maine Maritime Academy’s Ritchie Field has received great reviews. The synthetic turf fiber with an all-rubber infill has replaced the 13-year-old knitted, nylon AstroTurf-type surface. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner… Read More
The old saying of “what goes around comes around” happened Saturday night in East Lansing, Mich. Flashback to a year ago when Michigan State’s football team beat Notre Dame 44-41 in overtime. Right after the game, some Michigan State players took their school flag and… Read More
The University of Maine men’s hockey team was chosen to finish third in Hockey East by the league’s coaches while the women’s team was picked seventh. There are 10 teams in the men’s league and eight in the women’s league. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
For nearly a decade, come-from-behind victories have been elusive for the John Bapst football program. But this year, it’s becoming the norm. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0;… Read More
The recently completed Maine Senior Games was the 20th version of athletic competition for participants over 50 years of age in activities ranging from swimming to tennis. This year, Portland was the site of the extravaganza, and four basketball players of some renown teamed together… Read More
The University of Maine women’s soccer team has entered the SoccerAmerica Top 25 for the first time in school history. The 8-0-1 Black Bears, off to their best-ever start, are ranked 24th. One of the primary reasons is sophomore goalie Jasmine Phillips, who has allowed… Read More
By the end of the 2005 high school soccer season, the four northernmost boys teams in Eastern Maine Class A were up and down the Heal point standings from No. 4 to No. 14. Flash forward a year and Bangor, Brewer, Hampden Academy and Old… Read More
Rain over the weekend forced the postponement of auto racing at Speedway 95 in Hermon on Sunday and the cancellation of Saturday’s card at Wiscasset Raceway. Speedway 95 has rescheduled its season finale for Sunday, Oct. 1 at 2 p.m. Read More
The months of planning are finally over for 1,120 lucky hunters, and this weekend many of them will begin heading to hunting camps in hopes of bagging a moose. In October, another 1,705 permit-holders will head out for their own special session. Yes, it’s moose… Read More
The NOAA Fisheries Service is looking for volunteers to perform some essential work on Monday. In conjunction with the Green Lake National Fish Hatchery and the Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission, NOAA and ASC biologists will be marking Atlantic salmon as part of the annual stocking… Read More
We’re halfway to winter! Yikes! Check out the weather page today and you’ll see we’ve lost more than three hours of daylight since mid-June. Note that Friday marked the autumnal equinox (day and night each have 12 hours), when the sun crossed the equator heading south for the… Read More
It never ceases to amaze me how many new outdoor products show up at the local sporting goods store and in various hunting catalogs each fall. What’s even more astounding is the vast array of improved, revamped, and upgraded gear on sale. Why, I’ll bet it takes about… Read More
Last winter many of you may remember reading about the sightings of a great gray owl in Milford. Great grays do not breed in Maine and only rarely are they seen here during the cold season, when – and if – they irrupt from their normal ranges in… Read More
Losing a game is tough for anyone who competes, but it’s nothing compared to the loss Foxcroft Academy football coach Paul Withee and his family have endured in recent times. Two years ago his dad died, painful enough because Frank Withee shared with his son… Read More
Milo’s Shaun Washburn puts in long hours at work. But he doesn’t mind. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if… Read More
The Old Town Youth Hockey Association is offering 20 scholarships to local youth in Old Town, Bradley, Milford and Alton for the upcoming Penobscot Valley Hockey Conference’s Family Fun Skate and Scholarship program. The association is offering the scholarships to new instructional hockey players (ages… Read More
CARMEL – The 2005 championship car of NASCAR driver Tony Stewart and the M&M car of Elliott Sadler will be featured in a car show at the Wayne Elston Speed Shop on Rte. 2 today from noon to 6 p.m. The show is also linked… Read More
Bangor all-sports radio station WZON (620 AM) came away with recognition in three of the five awards categories at the annual Maine Association of Broadcasters dinner in Portland last weekend. The Sports Zone was first in the sports feature category and also took a second… Read More
ORONO – Fans who plan to go watch the University of Maine’s football home opener Saturday against Shaw University, or any college games this fall, should be aware of a few rules changes implemented by the NCAA. On kickoffs, the clock now starts when the… Read More
Two of the key principals in Shead High’s drive to the 1999 Class D girls basketball state championship will return to the sidelines at the Eastport school this winter. Sara Ricker, a 1,000-point scorer for the Tigerettes during that title run, is the new girls’… Read More
New England sports personalities have a long tradition of escaping to the Maine woods to hunt, fish, and unwind. When Jonathan Papelbon comes to Maine in about a month for his first moose hunt, you may be one of two lucky hunters who get to… Read More
A few weeks ago, summer officially ended with the running of the Bangor Labor Day 5-mile road race. On Saturday, October 7th in Guilford, the autumn portion of the TradeWinds Market Place Sub 5 Race Series kicks off with the 10th annual Race to End… Read More
Leah Drew said she didn’t have any “foot skills” as an eighth-grade soccer player in Caribou. So she said her coaches figured that since she was kind of athletic, they’d stick her in goal. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… Read More
Through three weeks of the Class C football season, little has changed from a year ago. Defending state champion Lisbon shares the top spot in the Western Maine standings, while reigning Eastern Maine champ Foxcroft Academy is the lone remaining undefeated team in the LTC. Read More
LOUDON, N.H. – Tony Stewart is on the other side looking in these days. He is nothing more than an also-ran. The defending Nextel Cup points champion didn’t qualify for the Chase to the Championship this season and was asked about his mindset after Sunday’s… Read More
Insects, especially biting ones, have been a problem for golfers and golf course owners probably since the first golf course was built. Pesticides and other chemicals at one time were a popular way to deal with mosquitoes, black flies, and other problem insects. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
The Belfast field hockey team has a new look to it, in places, but with the same results. The Lions are still winning. In fact, they’ve now won 42 games in a row, including six this season, and picked up a key 4-2 victory Thursday… Read More
The performance by the University of Maine offense in Saturday night’s 20-17 football victory at William & Mary proved a couple of key points. First, senior quarterback Ron Whitcomb, while not a speedster, is a threat to run the football in the Black Bears’ spread… Read More
When the Penobscot River reopened to salmon fishing on Friday morning, Robin James was among the avid anglers who showed up to take part in the historic day. For some, salmon fishing is a pastime. For others, it is a passion. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
Turn out the lights. The party’s over. Or, as former ABC football analyst “Dandy” Don Meredith – he of Dallas Cowboys fame – used to sing, “It’s all over but the crying.” And so it is in Boston with the old town team. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
ORONO – Mike MacDonald doesn’t have much to be dissatisfied about when it comes to the way he finished his Double-A baseball season. The Camden native made a big pitch for promotion in his third minor league baseball season, going 13-9 with a 3.94 ERA… Read More
PORTLAND – Brian Myrow belted a two-run homer, Keoni De Renne tripled with the bases loaded and Devern Hansack pitched eight strong innings as the Portland Sea Dogs beat the Akron Aeros 8-5 Sunday to clinch their first Eastern League Championship three games to two. Read More
Nearly seven years after the Penobscot River was closed to Atlantic salmon fishing, anglers were invited back to their old, familiar pools on Friday for the opening day of an experimental fishing season. And even those who decided to forego fishing found that there are… Read More
The University of Maine women’s basketball team received another verbal commitment for the 2007-08 season Tuesday when Biddeford High point guard Emily Rousseau told the Black Bear coaching staff she will head to Orono next year. Rousseau, the third Mainer to commit this year, said… Read More
Shane Bacon was not your average college student. Sure, he played varsity basketball, went to class most of the time, and chased girls, but while most of his fellow classmates at Green Mountain College were thinking about partying, he had other ideas. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox has set off two firestorms with his comments this week that New York Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter should not be the AL MVP. Ortiz, still stinging from not winning the MVP last year, said that power hitters should overshadow others in… Read More
Black bear hunting is under way, early moose season starts on Sept. 25, and whitetail deer are fair game throughout October for archers and November for gunners. Autumn is an exciting and challenging time for Maine sportsmen and all of the benefits don’t come in the form of… Read More
While I may not be pushing the envelope anymore, I still find adventure in getting out on the water in a skinny little kayak and taking in the scenery. Part of the satisfaction is just being on the water. And since I’ll never have the… Read More
This week I’d like to share some awe-inspiring information and compelling sights I’ve had the privilege to view over the last several days. The first is an e-mail on the Maine Birding list-serve sent from Bill Sheehan, in Aroostook County. Bill is a keen observer… Read More
Barring a two-minute drill that would impress even Tom Brady, former Adelphia and Comcast cable television subscribers will be tackled for a loss this weekend. Today is the Federal Communications Commission-imposed deadline for both the NFL Network and Time Warner Inc., to negotiate a deal… Read More
The news this week that the SAD 3 board of directors has approved football as a school-sponsored activity at Mount View High School in Thorndike represents the latest step in the growth spurt the sport is experiencing throughout Maine. Mount View is unlikely to field… Read More
The Pro All-Stars Series’ Super Late Models Northern Division will be racing Saturday at the White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H. The heat races leading up to the 150-lap feature will begin at 5:30 p.m. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
Ryan Moore of Scarborough is used to contending for victories on the racetrack. He won two races and had eight top-five finishes in 12 starts in the Busch North Series a year ago and wound up fifth in points despite missing one race due to… Read More
ORONO – Some of the greatest players and coaches ever to wear a Black Bears baseball uniform will gather in the Bangor area beginning today as part of the University of Maine Baseball Weekend. The event will feature a Saturday morning ceremony to retire the… Read More
Bright and early on Friday morning, anglers will begin wading the Penobscot River, fly rods in hand, during the first Atlantic salmon season since 1999. The river, finally, is open … at least on a limited, experimental basis. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
Two games into the season, it’s still too early to get a definitive read on the Husson College football team, but if Saturday’s 21-7 victory over Utica College is a good indication, the Eagles have landed. Three years ago, varsity football returned to Husson and… Read More
You wouldn’t know Niles Nelson is 69 years old. And he still has the same passion and enthusiasm for football that he has always had. The former University of Maine football captain is in his third season as the defensive coordinator at Bangor’s Husson College. Read More
MILLINOCKET – The Stearns High football team may be down on numbers this fall, but that doesn’t mean the Minutemen aren’t putting up some impressive numbers. That’s particularly true of running back Gene Kim, the LTC Class C’s leading rusher through the first two weeks… Read More
NEWRY – Joe Alvarez of Bangor posted a 5-over-par total of 149 at Sunday River Golf Club over the weekend to win the Maine Mid-Amateur Golf Championship by four strokes. The tournament is for players age 25 or older. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
SCHLADMING, Austria – Adam Craig of Corinth and Bend, Ore., finished off the 2006 International Cycling Union mountain biking World Cup season Saturday with his best finish of the year. The 25-year-old Craig was the top American finisher, placing eighth overall among 131 riders who… Read More
Fan support best when positive and respectful My son attends Bangor High School this year and he made the varsity soccer team as a freshman. He has been welcomed with open arms at Bangor High, and we are very appreciative of that. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
Clark Cole received two meaningful phone calls this weekend as news spread of his Bangor Christian girls soccer team’s 4-2 win over Lee Friday afternoon. One came from David Palmer, the former coach of the Patriots, congratulating Cole and the team on recording the first… Read More
As the seasons change from spring to summer to fall, so do the tactics Dan Legere uses to tempt the Moosehead Lake region’s trout and salmon. During the peak of the early season, Legere scans the horizon from the middle seat of his drift boat,… Read More
I’ve been giving a lot of thought to heroes lately, more than usual, actually. In our society, especially, athletic heroes abound. Some assume these roles well, while others shy away from the attention. They wish to only live their lives, play the games they love,… Read More
Ask Portland Sea Dogs manager Todd Claus what the turning point in the 2006 season was for his club, and he’ll have a surprising answer. “It was after our 10-game losing streak,” Claus said without hesitation Monday afternoon, while waiting for the team’s air flight… Read More
Beautiful fall is here and the football season that comes with it, especially the joy of a Saturday afternoon at a college game. With tongue in cheek, but not by much, my favorite top 10 college football sayings that will be repeated often this season. Read More
A couple times a year, thanks to the state’s wildlife officials, we outdoors enthusiasts are able to roll out of bed with the kind of high hopes and grand dreams that young children associate with Christmas morning. Today, we think, I might be a winner. Read More
Two Bangor horses will be carrying impressive streaks into the 33rd annual MSBOA Stakes Finals races at Scarborough Downs Sunday afternoon. The richest day of the Maine harness racing season has more than $190,000 in purse money on the line. The feature events – the… Read More
Earlier this season some friends of mine at the library had remarked about the presence of northern cardinals on the University of Maine campus. Every morning they enjoyed hearing these birds sing and were delighted in catching sight of them, so they were surprised when the birds seemed… Read More
Checklists – mental or written – are handy to have. In some instances, written checklists are mandatory. One wouldn’t think it would be true for kayaking. After all, you get in your skinny little boat and paddle off into the sunset don’t you? googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
Waterfowl hunters who don’t incorporate some sort of motion into their decoy spreads are seriously handicapping their efforts. Regardless of how convincing a sportsman can call, how perfectly the blind is camouflaged, or how realistic the plastic decoys appear, some sort of realistic movement in the fake flock… Read More
Many of the state’s top traditional rod makers will converge on the banks of the Penobscot River in October for the fall Maine Gathering of Cane Rodmakers. The event will be held at the Eddington Salmon Club on Oct. 6 and 7. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
DEXTER – It already had been a lengthy Saturday for Quinn Dillon. He played midfield for the Dexter boys soccer team that morning in a 2-1 victory over Deer Isle-Stonington. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var… Read More
If Rumford’s Gary Tanguay wasn’t hosting Fox Sports Net New England’s Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight sports show, he’d be trying to figure out a way to call in. Of course, the twice-daily weeknight program is not a call-in show, but it does have that kind… Read More
University of Maine men’s basketball coach Ted Woodward announced Thursday that former Black Bear Chris Markwood has been named an assistant coach for the program. Markwood, a former South Portland High School star, replaces Julian Dunkley, who served as an assistant during the 2005-06 season. Read More
When Tom Nichols entered our “Win a Drift Boat Trip” contest, he probably didn’t expect to wait until after the unofficial end of summer to cash in on his winnings. Unfortunately, that’s what happened. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… Read More
THORNDIKE – Veteran basketball coach Gary Colson will have a new home next winter – along the sideline at Mount View High School. Colson recently was named the school’s boys varsity basketball coach, replacing Jim Pettis who resigned last spring after two seasons for family… Read More
Steve Osborne of Raymond, a native of Millinocket, has been named to the Athletic Hall of Fame at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish, and will be inducted during ceremonies on Sept. 16. Osborne, one of seven new inductees into the Saint Joseph’s hall, is the… Read More
Bangor High School’s season-opening 42-35 football victory over Lewiston featured offense, plenty of offense. But while Lewiston’s offense featured the all-around play of senior tailback Jared Turcotte, who fought off cramps to finish with 159 rushing yards, a 54-yard touchdown pass and a 40-yard TD… Read More
It’s appropriate that the University of Maine coach with the longest tenure would be in charge of the track and field program. Jim Ballinger’s marathon run as UMaine’s head indoor and outdoor track coach ended Monday with his official announcement that he was retiring after… Read More
PORTLAND – Lefthander Tommy Hottovy of the Portland Sea Dogs has been named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week by Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Hottovy made two starts with a 1-0 record and 0.00 ERA. He pitched 14 innings while giving up only… Read More
OXFORD – The TD Banknorth 250 will return for its 34th race at Oxford Plains Speedway on Sunday, July 22, OPS officials announced Tuesday. The race is now part of the Oxford Late Model Challenge, a five-race series that will enable regional late model drivers… Read More