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V O L . X X I X N O. X I X 90 Fact Book / Doing Business in Maine im Neuger, a Cleveland native and Princeton graduate, worked as a print reporter and bureau chief in Germany and Belgium for Bloomberg, covering economics (the rise and near demise of the euro), politics (remem- ber Helmut Kohl?) and war and peace (from the relative sanctity of the NATO pressroom). He enjoys riding horses and watching them race, and can name every Kentucky Derby winner since 1875. He and his wife Renee Cordes, a Mainebiz senior writer, live with their cockatiel Roo in Cape Elizabeth. Some of Jim's work is on display at www.jimletpix.com. Eye on the court, track and field — A Maine-based photographer shares his take on Maine sports P h o t o s a n d c a p t i o n s b y J i m N e u g e r J P H OTO E S S AY Maine broke free of Massachusetts and became a state in its own right in 1820, but — judging by Mainers' allegiance to Bay State-based professional sports teams — you might be tempted to think otherwise. Many Mainers dutifully troop to Boston for major league action, enduring stratospheric ticket and concession prices and rambunctious crowds, when there are less expensive yet equally captivating alternatives closer to home. These photos offer a glimpse of Maine's mostly minor league spectator sporting scene, in all its community-focused glory. (And alas, the Maine teams can't quite shake the Boston attachment.) PLAY BALL!: Oldtimers might remember teams like the Portland Blue Sox, Duffs and Pilots, but the modern era of professional baseball in Maine began on April 18, 1994, when the Portland Sea Dogs – initially a minor league affiliate of the Florida Marlins — emerged from the dugout at their brand-new stadium, Hadlock Field. After the 2002 season, the team ditched the Marlins, hitched itself to the Boston Red Sox as a Double-A franchise — and built a 37-foot-high replica of Fenway Park's Green Monster in left field, 315 feet from home plate. In this photo, the Sea Dogs take the field for a game against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. FIELDER'S CHOICE: As of the start of the 2023 season, Portland pitchers have thrown 10 no-hitters and six one-hitters, batters have hit eight inside-the-park home runs and 74 grand slams, and 337 of the 858 players to don the Sea Dogs uniform have gone on to the major leagues, three becoming World Series MVPs. The team has made the playoffs nine times, including last year, and a division-leading start fueled postseason hopes for 2023. Here, shortstop Christian Koss throws out a New Hampshire Fisher Cats batter. TO THE HOOP: Debuting in 2009 as the Red Claws, the state's minor league basketball franchise staged the public reveal of its jerseys by hauling them onshore in a lobster boat. Now known as the Maine Celtics after being acquired in 2019 by the Boston franchise of the same name, the team, based at the Portland Expo, qualified for the playoffs in 2023 for the first time in six years. In this photo, center Mfiondu Kabengele wheels around for a shot against the Raptors 905.