Jan. 26 Portland (Slow News Day? Hah!)
MAJOR BLOGS - www.majorblogs.net - PORTLAND, Maine -- Portland is a small city, even a little on the sleepy side. But occasionally it can provide a full day’s worth of minor league sports news.
I had an idea that this would be one such day, having caught wind of the imminent “unretirement” of Portland Pirates’ assistant coach Eric Weinrich.
That coupled with the planned press conference by the Sea Dogs, set for Hadlock Field, to introduce their new manager Arnie Beyeler (pronounced Baylor).
So, hustling to the Civic Center, where the sight of Weinrich, now 40 but with the physique of a 20 year old, loping around the Pirate dressing room in his under armor, drove home the point. He was back where he really wanted to be.
Chatting with him confirmed this much. The suit and tie would have to wait. He still had the itch, and coaching wasn’t going to scratch it.
The surprise was in finding that it was the Anaheim Ducks, in the person of Asst. General Manager Bob Murray, who encouraged the idea. Seems as though the rash of injuries that hit the Ducks up has prompted them to take out a few insurance policies. Weinrich, with 17 years faithful service in the NHL, is one of them.
Hustling again over to Hadlock, where Beyeler was indeed given his “glad-to-meet-ya” moments with the local press (Kevin Thomas, myself, and Channel 8’s Travis Lee).
I knew Beyeler a little bit from his brief stint as Pawtucket Red Sox hitting coach, back in the Gary Jones era. Solid baseball man. Doesn’t command the room the way the larger than life Ron Johnson (R.J. to everyone who knows him), nor had the laser-like insight of Todd Claus, who got promoted by the Bosox to some strange hybrid of coaching and scouting. But Beyeler seems as though he’ll be pleasant enough to deal with on a daily basis.
Think we’re done?
Nope…turns out that the Pirates (via their parents, the Ducks) were cooking up not one, but two trades designed to shake up their sagging fortunes.
Among the departed….the highly popular Zenon Konopka, who bond the community with the hockey team during last year’s playoff run.
He was close tears as he grabbed his gear and prepared to depart the CCCC.
The result of all the roster massaging? A 6-2 thumping by the Providence Bruins --the Pirates’ long time rivals from down I 95.
Slow news day? Nope.
Dan Hickling
1 Comment
View Printer Friendly Version
Email Article to Friend
Reader Comments (1)
Me? I'd like to throttle someone right about now. :D
The new guys have big skates and hearts to fill...