SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 38, NO. 39
SECTION A
JUNE 30, 2017
$1.00
ONE KEIZER LITTLE LEAGUER’S EPIC JOURNEY TO BECOMING
A 32 YEAR-OLD ROOKIE IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
Austin
Bibens - Dirkx
warmed up six different times
in the Rangers bullpen before
he was fi nally called to the
mound to make his Major
League debut on May 17 in
Texas.
As a 32-year-old rookie,
who spent more than 11 years
in the minors, Bibens-Dirkx
was used to waiting.
“I had a
smile on my
face
pretty
much
the
whole time,”
Bibens-Dirkx
said of his
fi rst appear-
ance in the big
leagues, which
came in the top of the ninth
inning with the Rangers lead-
ing 9-2. “It was the perfect
time. They always try to give
you a soft landing when you
make your debut and not put
you in a high pressure situa-
tion. I had to take a step back
after my warmup pitches off
the mound to take everything
in, take a deep breath and then
get back on.”
After a called strike on his
fi rst pitch, Bibens-Dirkx hit
Philadelphia Phillies outfi elder
Aaron Altherr with his second.
But Bibens-Dirkx followed up
with a strikeout on a curveball
and got outfi elder Michael
Saunders to pop out to the
catcher. With two outs, third
baseman Maikel Franco hit a
slider to center fi eld to score
a run. Bibens-Dirkx then got
a line drive to third base for
the fi nal out to fi nish the fi rst
inning of his MLB career,
something that had been a
long-time coming.
Bibens-Dirkx
weighed
about 150 pounds and threw
in the low to mid 80s when
he graduated from McNary
High School. If he didn't
get a baseball scholarship,
Bibens-Dirkx was probably
going to enlist in the Navy.
But Chemeketa Community
Happy
Independence
Day!
“ I want to prove people
wrong and say you should
have given me a chance.”
— Austin Bibens-Dirkx
Keizer man
turns 100
PAGE A3
ABOVE: Austin Bibens-Dirkx,
a McNary graduate and for-
mer Keizer Little Leaguer,
pitches for the Texas Rangers
after more than 11 seasons in
the minor leagues.
Claggett
Creek
maestro
retires
STAR-TELEGRAM/Paul Moseley
RIGHT: Bibens-Dirkx, right,
played on Roland Herrera's,
left, Keizer Little League Ju-
nior All-Star team in 1998.
PAGE A8
Submitted
College offered and Bibens-
Dirkx
took
advantage.
Then after one season at
the University of Portland,
Bibens-Dirkx was drafted in
the 16th round by the Seattle
Mariners in 2006.
In
the
Mariners
organization, Bibens-Dirkx
quickly worked his way up
Please see ABD, Page A9
Veteran remembers fallen on July 4
The retired Marine, a Master
Gunney Sergeant, moves slowly,
as he replaces the damaged fl ag
with another. It’s a duty he has
taken upon himself, honoring
the
deceased
veterans who are
laid to rest here.
The new fl ag
fl utters in the
gentle
breeze
under the noon
sun. Since the
early 1990’s he
has gone out to
the
cemetery
on Flag Day,
Memorial Day,
Veteran’s Day
and July 4th to
place fl ags on
the
soldier’s
graves.
“I am 85
years old and
getting younger
every day,” he
said with a self
deprecating
chuckle.
He
served in both
KEIZERTIMES/Dee Moore
Lou Nordyke will put out fl ags at the graves the Korean and
of deceased veterans on Independence Day. Vietnam wars.
By DEE MOORE
For the Keizertimes
Lou Nordyke stoops over
a broken fl ag that lies next to
a grave at Claggett Cemetery.
FEEL GOOD
STORY
Saluting the people that make
us proud of our community
capitolauto.com
Nordyke makes a pilgrimage
to the cemetery several times
a week to visit his wife and
mother-in-law and care for
their graves. While he is there
he will check on the military
graves, and like today, he will
remove and replace the broken
or damaged fl ags that remain
from visits made by family
members.
He is often joined by his
friend, John Anderson, also a
veteran. Nordyke and Anderson
have been friends for many years
getting to know each other
Please see FLAGS, Page A9
McNary goes local
for drama director
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
After four years of a two-
hour commute to Parkrose
High School in Northeast
Portland, Tom Cavanaugh is
looking forward to working
just fi ve minutes from his
front door.
But that's not all that drew
him to McNary High School.
“I knew the reputation of
McNary theatre,” Cavanaugh
said. “I've known Dallas
(Myers) for years and years
and years. I knew a lot of
what they had going on there.
It was all really exciting. To
have that many kids interested
and participating in theatre is
amazing.”
Cavanaugh is replacing
Myers, who stepped down
after seven years as McNary's
drama director. Cavanaugh
and Myers were at Western
Oregon University at the
same time and acted in many
shows together. Cavanaugh's
Tom Cavanaugh
wife, Jessica, now a teacher
at Roots Academy in Salem,
did her student teaching at
McNary under then drama
director Linda Baker.
“She was able to speak to the
fact that there's this amazing
community of support in
theatre,” Cavanaugh said.
Cavanaugh was introduced
to theatre as a high schooler at
Westview in Beaverton when
athletics didn't go his way.
“I thought I was a three-
Please see DRAMA, Page A6
Summer
Basketball
PAGE A10