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Small was another fleet outfielder from the HOF class of '75. He went from Bates College direct to the Red Sox in 1930. Small had outstanding success as a manager for eight years in the International league and later played for several Maine semi-pro clubs. He died in 1953. Vern Putney Maine Sunday Telegram 10/26/1975 From Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Small Charles Albert Small (October 24, 1905 – January 14, 1953) was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball player who played in 25 games for the Boston Red Sox during the 1930 baseball season. Born in Auburn, Maine, he was used almost exclusively as a pinch hitter, playing only one game in the field. He died in Auburn at age 47. Small was a 1927 graduate of Bates College in Maine. From Society for American Baseball Research https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/9c484803 This article was written by Bill Nowlin Charlie Small's time in the major leagues consisted of 22 times he was asked to pinch-hit, twice he was asked to pinch-run, and once he was asked to play center field. He wasn't particularly successful hitting–he sacrificed twice, walked twice, and hit safely three times in 18 at-bats. One of the hits was for extra bases, a double. He never drove in a run. He did score one. During the game he played in center, he had one chance and caught the ball. In the minor leagues, though, he played 10 seasons and hit for a very good .309 career batting average. Small came from Maine. He was born as Charles Albert Small in Auburn, Maine, on October 24, 1905. Father Charles White Small was a shoemaker at the time of Charlie's birth. His mother was the former Lena May Yeaton. Auburn is situated across the Androscoggin River from Lewiston, Maine. The family lived about 10 miles south, in New Gloucester. By the time Charlie was 5, his father was listed as a machinist for a shoe company. By 1920, Charlie had five siblings. Charlie went to New Gloucester High School before transferring to Edward Little High School of Auburn, graduating there in 1923. Small attended Bates College in Lewiston and was named captain of the baseball team by the 1926 season. The Boston Herald acknowledged his work: "Charley Small of Bates is a first class college pitcher. He has a fast one with a hop and quite a curve ball. In addition he is a natural hitter. The scouts would do well to look him over."1 When not pitching, he typically played left field. In the summers, he played semipro ball. In August 1926, the Boston Globe wrote of his play: "Small, the well-known Bates College pitcher, has been giving a splendid account of himself on the mound for the Millinocket Club of the Maine Coast League. One of his most recent achievements was over Penobscot Chemical Fibre when he allowed only four hits and won his game 4 to 1."2 Small graduated Bates after the 1927 season. He had also played some intramural basketball at Bates and later played some semipro basketball.3 His younger brother Elliott followed him to Bates. The two played on the same team in 1927. After Charlie graduated; third-baseman E. Small succeeded C. Small as captain of the Bates baseball team.4 Small began his professional career at age 22, signing with the Boston Red Sox and then being optioned to Pittsfield, playing for John “Shano” Collins' Pittsfield Hillies in the Class-A Eastern League. He had been highly recommended to Red Sox manager Bill Carrigan, a fellow native of the Pine Tree State, and was invited to spring training with the Boston team at Bradenton, Florida. Small was being considered as a pitcher, though not seen likely to make the majors in his first year. With Danny MacFayden and Pete Traynor, Small formed a trio of pitchers wearing eyeglasses in that year's spring training.5 By the time the Sox had sent him to Pittsfield, Carrigan had been impressed by his hitting and, for Small’s future development, switched him to the outfield.6 One such convincing moment may have been the March 11 game against Buffalo in which Small was 2-for-4 with a triple and single. On March 31, he was one of eight players who were sent north to Fenway Park, to work out under Collins with an eye toward some of them joining the Pittsfield club. By this time, the papers were referring to him as a fielder.7 In the first inning of his very first professional game, at Waterbury, Connecticut, Small homered. He was batting cleanup and came to the plate with one out and two men on, thanks to back-to-back singles. The Springfield paper told the story: "Then up to the plate ambled Charlie Small, former captain of the Bates College nine and now with the Hillies on option from the Boston Red Sox. Many fans, noting that Small wore glasses, wondered what he was doing batting in fourth position. The boy from Maine soon showed them. Small landed hard on one of Tansey's fast ones and sent the ball sailing several feet over the new barrier in right field."8 Small was a left-handed hitter, though he threw right. He is listed at 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds. The very next day, both teams traveled to Pittsfield's Waconah Park and Small delivered a triple to deep center field that might have gone for a home run had not the wind been blowing in. Small saw a chance for an inside-the-park home run but was cut down at the plate. Small appeared in 149 games for the 1928 Hillies, batting for a team-leading .328 average and hitting 10 home runs, as well as an impressive 44 doubles. He trained with the big-league team again at Bradenton, but played in Pittsfield again in 1929, putting up very comparable stats: .322, 7 homers, 35 doubles. Small had also pitched in two games for Pittsfield in 1928 and three in 1929. In 1930, Small started strong and already had 11 home runs (including a grand slam on May 13) by the end of June, batting .331. The stock market collapse in October 1929 had begun to take its toll and the ballclub experienced serious financial difficulties. Facing bankruptcy, it sold off its players and both the Hartford and Pittsfield franchises disbanded on June 30.9 Small's contract was sold to Albany for $500, but he refused to report, returning home to Lewiston instead–after filing a petition with the National Commission requesting that he be declared a free agent "owing to nonpayment of salary by the Pittsfield club."10 The Red Sox claimed him and brought him to Boston. Small's debut was in the July 7 game against the Washington Senators at Fenway Park. The Sox lost, 8-1. He pinch-hit for catcher Johnnie Heving in the seventh inning but without success. Another pinch-hitting appearance the next day similarly resulted in an out, but the third time paid off. It was in the first game of the July 9 doubleheader. Batting for Jack Russell in the eighth inning, while the Sox were losing 5-1, Small doubled, though Boston was unable to score a run. In 1931, Small played for four different ballclubs: the Wilkes-Barre Barons and the Hazelton Mountaineers in the New York/Penn League, the Des Moines Demons in the Western League, and the Albany Senators in the Eastern League. From 1932 through 1936, Small’s activities are undocumented, though he was out of baseball during the depths of the Depression. Small reemerged in 1937 in Nova Scotia playing for Sydney in the Cape Breton Colliery League, hitting .351 in 41 games. He pitched a bit for Sydney, but was 0-2. Then Small disappears from the historical record for 1938 and 1939, cropping up again in 1940 as player-manager for the Drummondville Tigers in the Class-B Quebec Provincial League. The team played poorly and disbanded on July 8 with a 6-26 record. He moved to the Trois-Rivieres Renards during the course of the season, under manager Wally Schang, hitting .285 overall in 78 games and found himself on the winning team in league playoffs. Small returned in 1946 to the Border League (Class C) and played in 108 games for the Granby Red Sox (no relation), with a .314 average. For the next four seasons, 1947-1950, he managed the Geneva Red Birds (Border League), finishing last (sixth place) in 1947 but improving to second place in 1948 (the team was renamed the Robins), and then taking first place (while winning the playoffs and finals, as well) in 1949, with a regular-season record of 81-49. Geneva fell to fifth place in 1950 and Clyde Theriault took over for Small during the season. Small had taken ill. (Small was at one point noted as manager for Geneva in 1951.13 But Humberto Baez was listed as manager when the season began.) It wasn't just Small who was ill. The team withdrew from the Border League on June 26. By July 1, four of the six teams had withdrawn, and on July 10 the last game was played, the league as a whole disbanding six days later. Charlie Small played or managed in minor-league baseball from 1928 into the 1950 season until cancer rendered him unable to continue, and he retired in early 1951. He died at the Damon Nursing Home in Auburn on the afternoon of January 14, 1953

Luther Small’s name is synonymous with American Legion baseball and tonight the Hall of Fame will honor this dedicated and tireless worker for the youth of Westbrook and its surrounding communities. Luther realized a childhood dream when he played second base for Westbrook High's Telegram League champions in his senior year of 1938. All sons of Sacarappa yearned to play at the hallowed Warren League grounds and Luther was no exception. And led by Capt. Ken Wright, the Telly loop’s batting champion, the Blazes took the title. Luther played for the WAPPCO’s (Warren Paper Co.) in the Portland Twilight League and for a number of teams in the Westbrook Twi League before World War II short-circuited his diamond doings. Like countless other young men of that time, Luther answered his country’s call and just as surely he returned bereft of many of the skills, and especially the quickness of his youth. Realizing his playing days were coming to a close (today Luther pastimes in the Senior League), Luther found an interesting challenge in the Junior Legion baseball program. Although there had been some Legion teams in Maine dating back to 1928, there had been no local league. In 1948 Luther Small helped to found the first local Junior Legion baseball league. Two of Luther’s teammates in the Hall of Fame, Carroll Rines and the late Hank LaVallee, were also present at the initial meeting and a fourth H of F’er, Blaine Davis, was serving as the State of Maine Athletic Officer for the Legion program. From that humble beginning - there were six teams represented - the legion program has expanded to a well-organized zone arrangement with over 30 teams struggling to qualify for berths in an exciting state tournament and Luther Small has been part of it for all of these years. Luther has coached, managed, served as statistician, been district and zone commissioner - done anything to insure a strong program. He is presently the Zone 4 commissioner. He has always provided strong leadership - never afraid to make a decision. For 43 years Luther was associated with Westbrook’s Manchester Post team. Most of these years he was the loyal, indefatigable righthand man for Joe Morse or Jimmy Burrill, two excellent coaches he introduced to the program. He was a vital cog in four state championships -1953, 1965, 1986, and 1988 (A sweet ending for his managerial tenure). Three of his top players - Johnny Cumberland, Billy Hamilton and Ricky Swan - have already entered the Hall of Fame and tonight he will be reunited with “Bunky” Buotte, another ex-Manchester star. Luther has been married to his lovely Rhoda, a very enthusiastic baseball fan, for 45 years and has two daughters, Mrs. Arthur Leighton and Mrs. Janet Corbett. Congratulations to a true sportsman - a man of Class and character.

He's the oldest living Vinal Trophy winner (third to earn that symbol of Western Maine Class A schoolboy basketball’s finest as the state’s high scorer for South Portland High.) As the state's top collegiate tallier with the University of Maine Black Bears cagers, he outscored Rhode Island’s U.S. point pacer and All American, Stan Modzelewski, 23-11 head-to-head among his All-New England feats. As a two-way Maine football back, he received a tryout offer from the Philadelphia Eagles. for all of his salient exploits on the hardwood and gridiron, however, Parker small also logged a bright pitching record well worthy of entry in the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame. Such as: A school-college-semipro career from one end of the state to the other -- and stretching into New Hampshire -- as the compact right-hander won 70 percent of his games. since versatility is the word for Parker, it’s probably not surprising that nis hurling feats were registered after conversion from infield duty for his senior fling at S.P. High under Coach Bill Macomber. Possessed with the requisite of pitches, Small showed consistently excellent control -- his strikeouts far outnumbered the bases on balls he issued. for instance, as the third busiest pitcher in the Telegram League’s 1938 season, Parker posted 53 K’s against only 21 walks in 56 2/3 innings. highlight of the interscholastic phase of the Small diamond saga was the feat of fanning 12 straight batters. Beyond his exemplary mechanics, of course, was the competitive fervor that rubbed off on his mates both afield and at bat. This literal man-for-all-seasons, bravado intertwined with aplomb, spread confidence all around. He relished the challenge posed by the foe’s strongest hitters as he more than held his own against such elite. Undoubtedly the gem of Parker’s extensive semi-pro career in the National Pastime was his brilliant stint with the classy Cape A.A. forces, area League champions and a prime factor in state play just prior to U.S. entry in WWIII. Small set a strikeout record and was unbeaten in league play. That premier cast, based in Cape Elizabeth but venturing far afield, was made up mostly of former interscholastic and college standouts, including eventual Maine Baseball Hall of Famers Edward (Doc) Hill and pitcher-manager Glen Jordan, both Cape natives. The war interrupted Parker’s sports career but not his taste for combat. He volunteered into the Combat Marines after resigning his Naval Officer's commission, and as a machine gunner, went in with the first wave on Iwo Jima, was wounded on the 16th day but returned to action with a well-earned Purple Heart. After the war, a far-flung high school coaching career -- Norway, Ellsworth, Gorham, Kennett (Conway, N.H.) and two Long Island, N.Y. schools -- led to more semi-pro basketball and baseball action. Parker posted several low-hit games and six shutouts for the Norway Legionnaires and as a postscript to his playing brilliance, several vocal and written statements from his players testify to Small’s inspirational impact as a coach.

Artie Smith, always a good hitter, spent time in the New York Giants and Philadelphia Phillies organizations. But he is best remembered for his contributions to the Twilight League, as a player for the Aubum Asas and Yarmouth Townies, and as a sponsor of a team. Smith's introduction to the league came in 1943 as a seventh grader, when he was pressed into service in right field on a team-with his father Louie and brothers Jack and Dana. He lettered in football, basketball and baseball at Portland High School and was signed after graduation by the Giants and assigned to Oshkosh of the Wisconsin State League. He broke his wrist at the Giants’ training camp in 1949, the year the Asas were founded. Signed by the Phillies after a tryout camp at Portland Stadium in 1950, he played one season In the minors before being drafted for the Korean conflict. He spent are paying for service teams and then received a football scholarship to-Murray State. Smith was a teacher and coach of football and baseball in the Portland schools and director of SMVTI. He presently owns a real estate agency.

Maine has contributed some pretty fair pitchers to the Major Leagues in recent years — Bert Roberge, Stan Thomas, Jim Beattie, and today’s Billy Swift, to name a few. But no Maine native has appeared in a regular season big league box-score, except as a pitcher, since World War II. The 1988 Maine Baseball Hall of Fame will induct the guy who probably came the closest — former Deering Ram and New York Yankee farmhand, Garry Smith. A pre-season Columbus Clipper analysis of the early 1980’s said ‘°At the end of the 1978 season, Garry Smith was regarded as the best outfield prospect in the Yankee system after he batted .325 with Tacoma of the Pacific Coast League... He 1s an outstanding defensive outfielder and has an excellent arm.’’ So good was his arm that he occasionally pitched in the minors. Garry had been voted to the PCL All-Star team and only an untimely wrist injury prevented his joining the parent Yankees. Although he toiled three more seasons with the AAA Columbus Clippers and was once labeled by ‘“Stump’”’ Merrill, a Chipper manager and Yankee coach, ‘‘second only to Paul Blair’’ as a Yankee defensive outfielder, he never regained the heights of 1978. Garry did it all in baseball and was the area’s best in the early ’70’s. And his teams were tops. He led his Deering teammates to two State Championships 1n 1972 and 1973, and won the Telegram League batting crown in 1973 with a lofty .500. His Caldwell Post efforts — he pitched as well as hit — were rewarded with State Championships for Lee Freeman’s teams in ’72, ’73, and ’74. Needless to say, he attracted the eye of the late Jack Butterfield, coach of the University of Maine. Garry played one year at Orono and was an All-Yankee Conference first team selection... Then it was on to the warmer climates of Florida, where he became Southeast Player of the Year at Valencia Community College and a first-team All-American. A year at the University of South Florida followed — a season in which he was reunited with Coach Butterfield — an Garry was a Sun Belt Conference All-Star. Garry was drafted by the Yankees in 1976 and signed by ‘‘Birdie’’ Tebbetts. Maine’s super scout, Clyde Sukeforth, envisioned a very promising career for the Maine boy and, as usual, Clyde was correct in his assessment. Garry hit .391 and was tabbed most likely to make the majors. At West Haven he made the Eastern League All-Star Team in ’77 and was promoted to Triple-A Tacoma for the big year of ’78 — one of a select few non-pitchers from the Pine Tree State to play in Triple-A. He retired after the 1982 season and returned to Portland, where he is currently a broker with Mark Stimson Associates — and a fine golfer.

Dr. Joseph Smith operated with precision on the baseball held. The third baseman from Brunswick was a sure-handed fielder and a hitter capable of .400 seasons. He was captain of the Bowdoin College baseball team in 1923, after starring in baseball and football at Brunswick High School. He chose medicine instead of playing in the minor leagues for the Boston Braves. The Bath doctor had an athletic scholarship fund established in his honor at Bowdoin in 1972, shortly after his death in recognition of his outstanding baseball and football careers there. In fact, Smith received All-State honors in both sports during his collegiate days. A splendid leadoff hitter, with an affinity for getting on base, Smith was described by the late Bowdoin baseball coach Ben Hauser as “if not the best ballplayer, at least the best hitter I ever coached.” His hitting prowess carried over to his semi-pro baseball career. He hit more than .400 in two different seasons of semi-pro ball. His career batting average at Bowdoin was near the .400 mark too. The former president of the Maine PTA also coached and taught at Brunswick High School, after completing Tufts Medical School. In 1932 he was asked by Bowdoin’s Jack McGee to be an Olympic physician but declined. The star quarterback/halfback played on Bowdoin’s undefeated football team in 1921, making the All-Maine team as a quarterback that season. Smith, an exceptional athlete, was an exceptional physician too. He even earned much of his medical college tuition by playing on various semi-pro baseball teams at Norway, Lewiston and Auburn and Oxford. Who said medical school and athletics don’t mix?

At the age of 89, Charles Louis Smith May be the oldest person ever inducted into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame. This honor caps a lifetime love affair with baseball. He passed his love of baseball on to sons Jack, Dana and Arthur. Not many families can be distinguished as having played, all at one time, on and with the same team as the Smith family did in the Twilight league in the early 1940's. lt was a scorekeeper’s nightmare with Louis as the catcher, Dana as the pitcher (or first base), Jack in leftfield or center and Artin right. From the time his sons could throw and catch, Smith was always available after supper and on weekends. Pepper games and hitting fly balls brought down the curtain of nearly every summer day for the Smith boys and their dad. Because of this interest and early training, the brothers matured early in their baseball backgrounds and all three were recognized as all-Telegram League. Speaking of early maturity, when Smith was in the fifth grade in Stonington on the grammar school team, the high school had him behind the plate. When at Broadway School (later Henley School) in South Portland and in the seventh grade, the principal, Gip Henley (for whom the school was later named), took him out of class for a special fitting for his baseball uniform. In eighth grade at Scituate, Mass., there was a teacher-coach with no baseball background and young Louie ran the team. later, at the ripe old age of 16, with the permission of his parents, Smith joined the Navy in World War I on April 11, 1917 and was assigned to the Battleship New Hampshire. He tried out for the baseball team - as a catcher. But with 27 other catchers also in line for a job, Smith decided he might have a better chance at short. Little did he realize that the manager was Bud Fisher, who had been a star shortstop at the Naval Academy. Finally, when things didn’t look too good at short, Fisher put him behind the plate - a position he held for the next two years. After service in the mid to late 1920’s he played on teams in Tarrytown, N.Y., Fisher Body and the Glenville Cubs. Smith Returned to Maine in the early 1930’s, playing regularly in the Sunset League at Bayside, then the Twilight League. In 1951 he turned his baseball experience to the Falmouth Little League. Over the next 34 years he helped to develop one of the best programs in Southern Maine. He still serves as honorary president of the Falmouth Little League. He was honored in 1981 when the Little League Field was named the C. Louis Smith Field.

Terry Snow was a formidable fixture in Maine baseball circles at many levels in the late 1950’s through the early 1970’s. Snow, a power hitting outfielder and left handed pitcher, who is remembered by some as a crafty junkballer, and by others as a hard thrower, was a standout at many levels. He led Greely High School to division titles in 1960, 1961 and 1962 with some solid hitting in the number 3 and 4 spots and a near-perfect 15-1 pitching record. During this time, he played American Legion ball with a consolidated suburban team based in Falmouth in 1960 and 1961. Maine Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Curry, another effective lefthander from South Portland and in Snow’s era, remembers Snow both for offensive and defensive reasons. “Terry could pitch, and Terry could hit. Not many guys were in his class as far as doing the job both ways”, said Curry, who went on to pitch at the University of Maine, Orono, in the mid- to late- 1960’s. Greely High ten underclassman Artie Doyle says Snow would attract a large number of Cumberland and Yarmouth school children to games whenever the teams played at the Yarmouth field near the town library. “I still remember a ball Terry hit onto the roof of the library in deep right field. I am sure nobody else has done that. Just a mammoth blast”, Doyle said. Snow played Little League baseball as part of a new Freeport Little League that was organized by parent boosters there from 1952 through 1956. He went on the next two years to play Pony League baseball in Cumberland. He recalls one of his teams those two years going to the state finals. “All I remember is we lost!” jokes Snow, who is a practicing lawyer of 35 years in Cumberland. He lives in Cumberland with his wife, Diane, and their two daughters. Local baseball fans got their first inkling that this Snow kid might have some ability when he moved on to play Babe Ruth Baseball in Cumberland from 1958 through 1959. Again, the team lost in the state finals. “This was the second time we had lost in the states,” he recalls. “This time, though, we lost to a team that Joe Ferris pitched for, so at least we felt better about losing to someone of his ability.” Snow would go on to compete at different levels with Ferris, a Hall of Famer, whose primary fame is being the MVP for UMO in the 1964 College World Series. Ferris is also a lawyer, Snow noted. In 1964, Snow left the family farm in Cumberland and enrolled in Springfield College. He attended for two years and then began service in the Navy in Viet Nam. He spent parts of 1962 through 1965 in the service. After getting out of the military, Snow played one year of professional baseball in the Provincial League in Canada. At that point, Snow decided to go on to other pursuits in life, such as law school, marriage and fatherhood. One of his compatriots, Bo McFarland of Scarborough High and Bowdoin, was surprised. “Terry could play. This guy could play ball,” recalls McFarland, also a member of the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame. “I thought he would keep playing. Terry had gotten into a car accident a few years earlier, and I think that affected him somewhat. But he was one of the best around, both as a hitter and a pitcher.” In 1970, Snow returned to life in the Portland Twilight League, a league he had played in as a college student during the sum of 1964. He served as player-coach for the Yarmouth entry in the league, back in the days of “town ball”. “We just had a blast,” Snow said. “Just a bunch of guys, some pretty fair ballplayers, who wanted to play because they liked to play baseball.” Snow added that perhaps there was a social aspect to the summer baseball games often played at Portland’s Deering Oaks. “I could tell you some stories,” he chuckled. Waldoboro native and USM graduate, Jim Graffam, calls Snow a throwback. “Things were different back then,” recalls Graffam, who went on to coach at St. Joseph’s and Westbrook College. “Town ball was a big deal. These guys would travel all over the state and play—they’d play anyone and anywhere—Ellsworth, Millinocket, The County, Biddeford, Waldoboro, Washington County. You name it.” Graffam mentioned that Snow and others have had their exploits publicized in a book about town ball by author Jim Baumer. After Snow’s playing days were over, he moved onto the next logical step—coach and local booster. “I did what everybody does,” he recalls of the 1970’s and 1980’s in Cumberland. “Coach, umpire and town booster. I had a lot of fun. Everybody has to pitch in and help. That’s the way it has always been.” From Legacy Page https://obituaries.pressherald.com/obituaries/mainetoday-pressherald/obituary.aspx?n=terry-n-snow&pid=192372265&fhid=11167 Terry N. Snow, 75, Nov. 6, 1943 - April 9, 2019 Terry was the first to be inducted into the Greely Baseball Hall of Fame and in 2008, was inducted into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame. He played baseball at Springfield College, and during those summers, he played for the Yarmouth Townies where he was known as a power hitting outfielder and formidable left-handed pitcher. The summer after graduating in 1966, he played professional baseball for the Provincial League in Canada.

You can now add the names Clayton Sockabasin and Patrick Sockabasin to the “All-Downeast” team, joining Cutler’s Neil Corbett and Steve Cates, Eastport’s Omar Norton, Dennysville’s Howard McFadden and Cherryfield’s Carlton Willey, among others, to that legendary list of Washington County ballplayers who contributed mightily to the rich lore of Maine baseball history during the heyday of town team ball. Clayton and Patrick were born six years apart and grew up in Peter Dana Point near Princeton in Indian Township. The boys’ dad, Lola, played for the local town team and playing baseball “was all we had to do”, notes Clayton. “We played ‘scrub’ every day, all day, until we couldn’t see.” As teenagers, Clayton and Patrick started “going around with” the Peter Dana Point town team, whose roster was already stocked with Sockabasins and by the mid-1960’s, both were significant contributors to the team. In those days, Peter Dana Point played in both the Border League and the Quoddy League, comprised primarily of rural coastal towns such as Machias, Eastport, Cutler, Milbridge and Cherryfield, where the popularity of home-grown baseball was surging and town teams provided a competitive outlet for local pride and identity. Often playing five games a week, Clayton and Patrick thrived in this environment and soon became the mainstays of the Peter Dana Point ball club. Embodying the timeless wisdom of Honus Wagner (“There ain’t much to being a ballplayer ….. if you’re a ballplayer”), Clayton and Patrick were ballplayers. Clayton was a dominant pitcher possessing an above-average fastball and sharp-breaking curve, but also a feared hitter. Newspaper accounts commonly reported Clayton striking out 11 or 12 batters a game while going 2 for 4 himself with a home run. Patrick was primarily a shortstop but his athletic skills allowed him to excel on the mound and behind the plate as well. Patrick regularly led his teams in batting and home runs. With the Sockabasin brothers leading the way, Peter Dana Point was a perennial contender in both the Border and Quoddy Leagues during the 1960’s. Intense rivalries developed among neighboring towns and duels against the powerhouse Cutler Cardinals were Downeast classics. In 1967, Clayton struck out 22 in a 3-0 shutout over a Cutler lineup that included eventual Maine Baseball Hall of Famers Howard McFadden and Steve Cates and Coach Neil Corbett. Patrick, as a 14-year old was the winning pitcher in the 1964 Border League championship game, striking out 9 in a complete game effort. In 1969, Clayton and Patrick were recruited by the Milltown, New Brunswick entry in the New Brunswick Senior League. Patrick hit a league-leading .450, Clayton was an overpowering pitcher, also hitting .330, and the pair led Milbridge to its first-ever regular season championship. Milltown also traveled up to Mattawamkeag that year to play in the Blue Ox tournament. Clayton dominated Dick DeVarney’s strong Bangor team with a 12-strikeout effort and Patrick chipped in with two home runs. In the second game Patrick threw a 5-hitter against Cutler, adding another home run, and Clayton collected four hits of his own. (continued on the next page) ⊄ Their performances at the Blue Ox earned them an invitation to a major league tryout that fall in Sanford and in September Clayton and Patrick signed professional baseball contracts with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1970 the boys played most of one season in Bradenton, Florida for the Pirates Rookie League entry. By most accounts, the brothers acquitted themselves very well and the Pirates wanted them to continue developing. However, Clayton’s wife was pregnant with the couple’s second child that spring and when his son was born Clayton got homesick and decided to return to Maine and his family. Though encouraged by Clayton to stay and play, Patrick soon thereafter followed his older brother home. Their decision, while understandable, was disappointing to many who had seen them compete and felt they had a genuine chance at making the big leagues. Clayton and Patrick continued their lustrous careers with the Peter Dana Point Indians in 1970-1971. In 1972, Clayton moved to the Brunswick area and joined Bo McFarland and coach Stump Merrill on the Bath-Brunswick team in the Twilight League. Patrick joined long-time friend Jim Maxwell on the Fredericton Moosehead Vikings in the New Brunswick League and let the team to the league championship and Maritime Provinces crown, pitching a four-hitter and clouting a two-run homer in the title game against Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. In the mid-70’s, Clayton and Patrick reunited on the Peter Dana Point Team and renewed their Washington County rivalries. Not only did the team compete in two leagues, it regularly advertised in the papers looking for teams to play throughout Maine and New Hampshire. It was not unusual for Peter Dana Point to play 50-60 games each season and travel to tournaments in Mattawamkeag, Lamoine and Thomaston. In 1978, Patrick led the Border League in hitting with a .460 average and again in 1980 with a .500 average. Clayton enjoyed several undefeated seasons on the mound and one year pitched and won both games of a doubleheader against Machias to win a best-of-three Quoddy League championship. Both men played well into the 1980’s. By then Patrick had moved up to Indian Island in Old Town and played his last season for Bangor, leading his team in home runs at the age of 40. Clayton pitched his last game when he was 46. By the time they hung up their spikes, Clayton and Patrick Sockabasin had compiled an impressive body of work in careers that spanned nearly three decades. Though accurate records were not always available, Clayton likely won over 250 games and had a lifetime batting average over .300. He was the dominant pitcher in every league and tournament he competed in both in Maine and Canada. Patrick probably hit over 200 home runs in his career and had a lifetime average close to .400. Both were premier ball players of the golden era of town team baseball, and their induction into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame is richly deserved.

Mention the name “Ron Soucie” around the Bangor area these days and veteran baseball observers will likely respond with a convincing jog of the memory that reaches back more than four decades but still produces descriptions like “unhittable”, “the dominant pitcher of his era”, and “the best I ever saw.” Ronnie Soucie was unquestionably a three-sport superstar at John Bapst High School in Bangor during the mid-1960’s at a time when that term was only applied to baseball, football and basketball. He led John Bapst to four conference titles in baseball, defeating perennial powerhouses Bangor and Brewer. He quarterbacked the football team to back-to-back state titles in 1964 and 1965, and capped a sparkling basketball career when he led eighth-ranked John Bapst to a still talked about upset of unbeaten Stearns High School in the Eastern Maine tournament. Ron’s football and baseball coach at John Bapst, Ken Perrone, had this to say about Soucie: “As a teacher-coach for the past 52 years, I have met and coached a great number of athletes. Ron Soucie ranks as the best athlete I have ever coached. There might have been better basketball, baseball or football players in Maine, but there were few, if any, who could do all three as well as Ron Soucie.” Ron served notice of future greatness when he hit a home run over the grandstand at Doyle Field as a 15-year old. His pitching records at John Bapst could only be described as phenomenal – 10 career one-hitters, 212 strike-outs in 96 1/2 innings his sophomore year and a number of memorable no-hitters. Ron pitched three summers for the Bangor Comrades in American Legion play, highlighted by a 1-0 victory in the 1965 state tournament over Manchester Post’s John Cumberland in which both pitchers flirted with no-hitters for seven innings. Ron was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 1966 but declined their offer to attend Holy Cross College. After two years at Holy Cross, Ron left and transferred to Husson College to continue his education closer to home. While at Husson, Ron continued his assault on the record books, setting a single-game strikeout record with 24. Ron pitched several summers for the Bangor Merchants in the highly competitive Northeast League which boasted strong entries from Mattawamkeag and Guilford. At the YABC State tournament in 1969 held at Auburn’s Pettingill Park, Ron’s performance was an emphatic reminder of just how dominant he could be. Following on the heels of a nine-inning one-hit victory against the tough Rumford Townies, Ron took the mound a half hour later against the Lisbon Falls 88’ers and pitched eleven innings, striking out 14, in a heart-breaking 3-1 loss. Ron finished the tournament with a 2-1 record pitching a total of 30 innings, including a string of 22 scoreless innings, and was named the outstanding player of the tournament. Ron graduated from Logan College of Chiropractic in St. Louis, Missouri in 1977 and established a successful practice in Bangor that same year. Ron passed away on January 28, 2003 after a 5-year battle with cancer. He was survived by two sons, Ryan and Aaron, and a multitude of friends and teammates who can rest assured that Ron Soucie’s remarkable niche in Maine baseball history is secure. Proper Name Ronald Soucie Born Date 1948 [71.???] Place Brewer,Maine High School John Baptist (Brewer,ME) College Husson College (Bangor,ME) Drafted Selected by the Boston Red Sox [Team Picks] in the 2nd round (30th overall) of the 1968 Amateur Entry Draft [Signed] ... Selected by the Baltimore Orioles [Team Picks] in the 42nd round (747th overall) of the 1966 Amateur Entry Draft

When Coach Soule first took over the varsity role at Greely, we knew we had a baseball man with a passion for the sport and a love for the history of baseball at GHS. The fact that he was a former stand out Greely student-athlete, in concert with his devotion to the Cumberland / North Yarmouth communities set him up to be one of the most respected and successful coaches in Greely’s storied athletic history. Coach’s love of athletics and dedication to baseball is infectious, and brings out the best from his players, their families, and his coaching staff - Jack Hardy former long time AD at GHS: Coach Derek Soule is an institutional treasure.  Not only has he made a tremendous impact on our entire community through the programs he coaches, but also he is the definitive source of all information pertaining to the exploits of all our programs.  He is deeply committed to all of our student-athletes and the go-to guy for any historical perspectives and he is always happy to provide the information in detail.He epitomizes all that is great in education-based athletics. - Dave Shapiro, Athletic Director I think what I would say is that, as a coach he cares about players’ success not only in baseball, but in other sports, in school, and in their general community. I have always found it really special how he is constantly in contact with players whose careers ended long ago. I also think through his coaching you can see his love of the community and school he grew up in. He has a lot of pride related to Greely Baseball, and that shows through his commitment to coaching k-12. He demands the best out of you and teaches the right way to play the game while still allowing the team to enjoy themselves. - Calvin Soule...player and son Derek Soule was born in Portland, Maine in 1973 and raised in nearby Cumberland. He was surrounded by ‘baseball men’ his entire life and he was constantly exposed to the game he would grow to love at an early age. Derek’s father, Mort Soule (Maine Baseball HOF ‘91) was a long time varsity coach at Deering and Derek’s childhood memories are filled with experiences tagging along with his dad at practices and games, keeping the scorebook, accompanying his father at baseball clinics and absorbing everything he could about playing the game the right way. His childhood experiences cultivated a deep appreciation and knowledge for the game of baseball that would guide him through his playing days and give him a foundation that has helped him achieve one of the most impressive high school coaching records in Maine High School Baseball history while coaching at Greely from 1996 to the present. As a player, Derek enjoyed a lot of success on the diamond. He was a highly productive player for the 1986 Suburban Little League All-Star District 6 Champions and the 1989 District Babe Ruth All-Stars. While attending Greely High School he was a senior all-star selection and captain for the soccer team, playing for legendary coach Glenn Hutchins (Maine Sports HOF ‘17). He also played basketball for legendary coach Ken Marks. But it was on the diamond where again he had the honor and privilege to play for, learn and grow under the tutelage of another great ‘baseball man’, Bob Anthoine (Maine Baseball HOF ‘15). While at Greely, he was a two-time All-Conference selection as a middle-infielder and named captain as a senior. During his senior campaign, Derek batted .380 with 15 RBI, 26 runs and 18 stolen bases. He also was a major contributor to Cumberland Legion’s back to back appearances in the state tournament at Togus. In his final Legion season, he batted .460 with 25 RBI, 34 runs, 3 HR’s and 27 stolen bases. After high school, Derek walked-on and made the baseball team at the University of Maine at Orono where he again was blessed to learn and develop under the guidance of another Maine Baseball icon, Dr. John Winkin (Maine Baseball HOF ‘75). Soule was named to the 1994 North Atlantic All-Academic Team in 1994 while at Orono. During the summer, Derek helped lead the Coastal Athletics to back to back Twilight League Championships in 1994 and 1995. In 1994, he earned the League MVP, batting .400 with 20 RBI, 25 runs and 16 stolen bases. In 1996, he finished second in the Twilight League batting title race, hitting .444, the first year the Twilight League had switched back to wooden bats. After college in 1996, Derek accepted the JV coaching position at Greely High School and it is here where he began his journey that would eventually accumulate into one of the most prolific coaching records in Maine High School history. From 1996 to 1998 he led the Greely JV team to a record of 45 wins, 3 losses, including a perfect 16-0 in his first season as a coach in ‘96. In 2000, he accepted the Varsity coaching position at Greely. As the varsity coach from 2000 to 2017, Soule has compiled an overall record of 257 wins and 78 losses. In 18 years, he has compiled an overall state playoff record of 35 wins and 14 losses. His teams have recorded 18 consecutive winning seasons, 18 consecutive trips to the playoffs, including win streaks of 14 in 2006 and 2013 and a 26 game home win streak from 2005 to 2007. During this span, the Rangers have won 7 Western Maine League Championships (‘00, ‘01, ‘06, ‘09, ‘11, ‘12, ‘13), they have made 9 Regional Championship appearances, 5 Regional Championships (‘07, ‘09, ‘11, ‘14, ‘15) and captured 4 State Championships in 2007, 2009, 2014 and 2015. Throughout his coaching career, pitching and defense has been a trademark of Soule teams. In 18 his seasons, Greely teams have thrown 71 shutouts, including 12 playoff shutouts and 4 shutouts in state championship games. In 5 State Championship appearances, Coach Soule’s teams have allowed a total of one run combined. The 2014 Greely pitching staff threw 5 consecutive shutouts, including all 4 play-off games. The 4 shut-outs in the playoffs is believed to be unprecedented in Maine High School baseball history. From 2014 to 2015, Greely pitchers combined for 51 and ? innings consecutive shutout innings, the fourth longest streak in the history of high school baseball in the United States. Along the way, Soule was named the 2007 Portland Press Herald Coach of the Year and the 2007 and 2015 Forecaster Coach of the Year. In 18 seasons, Greely baseball has had 68 All-Conference selections, 17 Portland Press Herald All-State selections, 5 players named as the Umpire Association’s Class B Player of the Year (Rupert Johnson Award), 4 Conference Player of the Year recipients, and 3 John Winkin Award Finalists as the State’s player of the Year. Twenty-four of Coach Soule’s players have played college baseball, including 3 Division I players, 2 Div II players, and 19 Division III players. Derek has also been instrumental in growing baseball participation levels in Cumberland and fostering pride and tradition within the Greely program. He created the Greely Baseball Hall of Fame to honor former players. Nineteen players have been inducted since 2007. He established the first ever Greely baseball boosters. He researched and wrote the History of Greely Baseball and created a record book to help develop a sense of tradition within the program. He oversaw the creation of a second Greely middle school baseball team and the first freshman baseball team in 2006, greatly increasing participation in baseball at Greely and adding significant depth to the program. Coach Soule currently lives in Cumberland and is a social studies teacher at Greely high school and in addition to varsity baseball, he also coaches middle school soccer, freshmen basketball and Unified basketball.

Dubbed “The Immortal Soule" by his colorful Deering High coach Freddy Harlow, HOF '74, Mort Soule has renewed a striking baseball strain in a notable sports lineage. Only a shoulder injury during his college period may have denied this excellent all-round ballplayer a promising professional career. Be that as it may, "The Immortal One" accomplished myriad feats at various playing levels plus ample coaching success. A keen student of the game and dauntless enthusiast (shades of fearless Freddy), these qualities have rubbed off on his players. In six seasons as head baseball coach at his Deering alma mater, his Rams have won three Telegram League championships, including this year's honors (third pennant in four years). Shortstop most of the way till the shoulder mishap led to other diamond employment, Mort sparked Maine's and New England's 1956 Little League champions and Lincoln Junior High's teams prior to his brilliant three-sport Deering career. He batted 318, .365 and a Telly-leading .437 while proving a whiz on the basepaths and in the infield for the Purple. He was All-Telly in ‘62, '63. Press Herald and Telegram scribe Dick Doyle, writer of this piece, called Soule "the complete ballplayer when his double clinched the 15-1 Rams' 1962 Telly championship. for his multi-category leadership or high rank, the 1963 All-Telly declaration read, "one of the most dominant players in league history. After a year at Phillips Exeter Academy, the bum shoulder moved Soule to first base (.360 average) and limited him to two seasons at Bowdoin, but he still made all-state and set the Bowdoin record of fewest strikeouts in a season: 1 in 60 at bats. He also contributed to the family's football heritage at Bowdoin. Mort carried over to the Twilight League where he become batting champion and MVP for South Portland's 1970 league champs and won the Twilight home run crown as player-coach of the 1971 Haverty Buicks. Soule extended his coaching coverage of the Greater Portland baseball spectrum to include South Portland's Twilight League entry, Portland High Jayvees (four unofficial titles in five years), Cumberland T-Ball program, Deering Youth Baseball Camp and several clinics https://athletics.bowdoin.edu/information/history/hall/soule No single family has had a greater impact on Bowdoin's athletic program than the Soule Family. Father William '36 and his sons Paul '66, Mort '68, Jim '77 and Phil have produced a lasting legacy- particularly in the Bowdoin football program.