Long gone are the days when a trip to Omaha was a realistic goal for the University of Maine baseball team. No longer is a trip to Rosenblatt Stadium reserved for the best of the Northeast, like it was in back in the day when… Read More
There was likely a lot of disappointment for both the Hermon and Bucksport softball teams after their scheduled game Thursday afternoon was postponed due to thunder and lightning in Hermon. For the undefeated Golden Bucks, a win over the Hawks would have likely meant a… Read More
Apparently, Sox sells… Even in New York. The proof is in the ratings, but evidently officials at Fox Sports Net New York are convinced there is enough demand and enough of a market for New England sports and Red Sox-based highlights. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
Springfield College, which has earned four NCAA Division III Tournament berths during the past eight years, and Division I-AA La Salle University from Philadelphia headline a demanding 2006 football schedule for the Husson College Eagles. Bangor-based Husson revived its football program in 2003 after a… Read More
Just downstream from Jim Barresi’s rustic cabin, a wide trough of swift water sweeps through a deep hole, inviting anglers. About 90 years ago – before Tinker Dam was built in New Brunswick, Barresi says, the spot used to be an Atlantic salmon pool. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
Baseball may not be the most popular sport among high school kids in the St. John Valley – when Fort Kent met Van Buren in a doubleheader on Monday, Van Buren had the minimum nine players on its roster while Fort Kent had just 11, seven of them… Read More
Tom Mayberry cares deeply about stock car racing. A former driver himself, Mayberry rescued pro stock racing when he formed the Pro All-Stars Series tour six years ago. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner =… Read More
Barry Hertzler had a tough choice to make as a high school senior in 1998. Should he go north to the University of Maine and play for one of the pre-eminent baseball programs in the northeast or south to Old Dominion University and much warmer… Read More
Jesse Speirs of Bangor headed to Fort Worth, Texas, last fall hoping to play a lot for Texas Christian University, one of the top collegiate programs in the country. He did play in four of 11 varsity tournaments for the Horned Frogs, who are 38th… Read More
University of Southern Maine baseball coach Ed Flaherty has been named Little East Conference Coach of the Year while four of his players have been selected to the all-conference team. Earning first-team honors were junior first baseman Max Arsenault, outfielder Ryan Bourque and junior shortstop… Read More
The senior-laden, well-rounded Bangor Christian softball team was all smiles before practice Monday afternoon. And no wonder. The Class D Patriots have won nine straight games, including games this weekend against Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook and Class C Searsport, and picked up a big… Read More
I haven’t been to Yankee Stadium since 1977. I did, however, experience a unique baseball phenomenon the other night when the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 7-3 in New York. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
Jim Barresi remembers the day more than 40 years ago when he showed his father the camp he had bought on the bank of the Aroostook River. “He told me, ‘You’re going to be working on this for the rest of your life. And you’re… Read More
This past weekend’s Little East Tournament, hosted by top seed the University of Southern Maine, provided a lasting memory for 38-year Eastern Connecticut State University baseball coach Bill Holowaty. When rain enveloped Portland after the first two days of the six-team, double-elimination affair, Holowaty called… Read More
As we polished off a sumptuous meal of rib-eye steaks, fiddleheads and potatoes, the sun dipped low and the sky glowed pink in that peculiar way you only seem to really notice when you’re deep in the woods, overlooking a pristine lake, with a day of fine fishing… Read More
University of Maine men’s hockey coach Tim Whitehead made two proposals at the annual American Hockey Coaches Association meetings in Florida late last month: A two-referee, two-linesman officiating system and four-on-four play in overtime. Both are used in the NHL. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
By the time you read this, Barry Bonds may have moved into second place on the all-time home run list, passing Babe Ruth at 714 and having only the Hank Aaron number of 755 in front of him. It is a shameful moment. Bonds and… Read More
Why paddle? I’d counter with, why not? 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 (slot_sizes[i][0] googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
Since my Dad got me my first fly rod at age 12 and taught me how to cast I’ve been fascinated with flies. More than 40 years have passed during which I’ve purchased hundreds of flies, tied thousands at my own vise and even created a few patterns… Read More
You may have heard or read about Maine Audubon’s “Community Bird Walks,” that are being sponsored by the Penobscot Valley Chapter throughout May. A friend and fellow co-worker of mine, Marguerite Roosen, attended last Saturday’s walk, which canvassed part of the Bangor City Forest. This… Read More
The Maine Department of Conservation’s Bureau of Parks and Lands has announced a Nov. 9 deadline for grant applications for construction and maintenance of recreational trails through the federally-funded Recreational Trails Program. This grant round will provide for the distribution of funds available from the… Read More
Perhaps the most famous – and shortest – sportscasting exclamation of the TV era didn’t start off by accident, haphazardly, or as a result of divine inspiration. It was borne of intent and purpose. Fifty years in the sportscasting/broadcasting business later, the simple, two-word trademark… Read More
It may not be Barry Bonds’ quest for No. 714, but when Riaan Bosch steps to the plate for the Woodland High baseball team, heads turn. That’s because Bosch, a native South African who moved with his mother from Santa Barbara, Calif., to the tiny… Read More
Tickets are still available for tonight’s University of Maine hockey banquet at Jeff’s Catering in Brewer, beginning at 5:30 p.m.. Awards will be handed out and several items will be auctioned off to benefit the hockey program. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
Even after literally beating the bushes to get six players signed in the fall recruiting period, University of Maine baseball coach Steve Trimper still hoped to bolster his pitching corps. Trimper received good news Thursday as three pitchers committed to play for the Black Bears. Read More
As a steady breeze blew on West Grand Lake on Tuesday, guide Paul Laney steered his Grand Laker canoe between a few lurking rocks, beached it, and prepared for yet another performance. It was time to eat, and for guides like him, “shore lunch” is… Read More
When Rockland High School three-sport star Wade Oliver was deciding among colleges, he said “I was looking at USM [University of Southern Maine] pretty hard.” Then he visited Saint Joseph’s College in Standish. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
ROCKPORT – Dave Cook is in store for a bit of culture shock this fall. Since his first day of kindergarten while growing up in the St. Louis suburbs, September has meant a return to school – including the last 37 years as an educator… Read More
St. Petersburg, Fla. and Boston are separated by 1,199 miles. But on the Boston Red Sox’s recent road trip, Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg had almost as many Red Sox fans as it did Tampa Bay Devil Rays fans for a Sunday afternoon game won… Read More
Maine’s top high school basketball players in the Class of 2006 are continuing to firm up their collegiate plans. Among those who have made their decisions in recent weeks are Chris Wilson of Brewer, Brock Bradford of Bangor Christian and Greg Whitaker of Presque Isle. Read More
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Crew chief Richard “Slugger” Labbe, a Biddeford native, was suspended for four races and fined $25,000 on Tuesday for using an illegal part on Dale Jarrett’s car at Richmond International Raceway. NASCAR officials discovered the sway bar on Jarrett’s car was illegally… Read More
BANGOR – Jason Lenfest of Charleston bowled his eighth career 300 game during the Monday Night Men’s League at Family Fun Bowling Center, the last night of the season. Lenfest, 30, had his second 300 game of the season and rolled a series of 193-300-185-678. Read More
Kebo Valley Golf Club in Bar Harbor has come out swinging in an attempt to increase its membership and, in bucking a trend, it seems to be working. “We have 12 to 15 new members and half are new to the area,” said David Closson,… Read More
It’s going to be a full house in the University of Maine women’s basketball locker room next season. Coach Ann McInerney, who is wrapping up her first year in Orono, on Tuesday announced her 2006 recruiting class. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
It hasn’t exactly been a dream season for Bangor native and former Bangor American Legion baseball standout Josh Pressley. After signing a minor league free agent contract with the Boston Red Sox Feb. 1, the 26-year-old Pressley was ready for what he hoped to be… Read More
One secret to writing about the outdoors (or most anything else, I figure) is that it comes in handy if you know more than you’re willing to admit you know. And it’s downright deadly to know less than you’re willing to assert in print. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
It was my privilege recently to spend a little time with Mrs. Holly Scott’s second-grade class at the Hermon Elementary School. The lesson for the day was tolerance, and I had the good fortune to read author Myron Uhlberg’s timely book, “Dad, Jackie, and Me,”… Read More
Red Sox fans’ treatment of Damon disappointing I hope I’m not the only one embarrassed and disappointed by the way the crowd treated Johnny Damon on his return to Fenway Park. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
This is all about the art of negotiation. Roger Clemens may come to the Red Sox in June (Clemens says he will not play before then), but this should go down to the final days before a decision is reached. Texas, Houston, the Yankees and… Read More
At lakes and ponds, rivers and streams across Maine, spring has typically meant one thing to a certain part of the population: Fishing season. For another, smaller group, it has meant something else: Work. Hard, frantic, gotta-get-it-done work. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
They didn’t come back substantially richer in monetary terms, but Billy Hartt and Lisa Rossignol are certainly richer for their experience in the National Harness Handicapping Championship. Hartt, president of Hartt Transportation and a Carmel native, and Rossignol, a governmental administrative assistant from Old Town,… Read More
Maine’s largest Internet fly-fishing community has announced that it will sponsor a statewide spring cleanup effort on May 13. Flyfishinginmaine.com’s cleanup efforts will be concentrated on popular fishing areas, mostly streams and rivers, across the state. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
Assuming that duffel bags, tackle boxes, and pack baskets are your preferred luggage, you know fish grow longer and bucks get bigger when sportsmen sit by campfires. On the other hand, though, you’re aware that campfires – no matter if they crackle in the fireplaces of comfortable camps… Read More
Glorious summer we had last weekend, wasn’t it? Coming off a successful Friday evening Paddle Smart symposium at the YMCA in Bangor I rolled out of bed Saturday morning to sunshine and rising temperatures. Thoughts of the previous evening’s event still bounced around in my… Read More
Last Sunday was just about the most perfect spring day, especially for a birder. Bright, sunny, temperatures in the 70s … no bugs yet … and a great sighting of an elusive wetland bird that is more often heard than seen. I had gone for… Read More
Officials at the University of Maine are gearing up for a busy weekend of athletics-related activities on campus. An estimated 500 family, friends and associates of former Bangor businessman and philanthropist Larry Mahaney are expected to gather Saturday morning at the new Mahaney Dome for… Read More
Jim Murphy has sacrificed plenty of Friday and Saturday evenings during 22 years as athletic administrator at George Stevens Academy in Blue Hill. So during the sports seasons when games end earlier in the day, you’d think the last thing he’d want to do is… Read More
One of the best things about an early ice-out, which we certainly had this spring, is that there are plenty of spots available for April fishing. Unfortunately for some business owners, the traveling angler often sticks to the same schedule that has worked in years… Read More
The University of Maine-Fort Kent has announced it will begin fielding new varsity athletic teams beginning next fall. UMFK President Richard Cost announced the Bengals will begin competing in golf, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country and Nordic skiing during 2006-07. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
With the high school baseball season well under way, the Bangor Rams are the only remaining undefeated team in the newly minted Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A North division. Two reasons for that success have to do with contact – the contact the Bangor… Read More
Before the Portland Sea Dogs came back to town for a seven-game homestand last Friday, David Murphy was having his typical April. The Sea Dogs’ center fielder was hitting a modest .214 with one home run, two doubles, and 10 RBIs after 21 games. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
Mike Dugas, the pro at J.W. Parks Golf Course in Pittsfield, is not one to sit still. Since he and his wife Dawn, her parents Stan and Linda Kitchin, and Dawn’s brother Chip and his wife Kathy purchased the course in late 1995, Mike’s devotion… Read More
More success coming for UMaine hockey program I would like to comment on Kristi Skipper’s letter (BDN, April 25) about UMaine hockey assertiveness. If she doesn’t think that making it to the Final Four in 2006 isn’t what great hockey memories are made of, I… Read More
ORONO – Ryan Waller became the fourth University of Maine football player in three days to gain an NFL deal Tuesday as he agreed to sign a free-agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. Waller started seven games at wide receiver for the Black Bears… Read More
Darrell Richards knows that turkey hunting can be an exhilarating and frustrating game. The Roque Bluffs man started hunting turkeys 20 years ago … and it took three years before he actually bagged a bird. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
For Christina Mosher, college has been an easy decision. She’s wanted to go to the University of Maine forever, she said, and last week the 6-foot-4 junior center from Mt. Blue of Farmington made a verbal commitment to play for the Black Bears starting in… Read More
If necessity is the mother of invention – one of my own mother’s favorite expressions – then the recent glut of specialty basketball camps in Maine is an indication of the need for breaking down specific fundamental teaching units into a camp forum. Enter our… Read More
The gurgling sounds you hear are the millionaire owners of Major League Baseball teams at the public trough gorging for all they’re worth. The wholly unjustified building of sports arenas with public money continues unabated. Forbes Magazine last week came out with the values of… Read More
Luke Muzzy has heard the criticism. He knows there are people who viewed Plum Creek Timber Company’s first development plan as a mere rough draft that was tossed to the public to see which ideas stuck … and which stuck in the collective Maine craw. Read More
As the number of races and the value of race purses increase in Maine’s harness racing community, so may the temptation to cheat. The opening of Penn National’s Hollywood Slots casino in Bangor and the net revenue it has generated – 14 percent of which… Read More
To the little list of sure things in life add this: Vacations are always too short. I defied death by driving through Rhode Island during my vacation and mailed in my tax returns in Massachusetts on the 18th while visiting my folks near Boston. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
Animal programs presented ORRINGTON – During the week of school vacation, the sightings at Fields Pond were a bit unusual. Not that every sighting isn’t special, but last week, four days of live animal programs kept a large group of adults and children mesmerized. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
Anglers interested in the proposed return of salmon fishing to the Penobscot River may want to check out an upcoming presentation in Brewer. Joan Trial, the senior biologist of the Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission, will speak on Wednesday at the regular monthly dinner meeting of… Read More
Last weekend I went out to the barn to spend time with my horse. He is normally friendly and sociable, but it so happened he was not in the mood to spend time with me, but that was OK; he’s entitled to an off day. The disappointment was… Read More
ORONO – A recently negotiated deal between the University of Maine and Learfield Communications Inc. has generated some uneasiness among officials at UMaine’s television and radio flagship stations, but Learfield’s local representatives say there’s nothing to worry about. “It’s pretty much business as usual for… Read More
LINCOLN – JaTo Highlands Golf Course will open at 7 a.m. Saturday. Carts will be available and all 18 holes will be in play. Call 794-2433 for more information. Read More
On Monday morning, Kenneth Casey Dubay-Baker – just “Casey” to his friends – awoke at an obscene hour, rode through the dark to a Waldo County field, and found out that, sometimes, hunting isn’t very glamorous. The weather: Rainy. Cold. Gloomy. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
Patricia Corbin was a typical high school cross country athlete: competitive once the gun went off but a social butterfly once she crossed the finish line. The Lee Academy skier and runner’s life was tragically cut short on May 8, 2002 at age 17 in… Read More
Paddle Smart Symposium BANGOR – The sixth annual Paddle Smart Safety Symposium will be held 5-9:30 p.m. Friday, April 28, at the Bangor Y on Hammond Street. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false;… Read More
The fledgling football program at Mount View High School in Thorndike got another boost Monday night with the vote of the School Administrative District 3 board of directors to support providing $17,000 in funding for the 2006 season. The money, which is subject to approval… Read More
A day of reckoning may be coming July 1 for some of Maine’s golfers. No, nongolfing wives and husbands won’t be mailing their spouses’ clubs to Tibet. Not that I know of, anyway. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
BANGOR – The Kenduskeag Slalom, the only slalom race held in Maine, will be held Sunday on the Kenduskeag Stream at 8 a.m. at Valley Avenue and Exchange Street. A two-mile down-river race will be also be held on Saturday at 4 p.m. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
Eastern Maine high school softball teams from Classes B, C and D that appreciate the ambiance and amenities during Eastern Maine finals at Brewer High’s Coffin Field will definitely get that experience again this year. Although Brewer athletic director Dennis Kiah told the Maine Principals’… Read More
The University of Maine baseball team is on the verge of eclipsing a 15-year-old hitting record this season. Coach Steve Trimper’s Black Bears go into today’s nonleague game against Colby College of Waterville with 22 triples, one shy of the 23 three-base hits legged out… Read More
If I put together a short list to recognize men and women who had a hand in molding me for a career in teaching and coaching, former Bangor High School teacher and football coach Gerry Hodge would be at the top of that list. On… Read More
During the winter you likely heard about the world-record fish Keith Ouellette caught while ice-fishing at Long Lake. As it turns out, Ouellette’s record-setting fish wasn’t the first nor only record-setting fish caught in the Fish River chain of lakes last season. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
A scouting report of the affiliated minor league baseball landscape just over two weeks into the 2006 professional season finds 10 players with Maine ties toiling in the minors. Among them are eight Maine natives, three of whom played for Bangor-based teams. Two of those… Read More
Assertiveness worked for UMaine hockey I am an avid University of Maine hockey fan. I remember the day that if the hockey team was behind and the goalie wasn’t up to par Shawn Walsh would pull him and put another goalie in. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
The one overriding question with the NHL playoffs under way is will the officials continue to call the game the way they did during the regular season that saw clutching and grabbing reduced and skating increased? The league says yes. To undue the positive results… Read More
BANGOR – Ben Johnson of Orland bowled his fifth 300 game of the season and of his career during the Friday Night Mixed Couples League at Bangor Fun Bowling Center. Johnson, 24, bowled a series of 212-248-300-760. The 300 game is the 23rd of the… Read More
On Friday afternoon, Kenneth Casey Dubay-Baker and guide Dean Smith worked their way through the aisles of Dick’s Sporting Goods, picking out the proper pieces of camouflage gear for a first-time turkey-hunter. Dubay-Baker, an 18-year-old from Bangor, wasn’t too particular about most things (though, he’d… Read More
Spring’s arrival means one thing to hikers. It’s time to get outdoors and hike. Time to put away the ice ax, crampons, skis, and snowshoes and swap into trail runners or hiking boots. Nothing says spring to a hiker like putting that winter gear away and hitting the… Read More
Vacation brings out children School vacation has been a very busy time at the Fields Pond Audubon Center. In addition to training volunteers to help with Wonderful Wetland school walk programs, we had four different live animal programs – insects, owls, frogs and salamanders, and… Read More
This spring, for the first time, any and all sportsmen who wish to hunt wild turkeys in Maine need only buy a permit. Since 1986, a lottery system has been used to select hunters for a limited number of permits for specific hunting zones. In just 20 years,… Read More
Those interested in the rich tradition of the Moosehead Lake region can find out more on Thursday when Eric Stirling of West Branch Pond Camps presents a program at the Natural Resources Education Center in Greenville. Stirling will talk about the history, lore, and legend… Read More
As I left the barn late one evening last week, I was reminded of a similar night last fall. The two were almost identical: the sky was bright, the moon close to full. Last autumn’s nocturnal delights included a lone coyote singing out in the… Read More
When the chips were down, Jason House simply raised the stakes. The Presque Isle commercial banking officer earned himself a place in the finals and a chance at a $5,000 payday with his aggressive playing style in the Skillful Poker Showdown, Maine’s first-ever televised poker… Read More
With the NBA and NHL seasons over, Major League Baseball still in its first month and draft day approaching in the NFL, it seems a good time to assess Boston’s big league teams – and the Bruins, too. The Red Sox entered Thursday’s play with… Read More
There was no shoulder-to-shoulder, opening-day crowd waiting on Monday morning, as we arrived at that special place in the Maine woods. Trucks were not parked two and three to a turnout, as they often are near the most productive pools. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
Judson Cake has torn up the Maine road racing scene over the past few years. This spring, the 28-year-old Bar Harbor resident headed to Bowling Rock, N.C., to train with a group known as ZAP Fitness, consisting of five men, including Cake, and two women. Read More
While most Maine high school tennis players look locally for an indoor court or just a sunny day to get in some preseason practice, Eliot Potvin has taken a more global view. The reigning state schoolboy champion from Hampden spent last week nearly a continent… Read More
It’s that time of year again. Major and minor league baseball are under way and now, in our great state, it’s time for the high schools to begin play along with all the youth leagues. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
ORONO – The University of Maine men’s hockey team and the Friends of Maine Hockey will hold the annual awards banquet on May 12. The banquet will be held at Jeff’s Catering on Coffin Avenue at the Brewer Industrial Park. Social hour will begin at… Read More
The subject is fishing. With apologies to the talented scribes of this newspaper who frequent the wilds of Maine and write about them for a living, thoughts today turn to the time I’ve spent on the water. A number of years ago, Bob Hennessey, a… Read More
Belfast High girls basketball coach Ted Rioux is heading to Waterville to serve in the same capacity next year. Belfast athletic director Terry Kenniston said Rioux, who had coached the Lions for five seasons, told the girls on his team last week. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
MILLINOCKET – Hillcrest Golf Course will be open for the season today. All tees and greens will be open and riding carts will be allowed. Read More
According to his supervisors, Dave Simmons isn’t one of those game wardens who wants much attention. Simmons, they say, is most comfortable working behind the scenes, doing the thankless work and protecting the state’s fish and game resources. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
BANGOR – Steve Vanidestine will return to his post as athletic director at Bangor High School on Tuesday, according to superintendent Dr. Robert Ervin. Vanidestine, Bangor’s AD for the past 22 years, has been off the job since Feb. 28, the result of a school… Read More
It’s not uncommon for people to start cramming in regard to study time and homework this time of year. Billy Hartt and Lisa Rossignol have certainly done their share of it the last couple of weeks, but where most people’s cramming efforts usually revolve around… Read More
Although the temperature hovered at 30 degrees, a steady drizzle, constant breeze along the river, and dark, overcast skies made me feel much colder. It was the third week of April and I was hunkered down amidships of a 30-foot Sharps canoe anchored on the Restigouche River, and… Read More