LEWISTON – There are plenty of parallels between the small business owner and the world champion Red Sox.
Competing with better-looking, better-financed operations (take that, George Steinbrenner).
Sticking with your game plan, despite unrelenting criticism (Terry Francona was right about playing Kevin Millar).
No individual is more important that the team (sorry, Nomar).
These were just some of the insights sportscaster Tom Caron shared with about 450 people who packed the conference room at the Ramada Inn for the 117th Androscoggin Chamber of Commerce annual meeting.
“Why not us’ is a great motto for anybody trying to beat the odds,” said Caron, a Lewiston native and sportscaster for New England Sports Network. “If you can’t draw inspiration from the 2004 Red Sox, you can’t draw inspiration from anyone.”
Caron’s address was the finale of the chamber’s annual event, which was kicked off by remarks from Gov. John Baldacci, who congratulated the business community for its part in the resurgence of Lewiston and Auburn. But even he couldn’t resist making an analogy between the Sox and its huge fan base here in Maine.
“The Red Sox represent all of us,” he said. “In Maine, we feel we can’t win it all. But frankly folks, Mainers do everything so well. … We really need to celebrate that and we should celebrate that.”
Caron, who graduated from Lewiston High School in 1982, has spent the last several years covering the Sox, hosting pre- and post-game shows, as well as covering the Bruins and doing play-by-play for Hockey East games. He started at NESN in 1996 as co-host of “Front Row,” a nightly sports magazine program.
Before joining NESN, he worked for WGME-TV in Portland for five years hosting weekly ski segments and producing several half-hour specials each year. In 1993, Caron was hired by the Portland Pirates to serve as their radio play-by-play announcer and communications director. And he writes a weekly sports column for the Sun Journal.
But it’s clear he has a passion for the Sox, an affliction that he says is almost a disease and widespread throughout New England. With painful clarity, he recounted his sufferings during the ’75, ’78 and ’86 seasons, culminating with the end of the 2003 pennant run when the Yankees purposely wheeled a cart loaded with champagne past the Sox locker room on its way to the victory celebration.
“That stunk,” he said, as did the gloomy ride home on the team plane.
But there was redemption the following year. And in that, some life lessons that can be applied in the business world, Caron said.
Aside from those mentioned above, he suggested not taking company property home, a lesson first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz could have benefited from after he kept the ball from the last out of the last World Series game.
“He got traded yesterday,” said Caron, raising his eyebrows. “Coincidence?”
He also suggested not telling people if you take a nip or two before showing up for work (Kevin Millar is paying for his indiscretion now) and how embracing idiocy can stave off the pressure of performing. Example: Pedro Martinez brought in a 3-foot, 6-inch singer from the Dominican Republic to perform in the clubhouse before the beginning of Game 5 with the Yankees.
“Trot Nixon walks in and asks, Where do I buy one of them?'”
And there’s the importance of sharing success. Caron estimates that every man, woman and child in New England will have had his or her five minutes with the World Series trophy by the end of next season.
And his final rule: Respect your competition.
“Because the Yankees don’t suck. … In fact they’re pretty good,” he said, referring to the ubiquitous chant. “I’m hoping we can retire that one now.”
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