PAGE A10, KEIZERTIMES, SEPTEMBER 11, 2020
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MYB hosts home run derby to kickoff fall ball
McNary Youth Baseball (MYB) hosted their second annual
fall ball kickoff — sponsored by Nathan Dunn of Thrivent Fi-
nancial — on Wednesday Sept. 2. With two teams at each level,
MYB held a home run derby competition with different squads
competing against each other.
In the seniors division, Team Lane defeated Team Fryman
while Team Hubbard beat Team Herring in the juniors division.
Team Maskal defeated Team Grossman in the minors division.
Along with sponsoring the event, Dunn also raffl ed off a new
bat and a bucket of baseballs.
B
D
C
E
A
KEIZERTIMES/Matt Rawlings
A: Ben Lane
B: Zach Snegirev
C. Jack Tavares
D. Hayden Toay
E: Luke Fletchall
Coming next week: Top SK
Volcanoes players of all time
There have been 112
Salem-Keizer
Volcanoes
players that have made it
to the major leagues. While
many of them weren't in
the bigs for very long, many
former Volcanoes players
have experienced resounding
success. Starting next week in
the Keizertimes, there will be a
countdown of the 20 greatest
Volcanoes players of all time —
based on their Major League
careers. The list was created
by Keizertimes associate editor
Matt Rawlings.
The importance of
the local newspaper
I began to make Ore-
By MATT RAWLINGS
gon-themed newspaper collag-
Of the Keizertimes
Reading the newspaper ev- es that featured my childhood
ery day was an instrumental heroes, such as, Joey Har-
rington, Keenan Howry, Luke
part of my childhood.
As early as the age of fi ve, I Ridnour and Freddie Jones.
While newspapers became
was wrestling my dad for the
sports section every morning. less and less important to the
I wasn’t allowed to stay up late people around me, they al-
and watch SportsCenter and ways held signifi cance in my
life. Even in high
we didn’t have in-
school, the fi rst
ternet access when I
I would do
was young, so read-
Mind of thing
when I woke up in
ing the paper was
Matt
the morning was
my main source for
read the newspaper.
information for one
As a high school
of my biggest pas-
athlete, my heart
sions.
My grandma lived in St. always swelled whenever I saw
Louis during the epic home my name in the paper. I love
run chase of 1998 between that I have been able to provide
Mark McGwire of the St. Lou- young athletes with that same
is Cardinals and Sammy Sosa of feeling as a reporter for the last
the Chicago Cubs — a friendly eight years.
Even though I was only
competition that fascinated the
country. She sent me numerous writing for the Chemeketa
newspaper clippings from dif- Courier in 2012, seeing by by-
ferent publications highlighting line every week was a surreal
when McGwire broke Roger experience early on. The feel-
Maris’s home record with his ing increased dramatically fi ve
62nd blast of the season just years later when I was working
over the left fi eld wall at Busch for Pamplin Media Group as a
high school sports editor and
Stadium.
As a youngster, I started when I saw my byline in the
to save old newspapers in my Portland Tribune after covering
room that featured my favorite an NBA game.
That surreal feeling came
moments from Oregon foot-
ball and basketball seasons, such back a few months ago, but for
as the Ducks run to the Elite 8 a completely different reason.
I was heartbroken when I
in 2002, and their massive up-
set over #3 Michigan at Autzen found out that my former col-
Stadium in 2003 — which is leagues at Pamplin were let go
still the greatest game I’ve ever due to the coronavirus back in
April. Guys that mentored me
attended.
and helped me along the way
were without a job in the blink
of an eye.
When 2020 began, it was
safe to say that local news
publications were far from a
thriving industry. Now we
have been reminded just how
fragile local newspapers have
become thanks to the spread of
COVID-19.
What was once a staple of
American society has now
become a product that many
people feel that they can do
without.
What makes local news-
papers like the Keizertimes
so unique is that it’s all about
Keizer. When I was growing
up in Salem, I always viewed
Salem as a part of Keizer. I
went to Salem-Keizer Public
Schools and I rooted for the
Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. To me,
Keizer felt like it was just a dif-
ferent section of Salem.
It wasn’t until I started
working in Keizer in Decem-
ber of 2018 when I realized
how much Keizer is its own
entity and how the publication
I was working for was sole-
ly dedicated on covering the
seven square miles of this great
town.
Other publications may
cover a Keizer event or story
on slim occasion, but only the
Keizertimes covers this town on
an exclusive basis.
Local newspapers are not
only important, they are cru-
cial.
Body, Mind & Soul
Our residents enjoy an active, engaging lifestyle that promotes
wellness and independence. It is our goal to keep our residents
linked to resources and opportunities that will fulfi ll their needs and
interests in the Keizer area. Residents have many opportunities
to participate in a variety of life enriching activities and events
designed to stimulate the mind, body and soul.
From cocktail-hour gatherings where you can learn about the
nuances of a good Pinot Noir, to a discussion of the latest best
seller in our Life-Long Learning series, to exploring new ways to
stay healthy in a fi tness class.
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