Visit Vin's Mansion in Durham, CT

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Probably no booze there anymore...

Baker keeps low profile in Durham
By John Pettit, Record-Journal staff
	
 	
DURHAM  You can find a butcher at Durham Market and a candlestick maker at the Durham Fair, but you won't find Vin Baker around town.

Not often, at least.

Baker, the Boston Celtics forward, owns a mansion at 26R Pine Ledge Terrace, but the former Old Saybrook and University of Hartford basketball star rarely strays from his digs to head into town, according to Durham business owners and residents.

"Whenever we see a limo we say, 'I wonder if it's Vinny Baker?'" said Brenda Eddy, owner of Brenda's Main Street Feed. "We've never seen him in town. I don't know if he shops in town. I think more people would like to see him make his presence known."

Baker has been spotted at Lino's Market, Perk on Main, Dairy Mart, Cozy Corner restaurant and pumping gas around town.

"They order out large orders," said Cozy Corner manager Ray Downing. "Either Vinny or his brother comes out. They are extremely friendly people. It's wonderful to have him in town. They get everything  shrimp, chicken wings, large pizzas."

Still, you can hardly call Baker a downtown  if Durham has a downtown fixture. 
 	
"He doesn't have an account here," said Hollen Crowell, a clerk at MTA Video on Main Street. "My pool guy does his pool, but I haven't heard that much about him. Durham is so small. I'm sure people would love to see someone famous. I think people would love to see him at Dairy Serve getting an ice cream."

Maybe Baker, who spends a lot of time on the road, shouldn't be blamed for hanging in his gated, two-story brick colonial when he's in Durham. Baker's mansion, which he bought for $2.6 million in September of 2001, is 9,316 square feet, sits on 11 acres and boasts six full bathrooms, four fireplaces, a 1,700-square-foot recreation room and a bowling alley on the lower level. His pool house apartment is complete with a half basketball court. The Wells family formerly owned the mansion.

"Harrison Ford looked at it," Durham First Selectwoman Maryann P. Boord said of the movie star. "There was a lot of interest in knowing who was going to buy it. There was a buzz in town. People were wondering who was going to purchase that property."

Boord said she has not seen Baker, but said his father, James, did sit in for the cager during a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. Baker sought approval to build a pond, she said.

Although she's never been inside Baker's mansion, Boord did walk by it while campaigning recently. "I wanted to stop by, but the gate was closed," she said.

Chet Mounts, owner of Durham Market on Main Street, said Baker visits his store every now and then.
	
 	
"He's a very nice guy," Mounts said. "When he's not playing, he's in more often than when he's playing. We don't bother him."

Main Street resident Allison Rowett said she isn't bothered by the fact that she has yet to see Baker in town. When she does, they will rekindle an old friendship. They both grew up in Old Saybrook, graduating high school together in 1989.

Rowett, who moved to Durham in 1998, played center on the Old Saybrook girls basketball team while Baker was the boys team's center.

"Vinny's a great guy," she said. "I haven't bumped into him since he's been here, but I keep looking forward to running into him. Old Saybrook was a small town. I went to nursery school with Vinny. It's kind of like Durham; you grow up with people. I actually remember when I was taller than him. That was a long time ago."

The 6-foot-11 Baker has played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics and Celtics, and has career averages of 16 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Baker was an NBA All-Star in 1995, 1996, 1997, but he averaged just 5.2 points and 3.8 rebounds for the Celts last season.

In an interview with the Boston Globe last month, Baker admitted he is a recovering alcoholic. Boston suspended Baker because of his drinking problem last season, he said, adding that he hadn't had a drink in six months. The Globe also reported that Baker, who scrimmaged with the UConn basketball team in Storrs before reporting to the Celtics, looks to have trimmed down since last season.

"He looks real good," said UConn sophomore big man Hilton Armstrong. "He's in really good shape. I've never seen a guy as big as him move so fast. For me, it was a totally new learning experience playing against him. He's a vet. Emeka (Okafor) held his own against Vin, but everybody else was getting killed. He makes it look so easy. He was beating Taliek Brown up the court."
	
 	
Baker, his agent Aaron Goodwin, the Celtics and a spokesman for Baker's "Stand Tall" foundation did not return telephone calls seeking comment.

At Time Out Taverne, a sports bar in Durham, an autographed photograph of Baker in a Bucks uniform hangs next to photos of Larry Bird, Robert Parrish and UConn players. But you won't find Baker hanging out there.

"He's never been here," said co-owner Gary Carmichael. "Every once in a while someone will say they saw Vinny at the market or coming out of here or there. I think, given the situation, that he probably wants to keep a low profile."

Said one person sitting at the bar: "Let's just say you're not going to see him at the Durham Fair."

Wally Camp, a coaching legend at Coginchaug High in Durham, saw plenty of Baker in his high school coaching days. Coginchaug and Old Saybrook both play in the Shoreline Conference.

"He was damn good his junior and senior years," said Camp, who coached Coginchaug for 33 years before retiring in 1999. "He just kept getting better and better, and bigger and bigger."

Camp, co-owner of Time Out Taverne with Carmichael, said he's yet to bump into Baker in town.

"I saw him in his car, but that's about it," Camp said. "He doesn't do too much in town. I know he was a very nice kid when he played. He was polite. You not only admired his skill, but his attitude and everything."

Camp admitted he was "surprised" to learn that Baker was moving to Durham.

"About 18 years ago would have been really, really nice," he said.