Sports
Coach Paul Roeder: 43 years of baseball
by Steven Ziolkowski
Staff Writer
Paul Roeder, Clackamas
Cougars’ baseball coach,. has
been coaching and playing ball
for 43 years. He’s wearing a
cougar baseball cap, but that’s
not the only hat he wears at the
College. When Roeder isn’t
coaching, he’s College engineer
and supervises a three man
crew.
“We start practice in the late
afternoon and I take some vaca­
tion time to make a few of the
games,” Roeder says. •
Baseball runs in the Roeder
family. “My Dad played semi-
pro. And I Can remember split­
ting the headphones with my
uncle - listening on a crystal
receiver to Babe Ruth playing
Chicago in the, late 30’s,”
Roeder recalls? Including his
son, Brad, there are now three
generations of ballplayers in the
Roeder clan.
One of Roeder’s engineering
assistants comes to the door and
they talk out an electrical pro­
blem with an outdoor lighting
system, then the coach con­
tinues, “Coaching is different
today. You’re dealing with in-,
dividual players.” He says that
in the past there was more
regimentation and
players.” He says that in the
past there was more regimenta­
tion and players weren’t in­
terested in , the reasons why.
“The game is more scientific to­
day,” he adds.
In the late 60’s we got the pit­
ching machine; And we didn’t
have sports medicine. We didn't
say that a player had a rotator
cuff tear, it used to just be call­
ed a sore shoulder,” Roeder
comments.
He says that other things have
changed too. That there’s a lot
of conditioning research that’s
been done, for instance, and
research about depth perception
and the dominant eye in vision.
Some of the pitches have chang­
ed too. “We’ve got a modern
one called a slider or nickel
curve,” he explains. “It’s got a
downward break and gives the
look of a fast ball. It’s decep­
tive.”
Roeder’s assistant is back in
the doOrway and asks to borrow
the coach’s keys. “I think I’ve
got that electrical problem lick­
ed, but there’s two high school
kids here looking for -their
school’s cooler. I found a pooler
on the field the other day and
locked it in-the shed. It’s sitting
on the tractor seat’ in there,” he
says, catching the keys Boeder
Paul Roeder comes
from three genera­
tions of ball players
including hi» son
Brad.
Photo by Both Coffey
tosses to him.
“I started caoching because I
like to game,” Roeder says.
And he adds that at the college
level skills are pretty well
developed and you find a lot of
promising talent, “We watch
high school games and regional
games in the summer. And we
get letters from guys that are in­
terested. We’re always looking
for quick hitters, kids with
wheels, dr a live arm in a pit­
cher.”
Roeder .previously assisted
head coach Gene Peterson at
Clackamas for about six or
seven years and has been head
coach here now for four years.
He is presently assisted by
Charlie White, who is playing
ball with Warner Pacific Col­
lege next year. Roeder com­
ments about the Cougar team,
“We’re a talented team, but
very young - almost solid
freshman.” One sophomore,
lead-off hitter number 10, Scott
Brown, is hitting .429 and is tied
for the lead in runs scored - five.
Scott leads the team, in RBS’s
with six.
, “Dan Eberhardt is probably
the best defensive catcher in the
league,” Roeder says proudly,
“And we’ve probably got the
best foot speed in the league
-but we’re not hitting in the
clutch - it’s because we’re a
young team.” But when they’re
on base, the Cougars know
what to do. In 22.attempts, 17
bases were stolen for a 77% suc­
cess ration.
-
s
Pitching this season is Jim
Burnett, Dan Marston and Brad
Roeder, with Bob Daniel : for
short relief. “Defensively, we’re
a very good ball team. Our in­
field is great, and we’ve got one
of the best short Stops. in the
league-, number five, John
Davenport, 'f Roeder says
thoughtfully, then adds,
“We’ve got a great outfield,
tOO.’}
Roeder’s assistant brings him
back his keys and says, “Those
guys sure were glad to see that
cooler. I bet they got chewed
out good for forgetting it.”
Everyone in the room smiles,
some laugh.
Roeder takes the play in
stride, like a fielder picking up a
grounder and peeling it to first
for a quick out. He says,
“Baseball is a good activity for
physical and emotional develop­
ment. For talented players it’s a
good way to get financial help
through the last two years of
collge.
Portland: a great location for the Mariners
by Jerry Ulmer
* ’
Contributing Writer
- f;'
-
,
Once again Portland is faced
with an opportunity to become a
legitimate major league city. The
lowly Seattle Mariners, doormat
of the past, present,-and future,-
are for sale. Almost a month ago
owner George Argyros slapped a
$35-$65 million price tag on the
Mariners quicker than you can
say “Portland could be conceived
as such.” A. Los Angeles
millionaire has stepped forward
with ideas of keeping the team in
the Kingdome, saying he is seek­
ing a west coast baseball fran­
chise. Someone needs to tell him
that Portland is the better choice.
Major League Baseball could
survive in Portland. We don’t
even need to build a stadium.
CIVIC? ARE YOU NUTS? No,
I’m not. Civic is a diamond in the
rough. A few inexpensive im­
provements and it would be one
of the most charming parks in
America; First of all, we must
plant grass. It can survive the rain
. with a good drainage system, and
has in the past. The grass creates
an oasis amidst the concrete
« «
Ji -, • <
• jungle. It looks great,-much bet-
ter than the green parking lot that
exists now. A grass stain is?much
more exciting than a rug. bum,
besides, it’s much .softer,
something that would be welcom­
ed by the football teams frequen­
ting Civic in the fall.
Second, we need theater-type
seats in the upper level. Besides
looking “big league,” it expands
capacity and is more comfortable
for fans.
Thirds, we have to paint over
those tacky little league ads on
the fence. Imagine, the “blue
Monster” in left field would br­
ing valid comparisions of Fenway
Park, except Civic would likely
be louder due to. its shape.
And finally, we need real
dugouts, the kind that are actual-.
ly dug-out. Those car-ports Civic
has now are not dugouts. These
improvements are inexpensive
when compared to a new
stadium, and will easily pay for
themselves in the long run.
People like to argue that
Portland can’t have baseball
because of'the rain. But the
weather is very good from June
to October^, the bulk . of the
season. It is not uncommon for
the City of . Roses to go an entire
month without rainfall during
this span. Granted April and May
would be trouble, but they are
everywhere else, too. Some say
parking is a problem, but in reali­
ty it is no different than parks like
Wrigley Field or Fenway. And
the downtown location is ex­
cellent for business.
Now, the real issue, will
enough people go to the games?
Yes, look at how Portland sup­
ports teams. The Trailblazers
have sold out every game for a
decade, even during losing Portland is a town that averages
seasons. This is more than can 7,000 people a game for junior
be said for the fair-weather fans hockey. It is sports-starved. If
the Sonics have in Seattle, Seat­ 1 thé Mariners averaged 12,666 a
tle supports winners well, but game (the Blazer average) they
the struggling Mariners do not see STADIUM
draw. In. Portland they would. page 12
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