At last, something for Mainers to unite around: the Red Sox | Steve Collins
Maine residents, often divided by political debates, have found a rare point of agreement this week: cheering for the Boston Red Sox as they face the New York Yankees in a three‑game playoff series in the Bronx. The shared enthusiasm offers a brief pause from the usual partisan back‑and‑forth, with many saying they will set aside campaign rhetoric to focus on the game.
The connection between Maine and the Red Sox stretches back generations. Former Governor Joseph Brennan formally recognized the team as the “home team” for most Mainers in a 1979 proclamation, a sentiment that still resonates. Early‑20th‑century players like Lewiston’s Bill Carrigan, who both played for and managed Boston, helped cement that bond.
In the mid‑20th century, Maine’s economic development office tried to turn that affinity into a regular promotion. Starting in the 1950s, the state partnered with the Red Sox for “Maine Day” events during occasional doubleheaders at Fenway Park. The festivities included lobster feasts for press corps and, in 1961, a massive red‑snapper hot dog served on a ten‑pound roll. The most memorable element, however, was the live bear cub awarded to the first Red Sox player who hit a home run on those days.
The idea debuted in 1955, when the Biddeford Journal announced that a husky yearling named Homer, raised at the Maine game farm in Gray, would go to the player who cleared the fence first. The Bath Independent noted that officials had not decided what the winner would do with the animal, though they believed it might help keep bill collectors at bay. By 1958, Press Herald sportswriter Earle Ducette speculated that the annual cub—by then dubbed Homer the Fourth—would likely end up in a major zoo.
Not all players were aware of that prospect. In 1959, Hall of Famer Billy Goodman, after earning a bear with his home‑run swing, turned to his manager and asked, “What the hell we gonna do with that bear?” The last cub, Homer VI, arrived in 1961; its unruly behavior prompted officials to discontinue the live‑animal prize thereafter.
Although the bear giveaway ended, Maine Day persisted in various forms for decades, with lobster boils and special concessions marking the occasion. The tradition became irregular as Fenway Park regularly sold out, and the last official Maine Day took place in 2022.
Interest in reviving the celebration has surfaced recently. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Hannah Pingree expressed enthusiasm for bringing back the annual event, noting that any reconsideration of a bear cub prize would require consultation with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
As the Yankees and Red Sox prepare to clash on the field, many Mainers say they will enjoy the game not only for the sport but also for the brief sense of unity it inspires across the state’s political spectrum. Whether or not the bear cub tradition returns, the playoff matchup offers a chance for residents to rally around a shared love of the game, if only for a few innings.
