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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2020)
MAY 1, 2020, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A9 WINDOWS, CABINETS, APPL I ANCES, LUMBER, PLYWOOD, YES WE DELIVER! DOORS, FENCING, SIDING, FLOORING, INSULATION, & MUCH, MUCH MORE! BUILDING MATERIALS BARGAIN CENTER, INC. B M B C 775 FRONT STREET NE - SALEM - CALL US AT 503-363-9070 SKV, continued from Page A10 they were considering starting up operations in late- June and playing games in their home stadiums without fans. But there is a realistic possibility that the MLB will indeed cancel the season due to the virus. After making $10.7 billion in revenue last season, MLB could handle the loss of one season. But it’s likely that a season cancellation would be a death sentence for some optimistic about the pros- minor league teams — the pect of a season in 2020, money or- Walker admit- ganizations ted that people make via “ The in MiLB don’t sponsorships, share the same ticket sales, coronavirus sentiments. merchandise drastically “It does feel and conces- like people in sions are all changed Minor League d e p e n d e n t Minor League Baseball are on the team pessimistic at taking the Baseball’s best that there fi eld. will be any leverage on “If the kind of season,” season gets the situation Walker said. canceled, a In the event and the MLB lot of organi- that the MiLB zations might is taking season gets can- not survive,” celed, Walker advantage.” Walker said. believes that The Vol- the organiza- — Mickey Walker canoes are tion will still be Volcanoes CEO still prepar- in good fi nan- ing for there cial standing to be baseball this summer thanks to their outside con- and head groundskeeper tracts — such as In-N-Out Rick Smith has done ex- — and the ability to rent out tensive fi eldwork to keep their parking lot to shipping the surface in top condition. trucks and RVs. Although people within the “We feel like we pretty organization are still staying well positioned to weather this storm. Not to say it won’t take its toll, but because of our outside contracts, we would be in an okay situa- tion,” Walker said. Unfortunately for the Volcanoes, the organization doesn’t have much control over the future agreement between MLB and MiLB. However, Walker said the team is exploring different options depending on what happens between both sides. Even if MiLB gives in and agrees to MLB’s proposal to cut affi liations with 42 minor league teams, it’s not a full- fl edged guarantee that the Volcanoes will be on that list. Although the Volcanoes were on the original 42-team proposal list by MLB that was released last November, according to Cooper, there have been verifi able instances of teams moving on and off the list. Cooper says there are varying reasons for teams moving on and off the list. Certain organizations have WE TAKE PRIDE in being staff ed better than any other senior living community Come See the Finest in Senior Living CALL (503) 390 -1300 1165 McGee Ct NE • Keizer, OR • VillageAtKeizerRidge.com gotten facility improvements approved while others may have proved to fi t better into MLB’s goal of realignment. “The fact that the list is fl uid shows that the list is BS. If you were so sure about the negative details about each team, like travel or facili- ties, then there would be no question and the list would be set in stone,” Walker said. According to Walker, the Northwest League (NWL), which has been the home to the Volcanoes since their in- ception in 1997, are in good standing with the MLB, which is why Walker and the rest of the organization were perplexed when they were on the list of 42 teams, along with the Tri-City Dust Dev- ils of the NWL. “MLB has made it pret- ty clear that they love the Northwest League and how much they value its presence in the Northwest, where the only other professional base- ball is the (Seattle) Mariners. So why would they make it a six-team league?” Walker said. If the Volcanoes do indeed lose their affi liation with the San Francisco Giants, Walker mentioned the possibility of the team going independent — similar to the 1973 Port- land Mavericks, featured in the Netfl ix documentary The Battered Bastards of Baseball. While it’s unknown how it would logistically work, Walker said that the team could serve as a chance for players to be seen — which would likely now be more realistic because of the reduc- tion of the MLB Draft. The organization would provide host families, but the players would have to pay to play, as opposed to getting paid to play. Walker also mentioned that, in this scenario, the team would still want to be a part of the Northwest League. “It doesn’t mean baseball will be gone. It just might look different. We want to explore every possible op- tion,” Walker said.“There are a lot of unknowns at this point, but we don’t want people to lose hope. We are still optimistic about this season and the future of this team,” Walker said. MYB fundrasing for 2021 McNary sports Knowing it can be challenging to fi nd a face mask these days, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, McNary Youth Baseball has decided to start a fundraiser that benefi ts both youth sports and high school sports in Keizer. A portion of funds raised will be donated to the McNary High School athletic program for 2021. People in need of masks can order then for $12.50 at mcnaryfacemasks.itemorder.com/product/14115220. Once the order is made, the mask will ship directly to your home. Submitted McNary Youth Baseball is raising moneny for sports in Keizer by selling masks.
