Batters go deep on Ripken
BY BILL STEWART
Staff Writer Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel 09/15/2008

OAKLAND -- The Hall of Fame shortstop held a spongy baseball over his head and asked a machinist from Winslow if he was taking the first pitch.

"Yes," answered Kelly Turner through a steady mist, which dampened grass but not spirits at Harold Alfond Fenway Park on Sunday afternoon.

Cal Ripken Jr., baseball's "Iron Man" who appeared in a record 2,632 consecutive games from 1982 to 1998, nodded his head and lobbed the ball toward the plate.

Turner, 44, promptly swung and crushed a belt-high pitch up and over Little Fenway during a Corporate Home Run Derby at Waterville YMCA's Camp Tracy.

Turner smiled. Ripken smiled. Some of the 150 onlookers laughed.

"I thought he asked if I was swinging," said Turner, who representing ESPN 1160 went on to win the derby and the main prize -- an autographed Cal Ripken Baltimore Orioles jersey. "Yeah, Cal asked if I would watch the first one. He goes, 'I guess you didn't.' "

Turner was one of 12 derby participants representing companies that paid a $2,500 entry fee.

He finished in a four-way tie with three home runs after the first round, which featured soft baseballs. In the tie-breaker, with real baseballs, he connected for three deep drives off the 2007 Hall of Fame inductee to win the show.

"He has a classic Fenway swing," said Ripken, a home run derby champ himself, in 1991 at Toronto's SkyDome. "(Former Baltimore manager) Earl Weaver would've liked him, too."

Ripken arrived at Little Fenway at 2:13 and strolled to the pitcher's mound, where his catcher for the day, Nate Stubbert of Waterville, awaited.

Ripken, 48, a 19-time All-Star, then surveyed Little Fenway. When asked if the park brought back any 'haunting memories,' Ripken laughed and replied, "not haunting, no. You actually want to take some extra batting practice."

One by one, each participant stepped into the batter's box, some in uniform pants and cleats, and beamed as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity came to fruition.

The would-be home run kings ranged from teenagers -- Luke Bartlett, 15, of Oakland -- and grandparents -- Jeff Gardiner, 50, of Waterville. Some were college students, including Nick Stone of Waterville and Harrison Wolfington of Hallowell, who attend the University of Maine in Orono. One, Beau Mears, 51, of Westbrook, even brought a wooden customized bat with the words "Beau Mears vs. Cal Ripken" emblazoned on the barrel.

All dreamed of taking Ripken deep.

"Hopefully, I won't strike out and embarrass myself," Stone, 20, said. "I want to put one over the Monster."

Stone did connect and was one of four finalists, along with Turner, Harrison Wolfington of Hallowell and Jeff Gardiner of Waterville.

Bob Sinclair, who built a replica Fenway Park in the backyard of his Farmingdale home, admitted he practiced before the derby at Hall-Dale High School.

"I went out with my boys (Ryan, 10; Nick, 13) the day before," said Sinclair, a self-employed real estate appraiser from Farmingdale. "We put some cones up in the outfield where we thought the home runs would be. You have to elevate the ball. The key is, and I hate saying this, is to duplicate what Bucky Bent did in 1978, which is just hit a lazy fly ball to left."

Sinclair hit two home runs off Ripken in the first round, although the dream ended there.

Ripken joked around with participants throughout the two-hour derby. He even took some swings, lining the first few pitches he saw through the hole at short and into left field.

"It's going to take a jolt to get one out of here today," Ripken told the crowd. "I've got to hit at least one out, right?"

Finally, after 21 pitches, Ripken belted his first and only homer. From there, it was to the pitcher's mound, where Ripken proceeded to throw a whopping 264 pitches. He surrendered 20 home runs.

"It was a lot of fun," Turner said. "When you hit it good, it's exciting."

Added Adam Sterrs of South Portland: "It's awesome. I mean, how many times will you get a chance to get some cuts against one of the best players in the history of the game?"

Bill Stewart -- 623-3811, ext. 515

bstewart@centralmaine.com

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