PAGE A10, KEIZERTIMES, MAY 1, 2020
KEIZERTIMES.COM
Volcanoes face uncertain future
File
Volcanoes outfi elder Franklin Labour helped Salem-Keizer reach the Northwest League Playoffs last season. But it is unknown if
the team will be able to take the fi eld this year.
By MATT RAWLINGS
Of the Keizertimes
The future of the Sa-
lem-Keizer Volcanoes may
still be hanging in the bal-
ance, but fans will have to
wait a little bit longer before
a fi nal decision is made.
Last week, a report from
J.J. Cooper from Baseball
America claimed that Minor
League Baseball (MiLB) was
prepared to accept a proposal
from Major League Baseball
(MLB) for a new Profes-
sional Baseball Agreement
(PBA), which included cut-
ting the affi liation of 42 Mi-
nor League teams — likely
including the Volcanoes.
The report made head-
ways in mainstream media
and forced MiLB to put out
a statement addressing the
matter.
“Recent articles on the
negotiations between MiLB
and Major League Baseball
are largely inaccurate. There
have been no agreements on
contraction or any other is-
sues. MiLB looks forward to
continuing the good faith
negotiations with MLB on
Wednesday as we work to-
ward an agreement that best
ensures the future of profes-
sional baseball throughout
the United States and Can-
ada.”
Sure enough, even though
no substantive details were
made public, the two sides
met on Wednesday, April 22
and did not come out of the
meeting with an agreement.
According to Volcanoes
CEO Mickey Walker, MLB
and MiLB are getting clos-
er to an agreement and he
believes that the deal will be
fi nalized no later than Sep-
tember.
However, if the spread
of COVID-19 continues to
delay pro baseball into the
summer, MiLB might not
have much of a leg to stand
on.
“The coronavirus drasti-
cally changed Minor League
Baseball’s leverage on the
situation and the MLB is
taking advantage,” Walker
said. “(MLB) has no interest
in delaying the agreement.
They are pushing pretty
hard to make it happen, and
shamelessly doing it in my
opinion.”
MLB has considered
numerous
options
in
returning to the fi eld once
the coronavirus pandemic
dies down. Earlier this week,
the league acknowledged
Please see SKV, Page A9
Salem-Keizer joins “Be the Light” movement
school students.
BY MATT RAWLINGS
To honor the class of
Of the Keizertimes
The “Be the Light” cam- 2020, the lights at South Sa-
paign has gained signifi cant lem High School’s football
traction across the state, and stadium will be turning on
the Salem-Keizer School every Friday night at 8:20
(20:20 mili-
District elect-
tary time) for
ed to get in
approximately
on the action “ It’s a neat way
20 minutes.
starting
on
The district
Friday, April to recognize
is also en-
24.
every senior in
couraging the
Due
to
community
the spread of the community
to turn their
C OV I D - 1 9 ,
and it’s been
porch lights
all
district
on in show of
buildings will gaining a lot of
solidarity with
be closed for
this year’s se-
the remainder momentum.”
niors.
of the school
— Scott Gragg,
“We heard
year, meaning
McNary athletic director
from our stu-
that the 2,666
dents, coaches
seniors in the
district won’t have a chance and athletic directors that
to have a fi nal sendoff as they they really wanted to be part
wrap up their lives as high of the movement. It’s im-
portant to us to participate,
but we want to make sure
we do it in a safe way,” said
Lillian Govus, the director of
communications and public
relations with Salem-Keizer
Public Schools.
As the “Be the Light”
movement made headway
across the country, McNary
athletic director Scott Gragg
said he was receiving three
to fi ve emails per day about
the matter.
“This isn’t only an Ore-
gon movement, it’s a nation-
al movement. It’s a neat way
to recognize every senior in
the community, and it’s been
gaining a lot of momentum,”
Gragg said.
However, the district
made it clear that safety is
the top priority, which is
why instead of turning on all
the lights at each high school
football stadium, SKPS de-
cided that it would best to
only turn on the lights at
South Salem High to repre-
sent each senior.
Gragg cited that the rea-
son that this decision was
made was to discourage peo-
ple from congregating at the
schools and to keep in line
with Gov. Kate Brown’s ex-
ecutive order to “stay home,
save lives.”
South Salem was desig-
nated as the school to rep-
resent every senior in the
district because they are the
only high school with auto-
matic lights — which can be
turned on through an app on
South Salem athletic director
Brian Armstrong’s phone.
“This makes it so no one
has to go and physically turn
on the lights and it becomes
a lot easier to manage social
distancing guidelines. We
want people to stay at home
and stay safe,” Gragg said.
The district is asking
students and families to stay
home and not go and see the
lights at the stadium. SKPS
will be streaming the lights
on their Facebook page.
The district also encourages
community members to
take a photo in front of
their lit-up porch and post
it to social media using the
hashtags #SKPSFamily and
#BetheLightOR.
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The lights at South Salem’s football fi eld were turned on for 20 minutes on Friday, April 24 to
honor the senior class of 2020 throughout the Salem-Keizer School District.
puzzle answers