AUBURN – With a summer schedule that includes having played in the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and upcoming appearances in the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur events, one might wonder when he gets any work done. As do many businesspeople, the comptroller of Dragon… Read More
Caribou High School, which has a strong tradition in cross country, is gearing up for its annual alumni cross country races, set for Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the high school. The meet was originally scheduled for Friday, Aug. 22, but had to be re-scheduled… Read More
BANGOR – Dr. Carlos Esguerra knows wherever he goes, he may be called upon for help – even if he’s at the Senior League World Series. Esguerra, a cardiologist with a practice in Manila in the Philippines, was at Mansfield Stadium at noon Wednesday to… Read More
BANGOR – Don’t expect East Boynton Beach (Fla.) Senior League outfielder Matt Overton to be nervous playing in the Senior League World Series at Mansfield Stadium this week. Five years ago, he played in the Little League World Series in Williamsport as his East Boynton… Read More
It was 5 p.m. on Tuesday and Paul Byrd, now of the Boston Red Sox, sat in the Cleveland dugout, his head still spinning. “They [Cleveland management] told me a couple of days ago that I had cleared waivers, so I figured no other team… Read More
The University of Maine men’s hockey program is undergoing a substantial facelift. With associate head coach/recruiting coordinator Guy Perron’s decision to take a scouting job with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche and Grant Standbrook’s decision to retire as the volunteer assistant, there will be a new… Read More
HAMPDEN – At the urging of a couple of friends in the local soccer community, Kiaran McCormick decided to apply for the boys varsity coaching vacancy at Hampden Academy. “It was something I did for the experience of the interview,” said the 24-year-old McCormack, a… Read More
ORONO – Katie Clark Herbine, a former member of the University of Maine women’s basketball team which made four straight NCAA Tournament appearances, has returned to the Black Bears as the associate athletic director for compliance and senior woman administrator, UMaine athletic director Blake James announced recently. Read More
I am pleased and honored to be the guest speaker at the Senior League World Series banquet this Friday at the Elks Club in Bangor. What an extravaganza Little League for the older boys has become. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
BANGOR – He was proudly waving a flag from the Philippines. Mount Vernon’s Mark Grenier had good reason to wave the flag for Asia-Pacific champions Makati City in their Senior League World Series game against District Three titlist Bangor on Monday: that’s where he spent… Read More
Caribou High School girls soccer coach Todd Albert has good reason to be optimistic about the upcoming season. After all, the Vikings posted a strong 10-3-1 regular-season record last fall – after winning only two games the year before – and reached the Eastern Maine… Read More
Mainers in the minors are enjoying varying degrees of success as most enter the stretch run of their minor league baseball seasons. Camden’s Mike MacDonald continues to adjust to life in the bullpen as a reliever – and starter – for the Toronto Blue Jays… Read More
Once upon a time, there was a Wild West rancher. He owned the biggest spread this side of the biggest body of water around. He was a tyrant. He groused at neighbors, refused all entries of cooperation with the community, closed his farm to visitors,… Read More
In case you missed the race or the accompanying post-race hype, undefeated Deweycheatumnhowe did indeed win the 83rd running of the Hambletonian at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J., on Aug. 2, but a Maine-owned horse also distinguished itself in the $1.5 million race. Velocity… Read More
BEIJING – The 2008 Olympic debuts of three rowers from Maine were pushed back Sunday when races in the men’s and women’s eights were postponed due to inclement weather. Anna Goodale of Camden and Elle Logan of Boothbay Harbor are teammates on the U.S. women’s… Read More
When a bear meandered through a Bangor neighborhood a few weeks back, the reaction to that bruin (and the critter’s ultimate demise) caused plenty of cyberspace discussion. While I’ve got no interest in reopening that tired debate, I did sit down with two of the… Read More
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife is hosting the 11th annual Becoming an Outdoorswoman introductory skills weekend. The program will run from Sept. 19-21 and will be held at Camp Caribou on Pattee Pond in Winslow. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
As much as I enjoy fly casting for native brook trout and landlocked salmon, over the last few years smallmouth bass fishing with ultralight gear has become a rewarding portion of my summer angling. Bronzebacks, as those glistening amber gamefish are nicknamed, are very acrobatic, leaping and cavorting… Read More
A few months ago I had discovered a brown thrasher had apparently taken up residence in my neighborhood. The bird seemed to have staked out a close thicket of small trees and shrubs, and I found him one day singing his heart out from within the tangle of… Read More
There’s a new word in our ever-expanding lexicon and it is one which I (and I hope some of you) will not encourage to become permanent. Dare I say it, and therefore risk another link to legitimacy? Yes you may have guessed it: “staycation.” Ugh! (Even my spell-check… Read More
Six years is not a long time to draw from when considering historical aspects of most events. But the 2008 Senior League World Series begins Sunday at Mansfield Stadium, marking the seventh time the world’s best 14- through 16-year-old Little Leaguers have converged on Bangor… Read More
Scotia Speedworld in Halifax, Nova Scotia, is a “mini-Martinsville,” according to Hallowell’s Johnny Clark. “The characteristics are identical, but one is a quarter-mile and the other is a half-mile,” said Clark. “It has concrete corners and it is flat, flat, flat. It [requires] a lot… Read More
Lynn Coutts, a member of the University of Maine’s Sports Hall of Fame, is reportedly among the finalists for the head softball coaching job at her alma mater. Coach Stacey Sullivan didn’t have her contract renewed after going 70-84 in three seasons at the helm,… Read More
In his work as the director of the Department of Marine Resources’ Bureau of Sea-Run Fisheries & Habitat (formerly the Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission), Pat Keliher has grown accustomed to long-range planning and incremental progress. Maine’s Atlantic salmon stocks have struggled mightily over the years,… Read More
Sheri Piers will be the guest of honor at the Mount Desert Island marathon this fall. Piers, who recently finished second in the Maine women’s division of the TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10K, has been invited to speak at the pre-race pasta dinner at… Read More
University of Maine men’s hockey coach Tim Whitehead said he is hoping to name a replacement for associate head coach/recruiting coordinator Guy Perron within two weeks. Perron announced last week he has taken a position as a scout with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
Dick Barstow still plans to maintain contact with basketball next winter. He’ll follow his favorite college teams, including North Carolina, Duke, UCLA and his alma mater, Syracuse. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false;… Read More
The victims in the Manny Ramirez trade from the Red Sox to the Dodgers weren’t necessarily the Red Sox. The real victims were Ramirez’s three sons. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for… Read More
Atlantic salmon have earned lead billing on the Penobscot River, and striped bass have become a highly sought fish over the past several years. Old-timers can tell you about the productive smelting expeditions they took as kids … and that some still enjoy. But lurking… Read More
Back from vacation, thoughts today concern fall sports in Maine and the associated preparation on the various playing fields in the area. There’s nothing quite like fall sports in New England. The air is crisp – don’t worry I’m not wishing summer’s demise – and… Read More
After a successful 2007 cross-country season in which the Caribou girls finished third, just one point out of second in the Eastern Maine Class B championship meet, the Vikings are poised to take the next step. Fourth-year head coach Thomas Beckum has four runners returning… Read More
CAPE ELIZABETH – Bill Rodgers and Joan Benoit Samuelson are close friends who journey to the Bix 7-mile road race in Davenport, Iowa, every summer. So when the four-time Boston and New York marathon winner and three-time Falmouth (Mass.) Road Race champ was invited to… Read More
Back in 2005, local angler Keith Bates gained a bit of local notice when he inadvertently hooked, landed and released a shortnose sturgeon while fishing for striped bass in the Penobscot River. The fish, which nobody really knew even existed in the Penobscot, was estimated… Read More
When NBC cameras focus on the action at The Meadowlands track in East Rutherford, N.J., today for the 83rd running of the Hambletonian trotting harness race, fans at Maine tracks and sports pubs will be watching the TV screens with more interest than usual. That’s… Read More
During “vespers” at a fishing camp in Canada, four high-spirited Sports were casting opinions about whether a reel’s drag should be increased while playing a salmon. Owing to his contentious nature, Jack Daniels minced no words in asserting that the drag should never be tightened after a salmon… Read More
As a trail maintainer with the Maine Appalachian Trail Club I only have a few basic jobs. They are clearing downed trees, cutting new growth back away from the trail and marking blazes. Sometimes it’s a little more complicated than that, but those are basically the functions of… Read More
The Downeast Salmon Federation has announced it will conduct its inaugural bass fishing derby, which will be held on Sunday on the lower Pleasant River. Registration for the derby will begin at 7:30 a.m. at the old Columbia Falls Town Hall, across from the post… Read More
So much of success in competitive sports stems from athletes first recognizing an opportunity and then striving to make the most of it. But such opportunities had been hard to come by for Cody Johndro, Derek Amoroso and Jordan Richards – until last weekend. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
ORONO – The University of Maine volleyball team received an American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award for the 2007-08 season. One of 70 NCAA Division I teams to receive the award, Maine was the only one in America East to be honored. The AVCA… Read More
Growing up in Maine, you get used to seeing plenty of wildlife. But no matter how many deer or moose or bears or wild turkeys you spot during your day-to-day travels, there’s one image that’s always a special treat: the soaring silhouette of a bald eagle. Read More
The start of high school cross country practices is just a few weeks away, and while many young athletes are partaking in summer running camps or running local road races and building miles for the fall season, the Maine Running Co. is offering the state’s runners and coaches… Read More
Andrew Weiss of Rockland and Kyle Stilphen of Gardiner were among five recipients of the John R. Schmidlin Trophy presented during halftime of the Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl Classic on Friday night. The Schmidlin Trophy is meant to recognize the most outstanding senior football players… Read More
This is about a day in the life of Manny being Manny and the people who cover his saga in the press. Manny is Manny Ramirez of the Boston Red Sox and Sunday was one of those days that provided enough press fodder for a… Read More
LEWISTON – It tracks your golf scores and computes your handicap. It shows a satellite image of your next hole. It even spits out suggestions on what club to use. About the only thing that a new gizmo dreamed up by a young Mainer doesn’t… Read More
YORK – Ricky Jones of Thomaston and Minghao Wang of Reunion, Fla., earned berths in this year’s U.S. Amateur Golf Championship by leading the field at a qualifying tournament held Tuesday at The Ledges Golf Course. Jones won the event, shooting a first-round 69 and… Read More
BREWER – The 8th annual 3-on-3 Charity Jam basketball tournament will return to the Bangor area for a second straight year, this time in Brewer. The Pendleton Street courts will be one of three locations in Maine to host the tournament, with Lewiston’s Kennedy Park and Portland’s Deering… Read More
A look at the calendar shows a good solid month or so of summer vacation time remaining for many of the state’s high school athletes. Plenty of time left to hit the beaches, state fairs and family camps. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
Dave Huntress stood on the Bangor waterfront Saturday, smiling broadly on a warm July Maine morning. Theoretically, Huntress was in town to help hand out prizes for the Coastal Conservation Association’s first Penobscot River Striped Bass Tournament. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
I couldn’t help thinking about a plethora of memories as the Bangor State Fair pulled into town Friday. Like most people in Greater Bangor, I grew up on the fairgrounds, and there are a lot of sports memories associated with the fair. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
Bangor native Josh Pressley is still in the swing of things as a first baseman for the Somerset (Mass.) Patriots. The former Bangor American Legion Baseball standout is still collecting a paycheck playing ball and chasing big league dreams in the independent Atlantic League. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
PORTLAND – Mike Caiazzo of Westbrook bested a field of 13 athletes to win the elite division of the Zone Urban Epic triathlon Saturday. Caiazzo turned in a winning time of 2 hours, 19 minutes, 58 seconds to secure his second Maine triathlon victory in… Read More
J.W. Parks Golf Course in Pittsfield is gearing up for Sunday’s annual Parent/Child golf day. Tee times begin at 1 p.m. and any combination of adult and youth family members can play for $20 per team plus a cart, if needed. A barbecue with hamburgers… Read More
The Goldsmith house is for sale at the top of the street, the house Dick MacPherson lived in is on the sale list and we have lost another of the Bradbury Street gang. Dick was good enough to give me a call to let me… Read More
BANGOR – Several young pros with Maine roots are playing in this weekend’s Hollywood Slots Greater Bangor Open, and they are discovering that the learning didn’t stop when they made that decision. Toby Spector of Waterville is the newest, but the list includes second-year pros… Read More
When the organizing committee was beginning to formulate a plan for what would become the Penobscot River Revival, they really had no idea what to expect. So they began by making modest plans. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
Any Atlantic salmon angler who has fished the Gaspe, read the Atlantic Salmon Journal or attended a regional Atlantic Salmon Federation dinner will recognize the name Richard Adams. Known to many as the dean of Atlantic salmon angling, Richard spent 75 years guiding young and old, rookie nimrods… Read More
The inspection sticker on Presque Isle native Ryan Stevens’ 1992 BMW had run out. And he had wanted to try his hand at auto racing. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var… Read More
Ryan Weston was disappointed when he originally wasn’t named to play in this year’s Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl Classic, scheduled tonight at Waterhouse Field in Biddeford. For while basketball may be the former Bangor High School star’s best sport – he earned first-team All-Maine honors… Read More
Burgundy Biletski, who served as an assistant field hockey coach at NCAA Division III Sewanee University (Tenn.) last year and helped the team go from four wins the previous season to 10 in 2007, will be an assistant coach at the University of Maine this fall. Read More
Just a few days ago (before bears began wandering Bangor’s city streets and pigs began flying in Patten) we asked you to take part in an on-line poll about saltwater fishing licenses last week. BDN readers made their views on the matter perfectly clear. Of… Read More
The humid days of July are blazing by like a comet, and the TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10K road race is just around the corner. With the 11th annual 6.2-mile race set for Aug. 2 in Cape Elizabeth, here a few things runners and… Read More
Race fans at the annual TD Banknorth Oxford 250 are usually torn. Beginning in 2004, when progressive Oxford Plains Speedway owner Bill Ryan began scheduling the 250 during Sprint Cup’s off-weekend so he could attract NASCAR drivers to run his race, race fans have found themselves choosing sides. Read More
The University of Maine track and field program has announced the commitments of eight incoming student-athletes, including several local athletes who have enjoyed outstanding high school careers. Joining coach Mark Lech’s Black Bears in the fall will be Riley Masters and Jennie Lucy of Bangor,… Read More
The MBR 17-and-under boys basketball team reached new heights for a Maine AAU program last summer, finishing 11th in a field of 153 teams at the junior boys AAU National Championships at Orlando, Fla. That team, coached by Bangor’s Carl Parker, is considerably different this… Read More
The Boston Celtics have their “Big Three” and for most of this season, so have the Portland Sea Dogs. The Sea Dogs’ outfield had been arguably the best or most productive to come up through Boston’s farm system since the early 1970’s home-grown class featuring… Read More
Bangor residents in the Fairmount Park area got a bit of a surprise Saturday morning when a black bear tromped through the neighborhood. The visit didn’t turn out well for the bear, which was shot and killed by Maine Game Warden Jim Fahey, who grew… Read More
Belfast’s Troy Howard Middle School has one of the more fan friendly and challenging cross country courses in the state. After three years at Leavitt Area High School in Turner, the state championship meet will return to Belfast this fall, the Maine Principals’ Association announced… Read More
PORTLAND – Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz singled twice, walked, and flied out Monday night in his first of three rehab appearances for the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs. Ortiz went 2-for-3 in his fourth minor league game since he was sidelined on May 30… Read More
I couldn’t help thinking about the 1972 summer Olympics in Germany as the 2008 games in Beijing approach. The China games, which run from Aug. 8-24, possess many eerie similarities to those in Munich, Germany. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
OXFORD – Bobby Dragon of Milton, Vt. knows a few things about the TD Banknorth Oxford 250. After all, he finished fifth in the inaugural 250 in 1974. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner =… Read More
PORTLAND, – A Melrose, Mass., man has won the 27th annual Peaks to Portland swim race, completing the 2.4-mile course in Casco Bay in 42 minutes, 11 seconds. Joe Sheehan clocked the fastest time Saturday since Sean Flaherty’s 40:30 in 2001. It was the second… Read More
Maine Game Warden Maj. Gregg Sanborn remembers the day he decided he wanted to pursue a job in the warden service. “I was checked by a game warden when I was hunting with my dad – it might not have been my first year hunting,… Read More
Red Sox and American League All-Star manager Terry Francona can relax now. All he has to do the rest of the way is win a pennant. Francona survived the 4-hour, 50-minute (a record), 15-inning (ties a record) midsummer classic without having to use Sox outfielder… Read More
Of the 14 states the Appalachian Trail passes through, Maine is the hardest. Most through-hikers either know this beforehand or find it out once they are here. There are a number of reasons why it’s so hard. It’s the second longest at 278.5 miles or… Read More
A dependable camera is not only essential to my work, it adds a visual diary of memories with special people, places and predicaments. Ten or 15 years ago, 35mm cameras were the standard format with a wide range of prices and models available to satisfy… Read More
I’ve really missed being on the water for the past month or so, and the two or three of you who follow my exploits will know it is with great trepidation that I launch into telling you about a motorized experience I had the other day. Read More
This week’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game has re-established itself as the premier pro sports exhibition because it is no longer just an exhibition – the league that wins gets to host a potential Game 7 of the World Series. Many people ridicule tying the… Read More
PORTLAND – Last month, Eddie MacDonald won a Camping World East series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the first time in 16 career starts. Adding a victory in the TD Banknorth Oxford 250 Sunday would make 2008 an even more memorable season for… Read More
Doug Leichner, who spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach with the University of Maine men’s basketball team, has left the Black Bears to become a head coach in Ireland. Leichner has been hired to coach the University College Cork Blue Demons Basketball… Read More
Rick Burrill has been named the head athletic trainer at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish. He joins the Monks’ staff after 16 seasons as a trainer in professional hockey, including the last two with the Portland Pirates. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
Maine has always had a rich tradition in the sport of marathon running. Next season, two of the more recognizable 26.2-mile races in the country will join forces to create Maine’s first race series decided to marathon running. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
Ever since the Maine Winter Sports Center received its first grant in 1999, co-founder Max Cobb told anybody who would listen about his vision for the Fort Kent facility. “Our dream right from the beginning was that there would be kids born and raised in… Read More
The University of Maine’s upgrade of three outdoor athletic facilities is on schedule, according to Will Biberstein, the school’s assistant athletic director of internal operations. “Right now, everything appears to be in good shape. Obviously, there’s a chance cold weather could hamper it, but we… Read More
There was something special about Kyle Busch in 2005 when he ran the TD Banknorth Oxford 250 for the first time. He was 20 years old at the time and started 28th. Oxford Plains Speedway has a couple of racing grooves, maybe even three depending… Read More
Terry Cummings fondly recalls his playing days at the University of Maine-Presque Isle. As the head men’s basketball coach of the Owls, he hopes to help restore the program to its former level of success. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
Things are steadily improving in Fort Kent in the aftermath of the flooding that ravaged the Canadian border town this spring. That includes the local recreation areas, which also serve several of Fort Kent Community High School’s athletic teams. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
KENDUSKEAG – The first Angela Stokes-Mahoney Memorial Golf Tournament to benefit the American Diabetes Association is Friday at Kenduskeag Golf and Country Club. The 18-hole scramble has a shotgun start at 9 a.m. and is limited to the first 64 players to enter. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
Kevin Paradis, who has coached the Ashland High boys soccer team for the last five seasons, has been named the school’s new girls basketball coach. Paradis’ hiring was approved at a school board meeting Monday evening. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
For most of us, most of the time, wildfires are an abstract concept that happens to other people, in other places, or during other times. Frightening? Sure. But abstract nonetheless. We listen and read and watch as the seemingly annual fires spread across California, threatening… Read More
My beloved mother was a fountain of truisms. One of her favorites was “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i =… Read More
WINDHAM, N.Y. – Exeter native Adam Craig tuned up for the U.S. Mountain Bike Championships with a second-place effort Saturday in the men’s elite cross country race at the East Coast Nationals at Windham Mountain. Craig, who will represent the United States at the Summer… Read More
On most June and July days over the past several years, it hasn’t been difficult to figure out if there was a sizeable run of striped bass in the Penobscot River. Just head out Route 15 from Brewer toward Orrington, and you’d get your answer. Read More
While deciding to leave the familiarity and comfort of the Maine harness racing circuit this year, Jason Bartlett had an idea what a worthwhile first season as a driver outside the Pine Tree State would entail. The 27-year-old Windsor native decided to try his luck… Read More
Boston did this to them. Tuesday’s All-Star game in New York is about the closing of Yankee Stadium at the end of the year, but the extravagance of the event, including a red carpet parade of Hall of Famers and All-Stars up 6th Avenue, is… Read More
During my visit to New Jersey a few weeks ago, I was surrounded by the results of springtime activity in the wild: there were fledgling birds everywhere, it seemed. In the span of one hour I observed fledgling Carolina chickadees, tufted titmice, wood thrushes and a northern flicker… Read More
Experience a specific outdoor adventure a number of times and it’s possible to become a bit blase about the entire outing. Even adventures such as rock climbing, whitewater rafting, big-game hunting or deep-sea fishing for huge marlin or sharks may be viewed with nonchalance after a dozen years… Read More
Marblehead to Castine race July 27 Local yacht club sponsoring inaugural event; Camden sail also set
The Castine Yacht Club, in cooperation with the Eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead, Mass., and yacht designers Sparkman & Stephens, will sponsor the inaugural Marblehead to Castine Race on July 27 and the ninth annual Castine Classic Yacht Race to Camden on July 31. These… Read More
There are a couple of reasons Harris Golf Co. has rolled out a new promotion for Penobscot Valley Country Club in Orono, and both involve introductions of a sort. “Part of what we want to do, during reconstruction, is to try to give the public… Read More
Mainers were treated to a fabulous July 4 weekend, with sunny weather perfect for spending time at the beach, at camp, or enjoying a family barbecue. On Sunday, I took advantage of the weather and headed to the lake. Boating was on the agenda, and… Read More
For track and field fans, taking in a meet as prestigious as the Olympic trials can be equivalent to catching a World Series game at Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium, or a USC-Notre Dame football game in South Bend, Ind. Former Brewer High School and… Read More