Articles by Gary Thorne
Writing a letter home has been fun
Once upon a time, then sports editor of the BDN Bob Haskell said to me, “You ought to write a column once in a while for the paper while you travel around covering sports.” Seventeen years later with hundreds of columns put to bed, the time has come to say ...
MLB All-Star game reaches key crossroads
What is going to happen to this thing called the MLB All-Star Game? Virtually every discussion in Phoenix before, during and after the game was about the players who weren’t there, the game that is just an exhibition and how could it possibly go on being the deciding factor for ...
Red Sox piecing together pitching while offense surges
Beckett and Wakefield and off to the pen is the battle cry at Fenway as the Red Sox head into the All-Star break. With Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz on the disabled list and John Lackey struggling with an ERA of 7.47, manager Terry Francona is piecing together a starting ...
Pro players, owners keep asking for more
The holiday weekend is neither a holiday or a real weekend for those involved in the NBA and NFL negotiations. Both leagues have now locked out the players, but negotiations continue in both cases. The repeated incredulous question from fans, who generally cast a pox on both owners and players ...
Fans anoint and vilify athletes at the same time
Now that the 2011 NBA finals, where favored Miami lost to Dallas, is sports history, a second moment is warranted for a column written by Dave Zirin in the Toronto Star that necessitated second and third reads. Zirin was described by the Star as “author of Bad Sports: How They ...
Bruins add their stamp to Boston sports history
Sports and its most noted names and teams are generational matters except for the few who need no first names: Williams, Russell, Mantle, Gretzky, the ’27 Yankees and the Big Red Machine. The rest are recognized if they win or pull off some amazing individual feat. Teams that gain championships ...
Red Sox can’t forget about the rest of the East
As the Red Sox try not to forget there are other teams to play besides the Yankees, a look at the standings might refresh that point as they play Toronto after the sweep in New York. Heading into Friday’s games, the AL East was as close from top to bottom ...
Baseball’s steroid era could lead to fan apathy
There will be more problems with these names and how to deal with them as time goes by. The steroid era in baseball has left a long, ugly spot on the game and it will only grow. The other day the names of Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa ...
New ‘defense’ for athletes lacks facts, law
As a former prosecutor, many were the times I have listened to the all-time number one defense of those charged with a crime: “I didn’t do it.” That would come despite the picture of the charged party leaning over the body with the smoke coming out of the gun. No ...
Leyland stirs interleague controversy
“It’s run its course.” Those are the words of Tiger manager Jim Leyland this week regarding interleague play that began Friday in major league baseball. He has created a minor firestorm, just as he hoped he would because he couldn’t understand why more people weren’t talking about it. Leyland is ...
Spring games still important as summer looms
It is not early — not in the sense of a baseball season. The repeated refrain from those on the diamond who have not had good starts, both teams and players, is that there is plenty of time left to turn things around. Well, not really. Teams are reaching the ...
Red Sox still have time to solve problems
By the end of May, the Red Sox and their fans can make real assessments. One thing is for certain, this is no longer a “this is early” thing. The saving grace for Boston’s disappointing start is that other AL East teams are experiencing the same thing. Nobody is running ...
Questions linger as struggles continue for Sox
The Red Sox have started a long homestand hoping this will be the time they can right the ship for the rest of the season. The first month has been filled with befuddlement. All of these matters were up for discussion entering Friday night’s game. The Sox are in the ...
Gardenhire’s humor balances his fiery style
Ron Gardenhire is an outstanding manager with the Minnesota Twins. Perhaps part of the reason for his success is a sense of humor he always carries with him. This week he was thrown out of a game for the 53rd time in his 10 years at the helm. Since 2000, ...
Baseball’s steroid era not going away any time soon
By Gary Thorne on April 15, 2011, at 7:56 p.m.
The steroid era for baseball just won’t go away, and it’s not going to for some time to come. Manny Ramirez retired because he faced a second suspension for performance-enhancing drug use. Barry Bonds was convicted on one count of obstructing justice relating to his use, known or unknown, of ...
Frozen Four embodies the good in college sports
There is a certain tingle that still exists when one awakes to the sound of the Notre Dame fight song being played by the Fighting Irish band — live outside your window. That was the case Thursday morning in St. Paul where the Frozen Four is taking place. All that ...
Red Sox, Phillies are choices to make World Series
Let’s start this story at the end. It will be Boston and Philly in the World Series. Wow, out on a limb there, don’t you think? Actually, the choice is so obvious that many of the prognosticators are not picking them because if everyone voted their gut, nobody would pick ...
Showalter downplays comments on Sox, Yanks
You know spring training has gone on too long when one of the week’s lead baseball stories is about two comments made by Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter to Men’s Journal magazine months ago that just appeared in print in the April edition. If it wasn’t Showalter, with the ...
Weaver assesses Ryan’s nine-inning strategy
“We’ll see whether Nolan Ryan can succeed at it. I don’t know if it’s possible, but that’s what he’s trying to do.” With those words Hall-of-Fame manager Earl Weaver summed up the idea that today’s major league pitchers might actually take to the mound with the mentality of going nine ...
NHL violence again takes center stage
It never goes away. Either the issue is on ice or reverberates off ice like the ripples of the proverbial thrown stone upon the waters. Violence in hockey goes on and now there is a firestorm surrounding the latest incident of such violence in the NHL. Zdeno Chara of the ...
Items found, authorities pursuing leads in search for Glenburn teen
Hampden firm pokes holes in traditional boat mooring, leaving room for lobsters, crabs and other sea life
LePage hopes to eliminate income tax by end of second term
Woman accused of criminal mischief, disorderly conduct outside Bangor nightclub
Ignore LePage politics, get to root of DHHS funding needs
Basketball season never ends for Worcesters of Washburn, a family of 1,000-point scorers
UMaine narrows candidate list, hopes to name men’s hockey coach next week
Eastport teen notches first ‘Bandolero’ racing victory
Not even chemotherapy could quell Maine woman’s longing to be in the kitchen
Keyboardist Ray Manzarek of The Doors dies at age 74
From a mountaintop…of sorts
Penobscot Theatre Company ends season with whirlwind production of ‘Around the World in 80 Days’