September 22, 2012 · 5:38 pm

Sydney Hancock penalty kick gives Lake Region a 1-0 win over Sacopee Valley in girls soccer

Sydney Hancock fires a penalty kick left past Sacopee Valley goalie Emily Colbert in the second half.

Laker goalie Sarah Hancock has the ball go off her back but she recovered before Hawk attackers Courtney Ryan and Morgan Carpenter could capitalize late in the second half.

(Naples ME) Sydney Hancock’s successful, second-half penalty kick turned out to be the difference as the Lake Region Lakers defeated the Sacopee Valley Hawks, 1-0,  on a muggy Saturday afternoon of girls soccer.

Sydney tallied the game winner with seven minutes left lining her shot to Hawk goalie Emily Colbert’s left.

Credit teammate Kiersten Eldridge for sending Sydney to the penalty-shot line.  Kiersten retrieved a rebound and dribbled into some open space on her right and launched a shot that hit the hands of Sacopee defender Kristen Lyle in the penalty area.  That set up the shot that decided this game.

You had to feel badly for Sacopee Valley (2-4-1) because they absolutely dominated Lake Region (2-2-1) for most of the first half and came away empty.  Laker goalie Sarah Hancock handled thirteen shots (by my figuring).  There also was a blast by Hawk Courtney Ryan that hit the crossbar.

Kasey Huntress (left) Brooke Totman (right)

Junior Brooke Totman had a number of threatening shots for the team from Hiram in the first half.

This game was much more even in the second half.  The Lakers had ten shots while Sacopee Valley had seven.

Scoring chances?  Several.

The Lakers’ Tiana-Jo Carter lined up a shot from straightaway with eleven minutes left that rocked the crossbar.  It was easily the hardest shot of the day.

Later, after Sydney Hancock’s penalty kick goal, the Hawks came verrrrry close to tying the game.  Traffic in the box prevented Sarah Hancock from seeing a ball that hit her in the back (note picture) and started rolling toward the goal.  Freshmen Courtney Ryan and Morgan Carpenter were close by but couldn’t get to the loose ball before Sarah smothered it with 4:15 left.

Class C Sacopee Valley’s next game is home on September 25th (5PM) against Buckfield.

The Class B Lakers are back in action on the road (September 24th – 6PM) at Cape Elizabeth.

This was my first time seeing girls soccer in Maine.  I covered some Western Maine softball playoff action at St. Joseph’s in June.

Sydney Hancock (4) ,Lexi Crawford (5), Brooke Totman (9)

No question that the best player on the field was the Lakers’ Sydney Hancock.  The senior was a Western Maine all-stater last year.  She was fast and, despite special coverage, broke loose frequently.

Trying to find any information on the 2012 Sacopee Valley team was a Google impossibility.  But if you went back to 2010, it was an entirely different story because that was the year Coach Kevin Murphy’s team went 16-1-1 and defeated Fort Kent to win the Class C state title.

With only two seniors on his starting eleven, Coach Murphy may have some sort of special team in 2013.

I love going to a soccer game where there is a functioning scoreboard.

I’m sure that everyone knows that “Sacopee” gets its name because it is located in between the Saco River and the Ossipee River.  Well if you didn’t, now you do!

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

Sydney Hancock (4), Jade Jordan (7)

Kiersten Eldridge

Hawk coach Kevin Murphy

post-game celebration

Kayla Gray (6), Amie Worcester (20), Ali Kepler (17)

Kayla Brown (3), Breanna Wilkensen (19)

Laker goalie Sarah Hancock

Hannah Perkins (12), Devynn Turner (23), Courtney Ryan (15)

Leave a comment

Filed under Lake Region, Sacopee Valley

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

September 15, 2012 · 8:47 pm

Whittier rallies to defeat Ipswich, 20-18, in overtime football

Wildcat Jesus Sanchez (4) sweeps to the corner for the game-winning, two-point conversion

Henry Sacco scores a nine-yard touchdown for Ipswich in the second quarter.

(Haverhill) If you’re looking for a game with plusses and minuses for both teams, this was the one.

However, in the end it was Whittier coming away with the biggest plus defeating Ipswich in overtime, 20-18, on a lovely Saturday morning/afternoon in Haverhill.

Both teams had been trounced in their openers (Ipswich lost to Pingree 34-7.…Whittier was belted by Stoneham 34-6) and have never played each other before.

Ipswich (0-2) came in with experience (fifteen seniors) while Whittier (1-1) had a roster loaded with underclass athletes.

Ipswich was excellent in the first half getting a 12-0 halftime advantage.  Whittier had those two touchdowns back midway through the final quarter and nearly won the game in the last second.  A blocked field goal attempt on the final play of regulation sent this one to OT.

In overtime a team gets four downs from the 10 yard line.  New this year is that if a team scores, they must go for a two-point conversion.

In their overtime series, Ipswich ran Derek Chamberlain off right tackle three straight times.  He reached the two yard line on the first, scored on the second, and was stopped short by Jake McCartney on the two-point conversion try.  This put Ipswich up 18-12.

Justin Reyes catches a TD pass from Connor Bradley in overtime

In OT, Whittier fumbled the first snap and fortunately (for them) senior Sam King made the recovery.  Next play QB Connor Bradley lofted a “jump ball” pass to leaper Justin Reyes over two defenders to tie the score.

On the game-deciding extra point, sophomore Jesus Sanchez swept right into the corner to win the game for Whittier.  (Whittier had tried that same play after their first score in the third quarter and it had been stopped cold.)

Ipswich tallied on two straight possessions in the second quarter.  Wingback Henry Sacco finished a 71-yard drive with a score from fifteen yards out for the first touchdown.  Derek Chamberlain (eighty-six yards in fourteen carries) ended a 55-yard drive from nine yards rushing over right tackle to give Ipswich a 12-0 advantage.

Watching the two Tiger extra-point attempts I recalled a quote from Ipswich Coach Ted Flaherty in the Ipswich Chronicle – “We do some unusual things on special teams.”  No sign of a center anywhere in either attempt.  On one try the ball went back to reserve QB Eddie Flaherty and the other to QB Kyle Blomster.  Both wanted to pass but a block and a sack ruined the attempts at trickery.

In that first half Whittier spent most of the time on defense.  On offense they had a couple of first downs and never seriously threatened to score.  They did try a couple of “jump ball” passes to Justin Reyes and Jaylin Deveau but couldn’t connect.

Ipswich failed to capitalize on their first possession in the third quarter and in my opinion this was the turning point in the game.

During that possession the Tigers had a long run (40+ yards) by Derek Chamberlain called back on a hold (Chris McCormack).  The Tigers recovered from that setback when Kyle Barber broke loose for 23 yards and Wildcat Brandon Lyons added fifteen yards for a hit out of bounds.

Ipswich was now first and ten from the Whittier 17.  They would reach the ten before getting a delay of game penalty and seeing Kyle Blomster’s 4th down pass sail over the head of Nate Glaster.

Jaylin Deveau (behind 83) finishes an 85-yard TD run in the third quarter

Turning point?  You bet as Whittier took over and on the first play Jaylin Deveau cut through the line on the right and headed down the sidelines for an electrifying 85-yard score with 2:59 left in the third quarter.  The extra point rush attempt by Jesus Sanchez failed but the momentum had swung to the Wildcats.

Next possession, early in the final quarter, Ipswich had Whittier pinned back at midfield with a 4th-and-16. However, defensive back Nate Glaster got caught watching the quarterback (Connor Bradley) as Brandon Lyons raced ten yards behind him.  Connor’s pass was on target and Brandon scored easily to tie the score with 6:28 left.

Nate Glaster (hands raised) block extra point attempt

Ralph Francesconi’s kick attempt was blocked by Nate Glaster to keep the score tied at 12.

On their next possession, Tiger Kyle Barber tried (unsuccessfully) to pass instead of punt on fourth down and Whittier was able to take over on their own 46 with four minutes left.

They would get down to the Tiger five before a big defensive play by Andy Connor pushed the Wildcats back to the ten.  Ralph Francesconi’s game-winning field goal attempt from there was blocked as time ran out.

Ipswich hosts Triton on Friday night (7PM) while Whittier will travel to Georgetown on Saturday afternoon (1PM).

Connor Bradley (eight of fourteen passes -142 yards) and Brandon Lyons connected on a touchdown pass in the Stoneham loss in the Whittier opener.

The acoustics at Whittier were excellent and the booming voice of Wildcat coach Kevin Bradley was hard to miss.  His best material was directed at the officials – “Every time we have you it’s flag city.”  He did seem to talk the officials out of a pass interference call in the final quarter.

My GPS is good but when the bridge across from West Newbury to Haverhill is closed things got interesting.  I ended up taking a side trip almost to Building 19 to get across the Merrimac River.

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

Kyle Blomster hands off to Kyle Barber as Ben ONeil (63) leads the blocking

Jake McCartney (3) stops Derek Chamberlain (40) in two-point overtime try

Nate Glaster nearly scores over Doug Angus

Doug Angus tackles Nate Glaster

Derek Chamberlain (14 carries – 86 yards) breaks loose

Brandon Lyons beats Nate Glaster for a Wildcat TD

Derek Chamberlain scores in overtime

Leave a comment

Filed under Ipswich, Whittier Tech

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

September 5, 2012 · 6:35 pm

How I recovered the lost password and email address for my WordPress blog

If you now have this problem, I know your pain!

August 21st I prepared an entry and when I tried to log in my password didn’t work.  I have been blogging daily for years so I knew that the password was right.

I decided to wait a while figuring that maybe it was some glitch with WordPress.  Nothing changed.

I then decided to try and get another password but suddenly realized that the email address that goes with the blog is one I no longer use.  I would not be able to retrieve a password that way.

I attempted to get the internet provider to restore that email address so that I could use it.  They tried but while they could enable me to send from that email address they were never able to allow me to receive an email.  So that was a frustrating dead end.

Trying to get help from WordPress was even more frustrating.  My instincts were to go into their forums and ask for a solution from the forum members.  However, without a working password you can’t get into the forums!

I also noticed on their home site that only members with upgrades could get any support from WordPress.  I contemplated upgrading but again without a password you can’t get anywhere.

I tried Google searches but the suggestions I found there for my problem were too technical or looked like some sort of hacking.  I wasn’t that desperate!

What worked?  I went into one of the WordPress home pages and found a topic entitled, “suspended blogs.”  I thought that maybe I had written something on one of my four blogs that had crossed some WordPress line.

More important, I figured that if I could get some live-body response from someone working for WordPress I could explain the problem I was having and get their help.  Well, that is exactly what happened.

I had to provide proof that I was the owner of the blog to get them to enable me to be able to log in.  The confirmation happened when I got from PayPal a transaction number for a payment I had made to WordPress last November to upgrade to No-Ads.

I was unable to blog for two weeks.  If you’re a daily blogger as I am that seemed like two years!  However, it did give me time to reflect on changes I would make in my blogging habits if I was able to do it again.  (I actually decided to give up one of my blogs entirely.)

I asked my WordPress helper Erica, after I was back blogging (September 4th), if there was a better route that I could have taken to solve my “no-password, no-email address” fiasco.  Below is part of the answer she sent me:

Hi Peter,

Thank you so much for sending your feedback on your experience. I’m sorry that you had a difficult time and for any frustration.

In terms of contacting support when you cannot log into your account, your best option is to search in the support forums for a direct email to WordPress.com or to temporarily create a new username that you can use to post in the forums. While the latter option requires more steps, it is also likely to be the fastest as WordPress.com support will see your question if you post in the Staff Answers forum.

We are always in the process of changing and updating the support experience at WordPress.com, so it’s likely you will see changes around this in the future. Along the same lines, in terms of proving your account ownership, there may be other methods for doing so in the future as well. In the meantime, I do really appreciate your patience along the way and know that you can send us a direct email at any time.

Best,

Erica
WordPress.com | Automattic

I hope this helps any out there struggling with this problem.

God bless!
Peter

1 Comment

Filed under WordPress

Tagged as , ,

August 17, 2012 · 2:50 pm

Xander Bogaerts and Gerrit Cole sighted in Portland as Sea Dogs edge Altoona Curve, 2-1

Jackie Bradley streaks home with the eventual game-winner for Portland in the sixth inning.

Xander Bogaerts

(Portland ME) I went to get my first look at Boston’s #1 prospect (Xander Bogaerts) and have the pictorial evidence to show that I succeeded.

And as it turned out there was more for me on this special Thursday night at Hadlock Field:
(1) I saw the Sea Dogs win a close one (2-1) over Altoona,  (2) I got a look at the baseball’s top draft pick in 2011 (Gerrit Cole), and
(3) I spent several innings in conversation with The Curve’s engaging closer Vic Black.

The weather turned good about 5PM for the 6PM game and superb collective effort the Sea Dogs’ staff removed the infield coverage and everything started as if it hadn’t rained most of the day.

Since the Eastern League All-Star break the Sea Dogs have thrived at Hadlock (16-4) and their current overall record (58-65) can only reflect on how poorly they played in the first half.

In this game Portland got some more great pitching as starter Jeremy Kehrt and reliever Jason Urquidez who combined for one run/six hits/eleven K’s.  Urquidez, the 30-year-old from the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League, hit the first batter he faced but went on dominate Altoona in three innings of work.

The Sea Dogs scratched out the two runs they needed in the sixth inning off of Gerrit Cole to offset Christian Marrero’s solo homer in the second inning.

The speed of Jackie Bradley was huge in the two runs scored.  After Christian Vazquez singled, Jackie hit a chopper over the mound.  Shortstop Oscar Tejeda (former Sea Dog) charged the ball and tried for the short-hop pickup (because of Jackie’s speed) and ended up with a deflection into the outfield.  Jackie was awarded a hit and went to second on the error (deflection) while Christian moved on to third.

With the Altoona infield back, Marquis Smith’s grounder to second brought in Christian with the Sea Dogs’ first run and Jackie moved to third.  A two-out wild pitch by Gerrit Cole allowed Jackie to easily score what turned out to be the winning run.

Gerrit was not a bit pleased at the end of that inning.  I was at the end of the Altoona dugout and heard him yell, “that was not the time for that,” referring to the wild pitch.  He also punished his glove and the dugout bathroom door shortly after that.

He had reason to be frustrated because of his 3-5 record with Altoona and because he deserved a better result for his evening‘s work.  In this game, without the Oscar Tejeda error, Marquis Smith’s grounder to second could have been an inning-ending double play.  And without his wild pitch the inning would have ended tied 1-1.

Gerrit Cole pitched very well in a tough loss for Altoona.

There were some take-away positives for Gerrit in this game.  He retired the first fourteen and ended striking out nine in six innings.  His heat was impressive.  He hit above 95 a couple of times in the early going and I asked a coach in the Portland dugout if the readings were accurate.  He told me they were and that Cole can reach 100.  Sure enough, he hit that mark a number of times during the innings he pitched.

That same Portland coach was keeping track of some hitting stats for the team.  I heard Bryce Brentz jokingly tell him after one of the early innings to forget about those stats because we had no batting practice (rain) and now we’re facing a guy who throws 100.

By the way, Bryce made the defensive play of the game with a diving, stretched-out catch of a line drive to right.  That ball was heading to the wall and Altoona had a runner on first at the time.

Another defensive play of note was left fielder Peter Hissey’s throw to the plate that nailed Charlie Cutler in the fifth.  Christian Vazquez applied the tag.

Charlie Cutler about to be tagged out on a throw from left fielder Peter Hissey to catcher Christian Vazquez in the fifth inning.

And then there was the very engaging Vic Black.  He was sitting down in the photographers’ end of the Altoona dugout when I switched over there after a few innings in the Portland dugout.

My instincts tell me not to be any kind of a distraction to players but Vic was friendly and we chatted for several innings.

I did not realize who he was at first and mentioned that the last time I had seen Altoona was in New Britain. That was game the Rock Cats’ Chris Colabello hit a 3-run, 2-out walkoff homer in the ninth off an Altoona reliever.  Vic immediately pointed at himself and smirked.  The homer was off him!  He explained to me what he had been trying to do in that situation and that he learned more in that outing than he had in the numerous good outings he has had.  He added with a laugh that after the walkoff gopher pitch he was so stunned that he waited for another baseball not realizing that the game was over.

The 24-year-old said that he was really enjoying the minor leagues but hoped next year to bypass Indianapolis (AAA) and make the Pirates.

I did a little research on Vic after the game and learned that he was drafted in the supplemental first round in 2009.  In mid-2010 he developed shoulder problems and his velocity dropped.  It seemed to me that he had been very inactive since then until this season.

He told me that the long bus rides didn’t bother him because he was glad to be with the team contributing after being unable to pitch for so long.  His velocity is now 96 and up and he said he’s feeling good.

I assumed that he wasn’t going to be pitching in the game we were watching since he was in the dugout.  He said, however, that he’d rather hang in the dugout because he could watch the game better.  He said that he had only thrown thirteen pitches the night before could be used.  When The Curve went behind in the sixth, and never caught up, there was no call for Vic the closer.

Vic told me that the hardest part of the minors is the ups and downs that teams go through.  He said that you want to come back positive after streaks of losses but it’s hard.  Altoona has now lost ten straight on the road with their last win on July 24th in Reading.  They are 21-40 on the road this season.

Xander Bogaerts

As I mentioned at the top, my main reason for arranging this Portland visit with Media Relations boss Chris Cameron was to see Xander Bogaerts (pronounced Zander Bowgarts).

Xander looks young (he turns twenty in October) but is not out of place with AA Portland.  The 6-3/175 shortstop can hit (had double off Gerrit Cole) and field.  I suspect he will fill out some and probably play in the outfield at the next level.

Xander is from Aruba and received a $510,000 signing bonus in 2009 as a 16-year-old.  I learned, doing some homework on Xander, that he only played baseball on the weekends in Aruba but obviously that was enough to impress the Red Sox scouts.

Incidentally Xander was the first teenager to make the Portland Sea Dogs since they have been a Red Sox affiliate.  Another teenager played in Portland in 2002 when they were a Marlins’ affiliate and that was Adrian Gonzalez.

Again, my thanks to Chris Cameron for arranging my visit.
(The pictures above and below enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Xander Bogaerts

Bryce Brentz

race against the mascot

Xander rounds third

Matt Curry

Jason Urquidez

Xander Bogaerts

Jackie Bradley

off comes the tarp

Leave a comment

Filed under Altoona Curve, Portland Sea Dogs

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

August 4, 2012 · 12:35 pm

Number One Prospect Gerrit Cole (Pittsburgh Pirates) sighted in New Britain Rock Cats walkoff win over Altoona Curve

2011 #1 draft pick Gerrit Cole rests in the Altoona bullpen after a pregame workout.

Chris Colabello won the game for New Britain with a 2-out, 3-run homer in the bottom of the ninth.

(New Britain CT)  That Chris Colabello is even playing for AA New Britain is a big story.

Last night, Chris (28-years-old) enhanced that “big story” resume with a 2-out, 3-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Rock Cats a thrilling 5-4 win over the Altoona Curve on Friday night.

The victory keeps New Britain ½ game ahead of Reading in the battle for the second playoff spot in the Eastern League Western Division.

Chris (from Milford MA) spent seven years in the Independent Canadian-American League playing for the Worcester Tornado before getting a tryout with Minnesota after being Player-of-the-Year in the Can-Am League.

Chris’ homer (17th) over the right-centerfield fence was off of Altoona reliever Vic Black who hadn’t surrendered a homer all season up to that point.  The fireworks display at New Britain Stadium after the game seemed extremely appropriate.

pre-game dance team

My love affair with minor league baseball continues.  I found the atmosphere at New Britain Stadium in my first visit to be very  patron-friendly with plenty of food and excitement close at hand.

I enjoy the dispositions of the players at the minor league level.  You can sense their excitement and optimism as they hope to make a favorable impression and move up to the next level.  Most of them are under twenty-five and just plain happy to be where they are.

My goal at minor league games is to get pictures of prospects from either team.  The had-to-get for me was 2011 #1 draft pick pitcher Gerrit Cole of Altoona.  He was not pitching this game but with the help of an autograph seeker I learned which one he was.  I got several shots of him warming up before the game.  I assumed that he would be in the bullpen during the game but he wasn’t since he’s pitching on Sunday.  I ended up with a pretty good closeup of him in the Altoona dugout.

Other prospects I succeeded in getting were: Altoona’s Brock Holt, Kyle McPherson, and Matt Curry and New Britain’s Aaron Hicks, Joe Benson, and Oswaldo Arcia.

Brock Holt – top hitter in the Eastern League

Brock is leading the Eastern League in batting.  Aaron was the Twins #1 pick in 2008.  Joe is the Twins second-best prospect according to Baseball America.  Joe saw some action in the majors in 2011.  Oswaldo is a 21-year-old from Venezuela.

My assumption is that the majority of the fans on hand are unaware of the prospects on each team.  However, the ten-fifteen, card-carrying autograph seekers I saw were not in that number.  They knew the newcomers and actively positioned themselves before this game for the chance to get signatures.  The recent release of the 2012 minor league team sets provides a face to match up with a signature.

I learned that New Britain has had minor league baseball since 1983 and were early-on a farm team of the Red Sox. They have been connected with Minnesota for eighteen years and recently signed on for two more years.

In my pre-visit reading I discovered that New Britain outfielder Aaron Hicks’ father (Joe) was drafted by San Diego and played in the minors.  However, Joe was hit by a pitch and his career ended.  The experience soured Aaron’s dad on baseball and he never mentioned his baseball past to his son, in fact, encouraged Aaron to play golf.  Aaron later came upon a bat of his father’s and his passion for baseball began.

Also regarding Aaron Hicks,  I read that the drafting of outfielder Byron Buxton in the first round in the 2012 draft has lit a fire under Aaron since then.  Aaron may be hearing footsteps.  Aaron is already a terrific fielder.  He needs to get his bat going to move on to AAA.

I thank Jeff Dooley (15-year Voice of New Britain Rock Cats) and Pat O’Sullivan for arranging my visit.  I enjoyed it a lot.

(The pictures above and below enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Gerrit Cole

Nate Hanson (12) forces Quincy Latimore (22) at second

play at second

Oswaldo Arcia

Nathan Hanson hit a two-run homer

Joe Benson

Aaron Hicks

Matt Curry

Jeff Dooley interviews Dakota Watts

Kyle McPherson

Leave a comment

Filed under Altoona Curve, New Britain Rock Cats

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

August 1, 2012 · 9:11 pm

Nick Castellanos and Jake Marisnick sighted at Erie Seawolves – New Hampshire Fisher Cats game

Top Tiger prospect Nick Castellanos played for the Erie Seawolves.

(Manchester NH)  The Erie Seawolves defeated the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, 3-2, on a warm Wednesday afternoon of Eastern League (AA) baseball at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester.

Mascot in hot pursuit of a young fan.

There is nothing quite like minor league baseball in my opinion.  Today was Camp Day at the stadium and of the 6,831 paid more than half were kids from numerous area camps.  And with kids you have to have non-stop activities going on and the Fisher Cats’ staff made sure there were plenty.  Whether it was in the stands or on the field between innings the “kids” show was continuous.

Another attraction to minor league ball is that you get to see young players and, in some cases, prospects.  Some of the prospects are well known while others are hoping to get known.  (I saw Bryce Harper at Portland with Harrisburg last August.)

The prospects I wanted to get for sure in this game were Jay Marisnick of New Hampshire and Nick Castellanos of Erie.

Jay (21) was selected in the third round in 2009 and is rated as the third best player in the Toronto minors.  The 6-4/200 outfielder stole thirty-seven bases for Lansing in 2011.

Nick (20) is the Tigers’ top prospect.  Originally a third baseman, the 6-4/210 youngster has been moved to the outfield because Miguel Cabrera is unlikely to vacate 3rd for many years.  Nick’s bat is apparently ready for the majors although he was hitless in this game.  Recently, however,  he was 3-for-4 in the Futures Game including a three-run homer and was the game MVP.

Avisail Garcia heads for third. Avisail was 3-for-4.

Erie’s Avisail Garcia (21) was big versus New Hampshire on this afternoon.  He was 3-for-4, scored two of Erie’s three runs, and drove in one.  Baseball America rates Avisail as the best defensive outfielder in the Tiger system.

Bruce Rondon came on to get the save for Erie.  Bruce (21) started with Lakeland (15 saves) and has moved up to Erie (12 saves).  He also has a terrific 1.29 ERA so far.

The most controversial play of the game was John Tolisano’s home run off the pole in left in the third inning.  The umpires conferred and the homer stood up giving New Hampshire a 2-1 lead at the time.

The best play in the field was a diving catch by Erie second baseman Brandon Douglas hustling into right field.

Fisher Cats catcher Koby Clemens

Another player I wanted a picture of was Roger Clemens’ 25-year-old son Koby.  He is a catcher with the Fisher Cats.  My picture revealed a significant family resemblance.

I also got pictures of two former major leaguers: Ray Burris (Erie pitching coach) and Sal Fasano (New Hampshire manager).

The Fisher Cats were the Eastern League champs in 2011.  This year they’re at the bottom of the Eastern Division (42-68).  The most painful stat is their 17-35 home record.

I thank NH media relations manager Tom Gauthier for making the arrangements for my visit.  With all the activities going on in the park besides baseball I suspect that Tom’s job is very demanding.

(The pictures above and below enlarge significantly if you click on them.)

Nick Castellanos

Jake Marisnick

James McCann

Sal Fasano

Bruce Rondon

Ray Burris

Jake Marisnick

Yohan Pino

Niuman Romero

Chad Jenkins

Deck McGuire

Leave a comment

Filed under Erie Seawolves, New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Tagged as , , , , , ,

August 1, 2012 · 6:43 pm

Dan Hocking wins 52nd Annual Yankee Homecoming 10 mile race

Dan Hocking, Dereje Hailegioruis, and Andrew Huebner are all in view as the finish nears in the 10-mile Yankee Homecoming race.

Race winner Dan Hocking of Dover NH

(Newburyport) You want close?  You sure got it in the 52nd Annual Yankee Homecoming ten-miler on Tuesday night in Newburyport.

The top four finishers, led by race winner Dan Hocking, were a mere thirteen seconds apart!

Any summer road race faces the possibility of too much heat but on this night the temperatures were close to 70 degrees and there was a light drizzle after the race.

One thing that never seems to fail is that one mile into the race the leaders at the end are well positioned in the front.  And that was the case (again) as I noticed when I reviewed the pictures I took of the front pack at the one-mile mark in front of the Cushing Museum on High Street.

Granted there were several wannabe’s in the front pack but the eventual winner (Dan Hocking), second place (Dereje Hailegioruis), third place (Andrew Huebner), and fourth place ( Moninda Marube) were all in the mix.

Dan Hocking ran for UNH and recently received his PH.D in Ecology.  He is a coach with Northeast Running Services.

Dereje Hailegioruis is from Ethiopia now living in New York City.  He has won a number of races in New York.

Andrew Huebner graduated from Governors’ Academy and Bucknell and ran track at both places.

Moninda Marube (3101) congratulates Dereje afterwards. Moninda was not even listed by the Cool Running race results site even as late as this morning.  I checked my pictures and thought that maybe he had taken a “shortcut” to the finish – remember Rosie Ruiz??  However, Marube was in the front pack at one mile so I then suspected that the race electronics hadn’t picked him up.  Anyhow, he is now listed as getting fourth in Cool Running and rightly so.

Monida Marube, from Kenya, won the Old Sandwich Road Race in Plymouth (MA) on June 3rd and came away with a winner-take-all $3000.

I also saw the 5K at the one-mile mark and again the eventual top four: winner Eric McDonald, 2nd Ben Pare, 3rd Brendan Robertson, and 4th Connor Habib were all there.

I check my pictures of the 5K afterwards and noticed that a 37-year-old named Brett Budzinski had finished 13th.  Yes, this was the same Brett Budzinski who had been a three-sport standout for Ipswich High School back in the day!

This link will give you the official results from the Yankee Homecoming races.

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

Winner Eric McDonald (1438), second place Ben Pare (1700), third place Brendan Robertson (1894), and fourth place Connor Habib (2972) are in the front group in the 5K after one mile.

Matt Orlando 1670, Joe Santo 1959, Conor Westwater 3016, and Brett Budzinski 257 one mile into the 5K race.

Katie Dicamillo from Rhode Island was the first woman in the 10 mile race.

Top four finishers are in the front pack although Dereje is hidden from view.

Pat Rich 9th and Kefah Keraro 8th

Andrew Huebner finishes 3rd as Moninda Marube turns corner

Dan Vassallo – 5th

Ian Nurse – 6th

Jim Johnson – 7th

1 Comment

Filed under Yankee Homecoming

Tagged as , , , , , ,

July 29, 2012 · 1:14 pm

2012 Grand Lake Stream Folk Art Festival

Craftsman Steve Cayard works on a canoe at the 18th annual Grand Lake Stream Folk Art Festival.

Cathy and Bill Shamel started the folk art festival at Grand Lake Stream eighteen years ago.

(Grand Lake Stream ME)  The 18th annual Grand Lake Stream Folk Art Festival opened on Saturday under sunny skies.  The festival continued on Sunday.

This festival is the brainchild of Bill and Cathy Shamel and they still are prominent in organizing the very popular yearly event.  Both are skilled craftsmen in their own right.  Bill builds canoes and Cathy makes fabric wall art and pillows.

Bill explained to me on Saturday that his role was a minor one in starting the festival compared to his wife’s role.  “She had been involved in craft shows for many years and when we moved to Grand Lake Stream she decided to bring a folk art festival here.”

The remoteness of Grand Lake Stream was an initial drawback but positive word-of-mouth has made the weekend event an annual must-see.

Karen Cornell spins wool.

Folks come from long distance to present, peruse, and purchase.  On hand they find not only quality items but also craftsmen demonstrating their skills.

They will also find engaging music in a separate tent set up for continuous musical performances.  There were benches but many people brought their own seats and left them in the tent.  While the next group of performers set up, many in the audience drifted back to the exhibits or the food tent.

Two words describe the three musical performances on Saturday that I attended – “excellent” and “diverse.”

The first performers were the UMM Ukulele Band led by Gene Nichols (music instructor at University of Maine Machias).  Almost all of the participants had ukuleles of various shapes and sizes and they had a happy time singing/playing familiar tunes.

Gene had the talent to play a variety of instruments.  In his group’s brief set, he entertained with the electric ukulele, tuba, and saw.

The next group I heard was the Mark Tipton Jazz Quartet.  This foursome was highly professional.  Mark is a truly amazing trumpet player and the men on the keyboard, bass, and drums were also excellent.

As a youngster, Mark played the violin but switched to the trumpet at age nine.  He may well have been the best trumpet player I’ve ever heard.

Jim Gallant

The last act I listened to was Jim Gallant.  The gentleman from New Gloucester was my favorite.  Jim could play a mean guitar and sing.  His music was familiar to me and his guitar-playing skills were top notch.

Jim was a familiar face to many in the audience having appeared at all of the Grand Lake Stream festivals except the first one.

I highly recommend a visit to a future Grand Lake Stream Folk Art Festival.  The combination of artists, craftsmen, and musicians is certain to appeal to almost everyone.

Click on this link to see the festival’s website.

(The pictures above and below enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

UMM ukulele band

festival signs

Gene Nichols

canine spectator

young spectator

stringed instrument

Mark Tipton

Leave a comment

Filed under Grand Lake Stream Folk Art Festival

Tagged as , , , , , ,

July 23, 2012 · 10:52 pm

Joey Polewarczyk wins 39th annual TD Bank 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway

Austin Theriault (3rd), Joey Polewarczyk (1st), Jeff Taylor (3rd)

Joey Polewarczyk – led for 204 laps

(Oxford ME) Joey Polewarczyk won the 39th annual TD Bank 250 held at sunny Oxford Plains Speedway on Sunday evening.

The 23-year-old from Hudson NH led for the first 135 laps and the last 69 laps to earn $25,000 for the victory and $20,500 for leading on 204 laps.  Nice payday for the first-time 250 winner.

This year’s race had only three cautions and none for collisions.  The wide-open conditions provided few chances for competitors to get close to Car #97.

Jeff Taylor finished second, five car lengths back.

Eighteen-year-old Austin Theriault from Fort Kent (ME) finished third for the second year in a row.  Joey Polewarczyk is engaged to Austin’s sister Brittany.

Track owner Bill Ryan brought in celebrity driver Trevor Bayne the 21-year-old winner of the Dayton 500 this year.  In the TD Bank 250 Travis finished a distant 31st some four laps off the pace.

Eddie MacDonald – 2-time winner interviewed before the race

Eddie MacDonald of Rowley (MA) was back as two-time champ in 2009 & 2010.  In this race he was in second for much of the first 100 laps but faded back to 9th.  Eddie had raced in Columbus, Ohio the day before and arrived in Maine in the early AM’s for the race.

I discovered the rooftop above the media rooms as an excellent place to watch the race.  The view was better and there was a cooling breeze.

(The pictures above and below enlarge significantly if you click on them.)

Start of the race – Joey on pole outside, Austin 3rd outside, Jeff 4th inside

Eddie MacDonald (17) and Travis Stearns (85)

Joey Polewarczyk nears finish with Jeff Taylor second

Joey Polewarczyk celebrates

Jeff Taylor

water bath

pre-race lineup

Trevor Bayne (Daytona 500 winner) beside his car

crowd salutes the drivers

Leave a comment

Filed under 2012 TD Bank 250

Tagged as , , , ,

July 20, 2012 · 10:01 pm

Central Maine still undefeated after 12-2 win over Somerset in the Babe Ruth 13-year-old state tournament

Central Maine pitcher Ben Smith is all smiles after pitching a 5-inning three hitter against Somerset.

Central Maine will try to win another title on Sunday night.

(Harrison ME)  Central Maine made it look easy.

The Owls were mercy rule winners over Somerset, 12-2, in 4 ½ innings on Friday night in the Babe Ruth 13-year-old’s state baseball tournament at RADR Field in Harrison.

CM is now the lone undefeated team and will have a chance to win another title (they won last year) with one more victory on Sunday.  This is a double elimination tournament so even if the team from Waterville/Winslow should lose the 4PM game they would have a second chance in the 7PM game that night.

Central Maine was solid in all facets of the game.

You want pitching?  Ben Smith pitched a three-hitter and struck out four.

Looking for defense?  CM’s defense committed no errors and nearly turned an infield double play.

Sam Bell slides in with the second Central Maine run.

How about offense?  CM was held hitless by Will Stinson in the 4th inning but in the first three innings they punched out thirteen hits and ran wild on the bases.

The Owls had three hits in the first inning.  Connor Garland’s double delivered two of the three first inning tallies.

Things got worse in the second for Somerset.  CM went walk, single, single, single before Somerset starter Kyle Dugas was replaced with his team trailing 5-0 and the bases loaded with Owls.  CM added four more runs off of reliever Mitch Jarvis to run their advantage to 9-0 after two innings.

Somerset scored its only runs in the third.  They loaded the bases with one out and got their first run on Dustin Crawford’s fielder’s choice.  Brendan Curran would later score on a wild pitch by Ben Smith.

Andrew Rodrigue gets tagged out at third after tripping over second base.

CM built their margin to ten runs in the third inning.  Three straight hits followed by a sacrifice fly (Connor Garland) and a double (Andrew Rodrigue) did most of the damage.  Andrew was thrown out at third after he tripped going around second.

Andrew paced the CM hitting attack with three hits.  Connor Garland drove in three runs.  Brandon Nale, Ben Smith, Sam Bell, and Curtis Martin had two hits apiece at the top of the Central Maine batting order.

Mike Berry, Will Stinson, and Mason Oakes had the hits for Somerset.

Isaac Witham was hit by a pitch in the third inning and never returned.

Somerset falls into the loser’s bracket and will be back in action Saturday night (7PM).  A win there will get them a rematch with Central Maine on Sunday afternoon (4PM).

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

Sam Bell scores on a wild pitch as Mitch Jarvis watches

Brendan Curran sets to apply the tag

ball loose on a play at second

Brendan Curran slides safely into second

Leave a comment

Filed under Central Maine, Somerset

Tagged as , , ,