The Year That Just Was — 2011 — was certainly one worth remembering in Maine.
We saw one of the state’s iconic figures lose her job, one Portland school continue its domination of schoolboy sports and a new affiliate come to one of the city’s three minor league franchises.
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One Mainer took his place on baseball’s biggest stage, while Maine’s biggest baseball stage — Hadlock Field — received a visit from perhaps the game’s biggest young star.
The University of Maine football team surprised everyone — except maybe the players and coaches on the Orono campus — with a turnaround season.
Here’s a list of the stories that captivated our readers and prompted some serious water cooler talk:
CINDY BLODGETT
Hear that name and you immediately think of all the success she had as a player at Lawrence High in Fairfield and at the University of Maine. She is easily the most recognizable name in Maine basketball history. Unfortunately, Blodgett couldn’t carry her success over to her role as UMaine women’s basketball coach.
So on March 29, after a program-worst 4-25 record, she was fired. Her record over four years was 24-94. Blodgett was almost defiant in her final press conference, saying she was disappointed she didn’t get more of a commitment from the administration.
But, said Athletic Director Steve Abbott, “Ultimately the decision was based on the fact that we have not been able to move the program forward. And we have to. This program is too important to the university, too important to our athletic department. We just had to make a change.”
Blodgett landed on her feet, getting a job as an assistant coach at the University of Rhode Island.
MAINERS IN THE MAJORS
It wasn’t so long ago that Charlie Furbush was throwing pitches off the mound at St. Joseph’s College in Standish. This year he began pitching in much bigger venues.
Furbush, the South Portland native, won his major league debut with the Detroit Tigers on May 23 with 3 2/3 innings of relief. Eventually he moved into the Tigers’ starting rotation and then was traded to Seattle, where he settled into the Mariners’ rotation. Among his highlights — a 5-3 victory over Boston, when he allowed one run over seven innings.
Furbush isn’t the only Mainer likely to be on a major league roster when the season begins. Portland’s Ryan Flaherty, the former Deering High star, was selected in the Rule 5 draft by the Baltimore Orioles from the Chicago Cubs on Dec. 8. Under Rule 5 terms, he must remain on Baltimore’s 25-man roster all season and be active for at least 90 days or be returned to the Cubs.
Both players share a trait that Orioles General Manager Dan Duquette said is important.
“If you’re a ballplayer from Maine, that means you really want to be a ballplayer,” said Duquette.
ONE TO REMEMBER
Maybe the UMaine football team faces hardships that other Division I football programs don’t: a faraway location, a short budget.
But the Black Bears gave their fans a season to remember. Comeback wins, great character.
Maine’s season ended in the Football Championship Subdivision quarterfinals in Statesboro, Ga., a 35-23 loss to Georgia Southern.
Disappointing? Certainly. But for a team that no one gave a chance when the season began, it should be regarded as one of the program’s finest moments.
“Our program faced a multitude of challenges this year, ” said Coach Jack Cosgrove, the New England Division I football Coach of the Year. “It’s been a lot of fun. We got better as the game went on but time ran out.”
Nothing more need be said.
FOUR YEARS OF DOMINANCE
If you follow Maine running, Abbey Leonardi is well known to you. She’ll soon be known as well nationally.
Leonardi, the senior from Kennebunk, capped a stellar four-year cross country career with an unprecedented fourth consecutive Class A state title. Then, in her third run in the Foot Locker nationals, she finished fourth overall, a best-ever finish for a Maine schoolgirl.
“I’m excited because I feel like I did my best,” she said.
She accepted a scholarship to the University of Oregon, which has a tradition of producing some pretty good distance runners.
She may be leaving the state next fall, but we’ll surely hear more from her.
H.S. TRACK LEAVES THE PORTLAND EXPO
What’s that? Not a big deal? Try telling that to the generations of runners and throwers who competed at the cozy, quirky facility, with the smell of hot dogs and popcorn wafting through the air as runners learned to navigate the banked curves of the wooden track. Where fans could reach out and touch the runners if they wanted.
Schools that competed at the Expo are now running at the University of Southern Maine field house in Gorham, where their times will no longer have to be recalculated.
SMAA athletic directors voted 10-4 with three abstentions to move to USM rather than replace the aging track. High school track meets were first held at the Expo in 1924. As Greg Wilkinson, the longtime Bonny Eagle coach, said when the news first broke, “I don’t think the crowd atmosphere (at USM) will be anywhere near what the Expo was.”
HAPPENINGS AT HADLOCK
He is baseball’s “It” player.
Bryce Harper, an 18-year-old outfielder regarded as baseball’s top prospect — he’s already been on the cover of Sports Illustrated twice — came to Hadlock Field for a three-game series with Harrisburg in late August and the fans responded. Even though Harper had injured a hamstring just before the series and didn’t play, 19,965 fans showed up for the three-game set.
Harper showed up too and signed autographs each day. He didn’t get on the field but everyone seemed to want to be there, just to say that they saw Bryce Harper at Hadlock Field.
On a more somber note, the man who brought the Sea Dogs — and minor-league baseball — to Portland passed away.
Dan Burke, whose legacy goes far beyond the left-field wall of Hadlock Field, died Oct. 25 of complications from Type 1 diabetes. He was 82.
Burke’s passing evoked heartfelt tributes from former players and media members. He was remembered as a man who cared for everyone in the organization.
CHEVERUS HIGH CONTINUES TO DOMINATE
The Stags won the regional basketball championship last winter before falling to rallying Bangor in the state title game.
That’s OK. Cheverus won the Class A state baseball championship, beating Lewiston 9-1. In the fall, the Stags repeated as Class A football champions, beating Lawrence, 49-7. That ran Cheverus’ winning streak to 24 games.
Other high school teams had impressive streaks as well.
Yarmouth also repeated as football champion, winning the Class C title 41-14 over Bucksport as running back Anders Overhaug scored six touchdowns (and got featured in Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd for that feat). The Clippers have also won 24 in a row.
In field hockey, Skowhegan won its second Class A title in a row, 5-0 in a snowstorm over upstart Marshwood. What’s so special about that? How about 10 titles in 11 years?
And Coach Paula Doughty received some national recognition, earning regional coach of the year honors from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association.
A NEW PHASE FOR PIRATES
The Portland Pirates underwent a dramatic transformation in a span of 27 days last summer.
On June 1, Kevin Dineen was hired to coach the NHL’s Florida Panthers, leaving as one of the franchise’s most successful coaches. Three weeks later, the Buffalo Sabres ended their three-year franchise affiliation with the Pirates, moving their minor leaguers back to Rochester, N.Y., where they played before coming to Portland.
It didn’t take long to find a replacement franchise.
Three days later the team announced a new affiliation with the Phoenix Coyotes, who announced that Ray Edwards would be the coach.
CLAWS GET NEW LEADER
As members of the NBA Development League, the Maine Red Claws are preparing their players for an NBA career. Apparently that works for coaches as well. Austin Ainge left after two seasons to become the director of player personnel for the Boston Celtics.
After a lengthy search that included such names as Bruce Pearl, the Red Claws hired Dave Leitao to replace Ainge.
Leitao, who had a 143-129 record in stops at Northeastern, DePaul and Virgina (and a lengthy stint as an assistant under UConn’s Jim Calhoun), brought a no-nonsense approach to the team.
EASTERN TRAIL CONNECTING
Fourteen years ago, the Eastern Trail Alliance began with a dream for a 55-mile bike/hike trail connecting Kittery to Casco Bay.
This year saw a big chunk of that come to life. Bridges were completed to span the Maine Turnpike in Kennebunk and Route 1 in Saco. The three additions in 2011 added just under 11 miles to the trail.
This was great news for outdoor enthusiasts, who have been working tirelessly to complete the trail.
Staff Writer Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or at:
mlowe@pressherald.com
Twitter: MikeLowePPH
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