Matthew Boyd, LHP vs. Bubba Chandler, RHP

Matthew Boyd had a bit of a rough patch in August, but has thrown well in two September starts, both of which were against the Brewers. The numbers aren’t great for September — 4.38 ERA, 1.216 WHIP — but both of those starts include runs charged to him after he left the game.

He faced the Pirates July 24 at PNC Park and allowed one run in seven innings. Do that again, Matthew.

Bubba Chandler has had an up-and-down year in his first full MLB season.

He’s been much better in the second half. First half: 19 games (18 starts), 4.77 ERA, 1.452 WHIP. Since the All-Star break: nine starts, 3.21 ERA, 1.112 WHIP. Much of the improvement has been cutting way down on walks. He had 55 walks in 94.1 innings before the ASB. Since then, in 47.2 innings — just about half what he had before — he’s walked just 15.

His only start against the Cubs this year was May 27 at Wrigley Field. He allowed eight hits and four runs in five innings.

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You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

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Discuss amongst yourselves.

The proposed complex is expected to bring several community services together at the site, including a relocated and expanded Elmwood Community Center, Elmwood Senior Center, teen center, and Faxon Branch Library.

The town said the temporary dog park closure is intended to keep visitors and their pets away from the active demolition area.

“Thank you for your patience and cooperation. Our goal is to keep you and your pets safe during construction,” the town said.

Matthew Barker first became interested in Irish history when he was only 8 years old.

“My mother said, you know, be proud of your Irish heritage,” said Barker, who has now been studying Irish American history for over 40 years.

The author, genealogist, and historian is particularly interested in Irish Americans based in Portland, where he lives.

Last year, Barker released two volumes on Portland Irish American history, and he’s currently working on another book about Irish Americans during World War II. Barker is seeking stories from Irish American Portland-based descendants of World War II veterans to contribute accounts of the war to his upcoming book. 

Barker’s two previous books on Irish American history, published in October last year, are “Becoming American: Portland, Maine’s Irish and the Making of Immigrant America, 1840-1861” and “The Blue and the Green: the Irish of Portland, Maine During the Civil War Era, 1861-1870.” 

These books are available for purchase at several places in Portland, including Longfellow Books, Nonesuch Books & More, the Maine Historical Society gift shop, and Portland Public Library.

The two books, which range in length from just over 600 pages to nearly 900 pages, were originally supposed to be one volume, but Barker decided they would be more readable as two, because of their length. 

Maureen Norris and Hannah Field, who work with Barker at the Maine Irish Heritage Center, said that Barker’s knowledge of Irish Americans in Portland is considerable. 

“He can tell a lot of people who they are related to and how,” said Norris, the Founding Board chair of the Maine Irish Heritage Center. “And that’s invaluable in this community, as I see it.”

Field, Norris’ personal assistant, agreed that Barker’s knowledge of Irish American history makes him an impressive and valuable asset to their community. 

“He’s like a walking encyclopedia,” said Field.

Eric Brown, the executive director of the Maine Irish Heritage Center, said that the nonprofit boasts a large community of just under 400 members as well as an email list with about 3,000 subscribers.

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According to Brown, in the last census, one in six Mainers identified as being of Irish heritage, making it the fifth most Irish state in the country. In Portland, about 20 percent of Portland residents identify as Irish, Brown said.

Beyond chronicling Irish American history through his books, Barker has also been involved in other projects with Norris and Field. One of these projects is a genealogy program that connects people in the Connemara region of Ireland with their relatives in Maine, as well as the Portland Bridget Project, which tells the stories of Irish women who were domestic servants who came to Maine in the late 1800s and early 1900s. 

Bridget, the name of one of Ireland’s patron saints as well as an Irish goddess, was used as a slur to bully these Irish domestics, many of whom were named Bridget because it was a common name in Ireland.

“You can see a lot of comics or newspaper comics talking about Irish maids, making mistakes, calling them Bridget and that sort of thing,” said Field. 

Many women who were named Bridget would change their names or go by a middle name because of the negative stereotype.

“We think that’s really, really heartbreaking because it is a name with such significance to Irish history,” said Field. “So we kind of feel like we’re taking it back.”

For Portlanders eager to learn more about Irish American history, The Maine Irish Heritage Museum is open to the public and has a library with over 8,000 items in its collection. Portlanders can also find Barker’s books in local bookstores or on Amazon and eBay. 

Irish American families in Portland eager to tell their stories about World War II can reach Barker at [email protected].