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WILLIAM B. “BILL” “Bill” Troubh has long been acknowledged as an outstanding lawyer, highly respected municipal official, and exemplary Civil servant. Tonight the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame honors him for his role in returning professional baseball to Maine and for his recent election as President of the AA Eastern League. Bill graduated from Portland High School in 1952, received his B.A. from the University of Maine at Orono in 1957, and his law degree from the University of Maine Law School in 1962. He has served his fellow Portlanders well — Including three terms on the City Council 1971-74, 1978-81 and 1981-84. His colleagues on the Council elected him to the Mayor's post in 1974 and 1984. While majoring in law, with a minor in politics, Troubh has never lost his enthusiasm for athletics. Throughout the 1980s, he was an active participant in the Casco Bay Youth Hockey Association. From 1984 to 1988, and again from 1992 to 1994, he was president of the Portland High Hockey Boosters. From 1992 to 1995 he supported the Portland High Baseball Boosters. He has also been an invaluable fundraiser for the Andrews Post American Legion Baseball Program. More than a decade ago Bill, Mayor Troubh at the time, tried to obtain a minor league baseball franchise for Portland. Unsuccessful in this initial effort he did not pack up his tent and steal away. Undaunted, he founded the Citizens for Portland Baseball, and this enthusiastic group tirelessly went to work with Mayor Charlie Harlow, City Manager Bob Ganley, and leaders from the business community. The result: the birth in 1994 of Dan Burkes (HoF ‘94) popular Portland Sea Dogs. Last year the Eastern League sought a new president for Its prestigious circuit and the choice was Bill Troubh, who now Joins Charlie Eshbach (Sea Dogs G.M.) (HoF ‘95) as Eastern League Presidents in the Maine Hall. Over 30 years ago, Bill married Nancy Shaw and the Troubhs have four sons Ken, Jed, Mike and Tom and a daughter-in-law, Bonnie. “Surely a man whose unselfish vision was to bring a professional baseball franchise to the deserving baseball community In Maine is worthy of induction into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame.” Don Douglas https://www.pressherald.com/2013/11/10/feature_obituary__bill_troubh_/ Mr. Troubh’s focus while serving on the Portland City Council and afterward was making sure Portlanders had places to go and things to do. While in office, he was instrumental in creating the Portland Ice Arena. He brought together Daniel Burke, at the time a part-time Kennebunk resident and media executive, and city officials to help land the Portland Sea Dogs minor league baseball team. He then served as president of the Eastern League, which included the AA Sea Dogs, for six years and also was a trustee of the Cumberland County Civic Center, helping to oversee the recent renovation of the arena. “He always thought big and wanted to see big things for the people of Portland,” said https://www.pressherald.com/2015/01/02/portland-ice-arena-renamed-for-william-b-troubh-the-man-who-pushed-for-it/

Norway’s Leon Truman epitomizes in many ways the quintessential candidate for the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame - an outstanding high school career, near-legendary status with a variety of town teams during the heyday of semipro baseball, and an intriguing “what it” surrounding a potential pro career. Leon compiled an 18-6 career record twirling for Norway High School from 1955-59. His enduring legacy, however, is rooted in a sparkling 25-year career in the popular semipro leagues that defined the Maine baseball landscape in the 50’s and 60’s. Leon acquired his distinctive nickname as a freshman at Norway High School. There were two freshmen southpaws on the varsity in 1959, 5’10” Truman and the lanky Blynn Thurston. To differentiate the two, Coach Tom Reynolds dubbed Thurston “Spider” and Truman “Stubby”. The nickname stuck as Leon joined the Norway-Paris Twins following graduation and proceeded to carve out an unmatched niche in the fast Pine Tree League. Toiling at various times for the Twins, the West Paris Westies, Hebron Hawks and Bowdoin Braves, Leon compiled a documented career mark of 232 wins and 78 losses, highlighted by a 1.33 ERA, 447 career strikeouts in 388 innings and a strikeout/walk ratio of 5 to 1. His dominance was punctuated by 10 no-hitters including consecutive games in 1971 against Farmington and New Sharon. Stubby’s signature pitch was knuckle-drop, a rare hybrid that was actually a precursor to today’s split-fingered fastball. Phil Martin (Maine Baseball Hall of Fame 1989) taught the pitch to Stubby who revealed its secret to reporter Bob Moorehead in a 1972 interview: “I didn’t have any fastball to speak of and my size prevented me from throwing it any harder. Phil was my coach at the time and he helped me to develop the Knuckle-drop pitch. You grip the ball between the thumb and little finger and dig the other three finger tips into the top of the ball. You come right over the top on your delivery. When the ball is released, it’s not necessary to turn your wrist. By pushing the ball out , it causes it to spin which is important because the spinning action forces the ball to tumble sharply as it reaches the batter.” Leon managed Hancock Lumber Company’s South Paris store for over 25 years. He was an avid hunter and fisherman, co-founding the Norway-Paris Fish and Game Club in 1970. He was also active in the Oxford Hills Chamber of Commerce and the Oxford Hills Athletic Boosters. Leon Truman passed away January 19, 2007 after a long battle with cancer. He was survived by his wife of 46 years, Freda, four children, 13 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild. Fortunately, he was notified in December, 2006 that he had been selected for induction into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame, a fitting and richly-deserved culmination to the peerless southpaw’s baseball journey. He told Maine Baseball Hall of Fame Sonny Noel, Gen. Chairman. that he was going to crawl all the way to Portland for his plaque. Sonny says, “I sure wish he could have”. https://obituaries.pressherald.com/obituaries/mainetoday-pressherald/obituary.aspx?n=leon-r-stubby-truman&pid=86061202 Town team baseball was his most popular hobby and his achievements were mentioned in the book, When Towns had Teams, by Jim Baumer. He was a very successful south-paw pitcher with ten documented no hitters. A culmination to his baseball career, he was notified in December of 2006 that he will be inducted into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame in July of 2007.

Jeff grew up in the small town of West Minot, Maine. His first memories of his early childhood is playing pick up games with his cousins and friends. They played whenever possible, in make-shift fields in the small towns of West and Hebron. They pedaled their bikes for miles to far away fields to play a game. To them playing on those fields was every bit as exciting as it would have been to play in the shadow of the Green Monster at Fenway. His father Donald and mother Crystal were the first to instill his love for the game. His father and his four brothers grew up playing baseball. The five of them, and occasionally their uncle Forrest would be in the line-up for West Eagles town team in the Pine Tree League. The six Trundy’s in the box score were a hot topic for opposing teams and fans. Woody Gammon, from his mother’s family was also a standout player on the team. It’s not hard to understand why Jeff had such great knowledge and love for the game. It was an unspoken assumption that Jeff and his cousins would continue the tradition and also play baseball. Those early years of watching, as well as playing the game laid the groundwork for what has been Jeff’s life passion. He was 13 years old he joined the men on the West Minot town team. Many of the same cousins and friends he grew up with were also on the team. They played on Sanatorium field, a beautiful spot high on a hill overlooking the White Mountains. Right field plummeted downhill so drastically you had to stand tall to see the right fielder: the outfield fence was rows of corn stalks. Jeff grew up revering major leaguers with their pictures on baseball cards, but also had equal admiration for the men who played town team ball in Maine. Eventually, the West Minot team disbanded. He and a few of his cousins were fortunate enough to be invited to play a few towns over with the tradition rich Turner Townies. Jeff took the field with, among others, Stan Timberlake, a Maine Hall of Famer. He enjoyed playing ball in the summers for Turner even while playing high school baseball at Edward Little in Auburn. Evan after productive years At UNH he would come home and play for the Turner Townies. At Edward Little, Jeff had a chance to play with another Hall of Famer and future New York Yankee hurler Larry At UNH Jeff was a leading hitter in The Yankee Conference. He played for Coach Ted Connor and with Maine Hall of Famers, Johnny Gleason and Peter Dresser. After serving as Captain during his senior year at UNH, Jeff’s playing days sadly came to a close. His long time dream to coach baseball began as a graduate assistant at the University of Colorado. He returned to Maine to coach at Cony High School for the next twenty years. While their, he coached State Championship teams Some of his former players were Hall of Famers Ed Pickett and Mark Sutton. During the 1980,s Jeff enjoyed a five-year stint as the coach of the Auburn in the Portland Twilight League. His roster was filled with many University of Maine players such as future Major Leaguer Mike Bordick, Mike Mark Sutton, Rick Lashua, Jeff Paul, Billy Reynolds, and fellow 2013 inductee Jeff nephew, Kevin Bernier. These core players and pitcher Don Dewolfe led Auburn to 3 straight league championships 1981 to 1983. Jeff fondly remembers many memorable nights at Deering Oaks and Pettingill Park in Auburn, where battles against Dennis Gratto’s Forest Gardens club were always epic. In the summer of 1995, Jeff served as an assistant coach with Mike Coutts in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League. This started a new career in baseball that still continues today. After four years as an assistant, first at Cotuit and next at Falmouth, Jeff was named the head coach of the Falmouth Commodores. In 2004 he received the Mike Curran Award, naming him as the Coach of the Year. He has also served as a part-time scout for the Toronto Blue Jays. He is currently in his fifteenth year at the helm and has had the good fortune to coach numerous outstanding college players. Many of these college players have gone on to professional and major league careers. These include twenty-one current major leaguers, such as American League All-stars Jacoby Ellsbury and Aaron Crow. The past 17 years Jeff has had the pleasure to coach and teach at the Gunnery, a prep school in Washington, Conn. He continues to take satisfaction from helping young men develop their baseball skills while respecting the game. Jeff and his wife Patti have three daughter’s. His extended family has a rich tradition of playing and coaching baseball. From the small towns in Maine to the shores of Cape Cod, many of us have been lucky to be part of his journey. He is a welcome addition to the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame. From The Gunnery https://www.gunnery.org/news-detail?pk=1191441 Coach Jeff Trundy Honored for 20 Years of Leading the Falmouth Commodores 8/3/2018 Science teacher and Gunnery Head Baseball Coach Jeff Trundy was honored August 1 for his 20 years as Manager of the Falmouth Commodores. The Commodores dedicated the last regular season home game to Trundy, who is one of the longest-tenured managers in the Cape Cod Baseball League, calling it “Trundy Night.” Julia Alling ’81 P’19 was in attendance and described it as “the kind of summer night made for baseball.” There were trivia contests: Where does Coach Trundy teach and coach? The Gunnery. What milestone tally did he celebrate last year? 400 victories. In what state is Coach Trundy a Baseball Hall of Famer? Maine. There were multiple-choice questions: Which course doesn’t he teach? “It turns out that Coach doesn’t teach philosophy in the ‘off-season,” though I think those of us who have watched him work with students on and off the field would disagree,” Alling said. “Oh yes, there was another win to chalk up,” she said, citing the Commodores 8-3 win over Cotuit. But, she added, “For Coach, it was about the kids. As he rounded up his team and the fans filed out of the stadium, he was still doing what he does so well – coaching the kids.” Trundy’s baseball career was highlighted in an article in the team’s 2018 Program Book, written by Steve Kostas, a friend and Past President of the Falmouth Commodores. In it, Kostas acknowledged that Trundy’s 20 years as manager “may not be well known beyond the boundaries of the Cape Cod Baseball League’s (CCBL) coaches, players, or fan base, but to Falmouth, it is these achievements that have made him a true icon.” In social media posts this week, the Commodores hailed Trundy as “a Cape Cod legend,” and the team and fans alike tag their posts with #WinItForTrundy. Every summer, after commencement and final exams, when all the students have left The Gunnery campus, Trundy makes his annual pilgrimage to Cape Cod, where he has been coaching for nearly two dozen years. As Kostas pointed out, Trundy started as an assistant manager for the Cotuit Kettleers in 1995-1996 and became an assistant coach for the Commodores in 1997. Two years later, he was promoted to head coach and field manager. He has twice been voted the league’s Manager of the Year by his peers, receiving the Mike Curran Award in 2004 and 2016. “Jeff’s quiet, professional and accessible demeanor has endeared him to his peers and engendered tremendous support amongst Commodores management, volunteers, fans, and most importantly, the players,” Kostas said, noting that many players attribute their success in the major leagues to Trundy. Many of the players Trundy has coached at The Gunnery have also gone on to play baseball in college and in the MLB, including Justin Dunn ’13 (New York Mets), P.J. Higgins ’12 (Chicago Cubs), and Brooks Belter ’06 (Tampa Bay Rays). As Kostas recounted, Trundy began his baseball career at the University of New Hampshire, where he was the team captain and a star player. After college, he coached the team at Corey High School in Augusta, Maine, where he received the Maine Public School’s Coach of the Year Award three times. In recognition of his contributions to the program, he was inducted into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013. He was a scout for the Toronto Blue Jays and has coached baseball at The Gunnery for 21 years, while also coaching girls varsity soccer and teaching biology and anatomy and physiology. Heading into the final game of regular season on Wednesday, the Commodores’ David Simms talked about what it was like playing for Trundy: “Everything’s rolling, Everyone’s feeling great, and the most important thing is what coach Trundy preaches to us – having fun,” Sims said in a Commodores blog post. The same post quoted Trundy saying: “If you’re having fun, you play that much better.” Mr. Trundy is beloved by his current and former players. This summer the staff and interns sported t-shirts that said #WinItForTrundy which dates back to a 2013 phrase coined by former Falmouth player Kevin Cron. From Cape Cod Baseball League http://www.capecodbaseball.org/news/season/index.html?article_id=2301 With players coming from top programs around the country, this type of clubhouse camaraderie isn’t something easy to come by. Falmouth GM Eric Zmuda was quick to credit Trundy for allowing that atmosphere to thrive. “He’s a person that puts the player first and foremost each and every year,” said Zmuda. You see how he will stand by and develop the player at their speed. “He’s there to assist them to get to that next level, that’s his main goal every year. In my opinion, that’s manager of the year every year.” With the President’s Cup in their possession, Trundy is focused on looking forward. “We’re going to face some great teams if we keep winning. I’m going to think about tomorrow and not think beyond that, we can’t get wrapped up in what is two or three days ahead, or what happened yesterday.” Taking it day by day, and player by player, has gotten Trundy this far. With some of the league’s premier talent and a solid team spirit as a foundation, they’re clearly favorites to celebrate a Cape League Championship

One of the most courageous and determined players to gain entrance into the Hall of Fame must be Carlo Tucci of Portland. Born in 1927, the thirteenth of Mary and Andrew Tucci's sixteen children, Carlo overcame areal handicap to become one of the state's leading pitchers in the 1940's. At the age of one, the Tucci baby contracted polio. By eight he would be moving like other youngsters, thanks to the patient care of his mother. But the disease left his right leg two inches shorter than his left. In the early 40's the first "organized" ball for most youngsters was the grammar school. So it was with Carlo, who learned under Tom Connors at North School. From the beginning he was a hard throwing right hander. He lost only two games at North, both to Andy Lano, who would later be a Portland High teammate and now his teammate in the Maine HoF. Carlo pitched for Jimmy Sibson's Portland High varsity from 1943 to 1946. As a freshman, he was 3-0 with the varsity and gained honorable mention for the All-Telegram League team. He went 9-4 with several relief stints for the Bulldogs - including eight trips from the bullpen his senior year. In 1945, Carlo helped P.H.S. to the state title along with other HoFers such as Lin Southworth, Andy Lano, Earl Kitchen and Dickie Redmond. in 1946, after closing his high school career, Carlo was selected to participate in a high school all-star game sponsored by the Boston Post. The game showcased the best high school performers in New England and was to benefit the National Infantile Paralysis Foundation. Carlo pitched well but was beaten by a Keith Johnson nome run. in what Carlo described as "my biggest thrill and biggest heartbreak” he attended a 1947 tryout camp of the Brooklyn Dodgers. True to his "Fireball" moniker, Carlo retired nine straight batters, eight by the strikeout route. After the sparkling stint, Clyde Sukeforth, Waldoboro's super scout, met with Carlo and his Bulldog receiver, Bobby Graff, and said, “I curse the day your leg was struck down by polio. If it weren't for that, kid, you'd be headed straight for the majors. Carlo continued to pitch until 1962 in the Twilight League for several teams, including the South Portland Merchants, C.E. Noyes, Ray's Diner and Yudy's Tire. He said he received his greatest inspiration from his friend and teammate, Lloyd Boynton, who joins him tonight in entering the Hall of Fame. For 35 years Carlo taught piano, organ and accordion and earned his other nickname "The Music Man”.

Twomey of Biddeford umpired for 30 years in York and Cumberland counties .

Baseball Hall Admits 16 Tonight Vern Putney 12/5/76 Vanier, a familiar catching figure in Western Maine for 20 years, was one of the few receivers able to hold local fastball pitcher Pete Gaskill. Many baseball memories will be dusted off by the old timers. Gaskill for instance can recall the names of the Buffaloes, a Munjoy Hill nine. That local outfit included Harry McLean, Alec Waite, George Buckles, Arthur (Scratcher) Mayo, Percy and Harry Pollard, Albert WArd, Frenchy Arthur mosure, ,Legere, Frank Berry and Manager Reuben McLean. Pete could tell of his early years at the Harvey Grounds, where he was "foul tip" boy. He had the concession, the right to retrieve foul balls that ended up in the reservoir. Gaskill crashed the team as a 15 year old, played semipro ball for many years, hit home runs everywhere in Maine, was credited with a 500 foot homer that wound up on the mudflats far beyond the fence and donned ringer uniforms for such sparkling combines as Diamond Match. Pitcher Gaskill threw the ball as hard as he hit it. Fortunately rugged catcher Ski Vanier could handle Gaskills shoots.

Beginning at Hallowell high school where he excelled in baseball, football, and basketball, Burton "Lefty" Vinal enjoyed a diamond career that spanned 28 years-1933-1961. After displaying outstanding ability as a pitcher-outfielder for the Hallowell Town Team, in 1937 Burt met Harold Jackson the owner of the Augusta Lumber Co. and manager of the Augusta Loggers. Jackson lured “Lefty" to his Loggers and when Mr. Jackson bought the Wilton Lumber Co. in 1939 he and his star pitcher-hitter teamed to lead the Wilton Loggers to many successes. Local fans compared him with the Corinna cutey Bill Buckland (HoF 77). "Lefty" was short, rugged, and the possessor of a live fast ball and cunning curve. And he could help himself with the bat. He always carried a lofty batting average playing all over Maine and neighboring states. "Lefty" pitched in over 300 games. in 1948, the Wilton Loggers captured the New England Amateur Baseball Championship and travelled to Battle Creek, Michigan to compete in the ABC World Series. They Notched a 2-2 record. In 1949 "Lefty" again hiked to Battle Creek-this time with the Dixfield Townies. in 1948 “Lefty" Vinal qualified for Ripley's “Believe it or Not." Pitching against the Virginia Indians he fanned 31 batters in a 15-inning tilt including a fantastic 14 in a row. He allowed only two hits and won 2-1. While pitching for the Farmington Flyers in the early 1950's Vinal tossed a one-hit win against Freddie Harlow's Portland Pilots-a game tn which he also recorded the only extra base hit. As it is for many of the diamond stars of the 1940's it is difficult to determine the full worth of Lefty's talents because he served from 1942 to 1946 with General Patton's 3rd Army in Europe. "Lefty" played his last game in 1961-going 3 for 4 for the Wilton Loggers at the age of 43. Today he is a young 73 and still lives in Wilton with his wife of 49 years, Mary. They have a married daughter and 2 grandchildren. The 70th Anniversary of Wilton's Days at Battle Creek in the Baseball World Series (and the Pitcher Featured in Ripley’s Believe It or Not) http://www.dailybulldog.com/db/features/70th-anniversary-of-wilton-loggers-at-baseball-world-series/comment-page-1/ By Roger G. Spear This month marks the 70th anniversary of one of the more phenomenal events in the history of baseball in Franklin County; the Wilton Loggers 1948 qualification for the Amateur Baseball World Series in Battle Creek, Michigan. Teammates Herb Austin and Vance Wells, the only surviving team players, recently reminisced with this writer about that remarkable season of baseball. They couldn’t believe that it was 70 years ago! Because of the Loggers superior season (25-8), the team was selected by the American Baseball Congress to represent the State of Maine in competing for the New England Amateur Baseball Championship. Their opponent was the Annex Athletic Club of New Haven, CT. The winner of the best-of-three series would represent New England at the National Amateur Baseball World Series in Battle Creek, Michigan, during the week of September 18. The New England Championship series was played in Farmington at Hippach Field, before 1,800 fans. In preparation for this series and under the rules of the American Baseball Congress, the Loggers were allowed to pick up two players from other Timber League teams to supplement their roster. Loggers player/manager Burt "Lefty" Vinal selected Dixfield's second baseman, Sheldon Gordon, and Farmington's Stewart "Stoogie" Whittier. Whittier was the league's leading hitter and home run slugger. In the first game of the series, Loggers Joe Dyke and Whittier both hit grand slammers as the Wilton nine soundly defeated New Haven 12-2. Lefty Vinal was on the mound for Wilton and gave up only six hits. (This same Lefty Vinal once gained national attention when he struck out 31 batters in a single game. Can you believe it? Well, it really happened in a game against the Virginia Indians of Rumford. Lefty pitched a 15-inning, two-hit win in a game played in Wilton. The southpaw fanned 31 men and walked only two. From the seventh inning to the twelfth, Lefty fanned 14 men in a row. Lefty's feat drew national attention through the "Ripley's Believe It or Not" publication.) The trip to Battle Creek would be costly and the funds had to be raised through donations. Area merchants contributed generously. Major sponsors included the Wilton Lumber Co. and the Wilton Woolen Mill. The necessary money was raised for the transportation and each player received $123 for expenses. The batboy, Denny Karkos, son of player Francis “Fat” Karkos, received a half-share of $62. The unpaid scorekeeper was 14 year-old Arthur Wells, brother of player Vance Wells. The Loggers departed September 15th on the 1,000-mile trip to Battle Creek in one of Phil Hodgkins' Blue Line buses. The bus stopped in Littleton, New Hampshire, to try to entice teammate Elmer Knowles onto the bus. Knowles, after playing all summer for the Loggers, had just started his first teaching job. As he faced the open door of the bus, he had to decide whether to do what he wanted to do -- play ball, or stay and pursue a teaching career. He stayed. The bus also stopped in Morrisville, New York to pick up team member Vance Wells, who was there attending Morrisville Agricultural and Technical Institute. Vance got on the bus! Baseball lore tells of the bus stopping at numerous small-town pubs in route and at each stop Loggers Bob Brown, Vern Smiley, and Holman Davis entertained the pub regulars with their barroom harmonizing! One-night team members actually took over the stage from the local performers. Holman Davis also entertained fans while on the mound. He pitched with either arm! Davis was not only a singer but a comedian and also a target for practical jokes by his teammates. During a different season, the team was going to the state prison to play an inmate team. In preparation, team member Ivan Crouse, shop teacher at Wilton Academy, fabricated a hack saw to be secretly placed in Holman’s duffle bag. On game day the team entered the prison. A guard routinely inspected all items brought into the prison. He opened the duffle bag and pulled out the hack saw and confronted Holman who is mortified and frighten, and desperately pleads no knowledge. The guard was in on the joke but they got Holman good that day! Loggers bat boy Denny Karkos once wrote about being at a prison game and when a ball was hit over the prison wall; the prisoners would yell “I’ll get it Warden!” Back to the trip to Battle Creek: the Wilton Boys of Summer were having a real good time along the way! They often played music on the bus with Herb Austin on harmonica, Bob Brown playing jug, and several others taking their turn on the wash board! A stop in Wickliffe, Ohio, was certainly one of the most memberable as Austin and Wells recalled it. The next morning the team bus was given, with cruiser lights flashing, a police escort out of town to the city limits of Cleveland! The team arrived in Battle Creek on September 17th. Their first game, the next day, was against Aberdeen, South Dakota. Logger Aaron “Stub” Parker years later told of how well their stay in Battle Creek was organized. Much of this was due to the volunteer efforts Battle Creek business people who acted as hosts to the visiting teams. Players enjoyed visits to the famous W.K. Kellogg cereal plant. The Post Cereals Division of the General Food Corporation provided Post Park, one of the beautiful fields used for the World Series. The Loggers lost the opening game to South Dakota 9-7 in extra innings. Wilton almost had the game won in the bottom of the ninth when Sheldon Gordon tried to stretch a triple into a home run. He was thrown out at the plate. South Dakota won it in the tenth inning. Herb Austin and Lefty Vinal in relief, shared the pitching duties for the Loggers. The World Series was a double elimination event so the Loggers returned the next day to face McClusky, North Dakota, who had lost the previous day to Hannibal, Missouri. This time the Loggers were successful as Herb Austin hit home the winning run after Bion Keene's hit had tied the score. Austin then relieved starter and winning pitcher Vinal in the ninth inning to save the 4-1 victory. The Loggers had the next day off and then resumed play against Little Rock, Arkansas, in the quarter-finals. The Loggers won 8-7 when Keene knocked in the winning run in the ninth inning with two out. The Loggers starting pitcher was Holman Davis, who was later relieved by Stoogie Whittier. However, it was the diminutive 19-year-old Herb Austin who gained the victory, making his third pitching appearance in as many games. Austin contributed his success to a submarine curve ball and mixing up his delivery motion to throw off the timing of hitters. On the next day, the Wilton nine met and lost to a very formidable Birmingham, Alabama, team. Austin (the iron man) once again was sent to the mound in the starting role, but not even he could calm the bats of the Birmingham club. The Loggers were eliminated and Birmingham went on to win the 16-team World Series. Wilton finished a very respectable sixth. Wells said they were referred to as the “Cinderella” team in Battle Creek. Among the top World Series hitters were Loggers Herb Austin (.474), Bion Keene (.412), Mel Pomeroy (.375) and Sheldon Gordon (.357). Keene, at age 38, was voted World Series first team catcher, and Austin was voted second team pitcher/outfielder. Honorable mention was awarded to Pomeroy, Vinal, and Gordon. For the trip home Austin and Wells remembered bus driver Phil Hodgkins asking the team if they wanted to take a couple of overnights along the way. The consensus was, it’s time to get back to Wilton. They had played hard on and off the field; it was now over. As the team slept, Hodgkins drove, without any sleep, straight back home with only one incident! In the middle of the night Hodgkins suddenly slammed on the brakes causing players to fall to the floor. Phil had missed a turn and had driven within inches of the front porch of a farm house! The Loggers went to Battle Creek without high expectations, realizing they would be facing the best amateur teams in the country. They weren't as photogenic or as sharp looking as their opponents. The wool material for their uniforms was given to the team, and Mrs. Yvonne Schuman of Wilton sewed them. The uniforms were not "uniform." Nevertheless, the Loggers showed that they could play with the best. They did Wilton and Franklin County proud in 1948. Vinal, Burton (91) October 31, 1918 - January 28, 1998 79 years

Outstanding in basketball and baseball, Walls began his athletic career at Harbor High School. He lives in retirement at Tucson and at 83, is the oldest of the Hall inductees for the "Class of 1991". After high school, Walls played third base for Camden in the Maine Seacoast League. His next stop was Kents Hill School where he captained the basketball team that won the Maine Prep School championship. Walls was chosen as a member of the New England East Coast Prep School All-Stars. After leaving Kents Hill, Walls played on several Maine semipro teams. In 1933 he became the property of the Boston Braves and was sent to Harrisburg, Pa., in the New York-Penn League. in a letter home, Walls described the experience: "We have 75 men out for the team this spring. The first day out there were 59 men. From these, 15 were to be chosen and there were from four to 25 for each position. You can see how the competition is here. It looks doubtful as to whether a "rookie " can make the grade this year. Nearly all of last years men are returning and a rookie's chances are about 50 to one against him. Walls earned $37.50 per week playing with Harrisburg. At Manchester he was paid $25 per week. Subsequent stops along the professional trail included New Bedford in the Northeastern League, back to Harrisburg, and on to Manchester in the Northeastern League. Always solid at the plate, the maintained a .300 average. The pay was low but there was a bonus in New Bedford-he met his future wife Gertrude. When the league folded the next season, Walls joined the J.E. Mc Elwain Shoe Co. team in Manchester. Teammates included acquaintances from the old Northeastern League. Wails recalls playing against teams from Maine, New Hampshire and Mass.. After three years, he retired from baseball to devote time to his family.

Fred Walker was a rare breed of pitcher for he could also hit the ball—with authority. The Brownfield native also took part in a rare baseball feat while playing for Island Falls: two successive no-hitters, one of which he pitched. “Lefty Narcus threw the other no-hitter,” said the 80-year old Walker, an avid fisherman and hunter who shot a deer last fall. “Vil never forget that feat.” A graduate of Fryeburg Academy and Bowdoin College, the solidly built, 5-11, 180-pound Walker never had a major league tryout despite a stellar collegiate career. He became a math high school teacher in Dedham, Mass., instead. Walker wasn’t confined to the classroom, however, also selling cars at one time with his brothers and also working as manager of W. T. Grants. Asked what were his best pitches, Walker said: ‘‘A hop and a fastball.’’ He also had good control and was patient on the mound. “I never got excited,” said the even-tempered Walker, married for 53 years to Christine. They have two daughters, June and Lois, and both were active in sports. Lois was a pitcher in softball and June was a basketball coach.

The Maine Baseball Hall of Fame will now have two Joseph P. Walsh entries. Joe Walsh, who pitched with success at every level from Little League to the Baltimore Oriole farm system in the 1950’s and 1960’s, will join his grandfather, a great semi pro pitcher at the turn of the century. This is the first grandfather-grandson duo in Hall annals. The younger Walsh was always a hard throwing right-hander. After good success in youth leagues, Joe became the mainstay of Cheverus Stag teams of 1964 and 1965. He was co-captain of the ’65 club. In 1966, he hurled for Bridgton Academy. After the stint with the Wolverines, he matriculated at St. Francis College in Biddeford for two years and at the University of Southern Maine in 1969. While at Bridgton, Joe threw a one-hitter against arch rival MCI. During the summers of his collegiate years, South Portland’s Walsh, about 6’1’’ and 180, was a standout in the fast Portland Twilight League. While pitching for Bob Philbrick’s Ametek nine, Joe recorded an unprecedented pair of back-to-back no-hitters — against the league’s toughest opposition, the Yarmouth Townies. In 1967, Joe captained the Ametek club to the Maine Semi-Pro Title and Twilight League Championship. His exploits attracted the attention of big league talent hunters and, after a workout at Fenway Park and other look-sees, he was signed for a satisfactory bonus by Frank Seyboth, a Baltimore Orioles scout. Joe spent two years in the classy Baltimore system, pitching with the Stockton Ports of the Class A California League and Dallas Fort-Worth. In his first 30 innings with the Ports, he struck out 37 batters. Some of the tougher Cal League hitters Joe recalls were George Foster, Ron Cey, and Tom Paciorek. Like so many practitioners of the world’s most precarious occupation, Maine’s Walsh developed arm problems. Trying to add a slider to his repertoire, Joe found his fastball losing velocity, base hits coming more frequently, and his right arm hurting. Tonight, Joe will joint with his former coach Philbrick and another Maine contribution to the Orioles, Brian Swasey, to enter the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame. He will probably, like most pitchers, be boasting about his hitting. He could swing the stick and quite often played third base when not pitching. In one Cal League boxscore, we found him getting two hits against the Fresno Giants. Don’t let him fool you! Behind the cockiness and bravado was a real tough hurler. He could bring ‘‘the heater’’!

Harold Ware was voted “Most Representative American Boy’ by the Standish High School student body in 1949, his senior year, as he received the Wescott Cup. A similar honor could reasonably be bestowed the Sebago Laker as most representative of the best that baseball has to offer via his exemplary performance as player, player-manager and teacher-coach in four decades of devotion to the National Pastime. The numbers alone racked up by this prototypical third baseman and solid left-handed hitter speak eloquently: Four years of classy play at S.H.S. under that bona fide legend and early Baseball Hall of Famer, Rupe Johnson, coach of multiple Triple-C champions and molder of young men; Harold, in turn, passing along to associates and charges much of what he gleaned from the man he regarded as a second father. Comparable stardom in basketball under the same master. All-Triple C in both sports his senior year. After an interlude involving employment and Army service during the Korean conflict era via activation of the Maine National Guard, four more stellar baseball seasons at nearby Gorham State College (now U.S.M.) ensued: MVP in 1957 and 1960, captain the latter campaign; feats prompting induction in the Husky Hall of Fame. Along the way, selection to the Press Herald team in New England competition sponsored by the Boston Braves; play at Fort Campbell, Ky., comparing well with top-ranked collegians and future professionals. Twice invited to St. Louis Cardinals try-out Camp. Back home, resumed action in amateur and semi-pro circuits, going on to complete 21 years in the prestigious Portland Twilight League on eight different teams -- Miss Portland Diner, D.A. Fogg, Wholesale Tire, Westbrook Merchants, South Portland Merchants, Woodfords Merchants, Ametek, Yarmouth Townies; several times an All- Twi choice. Other affiliations -- Cumberland and Gray in the Casco Bay League; Baldwin Apples, Hiram Aces, Sebago Lake Chevroliers and Limington A.C. in the Saco Valley League. Key role in numerous championships throughout his career. While the proverbial “Hot Corner” was Harold’s home in the field as its most reliable guardian with a strong and accurate throwing arm, he could and did play all other positions at one time or another while consistently batting .300-plus with a power accent. But beyond the impressive playing numbers lay the impact, the influence, the judgement of Ware the coach that rebounds to this day on many a diamond. In 12 years as mentor at Portland’s Lyman Moore Middle School, marked by a series of titles, he set a steady stream of youngsters onto the proper baseball course and attendant lines of sportsmanship. Ed Flaherty is one prime example emanating from those Falcon flocks. Prescient Harold in a letter to the Press Herald predicted much success for the former Deering and University of Maine standout when Ed was named the Deering coach. The rest is rich history: A state championship at Deering and then the U.S.M. program Ed has built to nail two National NCAA Division Il championships and is still going strong. https://www.pressherald.com/2018/04/15/standish-american-legion-post-changes-its-name-back/

“The first thing I see in my house every morning, when I get up, go to the kitchen sink, turn on the water for the morning coffee, and look out the window, is a baseball field in my back yard. We built a Little League field 20 years ago to help with overflow Scarborough Little League games. The last thing I see when I get home at night, sometimes in the darkness, and drive down the drive way, is another baseball field, in my front yard. We built a big diamond there about 15 years ago for American Legion practices, and pitcher and catcher workouts. Little babies have pacifiers. Adult males have baseball fields.” - Dan Warren “Dan was the smartest pitcher I ever coached in 33 years. He asked me once, after Jim Dillon had pitched us to a state title in 1986 , with a 90 mph fastball: ‘So, coach, what was my velocity like?’ I told him: ‘You were the smartest pitcher I ever coached.’ He wasn’t giving up: ‘But what kind of miles per hour was I putting out?’ I responded: ‘You never beat yourself.’ I liked these answers. I still do. Coming from me, they were a compliment. But I don’t think they were what Dan was looking for. He did have a great strikeout-to-walk ratio in three years of varsity ball at ScarboROUGH. --- 7 to 2 ---But, Jesus did he throw a lot of pitches! Go to the Maine Mall any Saturday afternoon in December. Look around at all the adult males there between the ages of 35 and 50. Dan went to full count again against most of them in the 1970s. He CAN sell raffle tickets, though.” - PHIL MARTIN Some people collect stamps. Some collect classic cars. Dan Warren has spent 50 years collecting baseball friends and fellow boosters. He says the benefits of the game as a teacher of life skills became clear early. “In Little League, we traveled to Sherbrooke, Quebec for a best-of-three international series.” We lost the rubber game 2-0. I pitched. As a hitter, I struck out with the bases loaded, fifth inning. “When we got back to Scarborough, the next day, there was an 8 x 11 inch envelope on my front porch. In it was the poem “If,” by Rudyard Kipling. At age 11, I had a baseball coach giving me a poem about stoicism, wisdom, and perseverance. Wow. I was lucky to have that coach, Marc Corb. Hard to estimate the good influence on me. “ Life for kids on Fogg Road in the 1960s was three things, Warren says: “Baseball in the morning. Baseball in the afternoon. Baseball after supper.” This readied Dan for a career as a pitcher at Scarborough High School, and Owen-Davis Post of Saco. “Most every coach I ever had ended up inducted in the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame. Packy McFarland, Phil Martin, Bob Curry, Brad Leach. “That didn’t make me a great player--God bless them all for trying!--it just taught me to love the game. What a great gift.” After two part- time summers in the Portland Twilight League, and four days on the University of Maine Black Bears, Dan was headed , down the road, for a career as a part- time player, and full- time promoter of the game. “Three of us from the old Triple - C conference (Portland suburbs) walked on to the UMO team, fall 1975. John Winkin was in his second year coaching. His new assistant was Stump Merrill. Stump told me I could have a uniform but I would never throw a pitch.” The team would end up going to the College World Series in Omaha six months later, Spring 1976. “Retirement suddenly sounded like a good idea, Warren jokes. The 1980s for Dan were dominated by law school, and political service in the Maine Legislature, and Scarborough Town Council. In 1987, Dan turned 30. Things changed. “Baseball suddenly returned in my life,” he says. Warren helped Commissioner Dean Rogers start the Southern Maine Men’s Over-30 Hardball League. Dan would play, coach and organize several teams over the next decade. Hundreds of guys played. “I went from being a pitcher to being a catcher,” he recalls. “At that level, if you are in shape, you catch. Not many guys can squat for three hours!” The over-30 experience got him involved in other areas of baseball in 1989. “Peggy Siegle had just started the first indoor baseball facility in Maine-- Four Seasons Baseball. My high school coach, Phil Martin, was her first paid instructor. He got me to start bring high school kids over in the winter to hit and throw. We did winter throwing for 20 years.” In 1999, Warren took over the GM role of the Libby- Mitchell American Legion Post 76 team from HOFer Bob Philbrick. He did that for 17 years, in addition to being active in the state and regional Legion organizations to build Legion baseball in Maine. Once a month, he wrote a column in the Maine Legionnaire magazine called “The Baseball Beat.” Meanwhile, Dan got married in 1992 and the three children he would eventually father, Maddie, Sophie and Sam, would play sports. Sam turned five in 2002, and Dan learned something. “Little League baseball ended about June 15 each year due to parent wishes to go on post- school year vacations. So there was no summer baseball. What?!” Warren and others started the SOUTHERN MAINE KIDS TRAVEL BASEBALL LEAGUE (KTB) in 2003. Boys in Cumberland and York Counties withdrew have a place to play ball in July. “Up and down the Maine Turnpike corridor, Gray to Kittery, boys ages 7-- 12 were playing baseball in gorgeous sunny summer days. We had 30 teams and 18 towns and cities involved. KTB is still going strong.” Warren built a KTB field in his backyard, and a Legion practice diamond in his front yard. “Some guys have a mid-life crisis in their 40s, and develop exotic hobbies. I built baseball fields,” he laughs. More than 3,500 kids have played in the KRB league over 15 years. Warren says he loves driving around in the summer and seeing KTB games going on. “I think to myself: “I helped start that.’ It’s nice.” he says. Warren says baseball has been a great adult hobby and avocation for him the past 40 years. “A high school English teacher, Martha McFarland, the daughter of my first SHS coach, Packy McFarland, used to joke by saying: ‘Baseball is a great game, where anything can happen at any moment----and usually doesn’t!’ “I actually like that quote. Baseball prepares us for life. Be ready. Don’t miss a minute! I haven’t.” https://leader.mainelymediallc.com/articles/warren-receives-call-from-maine-hall/ Don Douglas, a member of the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame selection committee said Warren’s recognition is well deserved. “We looked at Dan as one of those figures in Maine that has really taken it upon themselves to make sure others had the opportunity to play baseball. That was his passion and his goal. He wanted others to have a chance to play and he succeeded exceptionally well in doing that,” said Douglas, a 1991 Hall of Fame inductee.