Monthly Archives: August 2016

August 30, 2016 · 8:19 pm

Franklin Graham brings Decision America tour to Boston

Reception at the Omni Parker House in Boston

Franklin Graham spoke at the reception and on the Boston Common later

(Boston MA) I took the train into Boston for a second look at Franklin Graham’s Decision America tour on Tuesday. This was the 39^th stop on the 50-state tour.

It was a lovely day to be in the middle of Boston.

The reception was at the Omni Parker House on School Street and the gathering was on the nearby Boston Common at noon.

A week ago I arrived early in Augusta (Maine) for the same event there. My 9AM arrival in Boston gave me first access to the breakfast buffet. Didn’t know about it in Augusta but was well aware of it in Boston.

I was early enough in Boston so that I was invited to the staff’s prayer gathering on the 14^th floor Alcott Room.

I could not resist taking several skyline shots from the 14^th floor location.

After the buffet I had plenty of time to walk down to the Common. On the way I got into the cemetery (next to Park Street Church) to check out the tombstones of Samuel Adams and John Hancock. I also caught a couple of tour guides in costume.

Boston Common before the rally.

Boston Common during the rally

The platform was set up on the Boston Common so that the State Capitol building was in the background.

I returned to the elegant Omni Parker House and took the elevator to the 14^th floor to return to the Alcott Ballroom. By now plenty of folks had gathered including some from Hope Community Church (Newburyport) where my wife and I attend.

I learned fast that Franklin was using the same material at both the reception and at the rally. It was good stuff and well received at both places.

Nice to see such a large, enthusiastic gathering concerned for the spiritual condition of America.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Franklin heads for the platform on the Boston Common

Reception attendee

Boston Common rally

Skyline from the Alcott Room

The elegant Omni Parker House lobby

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Filed under Boston, Decision America Tour 2016

Tagged as Alcott Room, Boston, Franklin Graham, Omni Parker House

August 28, 2016 · 8:01 pm

All is well for Wayne Helliwell as he wins the 43rd Oxford 250

Wayne Helliwell got the checkered flag after winning the 43rd OPS 250

The trophy, the car, and an excited crew.

(Oxford ME) Travis Benjamin led the 43rd annual Oxford 250 for 159 laps but it wasn’t enough as Wayne Helliwell led the final five laps to earn the checkered flag on Sunday night at Oxford Plains Speedway.

After the last of the cautions (12) on lap 227 an entertaining battle unfolded between 2-time champ Travis Benjamin and Wayne Helliwell of Dover (NH).

By then most of the non-contenders were off the track and there was plenty of open territory ahead for the two leaders after the restart. But at the speed the two front-runner were going you knew that the race would eventually be won in the traffic ahead.

Travis on the high side and Wayne on the inside early in the race

Wayne was on the inside and Travis was on the next line up. Travis had used that line to get by many cars during the race.

In lap 244 the two leaders approached field-trailer Garrett Evans (#64). Garrett was on Travis’ lane and Wayne was on the inside lane beside Travis. Travis said afterwards that he hesitated when he approached the 64 because didn’t know what the 64 was going to do. That “hesitation” allowed Wayne to fly by on 64’s inside and forced Travis to drop down in back of him. Travis would never recover from what happened with the 64 and had to settle five laps later for, what had to be, a disappointing second place.

Travis said afterwards that he thought the difference was that Wayne had pitted for tires fifty laps after he did. Those fresher tires allowed Wayne to keep up with Travis and to eventually get to the front. I’ll still go with what happened dealing with the 64 as the actual difference maker.

Wayne Helliwell pits for tires

Exciting race to say the least.

Wayne finished seventh in the OPS 250 last year. This time he won the race and received a check for $29,500.

DJ Shaw came in third.

Last year’s winner Glen Luce was strong in the early going.

TJ Brackett came out of the very first caution unable to get his car to start and was quickly done for the night.

Travis Benjamin stays high and will get past Mike and Ben Rowe

Ben Rowe finished 4^th while his dad Mike ended up 24^th.

A couple of the young favorites (Reid Lanpher and Derek Griffith) got into benders early and never could challenge the leaders. Reid was 2^nd last year.

I saw the race from above the sky boxes on the roof. Nice and breezy up there on a hot afternoon/evening with an extraordinary view.

Only problem with that lofty perch was that it was impossible to get down from there to the track in time to get pictures of the early post-race celebrating. But you can’t have everything!

Thanks to Tom/Mary Mayberry for arranging the media credentials.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Mike Rowe explains some of the finer points of racing to TJ Brackett

Derek Griffith before the race

Reid Lanpher before the race

Wayne Helliwell introduced

Travis Benjamin introduced

Austin Theriault

Fender bender involving Jeff Taylor (88), Kyle Treadwell (44), Cassius Clark (13) and Mike Hopkins (15).

DJ Shaw after the race

Travis Benjamin after the race

Travis Benjamin pit stop

Travis got past the 64 early in the race

2015 winner Glen Luce pressured by Travis Benjamin

Politics on a fender

TJ Brackett out early

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Filed under Oxford, Oxford 250, Oxford Plains Speedway

Tagged as Austin Theriault, Derek Griffith, DJ Shaw, Glen Luce, OPS 250, Reid Lanpher, Travis Benjamin, Wayne Helliwell

August 25, 2016 · 9:47 pm

Yoan Moncada, Mauricio Dubon, and Aneury Tavarez shine in Portland win over Trenton

Yoan Moncada (left) and Aneury Tavaraz (right) in the Portland dugout

Yoan Moncada playing third

(Portland ME) Any win over the Yankees is a good win. And Portland got one, 4-3, over Trenton on a nice Thursday evening at Hadlock Field.

I was surprised that Yoan Moncada was still with the Sea Dogs so I opted for one last look at Boston’s #1 prospect in action.

Yoan is playing third these days so I chose the edge of the Trenton dugout as the spot where I would take pictures from. I saw him make a real nice fielding play from that location.

Ronald Herrara (21) started for The Thunder

I had good feelings about the pitching matchup between Portland’s Mitch Atkins and Trenton’s Ronald Herrera. Both pitchers are in the top four of the Eastern League in strikeouts so there were plenty of missed bats in this one.

Mitch ended up with ten K’s and the win.

I came to see Yoan Moncada, and I did, but the more I see of shortstop Mauricio Dubon the better I like him as a prospect.

Kevin Thomas (Portland Press Herald) had an interesting comparison between Mauricio and Mookie over a similar sampling of games at Portland. The numbers put up by both players are very, very similar.

But we’re talking about a shortstop. What are Mauricio’s chances of moving up with Xander and Marco Hernandez ahead of him? Maybe Mauricio will start to work out at 3B??

Back to Yoan. Having seen Andrew Benintendi at Portland I can tell you that their hitting styles are very different. Andrew was patient. Yoan is aggressive. There are lots of strikeouts in his future unless he gets more selective.

Mauricio Dubon has dazzled at Portland

The win was a sweet one for Portland because it sets Trenton’s playoff hopes back a bit. The Thunder still have a very nice 81-50 record.

I noticed that Trenton has really gone with young players. The four top prospects on their roster are 22-years-old and younger.

Portland has a few young players but many of the other starters are 25+.

I mentioned Mauricio Dubon and I also must mention Aneury Tavarez. The Portland rightfielder is leading the Eastern League in batting average and looks to have a bright future. Expect him at Pawtucket to start 2017.

The most fortunate person at Hadlock tonight was Mike Davis of Falmouth. Mike bought a ticket and came through the gate as fan #9 million. That got Mike a Sea Dogs’ jersey with a “9” on it plus nine years of season tickets. His daughter, Wagner, threw out the first pitch of the game.

Slugger? Of course he lost. That’s what he always does. Sometimes the big guy gets up against a little kid who isn’t sure what bases to run to. Not tonight. This kid was a dart and he knew exactly what was going on. By the time Slugger reached second this kid was close to third. It was no contest. Slugger even tried some aerodynamics but it was futile.

horseback trouble

The inflatable horse race was interesting. One of the contestants was too short and her feet didn’t touch the ground. There was no way she was going to be able to get that horse to go anywhere. So one of the Sea Dogs’ staff members pulled her toward the finish line.

Thanks again to Chris Cameron for arranging tonight’s visit. Hadlock continues to be a great spot to visit to seeing rising baseball stars as well as to get entertained. Tickets are a bargain.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge significantly if you click on them.)

Mark Payton touches them all after a 2-run homer

Yoan Moncada heads for third

Yoan Moncada

Billy McKinney

Pitcher Kevin Couch

Wagner and Mike Davis

Slugger futilely tries to fly

Miguel Andujar is the Yankees’ #8 prospect

Tyler Wade

Yoan Moncada

Ryan Court

Yoan Moncada

Aneury Tavarez leads the EL in batting average

Mauricio Dubon caught in a rundown after driving in a run

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Filed under Portland Sea Dogs, Trenton Thunder

Tagged as Aneury Tavarez, Billy McKinney, Dustin Fowler, Hadlock Field, Mauricio Dubon, Miguel Andujar, Tyler Wade, Yoan Moncada

August 23, 2016 · 8:03 pm

Franklin Graham brings Decision America Tour 2016 to Maine

Part of the estimated crowd of 3,200 listening to Franklin Graham at Capitol Park (Augusta ME)

Franklin Graham on his way to the stage in Augusta

(Augusta ME) I was in the crowd today as Franklin Graham’s Decision America 2016 Tour came to Maine on a sunny Tuesday.

Part of the reason for going was getting an invite from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to attend a reception prior to the rally.

I wondered at first why I had even gotten an invitation for such an event. Later I surmised that long-time donors to BGEA made the list. My wife and I decided many years ago that tithing was important and that we needed to be supporting worthwhile ministries on a monthly basis. BGEA was on our list and we may have been contributing to them for over thirty years.

The reception was at the Governor Hill Mansion starting at 10:30AM. I was there just after 9AM! Not real familiar with Augusta. Not sure about parking. Rather be early than rushing around late.

I was so early that there was hardly anyone there. I checked in and had a muffin and then decided to go out and enjoy a sunny, cool morning.

I got back about 10:15 to find the Columbus Room nearly filled. I found a seat on the outside aisle about halfway up. Good spot for picture taking.

Franklin speaks at the reception at the Governor Hill Mansion

After a short intro, Franklin came on. He delivered plenty of stories about the different ministries BGEA is involved in. Nothing makes a contributor happier than to learn about how their financial support makes a difference.

After Franklin’s half hour another gentleman spoke briefly about some gifts that each of us would get as we left. One was a prayer journal. I appreciated the fact that the BGEA staff was aware of the sunshine outside and that a ten-minute walk was in our future. They offered bottles of cold water to each of us. Very considerate.

The main rally was supposed to be at the State Capitol but BGEA couldn’t get a permit for it because of the expected size of the crowd. So the event was across the street at the Capitol Park.

What was nice about that spot was that there were plenty of trees providing plenty of shade. The crowd estimate was 3,200 but I wonder how any figuring could have been done.

I realized quickly that I would not be able to get close enough to the stage to get any kind of picture. My goal was to get Franklin before he got to the stage. But where would he be coming from? I figured that mystery out shortly after I figured out where their tour bus was. Outside the bus was what looked like security so I knew he was on the bus and would be coming my way. That information set up a couple of pretty good pictures.

Dennis Agajanian

Prior to Franklin’s stage arrival a singer named Dennis Agajanian performed.

Franklin spoke forcefully. He made it clear that he didn’t trust either the Democrats or the Republicans. He also had nothing good to say about the current administration. He made it clear that we needed to trust in God. He stressed the importance of prayer. He also spelled out the salvation message. It was all good stuff for sure.

At a gathering of this type you always wonder if there might be some kind of protest. The only evidence I saw of someone not enthralled with what was going on was a lady carrying a sign that said, “Unabashed Atheist.”

This was the 37^th state that Franklin has visited. He’ll end in North Carolina in October. Tomorrow he’ll be in Vermont and Thursday in New York. He’ll be in Massachusetts next Tuesday and I may take the train in, from Newburyport, to be there.

The visit today to Augusta was informative and uplifting. The BGEA is doing some terrific things.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

“Unabashed Atheist”

Crowd from behind the stage

Franklin greets an attendee

Franklin Graham

Franklin walking from the tour bus to the stage

Franklin speaking at reception

Ready for the sun

Crowd at Columbus Hall

Governor Hill Mansion

Dennis Agajanian

Maine state capitol

Tour bus

Speaking at Columbus Hall in Augusta before the rally

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Filed under Augusta, Decision America Tour 2016, Franklin Graham

Tagged as Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Capitol Park, Franklin Graham, Governor Hill Mansion

August 13, 2016 · 3:57 pm

Bennett & Perkins in concert at Brick Church in Lovell (ME)

Taylor Whiteside, Kathy Bennett, and Thom Perkins in concert at the Brick Church

Kathy Bennett

Thom Perkins

(Lovell ME) My wife and I took in Bennett & Perkins on a very warm Thursday night at the Brick Church for the Performing Arts in Lovell.

Husband and wife, Thom Perkins and Kathy Bennett, were joined by Taylor Whiteside in an evening of folk songs, impressive strumming, and terrific harmonizing.

Lead singer Kathy had the typically powerful folk singing voice that those of us a bit older remember fondly from “back in the day.”

No question that the trio are veteran performers. No sheet music needed by any of them for any of the songs they did.

The songs chosen were new to me but all of them had stories to go along with them. Quite a few sad songs in the bunch.

Taylor Whiteside

Several of the songs that I liked particularly were, “Walk in My Garden,” and “Her Name was Kathleen.”

The song I could best identify with was “Hurricane Claire.” I guess that every family has daughters and/or granddaughters who are a bit rambunctious.

I learned of the August 11^th performance via the Bridgton News.

Disappointment? Why so few people in attendance? I’m not sure that there were thirty on hand. $10 is not a steep price for a show of this quality.

We enjoyed the performance a lot. If they come to our area (Bridgton ME) in the future, we’ll probably try to attend their show.

(All of my pictures from the show will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

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Filed under Brick Church, Lovell

Tagged as Bennett & Perkins, Brick Church for the Performing Arts, Lovell

August 6, 2016 · 3:36 pm

#1 Red Sox prospect Yoan Moncada has three errors in Portland loss to Akron

Five errors, including this one by Nate Frieman, doomed the Sea Dogs. (The ball is on the ground.)

Kevin McAvoy was let down by the Portland defense.

(Portland ME) The Sea Dogs’ Kevin McAvoy picked a bad night to be pitching.

Why? The Portland infield defense fell apart five different times worth five unearned runs and the home Dogs lost, 8-2, to the Akron RubberDucks on a sunny/windy Friday night.

The last-place Sea Dogs (42-69) have struggled to put up the W’s all season. Some losses have been over a combination of deficiencies. Not tonight.

The biggest culprit? #1 Boston prospect 2B Yoan Moncada. Three times the 21-year-old fumbled grounders.

Yoan Moncada emerges from the Portland dugout

My primary reason for getting to Hadlock Field was for a last look at Yoan before he was promoted to Pawtucket or even to the Red Sox. After tonight, I have a feeling he’ll be staying in Maine for a while.

Interesting that there is talk of Yoan learning a new position because 2B in Boston belongs to Dustin Pedroia for the next five years. One game is a small sample but there is fielding improvement needed before any transitions by Yoan are made.

Also with Yoan there continues to be hitting struggles from the right side. He is often linked to Andrew Benintendi but Andrew was hitting well and fielding well when he was called up. I am not certain at this point that Yoan has the handle necessary on either of those.

2B Yoan Moncada finishes a DP throw to first

BUT as Manager Carlos Febles suggested afterwards,
“Teams have games like this. We’ll put it behind us and prepare for the next game.” We are talking about the minors where scores and championships are minimized. The RubberDucks “lost” their top two prospects in the past two weeks via promotion. Tied for the top of the Eastern League West before the promotions, they are now six games back in the standings.

Also memorable in this game was that Yoan was injured during a caught-stealing at third base. It appeared to be quite serious because he hit the bag hard but there was a collective sigh of relief in the Red Sox organization as Yoan was able to walk off with only a sore left ankle to deal with.

Rob Kaminsky – pitched well for Akron

Akron’s top remaining prospect, Rob Kaminsky, was their pitcher in this game. He was a #1 pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2014. The lefty limited Portland to three hits.

I was impressed with Akron first baseman Nellie Rodriguez. Only 22, he has a history of good numbers. Led the Midwest League in hits and homers in 2014. Led the Carolina League in homers and RBI in 2015. Nellie is currently 4^th in the Eastern League in homers and extra-base hits. What will slow his rise to the majors? 150 strikeouts.

Portland’s Aneury Tavarez must be getting the eye of higher up’s in the Boston front office. The Sea Dogs’ right fielder is near the top of the EL batting leaders at .323. He had three hits this evening against Akron.

Slugger loses his opponent

Disappointed in Slugger tonight. I always root for him at the start of each race. He is always the underdog because he runs against kids. For some reason on this night the big guy chose to impede the progress of the speedy girl he was up against. He squared himself to block her path near second base but the clever opponent darted through his legs. The move dazzled Slugger. In fact, for a second or two he had no idea where she had gone! That momentary confusion, plus the girl’s significant running skills, doomed Slugger. I just never thought he would even consider cheating to win but I saw it with my own eyes. Shame on him!

Thanks to Chris Cameron for arranging the visit. Not too many home games left and they are all in August. Good take.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)