Local baseball fans may remember a time when future Major Leaguer Mike Bordick roamed the infield at Pettengill Park for the Auburn Asas in the Portland Twilight League.
The Asas folded in the late 1980s, and the Twilight League nearly followed a few years later. Now the league, entering its 103rd year, has the distinction of being the longest running semi-pro league of its type in North America, and it is looking to return to the Twin Cities.
Twilight League president Jim Baumer announced Monday that the league is hoping to base a team in Lewiston/Auburn for the 2005 season and is looking for interested players and sponsors to help get it off the ground.
“I really feel like there’s enough interest, if not just in Lewiston/Auburn, then probably into Oxford Hills and up into the Rumford area,” said Baumer, who lives in Durham and coaches one of the league’s five teams, the Portland-based Maine Merchants.
The wood bat league consists of five southern Maine teams. One team based in Biddeford folded after last season.
The Twilight League bills itself as the summer home for some of the top small college talent in Northern New England, drawing players from the rosters of such schools as Bowdoin, St. Joe’s, Wheaton, Tufts, the University of Maine and University of Southern Maine. A number of local players already compete in the league. Last year, Baumer’s own team included Auburn’s own Nick Lawler and Jay Verrill and Josh Armandi of Jay. But the league isn’t limited to just college kids. Anyone over 18 is eligible to play.
The league season consists of 30 games, starting May 29. The top four teams in the league qualify for the playoffs, with a best-of-three semifinal and best-of-five final determining the champion in mid-August. Lender’s Network of Portland is the defending league champion.
Player fees for the 2005 season will be $300 per player, which includes start-up costs, Baumer said. The league is looking for sponsorships from local businesses or individuals to help offset some of the players’ fees.
“I think if we can get numbers and then go to some folks in Lewiston/Auburn, we might be able to defray some of the cost,” he said.
The roster consists of 20 players, and the team would play at the Auburn Suburban Little League complex, Baumer said.
All interested players 18 or older and potential sponsors can contact Jim Baumer at 353-2475 or email him at [email protected].
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