In the early 1900s, the Boston Red Sox were a hot topic in the Maine woods.

Howard Reynolds, sports editor of the Boston Post, was a part-time resident of Weld, and cub reporter John Spencer accompanied Reynolds on a winter visit to Weld in January 1914. Spencer wrote a feature story about the large fan base the Sox had in the remote region where, “they raise small apples and big rocks.”

More intriguing to Spencer was the avid Red Sox fan base he found in the western mountains.

“Baseball is what they talk about,” he reported. Despite living too far away to see games live in the new Fenway Park, the folks around Weld kept up with their team. “And believe me that they know what they are talking about. When I first begun to hear them in the village grocery, I thought most of them must have seen every league game played in Boston for the last five years, but most of them never saw a league player, let alone a whole league team.”

Spencer reported that in the early part of 1914, locals were still talking about the World Championship victories, the one in 1903 when the Sox were called the Pilgrims, and the more recent one in 1912 when the Sox beat the New York Giants.

Hopes were riding high for the 1914 season.

“They all look for Bill Carrigan to land the American League pennant,” Spencer reported.

For Weld residents, manager Carrigan was practically a hometown boy. The Lewiston native had played town ball in Weld while in college. Carrigan became manager of the Red Sox midway through the 1913 season and had moved the team from fifth to fourth place before October. More was expected in his first full year as manager. The Weld folk considered Carrigan a fighter.

Weld’s confidence was well-founded, although it would take Carrigan a couple of years to prove his worth. Meanwhile, with the 1914 season, a new player named George Ruth joined the Boston roster.

Carrigan quickly took rookie Babe Ruth under his wing. Raised in an orphanage, Ruth needed a lot of attention. Carrigan even roomed with him to make sure he kept his mind on playing baseball.

Weld fans who predicted that the Sox would win the pennant in 1914 might have been a little disappointed. The team didn’t come in first that year, but it finished a strong second behind Connie Mack’s powerful Philadelphia Athletics.

But Carrigan and Ruth were just getting started. Maine fans would thrill to see their native son and his young protege lead the Red Sox to World Championship victories in 1915 and 1916.

Meanwhile, Weld area residents seemed content to hear about the games from afar. According to Spencer, Weld guide Burt Conant didn’t envy any of the major league baseball players because they had to live in cities.

“He says cities are bad and as for him, he’ll stick to the woods.”

Luann Yetter has been researching and writing about local history for the Sun Journal for 11 years. She teaches writing at the University of Maine at Farmington and may be reached at [email protected].