Scott, Tim (2019)
Today’s class of inductees marks the fiftieth anniversary of The Maine Baseball Hall Of Fame. Historians will find many interesting nuggets to plumb from those fifty years- the great catches, the unhittable pitchers, the sparkling plays in the field that snuffed rallies,teammates and umpires who were true characters, and even the playing fields, many of which are long gone. The fellow who disappeared into the cornfield was on the money with his description of the game.
The historians will tell you that Tim Scott joins his father, Jack, and his brother, Dick, in the Hall with his induction this year. They will tell you that Tim was part of some of the halcyon days of Ellsworth High School baseball and some of the winningest teams that UMAINE has fielded. Tim, his Dad, and Brother Dick are members of the Ellsworth High school Hall Of Fame. A number of current members had a wealth of good things to say about Tim’s selection. Dave Gonyar, when I reached out to him about contacting Tim, said, “I agree with you. He should be a shoo in.Jim Cameron called Tim “a very worthy candidate”. Dennis Damon’s response was, “He certainly should join his father and brother in the Hall. David Paul echoed those sentiments saying that Tim was, “most certainly worthy of consideration.”
Tim is currently the co-owner of Scott’s Lawn Service. He is the son of Jack and Nancy Scott and he grew up in Ellsworth with brothers Mike, Dick, and Jeff. Tim and his wife, Deb, are the parents a son, Cameron, and a daughter, Brooklynn.
The historians among us will not be surprised that Tim cites his parents for all of their love and support and for the countless hours spent getting him to games and practices. His Dad was the most influential person in Tim’s baseball experience. His Dad’s ability to teach the game and the fundamentals of the game the game made the job of playing much easier. Tim also expressed his thanks to his brother, Dick, for being a great role model. While Dick was a player, he gave Tim the opportunity to travel with him several weeks in the summer and experience the life of a professional player during that time. These weeks gave me the drive to try and get to that level.”
This year’s Ellsworth High baseball team recently won its first state championship since 1988. For you historians still reading, Tim Scott was part of that 1988 team as well as the state championship team of 1987 and the state runners up in 1986. Dan Kane had this to say, “I was an assistant Coach under Jack Scott for one season when Tim was a player and he was one of the keys to the team’s success in winning a state title. Tim then took his talents to UMO and became an important member of Coach Winkin’s teams.” Tim was also a standout in other sports at Ellsworth High. He authored the “Miracle Minute” of the Eastern Maine High school basketball tournament. In 1988, The Maine Sunday Telegram named him Athlete Of The Year in three sports. You won’t get much of this from Tim himself. He is far more likely to credit teammates and coaches for his success. One of his most memorable “baseball moments” involves a teammate and is pretty self effacing; “I was playing in the Portland Twilight League the summer that I had graduated from high school. The coach told me to play leftfield. There was a fly ball hit to me. I turned left, then turned right, then back to the left only to make a circus catch over my shoulder. This would have been a routine catch for most outfielders. Mike Bell, who also played on the team, went to the head coach and said ‘He’s going to Maine to play the infield.You should put him there.’ I never played outfield again.”
Well, he did play some infield at Maine. He lettered in 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992. He was captain of the 1992 team. The 1990 team went 42 and 20. The 1991 team went 48 and 18 . There were some pretty ambitious schedules for the Bears in those days. The spring trip was truly a test. Maine and Miami had some memorable meetings. Quite a few Hurricanes of that era ended up in the major leagues. Almost anyone who has played the game knows that with each ascent to a new level of competition comes an awakening. A little more control or elevated velocity can quickly make a good hitter not so good. Bat speed and strike zone command can turn outs into base hits. It is not an accident that there are many levels of development leading to the big leagues. Some days you get the bear, and some days he gets you. Tim was in the lineup against Miami. Alex Fernandez, who had command and velocity, was pitching for Miami. He had stifled the Black Bears through about four innings. Not much contact, none really, sort of like a silent movie. Tim dug in. The pitch came in. He rapped a grounder to second, was thrown out, returning to the dugout to hold one of those silent celebrations hitters do. In 1992 Tim was drafted by the Colorado Rockies and spent two seasons in the system at the A and High A levels. Getting paid to play speaks volumes.
One last anecdote. The night I met with him to get some background for this essay, Tim finished with a story that I have come to believe shows clearly who he is. It seems that the historic Black Bear team were to be honored before a game. It seems there was some difficulty at the establishment where they were staying. As a result, they adjourned to another spot, and spent until the wee hours enjoying each other. Tim said it was sort of like one of those old road trips. I hope Tim gets the chance to sit around and talk with these guys again. He will have even more in common with many of them after today. The Maine Baseball Hall Of Fame welcomes Tim Scott.
Tim Scott
Tim Scott