Search Results

John (Bud) Gallagher His license plate said it all: Ct - ASA - Ump-in-Chief. Gallagher, former three-sport star at Portland High, was head of Connecticut’s softball umpires as well as state commissioner. Gallagher moved to Connecticut to take a job with Pratt & Whitney in 1950 after starring for the Bulldogs in Telegram League play. A fine outfielder, Gallagher hit .439 with power for Portland’s 1931 Telegram League champions. Naturally, he made the All-Telegram league team. An excellent baseball career at Bridgton Academy and Bates College ensued, followed by a successful semi-pro stint, chiefly with the crack Burnham and Morrill nine. His baseball experience proved valuable when he discarded his bat and glove for an umpire’s mask. Friendly but firm, Gallagher quickly moved to the top rung of national softball umpires. He worked three national softball championships, two men’s and one women’s. Bart Fisher, sports editor for the New Britain Herald, once wrote: “Bud's word 1s law, behind the plate and on the basepaths and it has been for a long, long time. He’s done as many as six games In a single day still does three and four games a day with regularity. He has unquestioned competence and consummate fairness.”’ Gallagher, one of Maine’s finest exports, was a member of the Pine Tree State's 1937 softball title team that played in the national tournament in Chicago. He also is a member of Connecticut’s Softball Hall of Fame. Asked if the rigors of umpiring were worth it, Gallagher once said: ‘“The associations are priceless —and more than offset the occasional disputes that turn up on or around any diamond, softball or baseball.

From the Maine Historical Society https://www.mainememory.net/artifact/103968 This image is part of the Portland Press Herald Glass Negative Collection (Coll. 1949). All 19,001 glass negatives from this collection were recently digitized though a Museums for America grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS). John E. "Pete" Gaskill (ca. 1925) was a member of several semi-professional baseball teams in Greater Portland. A prolific home run hitter, he was inducted into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976. The Gaskill family was part of the strong African American community in Portland, centered around Munjoy Hill. Pete Gaskill worked for Central Maine Power for 45 years, and also served as the Portland Harbor safety inspector for 20 years. He was married to Portland school teacher Marguerite Giro.

Auburn From Bowdoin Archives http://images.bowdoin.edu/items/show/79

A strong schoolboy career, outstanding collegiate credentials, plenty of summer successes, and a few seasons of pro ball are the ingredients that made Jack Gaudette a Maine HoFer. Jack began his high school diamond career as a reserve infielder on Westbrook's 1951 State championship team and finished it as an All Telegram leaguer with the Blue Blazes of 1954. in between, he spent his junior year at Rumford's Stephens High, where he performed with the Androscoggin Valley League Championship team of '53. Jack hit a combined .355 in high school and pastimed summers with Westbrook’'s Manchester Post Team that he captained to a Legion state title in '53. From 1955 to 1958, Gaudette played at Rollins College and his .335 four-year average helped Rollins mates to trophy-laden campaigns: NCAA Eastern Region champs, a NAIA National runner-up award, and Florida intercollegiate title. Jack left Rollins in his last term to sign with the Cincinnati Reds organization. While in college, Jack played summers with Yudy's Tires and the Capital Theatre Red Sox in the Portland Twilight League and his .424 with the Red Sox won the 1956 Twi League batting title. In the minor leagues, Jack played third base and caught for Graceville In the Florida-Georgia Rookie League, hitting .275, and Orlando, in the Florida State League, where he added first base to his log with a .289 average. He hit a league-record 3 consecutive home runs at Cocoa Beach. After a trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Gaudette's contract negotiations broke down and he retired. Tossing the bat and glove aside, Jack returned to his native Pine Tree State and began a long and varied career in education. He received his B S. in Education at Gorham State in 1963 and his M.Ed. from the University of Maine at Gorham in ‘69. In between, he taught and coached at Westbrook Junior and Senior High Schools, and called balls and strikes as a Western Maine Board Umpire. Administration beckoned and Gaudette served as principal and guidance counselor at Buckfield Junior and Senior High School (1968-72): principal at Lawrence High School (1972-76); and as assistant principal at Cony High School (1976-86). Today, Jack works part time with the American Lung Association, records MSPA Heal Point statistics and coaches the Varsity Girls’ basketball team at Maranacook High School. (While at Stephens, Jack won the Vinall Trophy as the Western Maine Basketball Tournaments outstanding player-sportsman.) Jack and his wife Antonia Jean live in Winthrop and have daughters Christine and Katherine and a son, Kyle. From Westbrook Historical Society Little did this team know that when they won the Telegram League and State Championship in 1951, that it would be FIFTY-THREE years before Westbrook would ever capture another such title! Below is the team information as it appeared in the Westbrook High School yearbook The Blue & White 1952: The Westbrook High baseball season of 1951 was really successful. Our team captured the Telegram League and State Championship. When we entered the final game with South Portland, we had a 12-3 record and were tied with the Capers for first place. We won the game 4-3 in ten innings behind Bill Cary, ace moundsman. The winning play turned out to be the "double-squeeze" which Coach Harlow had had the boys practicing all year. We drew a bye in the first round of the State Tournament and faced South Portland again in the second round. With another close game expected, a large crowd turned out. Cary again held the Capers and we pounded out a 7-1 victory. With South Portland out of the way, we faced Lewiston. Cary went to the mound again and we smacked Lewiston, 9-4, to win the Western Maine Championship. This gave us the right to meet Presque Isle for the State Cham­pionship at Bangor. Gary went to the mound and pitched tremendous ball to hold Presque Isle to three hits. We won the game, 9-0, and ended a very successful season. As anyone who followed the team could see, it was built around ace south­paw Bill Cary, who pitched terrifically all year. Bunky Buotte rounded out the other half of the battery doing a great job of receiving Cary's southpaw slants. The infield gave Cary good support during the year. Mal Roma was at first base, Freshman Bob Bernier was at second base and Joe Morse was at third base. Bob MacHardy, the batting star of the club, was at shortshop. The speedy outfield consisted of Larry Robicheaw, a great defensive outfielder, in left; Toots LaBrecque, a former second baseman, in center; and Dick Fortin, a transfer from Cheverus, in right. A good spot pitcher was Erlon Knight, who had a 3-0 record. Reserves who played an important part were Jackie Gaudette, Armand Caron, Wayne Worcester, Maurice Harvey, and Bob Barrows. Cary, Buotte, Robicheaw, and MacHardy were selected for the All-Telegram League Team, while LaBrecque, Morse and Fortin were given honorable mention. A great deal of credit should be given to Coach Harlow, who brought the the team through in beautiful style. His knowledge of baseball and his love for the "world's greatest game" inspired the team throughout the season.

Dave Gaw “I always loved playing baseball, and consequently gleaned everything possible about the game by observing, listening, watching games on tv, and reading the rulebook every year. I am left with great memories of a great group of kids from PCHS. It is those former players, and there are many of them, who, through their dedication, effort, and love of the game of baseball, are the ones responsible for my success and any accolades that come with it.” - Dave Gaw David Gaw comes to the Maine Baseball Hall Of Fame by way of Boothbay, The University of Maine, and Guilford, Maine, following a long and successful career as a player, coach and educator. He is the son of Earl and Helen who are both deceased; his Dad in 1964, and his Mom in 2005. He has a sister, Cathy Gaw Savage who lives in Ft. Myers, Florida and is also a retired educator and an avid golfer who plays to a decent handicap. He currently resides in Guilford where he served as a very well respected coach for twenty- two years and an educator and administrator for thirty years in total. He is married to Freda (Gammon) Gaw, who is also a former educator and who also has strong connections to baseball in the State of Maine. They have two sons. Brian is a teacher and coach in Guilford. He and his wife Becky have three children: Brady 10, Breelyn 8, and Bensyn 3. They live a mile away from David and Freda and are frequent visitors with VIP status, and some might say, partners in crime. Alan, the second son, resides in Naples, Florida, and works in the golf industry. Early in his retirement Dave and Freda played lots of golf, and he dabbled in woodworking. They were able to play some magnificent courses in the Myrtle Beach area in the winter months. As we all know, Time passes, and some things become more difficult. Golf has been replaced with weekly fishing trips and VIP visits. “ Brady and I still fish several times a week in the spring and early summer. I usually come home with the smallest (or no) fish.” When asked to name two people in his life who made the greatest impression on him, he is very quick to name his father. “My dad was my cheerleader, supporter and idol. He was a risk taker and a successful entrepreneur who established a successful business with a partner in Boothbay Harbor a few years following WWII. His accomplishments were made without the benefit of having completed an education. When I was about ten, dad bought a new glove for me and also got one for himself. He had dropped out of school and had never played ball. Meanwhile, my younger sister and my mother were taking piano lessons, and they always practiced after dinner. So that’s when Dad and I would make sure that the window beside the piano was closed, and we would grab our gloves, go outside, and play pass.” And so it all began. When Dave began to play in grammar school, the playground on site was not large enough to accommodate baseball, so at recess and after school Dave and his friends would go across the street to play ball on the Boothbay Commons. At the time Dave swung lefty, and that became a problem. “Across the street was Leavitt’s Chrysler Plymouth dealership. One day I really got into one. The ball landed on the windshield of a new Chrysler, smashing it. Mr. Leavitt promptly asked me if I’d consider batting right handed! I did. Sometime after that, I tagged a good one again. This time the ball landed on a porch roof on the other side of The Commons, smashing it. My dad and Boocie Leeman, the homeowner, happened to see it happen. Dad hollered, ‘ Keep on playing. I’ll pay for the windows.’” That grammar school team won several championships. They were called The Triple Threats”. As a reward for winning those championships, Dave’s dad and the other fathers funded a team trip by train to Boston so the boys could attend a Boston Braves game. Then came American Legion baseball. Dave played for Smith-Tobey Post of Bath, and in 1957- 1958 they won the state championship. In the New England tourney, Dave found himself on third base with a big lefty named Ed Connelly on the mound. His coach gave him the sign to steal home. Doubtful but obedient, he headed for the plate. After a flat slide, (“I wanted to slide Under the plate.”) He was safe. Baseball is not without its ironies. Many years later while playing town team ball with Guilford, Dave found himself in Saratoga, NY, for the YABC tournament. Who was opposing hurler? None other than Ed Connolly who admonished Dave from the dugout, “ You won’t steal home on me again.” Next stop: Orono, Maine, and Jack Butterfield. “The second influence on my life was my college coach, Jack Butterfield, who taught me much about baseball innuendo. I appreciated his aggressive approach to the game. Because Maine’s season playing outside was so brief, we spent much time in the field house learning basics. That enabled me as a coach to do the same things with my high school teams. Learning came in the gym. Practice and improvement came on the field.” In his first college game, Dave went splat rounding first base on a fly ball that split the outfielders resulting in a double. His next at bat produced a similar long drive, but with no pratfall resulting in a triple. With the third at bat, a groundball dribbler bounced down the third baseline. Certain he was safe, Dave returned to first base, ready to advance to second. The umpire had called him out, and with Dave standing on first said, “ Are you trying to show me up?” Stunned, Dave returned to the dugout thinking, “Jeez, I can’t get thrown out of my first college game!” Things on the field did not really improve. In his last at bat, he hit a rocket back up the middle, which struck the pitcher’s rubber and bounced directly back to the catcher who promptly threw him out at first. In Dave’s words, ”Welcome to college ball!” “All’s Well That Ends Well”, though. David went on to hold the record for stolen bases at Maine for quite some time. He jokes that he has home plate hidden in his garage. Maybe Ed Connelly will drop in to check that out. He was a captain of the team as a senior in 1963, and Coach Butterfield called him ” One of the best hitters I’ve ever coached.” If one were to look closely at that 1963 team picture, one would see quite a few names that also appear in the MBHOF. In Guilford it became clear that the lessons of Coach Butterfield had found fertile ground. Coach Gaw coached twenty two years and never had a losing season. His final record was 309 – 139. His teams won three Penquis League titles and appeared in the Eastern Maine Finals. He was able to coach both of his sons, was lauded by Hugh Lord in The Bangor Daily News and also his friend Jim Harvey, the local sports scribe. Harvey described him thusly, “Gaw, at the age of 39, has become a legend in his own time with his intense baseball mind, sometimes feisty manner, provocative candor and wit. No other coach, at least in this area, knows his players more thoroughly than Gaw. Another secret is his five weeks in the gym while the snow melts. His pitchers come first and he usually tries anybody who is willing.” The baseball field in Guilford is named after him. He is an inaugural member of the newly minted PCHS Hall of Fame, and now he is in The Maine Baseball Hall Of Fame. From the Piscataquis Observer David Gaw diamond dedication http://observer-me.com/2016/08/03/a-special-dedication-for-a-dedicated-coach/ DAVE GAW DIAMOND — Field namesake Dave Gaw takes a look at the sign for the newly-named Dave Gaw Diamond in Guilford, unveiled during a surprise ceremony as part of the Bicentennial Piscataquis River Festival on July 30. Gaw coached the baseball team at Piscataquis Community School for over two decades, compiling a record of 309-119 with no losing seasons and leading the Pirates to several Penquis League championships. The effort to name the baseball field in Gaw’s honor was led by Andy Lovell, standing to the right of the sign, a former player of Gaw’s. If that excellence is reflected statistically, it doesn’t hurt, but the endurance of such a relationship usually stems from the heart and sweat poured into a mutual goal. So it was no surprise Saturday morning when many former Piscataquis Community High School baseball players from the mid-1960s through the late-1980s gathered to witness the naming of the field on which they learned the sport as Dave Gaw Diamond during a ceremony held in conjunction with the town’s annual Piscataquis River Festival. PCHS baseball alumni came from around the state and as far away as Virginia to join with family, friends, community members and local politicians to honor Gaw, whose teams compiled a 309-119 record during 23 years as the Pirates’ head coach from 1965 through 1987. “Many lessons have been learned on this field – winning, losing, honest competition, how to never quit and how to keep on trying,” said Guilford town manager Tom Goulette. “(Gaw) did have a scowl, a gritted-teeth growl, and a heart for his players,” he added. “He earned the admiration of everyone who ever played for and learned from him.” A sign recognizing Gaw already had been erected at the field but had been kept under cover in recent weeks, and his friends and family did a good job keeping the secret. “I’d seen it up there for a month,” said Gaw, who had come to the ballfield Saturday to watch his grandkids take part in the town’s bicentennial parade. “I really didn’t know what it was. I had an inkling, I will say that, but I found out when they pulled the (cover) off. “Obviously I’m overwhelmed, happy, surprised.” The sign was finally unveiled by Andy and Terry Lovell, owners of the Guilford Hardware store located just across Route 15 from the field. It was Andy Lovell’s idea to honor Gaw, particularly after he bought the store a decade ago and began to look out every day at the field where he was a batboy for the former coach during his grammar-school days and then played for the Pirates as a freshman at PCHS in 1973 and as a senior in 1976. “I always had a special bond with him,” said Lovell. “My dad died at a young age and (Gaw) kind of was my ‘dad’ to a certain degree. In an athletic sense he mentored me, and this was something I really felt strong about.” Lovell also was motivated by similar honors bestowed upon other former coaches in the area. “Ever since I bought the store I’ve wanted to do this,” said Lovell. “With owning the hardware store I do a lot of deliveries and I’d go to Dexter and see Ted Clark Field or to Greenville and see Loren Ritchie Field. The straw that broke the camel’s back was after Ed Guiski passed away a couple of years ago I went to a basketball preliminary playoff game in Dexter this winter and when they announced the players they said, ‘Welcome to Guiski Gymnasium.’ “I said, ‘OK, we’re going to try to make this happen in Guilford, too.’” Lovell sent a letter to each selectman and followed that up with personal visits to explain his mission, and at the next selectmen’s meeting the vote was unanimous to re-name the town-owned field along the bank of the Piscataquis River. Gaw, now 75, played baseball, basketball and football at Boothbay Region High School before moving on to the University of Maine where he played baseball under coach Jack Butterfield and was a team captain as a senior in 1963. “I played first base and some in the outfield,” he said, “and I pitched for one inning.” After graduating from UMaine, Gaw came to Guilford for the most logical of reasons. “I got a job here,” he said. Gaw had no long-term plan to stay in the area as a physical education teacher and coach, but he quickly grew fond of the area and its people and he and his wife Freda have never left. “When I first came up here I coached JV basketball and baseball,” he said. “I coached the JVs for at least two years and I coached varsity (basketball) for six years, and then I became (athletic director) after I gave up the basketball job.” But it was on the baseball diamond now bearing his name where Gaw and his teams were the talk of the town. “In my era, basketball was nothing compared to baseball here,” said Lovell. “Everybody played baseball during the summer, all summer. We didn’t play basketball until the fall of the year.” PCHS was a perennial contender for Penquis League honors during Gaw’s tenure, winning several titles thanks in part to an aggressive coaching philosophy that stressed such fundamentals as base stealing and the hit-and-run. “And doing your best,” said Gaw. “If you do that things have a way of working out.” Gaw also had the chance to coach his sons, Brian – the current PCHS athletic director – and Allen. “I was lucky, they were both pretty good and they worked hard, and that made it a lot easier,” he said. “There was never any doubt in my mind that I was playing them when I should have been playing them.” Gaw’s compassion for his players transcended familial lines, whether it was buying lunch after a road game for a player who couldn’t afford it or supporting them in other ways. “If he could do something to help a kid, he would,” said Lovell. “There was one guy who came to me this morning and told me as a kid he didn’t have the money to buy a glove so he used an opposite-hand glove. He’d catch the ball and then take the glove off and throw and then put the glove back on. “He told me that in his freshman year coach Gaw went to a store and bought him two gloves and gave them to him. What’s that tell you?” Gaw also was active with the local youth baseball program and instrumental in bringing an American Legion baseball team to Piscataquis County. “He’s a winner,” said Lovell. “He’d pick you up when you fell, he’d pat you on the back when you were successful. He was a great coach, absolutely a great coach.” Gaw retired from education in 1993, and his primary baseball interests now are the New York Yankees – an allegiance that reportedly began after he lost a 25-cent bet some 40 years ago – and oldest grandson Brady, an 8-year-old making his way through the Farm League ranks. “He’s a pretty good hitter,” said Gaw. Maine Memory Network . Guilford . Baseball notes by David Gaw http://guilford.mainememory.net/page/1771/display.html

Brian Gillespie has been active in Maine baseball for over 40 years. In the 1960’s he was a stellar young pitcher who gained his nickname because of his sharp breaking curve-ball. In 1963 he was a member of a Star-studded mound staff for the Triple C Babe Ruth League All-Stars. Along with Bruce Libby, Roger Farrar, and Marc Flaherty, he helped hurl the Triple C to the State Championship. He was a four-year pitcher outfielder for Cape Elizabeth H.S. and a tri-captain his senior year. In the summers he played American Legion Baseball. A similar four-season career followed at USM, featured by a Surprising upset victory over an ECAC Championship team coached by John Winkin at Colby. From 1970 to 1985, Ziggy was a fixture in the Portland Twi-Light League with such teams as Yudy’s Tire, Haverty Buick, Yarmouth Townies, Maine Merchants and Village Cafe. Several times he was linked with Phil Martin (HOF '89) in coaching these teams. Twice the two right handers walked off with league laurels — in 1971 with Yudy’s Tire and in 1977 with the Maine Merchants. The 1971 Yudy’s club had a 27-14 overall record and featured two former minor league pitching-hitting stalwarts: Rick Swan and Peter Dresser (87 and HoF-ers). “Ziggy” was always a pesky hitter going .324 in 1973 and .338 with the Maine Merchants 1n 1976. Brian did yeoman service for eight years in the Deering Little League on all levels. He was a prime organizer in the development of the Senior League program (13 to 15 year olds) and also coached the Senior All-Stars. He has a ringing endorsement from Susan Hasson, Senior League Program Director. In 1997, Gillespie founded an independent baseball team — the Maine Stags. The Stags are for high school players who want to compete in the fall. In the first two years the team amassed a 20 and 4 record. “Ziggy” has been recognized already for being one of Maine's premier distance runners. In 1996 he was inducted into the Maine Running Hall of Fame. He is the personal running coach of 50 runners in his Men's and Women’s Run to Win Team program from March to September. Brian is the Assistant Director of Admissions at the University of New England. He has a daughter, Paula, a son, Jason and two grandsons, Thomas Joseph and Daniel. From Maine Track Club

Mike Giobbi liked to finish what he started. In 1975 he pitched seven complete games for the University of Southern Maine, a total that stall ranks third in the Huskies’ single-season records for that category. the same year he compiled an ERA of 0.68, best in the nation and a school record at USM. But Giobbi is equally well remembered for a game he didn’t finish. Playing for Caldwell Post in the 1973 American Legion New England Regional, Giobbi broke his strong right arm delivering a seventh-inning pitch. Giobbi’s second win of the tournament was saved by reliever Alan Schoppee. Giobbi wasn’t around for the finish. He was in a hospital for surgery and application of a cast that extended from his waist to his wrist. When he awakened from the anesthesia, Giobbi’s first comment was typical. “Did the team win?” Brian Gordon, former coach and director of athletics at Deering, recalls team-first attitude. “Michael Giobbi was one of Deering’s finest,” said Gordon’. “He has deservingly received recognition for his athletic prowess while remaining focused, humble and unassuming. teammates appreciated his leadership, knowledge, good sportsmanship and concern for others.” Giobbi played during an era of high-level competition against opponents that included Jim Beattie, Bert Roberge, Ronnie Lemieux, Larry Theriault and Tony DiBiase. His teammates were some of Maine’s greatest: Ed Flaherty, Gary Smith, Dave Schoppee and Steve Conley. of Giobbi's career include: Winning pitcher for Derring in the 1972 Telegram League championship against South Portland Winning pitcher for the Rams in 1973 in the state championship game against Bangor. Giobbi allowed one hit and no runs in three plus innings of relief. In American Legion competition, he was the winning pitcher in the 1972 state championship game against Morrill Post. In 1973 Giobbi was the winning pitcher in the state championship game against New Auburn and was credited with three wins in the New England Regional. In 1999, USM presented Giobbi a Silver Anniversary award in recognitions of his career. Giobbi has stayed close to baseball, serving as a Little League and Babe Ruth Volunteer his son, Nick, is a pitcher at Babson College. Andrew is a catcher at Deering who will attend Vanderbilt University on a full baseball scholarship.

Peeking over the wall of the right field bullpen at Shea Stadium, Bruce Glasier waited for the final out of the 1986 World Series. One more out and the Red Sox would win, something the old town team hadn’t accomplished since 1918. Glasier, with a horde of writers and broadcasters representing local regional and national outlets and publications had been herded into the bullpen in anticipation of the game ending bottom of the ninth. Glasier, Portland’s popular and knowledgeable sports director and sports anchor WCSH-TV, fidgeted and reviewed the questions he would ask in his live post game interviews Glasier was prepared. But not for what transpired. In one horrific moment, all the hopes and dreams vanished. “The ball bounced through Buckner’s legs,” said Glasier. “I knew then it would be a long day. It’s what I remember the most. It stinks.” Glasier had covered the Red Sox from Boston Anaheim to New York for 18 consecutive days. He had been “ready to go live” but it was a dead feeling when Glasier began the eulogy. There are, of course, many good memories. He recalls talking fishing with Ted Williams and watching Teddy Ballgame hit fungos just out of the reach of a diving Carl Yastrzemski. He worked with broadcaster Gary Thorne when the Maine Guides were Cleveland’s Triple-A International League franchise. And he was co-host with friend and colleague Bill Green on the Sunday night talk show “Sports Overtime.” Glasier has been fixture at WCSH in radio and television for 29 years. He is the face of local sports. By turn acerbic, avuncular and witty, Glasier is the hometown boy doing what he loves. A 1963 graduate of Portland High School where he was a guard and linebacker under Bobby Graff, Glasier also participated in indoor and outdoor track. He earned a B.A. in journalism at the University of Maine in 1967 and took a job as a reporter and columnist at the Portland Newspapers i.e., the Press Herald, Evening Express and Sunday Telegram. Glasier said the writing experience he gained was invaluable in making the transition to radio and television in 1977. “It helped tremendously,” said Glasier. “I use that background in writing scripts and in interviewing skills. It taught me how to get to the point.” Glasier’s ability in front of the microphone and camera should come as no surprise. His mentors and friends at WCSH were sports icons Don MacWilliams and Frank Fixaris. At the paper(s) he learned from some of the giants in local sports - Dick Doyle, Carroll “The Eye” Rines, Vern Putney, Rollie Wirths and Phil Erlich. On WCSH radio, Glasier was co-host of the morning drive show with Joe Martelle, hosted night sports talk show “The Bullpen” and was weekend sports anchor on WCSH-TV. In 1995, the 30th anniversary of the heavyweight championship fight in Lewiston between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston, Glasier was ring announce for the “night of the heavyweights.” He spent about 45 minutes with Ali. “It was a thrill to be in his presence,” said Glasier. Glasier said he will never be far from sports. “Once I retire, I’d like to get back into radio,” he said. “It’s looser, more relaxed. You can get away with expressing your opinion more. And that’s something I like to do.” Portland Press Herald tribute https://www.pressherald.com/2014/10/03/steve-solloway-bruce-glasier-loved-doing-stories-on-kids-who-play-the-games/ From YouTube . WCSH6 tribute https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnC7mQA0N-4

Early evidence that John Gleason, Jr. would have a long and productive career in baseball came in 1965. That year Gleason was captain and most valuable player on the South Portland Junior High School team that won the Greater Portland championship. At South Portland High, Gleason captained the baseball and basketball teams. He won the Harrington Award in 1968 as the Riots won the Telegram League Championship. The Harrington Award is presented to the Telegram League catcher who displays the ability, sportsmanship and character exemplified by Dick Harrington in his long career as catcher and umpire. As a senior, Gleason was recipient of the E. Lester Blake Memorial Plaque presented annually to the South Portland baseball player who emulates the ability, leadership and competitive qualities demonstrated by the late Riot and Bowdoin College catcher and captain. Gleason went on to the University of New Hampshire, where he was a four-year member of the varsity and captain of the Wildcats in 1973, his senior year. He was behind the plate when another Mainer, Pete Dresser, was on the mound. They formed the battery for two very good Morrill Post American Legion teams. A fixture in the Twilight League for more than 20 seasons, Gleason contributed his athletic ability and personal resources to help keep the league alive. Gleason developed a reputation for helping younger players. That trait stems from his personal experience going back to Little League. As an eight-year-old he sat along on the bench. As a 12-year-old and a regular, he made it a point to sit with and encourage the younger members of his team. After graduating from UNH, Gleason participated in and sponsored baseball schools for little league and high school students. Gleason's long career is testimony to his perseverance and personal courage. He began Catching at age 10 - a scrawny youngster who went behind the plate because no one else wanted to play the position. As a 40-year-old, he was still at it, throwing out runners, setting up pitching sequences and maintaining his weight at a level only 10 pounds above his college days. in a position where head-on-collisions at home plate are accepted, Gleason has been remarkable for his durability. He missed the 1973 Twilight League season because of torn ligaments, the result of an injury in his final game at UNH. He was also restricted for a short period because of a sore arm, but remained in the lineup as a designated hitter. Always recognized as an outstanding defensive catcher, Gleason was precise in fundamentals. He had a quick release and thorough Knowledge of opposing hitters. Playing for six teams, Gleason was a frequent all-star selection. His long-range objective when he was young was simple: when he was 40 he wanted to be catching in the Twilight League. the Twilight League was gone - renamed the Northern New England Semi-pro League - but Gleason was still there. Part of the reason can be attributed to some advice from his father who coached him in Little League. The advice? He told his son that if he became a Catcher, he would always make the team. Coaches Corner Booth John Gleason - UNH Baseball, Portland Icon Podcast . https://www.buzzsprout.com/161472/996129

JOHN F. (JOHNNY) GLEASON, SR. This year in a unique transposition, John F. (Johnny) Gleason, or., follows son John Jr., 1993 inductee, into Maine’s baseball shrine as a stellar lefthand pitcher and all-round operative at the school-college semipro levels as well as longtime contributor to youth leagues as coach and official. Gleason crowned a stellar three-sport career at South Portland High School by leading Coach Bill Curran’s “Capers” (long before “Red Riots” became SP’s nomme de guerre) to an undefeated season and the 1943 Telegram League Championship. Needless to say, southpaw Johnny was an easy selection by the sports-scribe pickers of the All- Telegram team. A timely hitter, the Caper captain was equally at home around first base or in centerfield, patrolling the latter post with the range and quickness that also made him an asset on the SP football and track teams. Endurance was another Gleason trademark, one that came to implement his passion for going the distance, as recalled by a close chronicler of Johnny’s career that led to the University of Maine during the WW II years and 15 summers of semipro action, mostly in the Portland Twilight League. it seems that Johnny and the Maine Black Bears were leading by one run in a later inning but the port sider was tiring fast. Yet, when he saw legendary Maine coach Bill Kenyon send a reliever to the bullpen, Johnny “got upset,” fired up, bore down and got the side out on nine straight pitches. A typical Gleason stint off the mound: Johnny helped the Twilight League All-Stars defeat the Portland Hoboes (actually the professional Portland Pilots), 6-3, as centerfielder fashioning two hits and as many runs, his speed stretching one safety into a double. Johnny eventually tacked on 20 seasons of softball play, in raising a family of five with good wife Doris. In view of his lifelong love affair with the National Pastime dating from age 5 when he “carried a ball and bat everywhere,” it was only natural that he got deeply into Little League wherever he landed. Dad got John Jr. started on the right track toward stardom as a catcher for Cape Elizabeth High, the University Of New Hampshire and more than 20 seasons of Twilight League play. And Gleason the elder had winning seasons all ten years with the South Portland National LL. He was twice nominated the Kenneth C.M. Sills Award as state LL coach of-the-year and co-coached several all-star teams. An employment shift as an accountant sent him to Augusta where he was District 5 Little League representative for five years. During that term, an Augusta team went all the way to the LL World Series in Williamsport. Gleason service and leadership has been equally outstanding beyond the playing field: Cub Scout and Boy Scout leader; 20-year Sunday School teacher; 10-year United Methodist Conference district treasurer; Portland district lay reader. Johnny’s overall community service earned him the Eastern United States 1958 Good Citizenship Award (among four recipients nationwide) by the Mutual Trust Life Insurance Co. to its policy holders. From Portland Press Herald https://obituaries.pressherald.com/obituaries/mainetoday-pressherald/obituary.aspx?n=john-f-gleason&pid=100291370 "An outstanding athlete, he was thrilled to be recognized in 1997 by his induction to the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame."

MOSSY GOAN Rev. Maurice Vincent Goan began playing baseball when he was knee-high to a bottle of birch beer and although he didn’t grow much bigger — becoming the smallest player to ever win a Telegram League batting title in 1925 — he was reputed to be a splendid centerfielder at bat and in the field. Described by sportswriters as being “Willie Keeler at bat’’ and “Tris Speaker in the outfield,” Father Goan had a 1925 season where he carried his Catholic (now Cheverus) High School team on his back. Nicknamed “Mossy, though no moss could ever gather on this speedy rolling stone, he batted .577 that year, had a .827 total base average, didn’t make an error and stole nine bases. lt was the kind of season that comes along as often as Haley's Comet, like say Carl Yastrzemski’s miracle year of 1967. Another noteworthy fact was that Father Goan never committed an error-in his high school career, and could pitch when called on, though that was infrequently. He also played college ball, sparkling there too, for Holy Cross College. And later toiled in the Railroad League and played some semi-pro contests for the Westbrook All-Stars. He not only was a crafty student of the game, but of the books too. He went overseas to Belgium’s Louvain University for further education, returning in 1933. He was indeed ‘a man for all seasons.” Father Goan, versed in all baseball fundamentals, is a living example that big physical stature in sports plays second fiddle to heart and desire.