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Well up in the galaxy of Portland High School athletic greats, Lin Southworth went on to all-too-brief professional pitching fame. Though his career was curtailed by a shoulder injury before he could crack the major leagues, the stocky ex Bulldog piled up ample credits worthy of induction in the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame. For one thing, Lin joined an exclusive club with his selection to three All-Telegram League teams as a hard-throwing right-hand flinger for Coach Jimmy Sibson. He helped Portland to the ’45 Telly title and strong contention the next two years. In 1946 he pitched a no-hitter against St. Louis High. His senior year at Portland, Southworth was an all-state football fullback, hero of the Blue’s 6-0 Thanksgiving Game victory over Deering, and co-captain of Bulldog football, basketball and baseball. In June of '47, he pitched for the New England high school all-stars against the Greater Boston stars at Braves Field and that fall signed into the Braves system. He was 6-7 for the last place Richmond Braves in 1948. The next year, in the North Carolina State League, he gained national prominence by posting a 21-1 record, the best in all of professional ball. In 1950 he was 4-2 with Jackson, Miss. With the outbreak of the Korean Conflict, he entered the army. Then came the shoulder injury. Southworth was never able to throw hard again. Upon release from service, he joined the Boston Braves in Spring training in Florida, 1953, but the injury had taken its toll. Lin returned to Portland, pitched some semi-pro ball for three years and then called it a career. He went west to California and has resided there ever since. From Baseball Reference Lynn Southworth Position: Relief Pitcher Bats: Right • Throws: Right 5-10, 195lb (178cm, 88kg) Born: 1927 Full Name: Lynn D. Southworth

Dave Sprague grew up in Gorham and took advantage of the strong baseball programs that the community offered. Very supportive parents (Helen and Art Sprague) and Phil Dugas were the first adults to offer instruction and encouragement. Dick Beatty took over at the high school level and built championship baseball teams. Teamed with Terry Hadlock and Alan Wentworth from 1964 - 1966, Dave anchored the talented infield at shortstop. He batted .473 as a sophomore, .327 as a junior and .406 as a senior as the Rams won or was in contention for Triple C Championships. In the summer, Dave played Babe Ruth League baseball for coaches Bob Logan, Bill Day and Dugas with the Standish Kiwanis and Sebago Lake Region All-Stars. In American Legion ball, he played for Dugas and the Smith-Wagner Post of Gorham and for coaches Joe Morse and Luther Small with Manchester Post of Westbrook. Once high school ended, Dave was recruited by Jack Butterfield of the University of Maine and John Winkin of Colby College, but he chose to attend Springfield College because of their nationally acclaimed physical education program. His freshman year in baseball was excellent as he batted .360 and played a solid shortstop for coach Dick Bartsch’s 7-1 freshman team that featured four players that had been drafted by major league teams. Dave shared shortstop duties on coach Archie Allen’s varsity squad his sophomore year and ended the season batting .250. Mononucleosis sent Dave to the sideline for his entire junior season. The 1970 baseball season at Springfield was one of the best in the school’s history. The Chiefs finished the season with a 24-10 record and played in just its third College Division Baseball World Series. They finished fourth in the nation in the College Division. Dave batted .278 and made only four errors for the entire season as Springfield’s shortstop. In a press release released before the College Division World Series, Coach Allen called Dave one of the best shortstops that he had in his many years at Springfield. At Springfield’s baseball reunions, Dave is remembered as the player who was hit in the head twice in the same game by Dartmouth’s hard-throwing Pete Broberg, the top draft pick by the Oakland A’s in the 1970 Major League draft. It was back in Maine during the summer breaks that Dave really excelled on the diamond. Yarmouth manager Charlie Turner called Dave as soon as the 1966 American Legion season ended and he played in two season-ending tournaments for the Townies. A full summer season in 1967 with Yarmouth led to a .387 batting average and a second-place finish for the batting title that was won by Harris Oil’s Brian Gordon. In 1968, Dave moved to Bob Philbrick’s Ametek Redskins and finished second in the batting title race again as Haverty Buick’s Brian Swasey hit an astronomical .480 to Dave’s .383. Dave was named the league’s MVP, however. In 1969, Dave finally won the Twilight League’s batting title for Ametek with a .429 average. Ametek’s Dick Curry was second (.377) and Yarmouth’s Hadlock came in third (.349). Dave’s final year in the Twilight League was in 1970 as he batted .417 for Ametek, but Mort Soule, also of Ametek, won the batting title and MVP award with a .466 average. Dave was named the Maine Baseball Association Governor’s Tournament MVP at the end of the season. At the end of the 1970 baseball season, Dave was drafted, but not by a major league team. Uncle Sam came calling in the last year of the Military Draft. So he could get married and start a teaching career, Dave joined the Maine National Guard. He married Cindy Mangieri of Ruttland, Vermont, accepted a position as a physical education teacher in Bennington, Vermont and transferred to the Vermont National Guard. He retired last August after teaching in the same school district for 40 years. During those 40 years, Dave coached at all levels of baseball in Vermont and New York State. He also was a scout for the Chicago White Sox and a sportswriter for the Bennington Banner in Bennington, Vermont. As a speed improvement instructor, Dave worked with major league baseball players and a WNBA player. The 41 years of marriage produced two children. Michelle, age 35, graduated from Cornell University in 2000 with a Bachelor’s of Arts degree and from the University of Vermont in 2012 with a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. She now resides in Eugene, Oregon with her husband Dave Downing and is a physical therapist with Oregon Neurosport Physical Therapy. Anthony, age 32, graduated from Cortland State College in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He was a captain of the Division III Dragon’s baseball team that participated in the Division III College World Series all four years of his career. Anthony is now the Director of Sales for the Buffalo Bisons, the Triple AAA team for the New York Mets. Cindy, a 1970 graduate of Castleton State College, was a teacher and a librarian in the Bennington area. She has refused to fully retire so she is a part-time waitress now.

A power hitter, Ted (Knowlton) Springer could also pitch with the best of them. If a job needed to be done on the field, Springer was the man to do it. A modest chap, this rangy six-footer was always hesitant to talk about his considerable abilities. One of which was his rubber arm, which once allowed Hancock High’s gifted pitcher to throw three complete games in six days. Weighing perhaps 170 or better, Springer had the loose and rangy build associated with a fastball pitcher. A graduate of Ellsworth High (Springer transferred), he played a season at Augusta after graduation in 1937. Springer later moved to Canada and performed well there. Still living in Ellsworth, Springer played from 1938-1940 in Canada. In 1941 he played semi-pro in Vermont, followed by four years in the New York League. He went into the army in 1945 and in 1946 his pitching days were over. “My arm had gone through too much to keep pitching,” he said. So he became playing-manager for Dexter, Maine, in the Tri-County League. He lasted there until 1951, when he hung the old first base mitt up and put the bat in the locker .He moved to Providence, R.I., in 1951 and stayed there for five years before returning to Maine. Ted Springer Position: Relief Pitcher Bats: Left • Throws: Unknown Born: May 14, 1917 in Marlboro, ME us Died: December 20, 1997 (Aged 80-220d) in Sanford, ME Buried: Riverside Cemetery, Hancock, ME High School: Ellsworth HS (Ellsworth, ME) Full Name: Knowlton Springer

From The Working Waterfront Archives http://www.workingwaterfrontarchives.org/2008/03/27/maines-steamer-stanley-earned-fame-infamy-with-the-red-sox/ Maine’s “Steamer” Stanley earned fame, infamy with the Red Sox BY HARRY GRATWICK — MARCH 27, 2008 As the Red Sox begin the defense of their second World Championship in the last four years, let’s celebrate the opening of the baseball season with a profile of one of the more illustrious ball players from Maine, Bob Stanley. The reference library at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY lists 71 men born in Maine who have played major league baseball. The length of their careers vary, ranging from the redoubtable George “Piano Legs” Gore who played in 1,310 games from 1879-1892, to Jim Mains who played one game in 1943. Breaking the numbers down further, there are 10 men who played in more than 500 games. A ‘top five’ list might include: Bill “Rough” Carrigan (Lewiston), Fred Parent (Biddeford), Sid Farrar (Paris), George Gore (Westbrook) and Bob Stanley (Portland). I hasten to add that Louis Sockalexis, the spectacular Native American from Old Town, would be on this list had his career lasted longer than 94 games. To my knowledge the only major leaguer from the islands is Vinalhaven’s Bill “Dasher” Murray, who played 8 games with the Washington Senators in 1917. Bob Stanley, who appeared in 637 major league games, is a name familiar to Red Sox fans of a certain age. Bob, also known as “Steamer,” Bob Stanley was born on Wednesday, November 10, 1954, in Portland, Maine. Stanley was 22 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 16, 1977, and spent his entire career (1974-1989) in the Red Sox system. Stanley won 115 games for the Red Sox in a 13-year big league career, which makes him the winningest pitcher ever to come out of Maine. Bob grew up in New Jersey, although he returned to Maine every summer to visit friends and relations in the Portland area. One of the highlights for him each summer was the chance to go lobstering with his Uncle Jimmy. Stanley, however, credits New Jersey with giving him the opportunity to develop as a ball player where “you can play more baseball than in Maine.” In 1973 he returned to Portland for his senior year in high school. After being named all-state in both basketball and baseball, Stanley was offered a contract by the Dodgers following a 10-1 baseball season. He rejected the offer, but six months later he signed a contract with the Red Sox. Three years later, after an outstanding spring training, Stanley made the big league team at the age of 22. Stanley’s first season with the Red Sox established the pattern for his big league career when he started 13 games and relieved in 28. The Kansas City Star crowned him the league’s MVP — Most Versatile Pitcher. Phil Elderkin of the Christian Science Monitor wrote, “The 1977 model of the Stanley Steamer stands 6’4″ weighs 205 and has a right arm that can throw a baseball up to speeds of 100 miles per hour.” The next year Stanley really blossomed. He was 15-2, primarily as a relief pitcher. The Boston Herald-American headlined, “IN 1978 THE RED SOX SPELLED RELIEF: BOB STANLEY.” Jump forward to 1982 and the Steamer set an American League record for innings pitched in a season by a relief pitcher with 168. (Incidentally, the record still stands). He was 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA. In an article by Boston sports writer Tom Shea, Stanley was quoted as saying, “I prefer to relieve. You have to trick hitters too long as a starter.” “He’s had quite a year,” Sox manger Ralph Houk said. Following the season, his agent, Bob Wolf, had this to say about Stanley’s contract negotiations: “When I negotiated Bob’s contract we had statistics demonstrating that he was the third best pitcher in the league. The Red Sox had a chart showing he was the sixth best pitcher on the team.” Although he had a distinguished major league career, Stanley is best known for throwing “The Pitch” in the sixth game of the 1986 World Series. The Pitch bounced in front of home plate and allowed New York Met runner Kevin Mitchell to score the tying run from third. One pitch later Stanley got Mookie Wilson to hit a routine grounder to Bill Buckner at first who, as we all know, let the ball skip through his legs. The result was an agonizing 10th inning loss and instant notoriety for Stanley and Buckner. (The Red Sox lost the Series the next day extending their seemingly cursed existence). Indeed, Bill Buckner was so vilified that he moved his family to Boise, Idaho. Years later Stanley recalled a “Buckner moment” to Daily News columnist John Harper. “I had a guy pull right into my driveway one time. My son was playing outside at the time. The guy picked up my son’s bike and threw it against the basketball pole in the driveway and said, ‘tell your father he stinks.'” In fairness to Stanley, replays showed that equal blame belonged to Sox catcher Rich Gedman, who reacted slowly. Since it was scored as a wild pitch, however, many Boston fans still blamed Stanley for the loss. In a December 1986 interview with Bill Parrillo of the Providence Journal, Stanley said, “A lot of them tell me they didn’t think it was a wild pitch, but I tell them it doesn’t matter. We lost. Don’t blame Geddy. And hopefully, try not to blame me. We lost It just wasn’t meant to be.” Now that the Red Sox have twice (make that 4 times) broken their World Series “curse” let’s hope that Boston fans have finally forgiven Bob Stanley. https://ballparkbiz.wordpress.com/2011/04/04/red-sox-hall-of-famer-named-president-of-mavericks/ PRESS RELEASE – The Seacoast Mavericks of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) announced Monday that former Major League Baseball All-Star Bob Stanley will serve in the capacity of team President. Stanley, who was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2000, was the Sox all time saves leader until Jonathan Paplebon passed him in 2009. Stanley will help to oversee the Maverick’s organization and is excited to aid in their development. “I’m very excited to lend my support in favor of helping many overlooked college players in the Northeast,” said Stanley who will also serve on the FCBL Board of Directors. http://www.jimmyfund.org/about-us/boston-red-sox/players/bob-stanley/ BUFFALO BISONS NEWS Stanley named Jays Bullpen Coach Bisons pitching coach promoted for 2014

Baseball for Ron Staples started in Presque Isle, in right field for the Presque Isle High School Wildcats. He switched to catcher and lettered four years, caught summers for the local American Legion team, and when the semi-pro Presque Isle Indians saw the young catcher hit, they put him in their lineup, as well. In a four‑year, teen-age batting spree, he hit as many as ten home runs in a high school season, led the Wildcats to a 54‑12 won‑lost record, including an appearance in a Class A state championship high school game, and sparked the semi-pro Indians to the 1953 Maine‑New Brunswick League championship. Staples left Presque Isle in the fall of 1954 for Colby College and acclaimed baseball coach John Winkin. Winkin named him starting catcher for the Mules’ varsity his sophomore year. It was during Colby’s baseball heyday, when they went up against such first-rate teams as Connecticut, Boston University, Georgetown, and Villanova. Staples hit .338 with four home runs, sixteen runs batted in, and threw out fourteen would-be base stealers from behind the plate. Neil Stinneford (Maine Baseball HOF 2009) played on that Colby team. He remembers Staples: “A leader on the field. A forceful ballplayer,” Stinneford says. “He controlled the game. Handled pitchers as well as any catcher I ever saw. A real good player, great arm.” Though Colby didn’t participate in post-season games then, the Mules and Staples were considered by many the number one collegiate team in New England. Staples continued to play semi-pro baseball. In the summer of 1956, He caught for the Kentville, Nova Scotia Wildcats. The following season, back in Presque Isle, he hit .415 for the Indians, and was the most valuable player in the prestigious North East Invitational Tournament, hitting a home run at Presque Isle’s Macklin Field they still talk about up there, a drive that “cleared the light tower in left field and crossed the race track in the air.” Following the tournament, Boston Red Sox scout Larry Goodall signed him to a professional contract. The Red Sox sent Staples to Lexington, Nebraska in the Class D Nebraska State League. There he averaged .250, hit 3 home runs, caught the offerings of future major‑leaguer Bill Spanswick, and was selected the league’s all‑star catcher. Lexington finished fifth, three games behind the Kearney Yankees, and Staples was promoted to the Corning Red Sox in the New York‑Penn League. When 1959 came, Staples was assigned to the Alpine, Texas Cowboys in the Class D Sophomore League along with future Red Soxers Chuck Schilling and Don Schwall. But he spent the baseball season in the Army completing an ROTC active duty requirement. In 1960, however, he reported to Corning, hit .267 over the season, clubbing four home runs. Corning finished third behind the Auburn Yankees. The Geneva Redlegs, with Pete Rose and Tony Perez in their lineup, finished last. Staples was sent up to the Midwest League’s Waterloo Hawks. In Waterloo, again an all-star catcher, he batted .282, hit eight homers, and drove in forty‑seven runs, earning another promotion, this time to the Class B Carolina League. Ron Staples’ professional baseball career ended in the Carolina League catching for the Winston Salem Red Sox. Eddie Popowski was manager there, Rico Petrocelli shortstop, and Jerry Stephenson on the mound. Staples hit thirteen home runs, drove in fifty-six, and the Red Sox finished third behind the Durham Bulls and the Kinston Eagles. But Staples had played his last professional baseball game. Twenty-seven years old and five years traversing the minor leagues, he had reached the end of a praiseworthy baseball career. He went to bat close to a thousand times in the minor leagues, two hundred fifty hits, fifty doubles, thirty home runs. And he had been named to two minor league all‑star teams. Exemplary? Yes. But the end had come. After the 1962 season he and his wife Jeanne, who had traveled with him for four years, returned home to Presque Isle. During the ensuing years, Staples worked at the C.W. Staples potato-supply business, guided hunters and fishermen out of his camp on Munsungan Stream, and honed his swing at the Presque Isle Country Club. Staples died in 1977, the result of an accident. Jeanne still lives in Presque Isle; Nancy, his daughter, in Caribou. Two grandsons, Chad, a starting first baseman at Lewiston High School, and Carter, a third baseman in the Caribou Little League, carry on his baseball legacy.

At virtually any baseball game, at any level, it is almost certain that a few scattered boos and threadbare barbs will greet the appearance of the umpires. That's not true in the case of Ray Stevens whose many years of service have earned respect, admiration and much-deserved induction into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame. We were quite happy to see Ray appear at the park," said Jerry Davis of Falmouth. As a coach and director of Falmouth Little League, Davis is thoroughly acquainted with Stevens and the quality of his work. Although Davis is most familiar with Stevens for his several leadership roles in Falmouth, he recognizes the eclectic nature of his contributions. I am happy to recommend Ray Stevens to the Board for consideration for induction into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame," said Davis, "even though knowing he started his umpiring career in the South Portland National Little League, which always gave me fits as a coach, because we could seldom beat them." For nearly 20 years, Stevens was active in District 6 as Assistant District Administrator and later as District Administrator, succeeding Bill Melaugh. Stevens duties included helping Greater Portland communities establish new Little League franchises. He also conducted seminars and clinics for administrators, coaches and umpires. During his term, District 6 grew from seven to 1/ leagues. “Kay was one of the most dependable and conscientious contributors to Little League at local, state and national levels," said Melaugh. ‘I could go on and on telling you of his many helpful deeds.” Stevens has been active in Maine baseball beginning in 1953 as Melaugh's assistant. In 1965, he was the third recipient of the Ellsworth W. Millett Award presented Maine's outstanding volunteer Little League umpire. During the National Little League championships that year at Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, Stevens worked behind the plate in the final game. Ray was one of six umpires selected nationally. it wasn’t just his presence calling balls and strikes or working the bases that symbolized Stevens’ status. He helped to organize and lead the Little League enterprise, an avocation that required many hours. Stevens had high personal standards and colleagues discovered that he set the bar equally high for them. He is remembered with great admiration in South Portland where he began his affiliation with Little League. I have known Ray since 1953 when he began umpiring Little League games in the South Portland National! Little League," said Reg Hall (MBBHOF 1999). He became a major contributor to the league's success as umpire-in-chief." in addition to Little League, Stevens became a Western Maine Board approved umpire, serving local schools, Twilight League, Telegram League and American Legion from 1967 through 1981. His leadership abilities and love of the game were obvious to all who associated with him," said Hall. Ray conducted himself in a very professional manner and was extremely well liked by the athletes, fellow umpires, coaches and league administrators."

Hank Stillman’s baseball career was marked by truly outstanding accomplishments not only as a player, but also as a coach. He starred on the diamond during one of the greatest eras of Portland High School athletics - the early 1940’s. Today, Henry joins several of his high school teammates in the Hall of Fame -- Bobby Graff, Funzi DePaolo, Lloyd Boynton, Sonny Noe! and Charlie Bennett. In four years of PH.S. baseball, Henry played in all 53 varsity games with a career batting average over .300. He was chosen as the Bulldog captain in both 1941 & 1942, and was selected as the All Telegram League second baseman for three consecutive seasons. During Henry’s last three years, Portland High’s record was 34 - 6, they captured two Telegram League titles and narrowly missed a third championship. Henry’s senior year was one of the finest in telegram League annals. He led the league in batting (.531), in several other offensive categories and in fielding. Although nineteen P H.S. players have won Telegram League batting titles, Hank’s .531 average is the best in Bulldog baseball history and is also one of the highest in the league’s 79 year history. Hank was also a superb basketball player, leading Portland High to a two year record of 20 - 5. His brilliant play earned him the Western Maine Tournament’s George Vinal MVP Trophy, while sparking the Bulldogs to the 1942 State Championship. After his freshman year at Colby College, Hank was given a tryout with the Boston Red Sox, but World War Il interrupted his playing days. Following the war, he resumed his standout baseball career, playing for several top notch semi-pro teams in various leagues, including many years in Greater Portland's Twilight league. As a coach, Hank made Telegram League history when he piloted the 1961 Cheverus High School Stags to the finest record in the league’s history - a perfect 16 - 0 season. Two of Coach Stillman’s players are also Hall of Fame members - Dick Joyce and Paul Sullivan. Henry married Alice Blake in 1950 and they raised a family of five children - Greg, Peggy, Jim, Paula and Allyson. Hank passed away unexpectedly in 1975. "The 1961 Cheverus baseball team will be honored. The Stags were the first team in the long history of the Telegram League to go through a 16-game schedule undefeated. The ’61 team has four players and a coach in the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame, four members in the Cheverus Hall of Fame and individuals in three other halls of fame. The team was coached by Hank Stillman. Advertisement Team members were Tom Brown, Bucky Casale, Santo Cimino, Joe Cloutier, Pat Feury, Daniel Ginty, Dick Goss, Gary Higgins, Dick Joyce, Charley Kerrigan, John Kerry, Ray Landry, Stan Liberty, Bob Murphy, Jeddy Newman, Bill O’Brien, Phil O’Sullivan, Paul Sullivan, Tom Thornton and Dick White."

Seven‑year‑old Neil Stinneford first knew baseball in the schoolyards, sandlots, and backyards of Oakland, Maine. He played in a kid’s league there, and when he arrived at Dixfield High School in 1948 he was hooked on the game. “I was a competitor,” he says. “I liked to run. I liked to win.” His freshman year at Dixfield High he started at third base and batted leadoff. He possessed the greatest of all athletic attributes—speed. Neither then nor during his entire baseball‑playing career was he content to stay on first base for more than a pitch or two. Someone said later that a three-ball count on Neil Stinneford was the same as having a runner on second base. But Stinneford possessed the essence of baseball, as well. He hit and fielded well enough for the Dixfield High Dixies to spend his summers at third base for the Timber League Dixies, the first high school player to wear the town team’s uniform. The Timber League Dixies were a powerful team then with the Horne brothers, the Gordons, and the rest, perhaps Maine’s best: four consecutive years they were Yankee Amateur Baseball Congress champions, longest streak ever; four consecutive years they played in the Congress’ national tournament in Battle Creek, Michigan, once finishing third. Stinneford, though he had high school academics and sports activities to attend to as well, was a vital member of the Timber League Dixies, enough so to be noticed by major league scouts. Following Stinneford’s high school senior year, Bill Bryan, Pittsburgh Pirates scout and Director of Admissions at Colby College, arranged a tryout for him in Pittsburg. Stinneford interviewed with General Manager Branch Rickey and Hall‑of‑Famer George Sisler, and worked out at Forbes Field. But he preferred to go to college, he told them, so Bryan took him in at Colby and introduced him to the now‑legendary John Winken, Colby baseball coach. Stinneford played centerfield for Winken. He led the Mules in hits, home runs, and stolen bases over his three years of varsity eligibility. His junior year he hit .371 and was named All-American. These were heyday years of Colby baseball—games against Georgetown, Princeton, Villanova, Boston University, and all that. All‑American Stinneford, coach Winken, and the Mules savored every moment. Only school and conference rules kept them from playing for regional and national titles. After his sophomore season at Colby, he and several of his teammates went to Rumford and played summer ball for the Rumford Pirates in the Pine Tree League. At the close of Stinneford’s junior year, the Kansas City Athletics (now Oakland Athletics) approached him. Wanted to fly him to Kansas City for a tryout. Neil was tempted, but he was married then, and an education was crucial to him. He said no to the Athletics, and he, wife Jo, and daughter Debbie traveled to Kentville, Nova Scotia, where he played Nova Scotia’s version of semi-pro ball for the summer. Following Stinneford’s graduation from Colby, four years after he had talked with the Pirates’ Branch Rickey and George Sisler and two years after he had been named All‑American, Rickey was not interested in signing him. During the intervening years, Rickey had come up with Dick Groat, Roberto Clemente, Bill Virdon, Bill Mazeroski, and more. He had formed the team that would beat the Yankees in the World Series. Stinneford was no longer one of his prospects. Nevertheless, Bill Bryan invited him to Pirates’ spring training as a free agent. “Stinneford was the best two‑strike hitter I ever saw,” Bryan said later. But Stinneford turned him down. “It didn’t seem right to go,” Neil says. “I had a family. I needed a paying job.” Neil Stinneford played his last baseball game in 1957 for the Colby Mules, a 10-8 loss to the Maine Black Bears that capped Colby’s second consecutive Maine State Series championship. His All-American award hangs on a parlor wall in Weld, where he has settled with Jo, his wife of fifty-some years, and, he says, “lives and dies with the Red Sox.”

Versatile Fredric V. Stone starred at four levels of baseball, his brilliant career crowned with his selection to the 1959 Collegiate All-America second team as a third baseman for Wesleyan University. In that era, the All-America squad made no distinction as to size of institution but the team was usually made up of mostly major collegians. Stone was just one of two choices from the small college ranks on the three-team squad. Tom Scannell, Tufts first baseman on the AA third team, was the other. Another second teamer was Dick Radatz of Michigan State, the eventual Red Sox “Monster of relief fame. That season, Stone batted .426 and made but one error as he led Wesleyan to its third straight Little Three championship and was named to the All-New England first team. His first “all” selection came in 1954 -- Deering High first baseman making the All-Telegram League team as he Capped a four-year stretch with the Purple. He was also a basketball standout at Deering and Wesleyan. At Kents Hill School, Fred added football to his sports agenda. He was All-Maine Prep as a tailback-linebacker. The Kents Hill baseball team needed a catcher, so he went behind the plate and gained another All-Prep berth. Stone was a consistent .300 or better hitter throughout his career. He extended his versatility to shortstop in the fast Portland [twilight League, handled that key post smartly and was usually up among the leaders in various offensive categories. He led the league in home runs in 1954 and again in 1968 at age 32 after nine inactive seasons. Fred also tied in significant coaching and officiating stints in his lengthy career as teacher-coach-administrator at several prep schools and colleges in New England. He coached North Yarmouth Academy’s team to the state prep baseball title in 1972 and guided two state soccer title teams at NYA. As an umpire, he worked the Aroostook County League as well as high school and college games in Aroostook, along with high school playoffs. Since his return to the Southwestern part of the state, Stone has been a member of the Western Maine Board of Approved Umpires, was three years a Windham Little League ump and was that junior circuits umpire in-chief for two seasons. Fred is the eldest of four Stone brothers who starred in Deering sports -- followed by Doug, Ken and Ron. The quartet's dad, Fred C. Stone, was a colorful magnate in the Portland area throughout his life. Fred the younger is Director of Admissions at St. Joseph's College.

As the write-up upon his induction to the Bowdoin Athletic Hall of Honor so aptly states, “Elford ‘Brud’ Stover is perhaps the most versatile athlete ever to grace a gridiron, court, or diamond beneath the pines.” Beginning at the age of twelve, Brud played an unprecedented six seasons in American Legion ball for the Smith-Tobey Post in Bath. Brud recalls, “The first two years I pretty much sat the bench. I did see some action my third year and played full time my last three years. Our coach was Bill Johnson and he was a baseball fanatic. He lived and died baseball. If you didn’t get a bunt down, you heard about it; if you didn’t hit the cut-off man, you heard about it. We practiced three or four days a week in addition to the games. It was serious baseball.” Over the course of those six seasons the team won three state titles (in ‘48, ‘51, and ‘52) and were runners-up three times (‘47, ‘49, and ‘50). To say that Brud experienced success as a three-sport athlete at Morse High School is an understatement. He quarterbacked and co-captained the 1952 Shipbuilders to the state Class B football championship and was an integral player on the 1953 state championship baseball team. Brud spent one post-graduate year at Phillips Exeter Academy, where he again starred in football, baseball, and basketball, in which he set a scoring record. He also played semi-pro baseball for some of the premier teams in Maine, taking the field for the Augusta Millionaires (summer of ‘53) and the Auburn Asas (summer of ‘54). In addition, he played in a collegiate league in Stellarton, Nova Scotia in the summer of 1955. Brud’s athletic prowess continued when he arrived at Bowdoin College in the fall of 1954. Impressively, Brud played all three sports all four years of his college career, and was captain of the basketball and baseball teams his senior year. As a catcher, shortstop, and first baseman, Brud posted a career batting average over .300 and was an all-state selection for the 1957 season. Brud also excelled in football and basketball, in which he was the first basketball player in Bowdoin history to break the 1,000 career point mark. Named by the Bangor Daily News as the 1957 Maine College Athlete of the Year, Brud also made all-state in all three sports he played. When asked about his college career, Brud explained, “I had the God-given skills to do everything that each of those sports required quite well. I was versatile in that I could adapt those skills to what the particular sport season required. I never doubted that I could play all three sports.” Brud continued to contribute to youth baseball as a coach for Smith-Tobey Legion for two years and Bath Little League for seven years. He worked for thirty years in the marketing department of BIW and, more recently, provided consulting services to small and medium manufacturing companies in Maine. It is altogether fitting that, in recognition of Brud’s accomplishments as a classic three-sport athlete, his induction today completes a trifecta of memberships in the hallowed halls of Maine sports notables, having been admitted to the Bowdoin Athletic Hall of Honor, the Maine Sports Hall of Fame, and now the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame. Brud Stover is among Maine’s most talented athletes, and we are proud to add him to our roster today. ‘Brud’ Stover did it all Elford Austin "Brud" Stover Jr July 30, 1935 ~ October 5, 2012 (age 77) BY LARRY GRARD Times Record Staff BATH https://www.timesrecord.com/articles/front-page/brud-stover-did-it-all/ The Bowdoin website puts it this way: “Elford ‘Brud’ Stover is perhaps the most versatile athlete ever to grace a gridiron, court, or diamond beneath the pines, playing three sports and excelling at three positions in two of them. “Stover arrived at Bowdoin with a breathtaking athletic pedigree. During his senior year at Morse High School, Stover was a stellar two-way performer for the 1952 state champion football squad and the 1953 state champion baseball team; he was also the top scorer for the Shipbuilders in basketball.” Stover is a member of both the Maine Sports Hall of Fame and the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame. Nicknamed “Brud” ever since his older sister Nancy referred to him as “little brudder,” https://athletics.bowdoin.edu/information/history/hall/stover

REXFORD (BEANIE) STOVER During much of the first quarter of this century, Beanie Stover "“backstopped” for some of the top professional baseball teams in Maine. The retired Bath Iron Works tinsmith celebrated his 84th birthday earlier this year. The “backstop” to Beanie is not wire and wood but a genuine flesh and blood catcher. Beanie still bears the signs of that position with several dislocated hand joints and a damaged tendon. "Beanie” is short for Rexford Brenton Stover. "When I was a little boy I used to run away a lot, so my mother tied me to a post outside the house.. My neighbor, Ernest Heath, tried unsuccessfully to get me to say my name. Finally, with the inducement of candy, I muttered a sound like beanie . I have been called that ever Since, he said. Beanie dropped out of Morse High School in favor of the financial attraction of playing baseball. “I joined the Bath Team in 1914. We took the name Defiance after the Bath Iron Works-built ship of that name that was a defender of the America’s Cup," Beanie remembered. He also played for a time behind the plate for Freddie Parent's Goodall Sanford team. He batted .397 while there. Beanie's backstopping attracted some big league eyes. He was asked to report to the Chicago White Sox during the summer of 1918. "It was basically bullpen duty. Anybody who had a glove could have done the same thing. The World War I Graft had taken its toll on the big league rosters". Later that summer the league was disbanded because of the war, and Beanie was out of a job. Beanie was offered a contract at Milwaukee the following year, but he didn’t report because more money could be made working and playing baseball in Maine. In 1921, a team in Frederick, Md., convinced Beanie to play and he caught 92 consecutive games for that pennant winning team. The league included such future major leaguers as Dick Bartell, Hack Wilson and Johnny Nuen. Rheumatic fever was one result of a taxing season and Beanie came home to Bath. "I licked it by taking dry sulphur and cow's milk, he said. But spring was beckoning again and he began to “loosen up’ at the local YMCA. "Old Town called and offered me $125 for two games a week. I could handle that,” he said. But his young son was sick that season and Beanie missed a lot of practice. He found rumors about his being dropped from the team were true. Meanwhile the Waterville team offered him $150 for two games a week and he accepted. "Former top pitcher Johnny Miller, who had arm problems, came to me and said he’d recovered. I grabbed a mitt and, sure enough, he had his stuff back. l convinced the coach to make him part of the team also and Miller won his first two starts for us, Beanie remembered. "One day while in a hotel in Old Town before a game, some gamblers were saying that we couldn't beat pitcher “Lefty” Durgin. Johnny and I bet our week's wages that we would win, Beanie said. “We convinced the coach to let Johnny pitch. I hit a grand slam home run and a bases-loaded triple, and Johnny pitched a one-hitter as we won 7-0 and collected our winnings. A scout for the Giants was looking at Durgin and, instead, almost offered me a contract until he found I was too old at 23,° Beanie laughed. Beanie said the Maine State League was great in those days. Many of the International League players had moved into Maine because of better money. After coaching two years for the Milo team, Beanie came home to Bath. In 1927 he took an offer for $75 a game to play an exhibition series in Quebec against Chappy Johnson's All-Stars. “I hadn't touched a baseball in four years but I went. With mostly a high school team, we only lost both games by a run. That was my last baseball game," Beanie said. With a sparkle in his eyes, Beanie loves to talk baseball. He uses terms such as a fly hawk, backstop and vacuum cleaner to describe positions on the field. The monkey suit was the uniform and a stick was the bat. His favorite “all-round players’ are Ted Williams, Brooks Robinson and Marty Marion. ‘A player hitting under .250 shouldn't be in the big leagues, he said. "We played for one run and let the pitcher hold it. Doctoring the ball was A "shine" and was done with paraffin rubbed on it from the pitcher's trousers, the emery ball was roughed up by a piece of emery paper in the pitcher's glove and the spitter was a favorite pitch, Beanie said.

Ralph grew up in Payson Park area of Portland, Maine. He is the son of the late Patricia and Ralph Sr. He had great success in Little League. He was known as a pitcher with a blazing fastball. He threw two no-hitters and had a complete game shutout in 1969 State of Maine Championship game. Little League 7 competed in the New England championships in Bristol Conn. Although they did not win Ralph came away with a great love for the game. In Babe Ruth baseball Ralph showed more flexibility on the diamond. He was a catcher, first baseman, as well as a pitcher. In 1970 he was selected as the league Rookie of the Year. He led the Portland team to the district title and competed in the state championships. He played for Harold Ware at Lyman Moore Middle School. Ralph had a triple and a homerun in the championship game to help clinch the league title. This was the first game Edson Hadlock saw Ralph play. Ralph went to Portland High and started his sophomore as a first baseman. In his first game he hit a 3 run homer off Al Bean in 5-4 loss to South Portland. As a junior Coach Hadlock moved Ralph to behind the plate. As a catcher, Ralph batted .344 and tied the league for doubles, led in home runs and total bases. For his efforts he was selected as a first team All Telegram player. As a senior Ralph was selected the captain of the team. Once again Ralph was a dominant player in the league. He batted .329 and was first team All-Telly selection. Ralph went to Leicester Jr. College in Worcester Ma. He established himself as one of the most feared sluggers in the region. In 1976 he batted .375 with 4 home runs and 14 RBI’s in 16 games. 1977 Ralph one of the best years in the school’s history. At one stretch he went 10 for 10 with four consecutive home runs. He led the all Jr. Colleges in home runs per at bats. In 1977, Ralph had 27 home runs counting both college and the Twilight league. He represented Leicester in the regional all-star team in Pawtucket R.I. For his accomplishments Ralph was later inducted into the Leicester Jr. College Hall of Fame. Ralph transferred to the University of Maine at Orono. Under coach John Winkin, Ralph had two very productive years in a highly competitive league. As a senior Ralph batted .310 as the starting first baseman. From 1976 until 1987 Ralph established himself as one of the premier sluggers in the history of the Portland Twilight League. He began his career with Sportsman Grill batting .349 with 4 home runs. In 1977 Ralph had his first home run title with 13 regular season blasts. He added two more in the play-offs that led his Maine Merchants team to the league title. He also led the league with 33 RBI’s. For his accomplishments, Ralph was named the league MVP. He followed up with 12 home runs in 1978. Ralph had 14 in 1980 and 10 in 1983 to lead the league. He is the only documented player to lead the Portland Twilight League in home runs in 4 different years. At the end of his career Ralph had amassed over 100 home runs. Although known as a slugger Ralph had a career average over .340. He also showed great flexibility on defense. He played a very adept first base as well as catcher, left field, right field and even 3rd base. He ran very well and had great speed from 1st to 3rd. He won league championships with the Maine Merchants, South Portland, Olympia Sports and Forest Gardens. Ralph started his coaching career with Lyman Moore Middle School. He led them to two consecutive league titles. He next became the first JV coach at Cheverus High School. When his two boys got older Ralph coached Little League for 6 years. His 9 and 10 all-star team won the State Championship. The highlight of his coaching career was during his son’s Babe Ruth years. He and Kevin Martin’s 14 and 15 year old all-star team won the New England Babe Ruth Championship. They competed in the Babe Ruth World Series. Ralph has worked for UPS for over 33 years. He and his wife Kim have been married for 28 years. They live in Portland with their sons Joshua (25) and Jordan (21). Their love for the game of baseball is constant in their family. A quiet slugger, great teammate, with a positive attitude is a great addition to the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame.