Craig Brazell (first baseman): Finished strongly with the Mets last season, hitting .308 with six homers and 18 RBI in only 35 games. Was voted the best power-hitting prospect by Florida State League (Class A) managers.

David Mattox (pitcher): The right-hander appears to be on the fast track to the big leagues, with maturity being the key ingredient for the 22-year old. Split last season between low Class A Capital City and St. Lucie, where he was a combined 12-6.

The lines formed outside the Brunswick locker room almost immediately following the final buzzer.

Ralph Mims would emerge from the locker room, sometimes as many as 10 or 15 minutes after the game, and see a row of young boys and girls with pen and paper in hand.

It was then that Brunswick coach Todd Hanson watched his star player make some of his most impressive moves.

"Every game, he would stay however long it took to sign autographs for the kids, at home or on the road," Hanson said.

Burt Barker is not one of those coaches that is devoted to a particular style and sticks to it regardless.

"My philosophy as a coach is to look out there and see what you have as a team," said the girls' basketball coach at Mount Desert Island. "Then you decide what offense you're going to do and then you decide what defense you're going to run."

There have been times over the past four seasons that Barker has had to alter his team's style of play based on personnel.

I have found turkey hunting to be great fun. Not only do wild turkeys make great table fare, they are smart and wary and a challenge to hunt.

Baseball finally returns to Fenway Park this week. On Friday, the Red Sox will play their home opener against the Baltimore Orioles, and it officially will be spring in New England once again.

As a public service, I'm here to provide a primer for Mainers heading south for Opening Day or any other Sox game this season. The team, park, and city have undergone some changes since last fall -- changes you need to know about.

The new seats. No secret here.

PORTLAND -- The only real difference between Saturday's regular season game and a playoff game is that this one could end in a tie.

That's what Worcester and the Portland Pirates had to settle for in front of 5,002 at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

Worcester goaltender Curtis Sanford and Portland's Rastislav Stana engaged in a tremendous goaltending duel in the 1-1 game.

BRUNSWICK - Trevor Powers tossed a complete game seven hitter and Jimmy Shea banged out three hits as Bowdoin slipped past Colby 6-2 in Friday NESCAC action.

John Clifford and Tom McMahon each chipped in with a pair of RBIs for the Polar Bears (8-8).

The loss dropped the Mules to 4-4-1 on the season.

PORTLAND --With the ink on the marriage certificate barely dry, do the Portland Sea Dogs already have competition for the affections of the Boston Red Sox?

Not according to Sea Dogs general manager Charlie Eshbach.

"We're not concerned at all," said Eshbach.

The Red Sox waived their territorial rights on Thursday, paving the way for the Eastern League's New Haven Ra

LEWISTON - Apparently, the rough start was well worth it for the Bates College baseball team.

After losing their first six games by an average margin of more than seven runs, the Bobcats returned to Leahey Field on Thursday hoping to brave both the elements and an in-state opponent to get into the win column for the first time this season.

Nate Maxwell keyed a five-run fifth inning by pounding an RBI double to right-center field and Rob Maguire followed with a single to plate Maguire as Bates leapt past the University of Maine at Farmington 9-5 in the rain

PORTLAND -- While most of the Portland Sea Dogs were focused on tonight's home-opener against the Trenton Thunder, Josh Stevens was looking a little bit ahead.

Stevens, a right-hander who the Red Sox signed as a free agent back in November, will get the start Saturday afternoon against the Thunder.

The catch?

Stevens played with most of the players on Trenton's roster last season in Class A Tampa and Norwich, when he was property of the Yankees.

PORTLAND -- While down at spring training in Fort Myers, Fla., Portland Sea Dogs general manger Charlie Eshbach was asked by members of the Boston Red Sox brass if people back in Maine were excited about the new affiliation between the Sea Dogs and the Red Sox.

"I told them that they'd have to calm down to be excited," said Eshbach.

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LEWISTON - Mark Dobbyn stopped 18 shots and Bates College scored all of its goals in the middle quarters in taking a 4-2 victory over Colby College in New England Small College Athletic Conference men's lacrosse Wednesday.

After a scoreless opening quarter, Bates (5-6) scored the opening two goals in the first five minutes of the second quarter.

PORTLAND - There is a reason the Portland Pirates are still scurrying for playoff positioning in the final week of the regular season.

All season long the Pirates have mixed good results with the bad, failing to establish a winning formula. This weekend was a prime example of their up-and-down season.

After a strong 3-0 win over Worcester Saturday, the Pirates didn't come to life until the final period Sunday afternoon.

PORTLAND - Tim Army didn't really want to see his team after Thursday's loss in Lowell.

The Portland Pirates coach figured they didn't want to see much of him either after he denounced their dismal performance in a 4-2 loss to the Lock Monsters.

So Army tried to simplify things. He gave his team some basic instructions, gave them Friday off and told them to return Saturday with the right frame of mind.

"There were three things that I stressed to the team," said Army.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Losing is never fun, and it often leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of those on the short end of the stick.

For most of the Maine Black Bears, the sting of Saturday's loss will disappear when the team again takes the ice for practice next fall.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- While most of the Ann Arbor community enjoyed a typical Friday night, Frank Doyle and Al Montoya reflected on one of the biggest games of their lives.

Doyle sat in his hotel room, while Montoya lounged in his dormitory.

Both goaltenders knew that they would play a key role in their team's success.

For Montoya, there was no suspense.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.

DANBURY, Conn. - The University of Southern Maine pounded out 26 hits and scored 25 runs to sweep Western Connecticut State University, 13-4 and 12-5, in doubleheader baseball action Saturday.

In the opener, the Huskeis built a 6-0 advantage over the course of the first two innings. Senior outfielder Paul Tedesco did the damage in the first inning with a two-run homer.

• Ninety wins gave the Red Sox a false sense of security.

There is no other honest way to assess the newly anointed Boston brass' relative inaction in the hot stove league.

With just four days remaining until Opening Day, the roster for the 2003 Portland Sea Dogs is almost set.

First the good news: Two of the top three prospects of the parent Boston Red Sox will spend time in Portland.

Third baseman Kevin Youkilis (rated No. 3 by Baseball America) and catcher Kelly Shoppach (No. 2) are both destined for Hadlock Field.

Now the bad news: If he continues his rapid ascent up the organizational ladder, Youkilis could very well be in Triple-A Pawtucket sooner than later.

When it comes to population growth and dispersal, Maine's turkey program has been an undisputed success. Some of the credit goes to wildlife management, and some of it to Mother Nature for creating one tough bird.

Not so clear cut, however, is this question: How well have we managed the resource when it comes to hunting opportunities and seasons?

Although a record number of permitted hunters will take to the woods when the spring season opens April 28, there are still a lot of us whose luck did not prevail during the winter turkey permit lottery.

Here we are, on the eve of another Red Sox season. Tomorrow at 5:15 pm, Pedro Martinez will take the mound at Tropicana Field in Tampa, Fla., and begin mowing down the Devil Rays.

As he does, it's time to stop and take stock in the 2003 edition of the Olde Towne Team.

One year ago, I predicted the Sox would be a better team, in large part because Derek Lowe would have a great year as a starter. Lowe won 21 games, but that wasn't enough to get the Sox to the playoffs.

Will they make it this year? Have they improved?