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Barrows, Roland (Cuke) (1983)

Writer: Maine Baseball HOF
Maine Baseball HOF
Aug 12, 2019
2 min read

Cuke Barrows

Roland (Cuke) Barrows of Gorham had a green thumb as a florist and great hands as a major league outfielder.

His tremendous range in centerfield didn't reach full potential.

Barrows, who played part of four seasons (1909-1912) with the Chicago White Sox, suffered a broken ankle in the spring of 1913.

His renowned speed was reduced considerably. Oddly, Barrows’ injury didn't discourage the management of Rochester, N.Y., Of the International League. Aware that Barrows had blasted 11 hits in 1/7 at bats before the damaging slide into third base in a training camp game, Rochester Signed Barrows to a 1914 contract -- at an increase in Salary.

Rochester had sent the hustling Barrows home after the mishap, paying his traveling expenses, and paying three-quarters of his season's salary.

Despite such high regard, Barrows several times tried to gain his release from Rochester. He was successful in 1915.

BarrowS was permitted to sign as manager of Lowell, Mass., of the New England League.

Born in the "Egypt" section of Raymond in 1883, Barrows walked, or rather, ran, five miles daily to attend Pennell Institute of Gray.

His early ball was played for “Pop” Williams’ Pine Tree team and .the Portland Blue Sox of the State League.

Oddly,. his nickname didn't stem from a farm background (his Dad was a charcoal burner who took his product to Portland), but rather from poise under major league pitching fire.

Sports writers and fans termed the "Man from Maine” as ‘cool as a cucumber."

About 1916, Barrows purchased the Gorham greenhouses which still bear his name. He and wife Marietta were widely-known florists. He died in 1955, she in 1956.

They had no children.





https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=barrocu01



Cuke Barrows

Position: Leftfielder

Bats: Right  •  Throws: Left

5-8, 158lb (173cm, 71kg)

Born: October 20, 1883 in Gray, ME us

Died: February 10, 1955 (Aged 71-113d) in Gorham, ME

Buried: Eastern Cemetery, Gorham, ME

 
 
 

Comments

Meet the 2026 Maine Baseball Hall of Fame inductees
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Portland Press Herald 4/10/2026
https://www.pressherald.com/2026/04/10/meet-the-2026-maine-baseball-hall-of-fame-inductees/?copylink=true

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Former St. Dominic and current Gray-New Gloucester coach Bob Blackman and Cony coach Don Plourde are among the 11 members of the newest class. Four coaches currently preparing for the upcoming high school baseball season are among the 11 inductees in the 2026 Maine Baseball Hall of Fame class.

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Gray-New Gloucester’s Bob Blackman, Brewer’s Dana Corey, Hampden Academy’s Jon Perry and Cony’s Don Plourde are all part of the class that will be inducted on Oct. 4 at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland. Blackman coached St. Dominic High School to nine state championships in 22 seasons before the school closed at the end of the last school year. He was named the coach at Gray-New Gloucester in September. Corey hit .359 at the University of Maine in 1971. He played two seasons in the Chicago Cubs system and has been the head coach at Brewer for 18 seasons.

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Perry hit .381 at the University of Maine in 1981 and helped the Black Bears reach the College World Series. He has coached for the past 45 seasons at the high school, American Legion and collegiate levels. 

Plourde is in his 17th season as the coach at Cony High School and has been named the KVAC Coach of the Year five times. He has been coaching at various levels for more than 30 years. 

Others earning induction are: 

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• Al Cloutier, who has been involved in baseball in Augusta as a player, Cony High and American Legion coach, Babe Ruth League director and volunteer. 

• John Kolasinski, who was a college coach at for 37 years, first at Husson and later at Siena Heights University in Michigan. He is a five-time New England Coach of the Year winner.

• Mark Littlefield, a Portland High graduate, who is now in his 36th season working on the medical staff of the New York Yankees organization. 

• Scott Littlefield, a Portland High graduate, who will be inducted posthumously. Littlefield coached at Florida State University and the University of Southern Maine before working for 34 years as a Major League Baseball scout, including 16 as a player personnel special assistant for the Texas Rangers.

• J. Ronald Livington, who will be inducted posthumously. Livingston was an All-Star infielder for the semi-pro Presque Isle Indians in the Northern Aroostook League in the 1930 and 1940s. He also coached and was a director in the South Portland National Little League.

• Mike McCullum, of Portland, who hit .338 at the University of Southern Maine and earned ABCA Division III All-American honors in 1999. 

• Jim Taylor of Lewiston, who was a founding member of the Central Maine Board of Approved Baseball Umpires and was instrumental in starting the Maine chapter of the Collegiate Baseball Umpires Association.

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Maine Baseball Hall of Fame day  Delta Dental Park aka Hadlock Field 7/19/2026
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