Search Results

Bob Raftice enjoyed the same success in youth baseball as his teammate, Todd Lamb - state championships on every level. At Cape Elizabeth High School he blossomed under Coach Vic Woodbrey (HoF ‘85) and was one of the States premier moundsmen. He pitched three years for the varsity team and finished with a masterpiece. In the Western Maine Class B final he pitched a no-hitter - Striking out 19 of 22 batters against Messalonskee. In his 1-0 win, he threw 83 pitches and 600!! were strikes. Coach Woodbrey exclaimed “I never saw a game - at any level - even pro, where a pitcher dominated as much as he did in that game". Nobody close to the Cape scene was surprised when both Lamb, the right-hander, and the tall southpaw, Raftice, were selected in the 1980 amateur draft. "Bob was a great talent - big, strong and aggressive. He could be overpowering and he was also very smart.” Bob was a 41st round selection by the New York Yankees. From here the dynamic duo went different paths. Todd headed to college and the Duke Blue Devils, while Raftice, after pitching a few Legion games for Al Beans Griffin Club nine, chose to begin his pro career. John Kennedy, former major league infielder, signed Bob after he struck out 16 players in a game at Brunswick. In 1980, Bob played at Bradenton, Fla. and Paintsville, Kentucky. He was then 17. In 1981 at Paintsville, he pitched for a League championship team. Prior to the 1982 season, he was involved in a motor vehicle accident and sustained bad back injuries. He missed most of the 1982 spring training and was unable to pitch as a starter again. He pitched for Greensboro, N.C. and was selected as the Yankees organizational left-handed relief pitcher of the year. Greensboro was another league champion. Baseball championships followed Raftice throughout his In 1983 he was invited to the Yankees Major League Training Camp and played most of the spring with the Big Club. He was assigned to Nashville, Tennessee, the Yankees AA affiliate, but was plagued by injuries to his arm stemming from his back. He also took a ringing line drive off the bat of future major leaguer, Vince Coleman. This blow shattered his jaw and ended his season. In 1984 and ‘85, Bob overcame his arm and back problems and enjoyed two good statistical seasons while helping Fort Lauderdale, Fla. to a League pennant. But with his fast ball declining, he was released in 1985. Back in Maine, Bob succeeded his mentor, Coach Woodbrey, as varsity baseball coach at Cape Elizabeth - a position he held until 1992. The Capers won State Class B championships in 1990 and 1991. He had an overall coaching record of 100 wins and 28 losses - including 33 consecutive wins in 1991 and 1992. While coaching, Bob pursued his undergraduate work at USM, earning his B.A. in business. Always a good student, Bob then attended the University of Maine School of Law. In the spring of 1992, he received his Juris Doctor degree and passed the Maine bar exam that fall. He joined the law firm of Ainsworth & Thelin, located in South Portland. Bob married Susan Lessard, a Cape girl, in 1990 and the couple has three daughters, Kayla, Elizabeth and Emma.

Kevin Rand has been participating in the national pastime since he was old enough to hold a ball. His initial success came in 1972, when he was a member of the Maine Little League championship team from Cape Elizabeth. Four years later Kevin was on hand for another state championship when the Cape Elizabeth High School baseball squad he was on won the Class B state title. The Capers repeated the feat the following spring. Kevin went on to Bowdoin College, where met two future Maine Baseball Hall of Famers, Mike Linkovich, the team’s athletic trainer, and Carl “Stump” Merrill, a minor league manager in the New York Yankee organization who at the time also served as an assistant football coach for the Polar Bears. In 1981 Kevin won the Francis S. Dane award for his outstanding contributions to the Bowdoin baseball program. Armed with his Bowdoin diploma, athletic training experience gained under Linkovich, and a recommendation from Merrill, Kevin was chosen as head athletic trainer for the Fort Lauderdale Yankees of the Florida State League shortly after graduation. Kevin served seven seasons as athletic trainer for Yankee farm clubs in Fort Lauderdale, Albany, NY, and Columbus, OH before being named Yankees head minor league athletic trainer and rehabilitation supervisor in 1989. Kevin often worked year-round, serving as athletic trainer for teams in both the Venezuelan and Dominican Winter Leagues during his tenure with the Yankees. Kevin got his chance to ply his trade in the big leagues in 1993, when he was hired as assistant athletic trainer for the Florida Marlins. Rand spent nine years with the Marlins, picking up a World Championship ring in 1997. In 2002 he moved to the Montreal Expos as an assistant athletic trainer, and the following year landed the job of head athletic trainer for the Detroit Tigers, a position he still holds. One of Kevin’s proudest moments took place in 2005, when he was the head athletic trainer for the American League all-stars for that year’s midsummer classic, which took place at Comerica Park in Detroit. 2006 was another big year for Rand. In addition to having his Tigers get to the World Series, Kevin and his staff were chosen as Major League Baseball’s athletic training staff of the year by the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS). Kevin’s father Leroy, a longtime coach and administrator of high school and American Legion baseball programs in Maine, is himself a member of the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame. Will there be a third generation Rand in the Hall of Fame someday? It’s possible; Kevin and his wife Tisa are the proud parents of four sons, Keegan (10), Kamden (9), Kallen (6), and Kashton (4). https://www.pressherald.com/2014/07/24/mainer-turned-trainer-earning-tiger-stripes/ “There was just a trainer when I first started,” said Dombrowski, who is in his 34th season of professional baseball. “You might have nine people doing what one person did before. It’s a huge responsibility and we’re fortunate to have Kevin because he does a great job.” https://www.ahealthiermichigan.org/2016/04/22/healthy-living-tips-tigers-athletic-trainer-kevin-rand/

Close to four decades of involvement in baseball and still going strong: Coaching top flight teams in summer youth ball and high school all the way; 35-year veteran umpire and rules interpreter (over 20 years 1n the latter role); astute historian of the National Pastime; and associated with Vern Putney as curator of the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame for more than 15 years. He 1s a dedicated, all-out exponent of the game in various dimensions. Pioneer leader in local Little League and Pony League as well as Babe Ruth League play. As head coach, Leroy guided eight state champions in summer ball: Portland Little League Three, 1955; Deering VFW Pony League, ’56 and °58; Triple-C Babe Ruth League, ’63; Deering Babe Ruth, ’66 and ’67; and Morrill Post, South Portland, American Legion, 67 & 68. In schoolboy competition, Rand as junior high and jayvee coach and varsity assistant in the Cape Elizabeth system, had a 24-year record of 137-36, or 79 percent SUCCESS. He assisted Vic Woodbrey in coaching seven state Class B champions at the Cape. Among the many Rand products, seven advanced to pro ball; Eddie Phillips, Deering Babe Ruth League, later with the Red Sox; Paul Sullivan, Little League Three, Minnesota Twins farm system; Peter Dresser, Cape Red Roses and Cape Elizabeth High, Chicago Cubs system; Todd Lamb, Cape High, Braves System; Bob Raftice, Cape High, Yankees system; Kurt Hall, Cape High, Tigers system; and Jim Beattie, Morrill Post, Yankees and Mariners. some of the above and many others also played in the college ranks.

Irving Burton "Stubby" Ray (1864–1948) was an American professional baseball shortstop. He played with the Boston Beaneaters of the National League from 1888 to 1889 and the Baltimore Orioles of the American Association from 1889 to 1891. He played college baseball at Maine before beginning his professional career. From Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irv_Ray Shortstop Born: January 22, 1864 Harrington, Maine Died: February 21, 1948 (aged 84) Harrington, Maine Batted: Left Threw: Right MLB debut July 7, 1888, for the Boston Beaneaters Last MLB appearance September 2, 1891, for the Baltimore Orioles MLB statistics Batting average .292 Home runs 3 Runs batted in 123 Teams Boston Beaneaters (1888–1889) Baltimore Orioles (1889–1891)

Dave Redmond was such an awesome strikeout pitcher in the Telegram league that an opposing team, Thornton Academy, once sent a runner to be intentionally tagged out so he would only notch 22 strikeouts in the game and not 23 to establish a new league mark. Nonetheless, he pitched a no-hitter that game and his 168 whiffs in a season while at Portland High remains a Telegram record. Currently serving as an administrative assistant to Governor Joe Brennan, a boyhood pal, Redmond, who now lives in Biddeford, pitched in the early 1950s. He pitched for Ray’s Diner in the Twilight League in 1951. Redmond was offered $5,000 to sign with the Boston Braves but refused. Football dominated his thinking. The year he graduated from Portland High, Notre Dame showed some interest in all-state end Redmond. Instead Redmond joined the Army and fought in Korea. But football continued to play a role for Redmond, for after the war he became assistant football coach at Mexico High. When Ziggy Serpico left Biddeford, he took over head coaching duties in football there, leading his team to 27 straight victories and three state championships. In order to devote more time to his family and pursue education as a career, Redmond retired from coaching. He served on various committees, such as ‘he state parole board and the state board of education. In grammar school, at St. Dominic’s, Redmond pitched three no-hitters and two one-hitters, surprisingly losing both one-hitters. He owned four no-hitters during his three-year American Legion career. He always had a blinding fastball. Legacy Page Nov. 25, 2006 https://obituaries.pressherald.com/obituaries/mainetoday-pressherald/obituary.aspx?n=david-redmond&pid=20081332

Richard W. “Dick” Redmond began his journey to the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame as a four-year letter winner at Portland High School. The Bulldogs’ catcher from 1944-1947, Redmond led the team in RBI during the 1945 season when Portland won the Telegram League championship. He served as co-captain in 1947. in the Twilight League, Redmond was catcher for Ray's Diner and an all-star in 1948 with a .310 average and four home runs. Two of his homers won games in the final inning. He also had a pitching record of 2-0. During military service for the Naval Receiving Station in Charleston, S.C., Redmond was player manager in 1950. He led the team in hitting and was 7-5 as a pitcher. The same season he played several games with Somerville, S.C. in the Eastern Carolina League. In the final game he played first base for the first time in his career, completing the feat of playing every position. In 1951, Redmond had an outstanding season on the mound, posting a 16-4 record. One of his wins was a two-hit shutout with 20 strikeouts. Playing the outfield when not pitching, he hit .385. Redmond was discharged from the Navy in 1952 and enrolled at Portland Junior College. During the winter he was contacted by Bill O'Connor, a scout for the Brooklyn Dodgers. before terms for a contract could be concluded, O'Connor suffered a heart attack and was incapacitated for more than two months. Redmond continued in college before O Connor finally contacted him with the offer of a contract for a Class D team in the Brooklyn organization. Although tempted, Redmond declined and decided to make education his life's work. Thirty-four years later, he was confirmed as Maine's Commissioner of Education. At Portland Junior College, he hit .500 in 1953 and played 12 games for Fairfield in the Down East League. He tied a league record of four doubles in a game at Dixfield. The same season, O'Connor arranged to have Redmond sent to Dalhousie, N.B. in the New Brunswick Senior League as a pitcher.ait record was 12-2. Transferring to Ricker College, Redmond was a player-coach in 1956-57. in each season he hit more than .400 and had a pitching record of 5-2. in 1956 he was a catcher for Dalhousie, earning a spot on the league's all-star team. Redmond played for Woodstock, N.B. the following season and hit three home runs in one game, shortened to five Innings by rain. He again was the League's all-star catcher. A teammate and opponent in the league was Dick Cormier (Hal, 1992). "He was a tough competitor but always with good sportsmanship, said Cormier. "I did not relish playing against his team." At Dalhousie in 1958, Redmond was again a league all-star. Bob Philbrick (Hall, 1988) was his teammate for part of the season. In 1960, while playing for the Houlton Collegians, Redmond hit three home runs and a double with 10 RBI in a doubleheader at Plaster Rock, N BB. He finished his career in 1961, playing several positions for the Richmond Town Team before becoming principal of Richmond High School. Legacy Page https://obituaries.pressherald.com/obituaries/mainetoday-pressherald/obituary.aspx?n=richard-w-redmond&pid=188599465&fhid=25478 Richard W. Redmond, 88 . April 2, 1929 - March 29, 2018 "In his youth, Dick was a stand-out baseball catcher and a four-year letter winner at Portland High School. He continued to play baseball in the Twilight League and was a player manager during his military service in Charleston, N.C., and also at Ricker College. While attending Portland Junior College, he was contacted by a scout for the Brooklyn Dodgers and offered a Class D contract which he declined, and decided to make education his life's work. Dick and his younger brother, Dave, played semipro ball in Woodstock, New Brunswick, where Dick met his wife, Evelyn, in Dalhousie, N.B. He finished his baseball career in 1961, playing several positions for the Richmond Town Team before becoming principal of Richmond High School. In 1993, he was inducted into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame, joining his brother, Dave, who was inducted in 1981. When his brother, Jack, was inducted in 1994, it was the first time that three brothers were so honored."

A three-sport standout at Cheverus High, Maine Central Institute, Dean Junior College and Curry College in the 40's and into the 50's with vast semi-pro baseball play to boot, Jack Redmond not only rated as the Complete Baseball Player but is now in his 46th year as an umpire -- the last active official among the 24 charter members of the Western Maine Board of Approved Baseball Umpires. At one time or another, this third Redmond to be inducted into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame (following brothers Dave and Dick) played every position on the diamond. Robust Jack campaigned primarily in the storied Portland Twilight League, when not venturing out-of-state. But he also graced the even more famous Blackstone Valley League (Massachusetts and Rhode Island) and the Old Colony League in the Maritimes. Some sample Redmond stats and feats: Batted .295 and .298 for Cheverus; .371 for M.C.L.; hit longest home run for Dean Junior to that time, a 461-footer as candid Jack admitted it included a downhill roll: hit .395 for Sydney Mines in the Old Colony (playing with Frere Dave) with six home runs in tough pitching circuit, also won base-stealing crown with 16; hit .310 with 5 homers for Curry. As player-manager, the Redmond stamp was clearly on two Iwi League championships for Ray's Diner. Jack also won the 1948 Twi batting title with his .406 mark. He was four times league runner-up in homers to Johnny Mancini. Jack also played for the Portland Press Herald team that won the state championship in newspapers-sponsored competition, defeating the Bangor Daily News team that numbered future Braves pitcher Carlton Willey -- before the PH club lost in the New England finals at Braves Field. With his diamond career winding down, Redmond, along with so many National Pastimers, naturally turned to softball and became a party to a Believe It or Not performance. Jack and teammates on Tommy Legere's Bridgeway Restaurant combine, Maine champs in 1954, bowed to Howie Wilander and the famous Raybestos Cardinals as Wilander spun his 8th straight no-hitter (18 strikeouts) that Ripley took note of in his famed cartoon series. Bridgeway's own Skip Conley, himself one of the best in New England, pitched a two-hitter with 15 Ks. Jack recalls thinking he'd beaten out a ground ball for a hit in the 7th, only to be called out. The umpire’s comment: “Hey, Kid, history's being made.” As for his own umpiring, the Redmond confidence and positive attitude he exuded as a player and manager has carried over as the Man in Blue ever in charge. He's worked every level from Junior High, Jayvees, High School to 15 years on the college circuit and now, ever the candid one, he's “umpiring, on the way down" (not that there's any decline in the way Jack ‘sees em.” Jack also admits “all the playing (post-school-college) and umpiring was possible only by Carroll (The Eye) Rines (himself another institution) juggling assignments during the first 20 years. From Legacy Page John Joseph Redmond Jr., 79 . Sept. 16, 1927 - May 14, 2007 https://obituaries.pressherald.com/obituaries/mainetoday-pressherald/obituary.aspx?n=john-joseph-redmond&pid=88081447 He belonged to the Boys Club, YMCA, Elks Club, Charter member and the only 50-year member of the Western Maine Approved Baseball Umpires Association, Member of the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame, and Western Maine Board of Approved Basketball officials. In 1994 he was inducted into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame, along with former President George Bush Sr.

An integral figure in leading the renaissance of high school baseball in northern Penobscot County, Greg Reed’s coaching career has spanned all or part of four decades. A long-time teacher-coach at Mattanawcook Academy in Lincoln, Greg has been an outstanding ambassador for the game and has mentored scores of youngsters in both its fundamentals and strategies. Throughout his tenure, he has not only proven to be one of the state’s most knowledgeable baseball minds, but also a coach who provided a high quality teaching and learning environment for his charges. Greg began playing baseball in his hometown of Greene, Maine where his father Wallace Reed taught him the fundamentals of the game and served as his Little League coach. Even as a youngster he shone above his peers during both organized contests and pick-up games played in the backyards and fields of the greater Lewiston area. He was a three-year baseball star at Leavitt High School in Turner where he pitched and caught for the Hornets. Greg served as team captain during his senior season (1970) and hit .432 to lead the Leavitt squad. Greg played two seasons of fall baseball at the University of Southern Maine and starred for Lisbon’s Coombs Mountford Post in American Legion baseball in 1971 and 1972. In 1973 he played a significant role in the formation of the Androscoggin, Kennebec, and Sagadahoc adult baseball league at a time when the Pine Tree League was comprised of only four teams. He played for the Tri-Corner/Leeds squad and quickly earned a reputation as one of the league’s top hurlers and most feared hitters. Greg played for Tri-Corner until 1980 when he joined the Turner squad of the Pine Tree League. Greg’s greatest contribution to Maine baseball was established during a storied career at Mattanawcook Academy that lasted from 1974 until his retirement in 2007. Reed was a fixture at the Lincoln school, serving as the English Department chairman and as Mattanawcook’s most charismatic and popular teachers. He also coached varsity golf and garnered over 100 victories as varsity girls basketball coach for the Lynx. A man of letters, Greg also served as the yearbook and newspaper advisor. With the exception of a three-year hiatus from coaching, Greg guided the fortunes of Mattanawcook’s baseball program from 1978 to 2007. During that time he amassed an overall won-loss record of 252-177 and led twelve teams to postseason berths. Greg’s squads played in five regional title games and won regional championships in 1991 and 2001. Noted for their outstanding sportsmanship and on-field decorum, his clubs won the Harry J. Dalton Award in both 2000 and 2001. One of his greatest personal thrills in coaching during this time was the opportunity to work with his son Zachary, a talented pitcher/shortstop who graduated as the all-time statistical leader in many offensive categories at Mattanawcook. Throughout his time as Mattanawcook Academy’s coach, Greg proved to be one of the state’s most creative and innovative coaches. Working in an area of the state where snow remained on the ground deep into the preseason, he became a master at utilizing indoor practice space effectively. He was particularly skillful in developing pitchers and was ahead of his time in using arm-strengthening techniques and pitch counts as a means of preparing young arms for the upcoming season. His attention to detail and ability to accomplish work, even in a gymnasium setting, was uncanny. He built a successful program without cutting players and would routinely carry squads of thirty youngsters or more. Perhaps his greatest contribution to the sport and to the youngsters who played for him was the role that he played in countless lives that he touched during his distinguished career. A strong mentor and role model, he combined a tremendous sense of humor with a penchant for discipline that led student-athletes to enjoy playing for him. As one former player and current high school principal states, Greg Reed “was a fierce competitor, on the baseball diamond, but the consummate professional.” His legacy and influence can be seen today in the work of those lives he touched. A significant number of current educators and teacher-coaches are paying forward to others the life lessons about hard work, commitment, and character taught to them by Greg Reed.

Born in Auburn, Bill Reynolds’ fledgling baseball career was launched on the sandlots of Granite Street Park. “I pretty much learned baseball on my own’, says Reynolds, who was fortunate to live in a neighborhood full of kids who were always on the lookout for the next pick-up game. Reynolds quickly achieved stature during his formative years and was a key member of the Auburn Suburban Senior Little League All-Star team which won consecutive New England championships in 1978 and 1979 with the latter squad going on to capture regional honors. Reynolds’ All-Star manager was Dennis Sweetser whose attention to detail and encouraging style was influential in shaping the talented 15-year old’s approach to the game. enjoyed a star-studded career at Edward Little High compiling a lofty .360 career batting average while earning All-Telegram League first team honors twice. pastimed for the New Auburn Legion team in the summer and continued to refine a keen appreciation of the game’s nuances under Don DeWolfe and Mike Coutts. The sturdy catcher capped his high school tenure with a selection to the 1982 All New England High School Baseball first team. Having regularly attended John Winkin’s baseball clinics for years, 1t was only natural that Reynolds chose to attend UMO in the fall of 1982 and was promptly installed as the Black Bears’ third baseman. the Reynolds years at UMaine were highlighted by three trips to the College World Series and the opportunity to play against the best collegians in the country. As a freshman, Reynolds belted a game-winning home run against Harvard to earn the Black Bears a berth in the 1983 World Series. Billy Swift pitched well in a losing effort against Barry Bonds and Arizona State while Reynolds got the only hit of future big-leaguer Doug Henry. Reynolds was plagued with injuries during his sophomore year and moved to the outfield when he returned to a line-up which nevertheless was solid enough to make a return trip to the College World Series in 1984 behind Billy Swift. Bill's senior year was marked by a legendary post-season performance on the way to another College World Series appearance. Reynolds tied an NCAA record with four home runs and nine RBIs n Maine’s 21-8 thrashing of St. John’s in the championship game of the Northeast regional. Reynolds continued his torrid hitting in the College World Series, going 4 for 8 in two games and being named to the tournament all-star team as a catcher. ‘The Black Bears fell to LSU and Albert Belle, however, to end an exceptional 1986 season. Billy’s exploits on the national stage did not go unnoticed and the Oakland A’s selected him in the 18th round of the draft. Reynolds played for the A’s Medford (Oregon) Rookie League team and Class A Madison (Wisconsin) Midwest League team before a rash of injuries finally caught up to him and led to his release after three professional seasons. following his playing days, Reynolds joined his father in the family business, Reynolds ‘Tree Expert Company, which later merged with Lucas Tree Expert Company. Billy and his wife Pamela (also an Edward Little grad and a former aerobics instructor) now reside in Poland with their two girls, ages 8 and 6. Asked to name the formative influences in his baseball career, Reynolds doesn’t hesitate in singling out Mike Coutts and John Winkin. “Mike was four years older than I and he taught me how to think and act like a ballplayer. Coach Winkin knew the game down pat - he always said if you want to be the best, you’ve got to play the best, and he always prepared us to play our best”’. https://www.pressherald.com/2011/06/26/a-trip-to-omaha-25-years-ago_2011-06-26/ From Baseball Reference https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=reynol005wil Bill Reynolds Position: Catcher Bats: Right • Throws: Right 6-3, 195lb (190cm, 88kg) Born: November 13, 1963 (Age: 55-253d) Draft: Drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 19th round of the 1986 MLB June Amateur Draft from University of Maine at Orono (Orono, ME). Full Name: William Wayne Reynolds

Henry “Hank” Richards II didn’t live his life in strict accordance with the fashion axiom “clothes make the man.” But his preparation on game day included more than a study of scouting reports. After his playing and coaching days, Richards became a respected umpire. It was a responsibility that identified naturally with his unabashed passion for baseball and reinforced an unstated penchant for having everything “dressed to the right and covered down.” His son, Hank Richards III frames the memory this way:“He traveled around the state wherever Rocky Bridges needed him,” said Richards. “] can still remember when he came home with his new equipment. He was like a kid in a candy store.” “After every game, he would come home, get the black shoe polish out and shine up his shoes for the next game. His pants would be neatly pressed with a crease - as well as his shirt - making sure his umpire patch could be seen. “As he would always say, ‘If you dress like an athlete, you play like an athlete.” Henry “Hank” Richards II started dressing and playing like an athlete at South Portland High where he was a three-sport star in football, basketball and baseball 1953-1957. A question his son, Hank Richards III is often asked is, “Are you related to Hank Richards from South Portland? Man, could he hit a baseball!” Richards’ skill in football and baseball earned him a scholarship to play both sports at the University of Delaware for two years. Returning to Maine, he took a year off from school before enrolling at the University of Maine in 1960. Richards played football for the Black Bears and graduated in 1962. After college, Richards returned to the Portland area and began a long tenure at Deering High School. He was assistant coach for the Rams under the legendary Fred Harlow, also served as assistant football coach and headed the football program on Stevens Avenue 1967-1975. Three years at Cheverus followed. Richards was assistant football coach and head baseball coach 1975-1978. After that, he stepped away from coaching to spend more time with his five children. One of those who remembers Richards is Brian Gordon, longtime athletic director at Deering. Gordon was inducted into Maine’s Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002. “Hank was clearly a professional educator,’ said Gordon.“ He was selected numerous times by the Deering administration to serve in leadership roles. He was supportive, encouraging, open, forthright and honest with students.” Gordon also knew Richards’ umpiring ability. “In my role as Chairman of the Maine Principals Association's Baseball Committee, I had to tabulate coaches’ votes for umpires to serve in the state playoffs. Hank was always among the top vote getters.” Tom Conley adds, “He’s done it all. He was real special coaching the boys. They all respected him so much.’

Elmer Austin Rising was born in Rockland, Maine in 1906. His mother Laura (Kalloch) and his father Harry were lifetime Mainers. As a sophomore at Rockland High School Elmer first demonstrated his incredible baseball talent. In the first game he pitched for Rockland, the season opener against Vinalhaven, he struck out 22, winning the game 4 to 2. He went on to set the Maine high school pitching record by striking out 26 in one game. Then, three days later, he pitched a no hit, no run game. He averaged two strikeouts per inning in high school. In 1923, at the age of 17, and a senior in high school, he received a letter from Clark C. Griffith, President of the Washington Senators, offering him the opportunity to come to Washington and “help you develop into a big league pitcher”. Due to his age his parents wouldn’t let Elmer go to Washington. If he had accepted that offer, he would have been on the Senators team that won the World Series in 1924 against the New York Giants behind the great pitching of Walter Johnson. Instead, Elmer attended Higgins Classical Institute and then Hebron Academy in order to prepare academically for a baseball scholarship to Dartmouth College. In the meantime, he pitched for the professional team, the Easterns of Brewer. In his first game with the Easterns, against Boston University, he struck out 12 and won 6 to 5. He went on to win many games for the Easterns. One special win was on “Rising Day”, against his hometown team, the Rockland Texacos. The game drew a crowd of over 3000. At the end of the game he was presented a gold watch for his baseball achievements as a Rockland native. Along with ace pitcher Danny MacFayden (MBHOF ’71) they led Hebron Academy to an undefeated 1926 season and the State Baseball Crown. He went on to pitch numerous no hit, no run games. One day, while walking across campus at Hebron, he slipped on the ice, severely damaging his left shoulder and ending his baseball career. At Hebron, he had hoped to attend Brown University on a baseball scholarship. But, following his injury, he instead pursued his artistic talent, attending art school in Boston. Upon completion of his studies, he accepted a position at Harvard University’s Peabody Museum. His first assignment was to illustrate Up from the Ape, a book by world-renowned anthropologist Dr. Ernest Hooton. He went on to spend 42 years at Harvard as a Technical Illustrator. During his career at Harvard, one of his responsibilities was to create and continuously update the enormous official Harvard University Map, which was on public display in Harvard Square. He retired from Harvard in 1972. Following the death of his wife Betty and retirement, he began devoting himself to his artwork, with detailed pen and ink renderings of scenes of his beloved state of Maine. Due to total color-blindness, he worked strictly in pen and ink and one art reviewer called him the “Black and White Andrew Wyeth”. His works were shown in many art exhibits, including one-man shows at the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, Maine and the Addison Gallery of American Art at Phillips Academy. His originals are in the museum collections of Harvard University, Bowdoin College, Bates College, Hebron Academy, the Portland Museum of Art, the Monhegan Museum of Art, the Rockport Art Association, among others. Many of his art works can be seen in the book The Pen Renderings of Elmer Rising: New England in Black and White, FER Publishing, 1985. He died in 1987 at the age of 81. Thanks to his mother Laura’s scrapbook, in which she saved numerous news clippings, we are able to appreciate the tremendous baseball career of Elmer Rising. Despite the injury that ended his baseball career Elmer’s family never heard him talk about what could have been.

Bert did all his schooling and playing ball in Maine before joining pro ranks, starting with the PAL, Colt league, E.L. under Dick Osgood and Legion ball under Jim Bouchles. He led E.L. to 2 straight A.V.L. championships highlighted by 3-hit pitching performance against Lewiston including hitting 2 home-runs in the A.V.L. championship game his senior year. Then played 4 years in Legion ball with several trips to Togus, finishing a brilliant career just 1 at bat short. That at bat undoubtedly would have brought a state championship to Jim Bouchles and Post 153. Bert finished his high school career by winning the Grandstand Club scholarship award. He attended U.M.O. and made varsity squad his freshman year pitching mostly in relief, getting his first start against Bates College pitching a 9 inning shutout and becoming the U.M.O. mount ace for the next 3 years. Chosen to All Yankee Conference his Sophomore and Junior years and led the team to the Yankee Conference Championship his Junior and Senior years, making it all the way to Omaha for the College World Series. He played under the late Jack Butterfield for 2 years and learned his college bread and butter pitch, the slider from assistant coach Jim Chaplin. He also played for John Winkin his final 2 years. Finishing his college career with a 21-5 record and 2.00 E.R.A. the 21 wins were a record for a U.M.O. pitcher at that time. Highlights included a 1-0 1 hitter against U. of Penn. in regional playoffs, in ’75 and a 6 hit 6-2 victory over a powerful Penn State in ’76 leading to the College World Series where Maine placed fourth. Drafted in the seventeenth round by the Houston Astros and heard of it while attending a Red Sox game at Fenway Park on the way to Omaha. Played for 8 years in the Houston organization getting his first call to the big leagues on May 24, 1979. He made his first appearance 4 days later in San Diego pitching 2 scoreless innings without throwing a forkball, the pitch that got him to the big leagues. ‘‘It was great to know that I was able to get big league hitters out with the same stuff I threw in college,’’ he was remembered as saying. He got his first major win against N.Y. Mets on June 18, 1979 and his first save against Montreal on June 3, 1979. Later in the year he learned how to throw the ‘‘split fingered fastball’’ from Bruce Sutter and it became his number | pitch. He split the next 4 years between triple A and Houston compiling a 6-2 record with 7T saves and 3.75 E.R.A. Signed with the White Sox as a free agent 1n *84 and played for | year in the American league. Then made his first and last appearance at Fenway Park July 25, 1984 pitching 2 perfect innings of relief in the tenth and eleventh innings getting the heart of Boston line up out in order including Boggs, Rice, Evans, and Armas. “‘It was a dream come true, pitching in Fenway Park. I’ll never forget the feeling that I had standing on that mound.’’ He finished the season with a 3-3 record and 2 saves and a 3./6 E.R.A. He was traded at the winter meetings to the Montreal Expos where he played his final 2 years, giving many Lewiston and Auburn fans a chance to see him play. Probably the 2 most memorable moments of his Expo career included striking out Johnny Bench with the bases loaded to save the game, and giving up a 2-run homer to Jack Clark in St. Louis on the Game of the week helping St. Louis clinch the pennant and making a household name of Bert Roberge as the moment was played over and over in St. Louis and across the country. Bert ended up playing 5 years at Major league ball pitching against greats such as Willie Stargell, Willie McCovey, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Steve Garvey, Dave Winfield, George Bell, Don Mattingly, and Wade Boggs to name a few and compiled record of 12-12 with 14 saves and a 3.99 E.R.A. https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=roberbe01