Portland Press Herald from Portland, Maine • 1

An inside look at this high school boys soccer season lD UariW less Herald Guv Gannett Communications Volume 137 Number 69 1 998 Guy Gannett Communications 86U CtiY EDITION it i 'kt 1 'I 60 CENTS 40 PAGES Wednesday SEPTEMBER 9 1998 1 Big bang! 62nd homer eclipses record The slugger connects with two outs off the Steve Trachsel setting off a wild celebration By BEN WALKER Associated Press ST LOUIS Without a doubt or an asterisk Mark McGwire and his mighty swing broke Rog er home run record Tuesday night with plenty of games to spare Historic No 62 was a lined shot to left punctu ating a chase that reinvigorated the sport and captivated the nation McGwire connected with two outs off Steve Tr achsel setting off a wild celebration in Busch Sta dium He was so caught up in the moment that he missed first base as he rounded the bag and had to return to touch it rom there McGwire got handshakes from ev ery Chicago infielder and a hug from catcher Scott Servais Cubs right fielder Sammy Sosa who had 58 home runs ran in from right field to hug McGwire and give his rival a high five McGwire was mobbed by his teammates at home plate where he hoisted his 10 year old bat boy son Matt into the air McGwire then ran into the seats to hug the family of Roger Maris whose 37 year old record he had just broken There was no scramble for the souvenir The 341 foot home run was the shortest of the season for McGwire and landed in an area where no fan could get it just over the left field wall Instead the ball was picked up by a grounds crew worker Tim orneris who said he will give it to McGwire knew it was going out and it went right over the edge and I said going he said I ran on to the field and got With the sellout crowd still standing and cheer ing McGwire grabbed a microphone to address thefans all my family my son the Cubs Sammy Sosa McGwire said you St McGwire who grounded out on a 3 0 pitch in the first inning hit his solo shot on the first pitch at 8:18 pm CDT It triggered anil minute delay biggest midgame celebration since Cal Ripken broke Lou consecutive games Please see 62 Back page this section The Mark McGuire points skyward Tuesday night after hitting his record setting 62nd home run of the season off Chicago Cubs pitcher Steve Trachsel in the fourth inning ESEgXHEI MmeL cAyStoMwafcHaMMfi MB' K3NL' oEmh MwBsagiagf ggrwaflWI gw 5 '4 4 fr 7 Assocuiifd Prrss Unlikely raft safely crosses Atlantic An often unwelcome visitor in Maine waters cw 9 KS RIWVM Ua A II astounds old salts by reaching Ireland By JOHN RICHARDSON Staff Writer A ramshackle houseboat that amused shoreline gawkers and frus trated harbor masters along the Maine coast two years ago has made it across the Atlantic The 50 foot Son of Town Hall and its four person crew arrived in Cas tletownbere Harbour in west Cork Aug 14 63 days after setting sail from Newfoundland said Cmdr Eu gene Ryan of Naval Ser vice in Cork The Naval Service spot ted the vessel when it was three days off the coast of Ireland Irish newspapers published the accounts of a storm tossed voyage The raft a patchwork of re cycled plywood logs and foam with three masts for sails and a diesel en gine became a local tourist Voyager Edward Garry poses aboard The Son of Town Hall in County Cork Ireland before heading for rance The ungainly vessel crossed the Atlantic from Newfoundland after visiting Maine I jMqtw 3 Photo by Makr KclIeherNews ht's attraction The Son of Town Hall built most ly from the pieces of a demolished New York nightclub by the same name left Cork on Aug 24 and ar rived at Brest rance at the end of the month Crew members who could not be reached told European newspapers they intend to sail into the Mediterranean and through the Suez Canal and Red Sea to India The crew includes two musicians who raised their children on home made rafts in various parts of the country two sailors who joined them during their travels and three dogs Two years ago the raft and its vagabond crew which then includ ed two men a woman a 12 year old girl two dogs and three cats drew chuckles and scoffs as the vessel meandered up the Maine coast and news spread about their plans to cross the ocean more than a surprise a said Portland Harbor Mas ter John lynn who first read about the feat in the Irish Voice some one told me that (they made it) and I see it in a newspaper a said The raft caused headaches for harbor masters and the Coast Guard in New England because of doubts about its seaworthiness and the habit of mooring their vessel where it wanted It rankled local authorities in plac es like Provincetown and Please see RAT Back page this section Dow regains 380 points in record day enthusiasm comes after hints that interest rates may drop though some market analysts remain wary By BRUCE MEYERSON AP Business Writer NEW YORK The Dow industri als gained a record 380 points on Tuesday vaulting back into positive territory for the year The rise came amid hopes that the ederal Reserve will protect the US economy from a spreading financial crisis abroad The Dow Jones industrial average surged 5 percent higher rising 38053 to 802078 a record one day point gain that nearly wiped out last losses The buying frenzy followed a speech riday evening by Alan Greenspan in which the ederal Re serve chairman signaled that the central bank may cut interest rates to offset the drag from economic tur moil gripping Asia and Russia Some analysts saw danger in the dizzying climb UP AND DOWN 9400 9200 9000 8800 8600 8400 8200 8000 7800 7600 Jul 904867 The Dow Jones industrial 380 point gain Tuesday was the latest turn in two months of volatility for the stock market The Dow's performance since July 1 Jul 17 933797 Sept 8 802078 7400 7 ri'i July August Sept of me says the forces of light and reason have returned and the market should be going up But the other part of me says not get Please see STOCKS Back page this section Guy Gannett sells WGME TV station to broadcast giant employees but Sin clair Broadcast says it will honor union contracts By CLARKE CANIELD and RAY ROUTHIER Staff Writers Guy Gannett Communications announced Tuesday that it will sell WGME TV (Channel 13) and its syx other television stations to Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc one of the largest and fastest growing broadcast companies Sinclair based in Baltimore is a publicly traded family controlled company with a reputation for no nonsense business efficiency The broadcast group is the last piece of Guy properties to be put under contract Once the sale I NS IDE Additional stories and photos on the sale of WGME 4A is complete it will end Guy Gannett 1 1 8 year history Sinclair Broadcast Group has grown from three television stations in 1991 and fewer than a dozen just two years ago to 56 stations today It also owns 54 radio stations David Smith presi dent and chief executive officer said the company is paying $310 million in cash for Guy stations in Portland Massachusetts New York Illinois Iowa and lorida It will sell WOKR TV in Rochester NY to The Ackerley Group Inc be cause it already owns a station in pease Sle WGME Page Convicted man vows make a difference Jeffrey Legere wants to devote his life to curbing youthful alcohol abuse By JASON WOLE Staff Writer Jeffrey Legere will spend the next two years of his life in jail for getting drunk getting in his car and caus ing the death of his close friend Brooke Olsen The 22 year old Chebeague Island man vowed Tuesday that once he gets put of jail he will devote his life to raising awareness in his island community about the hazards of al cohol in hopes of preventing more tragedy and heartache want to do what I can to help other people before too late and they end up likts Legere said during a telephone interview from the Cumberland County Jail going to try to do the right tiling from here on Legere and his friend Scott Be lesca 27 were sentenced last riday for their roles in the June 8 1997 car crash that killed Olsen a 21 year old Please see CRASH Back page this section Quote of the Day think going to turn out to be a record breaking year Towns throughout the state have 1A Dann Lewis director of the Maine Office of Tourism 3' ood Health When it comes to choosing zucchini and other fresh produce savvy shoppers rely on senses of touch sight and smell 1C fl Ml A The Weather A bit cool today some dry hours but prepare for afternoon rain High 69 Partly sunny and cool again Thursday 8B in Index Abby 3C Business 6C Classified 9D Comics 3C Deaths 7B Editorials 8A lip Side 8C Heloise 2C Horoscope 4C Landers 3C Legals 8C Lottery 2A People 8C Planner 2B Television 4C Theaters 5C CtiY EDITION It jTCjH flj I I 'kt 1 Jul 17 933797 Jul 1 904867 Sept 8 802078 INSIDE RIHSBHa.