Not since the salad days of Greg Sage and Pig Champion has the Stumptown music scene been so torn asunder, writes the Portland Tribune’s Steve Brandon (link courtesy Jason Cohen)

Kent Bottenfield pitched to baseball™s biggest hitters and in front of thousands of fans. That was easy, compared with singing to a couple of hundred people.

œIt took me a year to get over the fear, he says.

Bottenfield, a former Madison High star who spent 10 seasons in the major leagues, is now an up-and-coming contemporary Christian recording artist. His second CD, œBack in the Game, is due Aug. 7. He™ll perform at 7 tonight at Portland Christian High in a benefit for the school™s baseball program.

œIt™s a whole new career for me, says Bottenfield, 38, who pitched from 1992 to 2001 for Montreal, Colorado, San Francisco, the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis, Anaheim, Philadelphia and Houston.

Bottenfield writes songs, plays piano and sings. He tours more than 100 days a year.

Only now, with œBack in the Game, is he making much of a deal about being a former big-leaguer. œMost people have heard Carl Lewis trying to sing the national anthem and don™t take former athletes that seriously, he says. œThis new song opens with baseball and talks about how it™s a new season in my life now but my goal is still the same “ to bring glory to God.