OCTOBER 15, 2021, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A3
BASEBALL: ‘We just want to do what is best
for the kids’ Continued from page A1
Shane Diarmit, the former Cal Ripken pres-
ident, who will now be serving as the base-
ball director for the organization. “It makes
us the biggest league in Keizer.”
Former McNary Youth Baseball vice
president Michael Bays will be the presi-
dent of Keizer Baseball and Softball.
“We just want to do what is best for the
kids,” he said. “The Little League program
has kind of been fl oundering over the last
few years, and we want to make it great
again. We want to rebuild it back to what
it used to be.”
The partnership is signifi cant because it
will allow youth players in Keizer Baseball
and Softball to play both Little League and
Cal Ripken for the fi rst time.
The majority of Cal Ripken games come
via weekend tournaments, while Little
League plays most of their regular season
contests during the week. This partnership
will allow the organization's more com-
petitive players to compete in Cal Ripken
tournaments during the weekend, but still
play for their Little League teams during
the week. Players also have the option to
play under just Little League or Cal Ripken,
with Little League serving as more of a rec-
reation league.
Because of Little League's stringent
rules regarding tournaments, Diarmit
believes that this partnership will allow
more kids to play in more games.
“I always said from day one, before we
even started Cal Ripken, if Little League
just allowed full-blown tournaments, we
would have never started Cal Ripken,”
Diarmit said. “That is where Cal Ripken
can step in, because Little League hasn't
had the ability to run those tournaments,
so that marriage works out real well.”
Keizer Cal Ripken, which was started
by former Keizer Little League president
Brad Arnsmeier, was created just last year.
In the spring, Keizer Cal Ripken started a
Keizer Little League players make common appearances at Volcanoes Stadium.
FILE PHOTO, Keizertimes
trial partnership with Keizer Little League
to provide assistance with the concession
stands and fi eld maintenance.
“We went to Little League and said we
know you need help in concessions and
running the fi elds and we would love to be
that organization you can lean on,” Diarmit
said. “It worked out really well. There were
no issues at all, everyone was really happy.
So we wanted to make it offi cial,” Diarmit
said.
According to Diarmit, one of the other
benefi ts of the partnership was that the two
groups were able to better coordinate fi eld
time at KLL Park.
“Being able to book those fi elds was a
lot easier because we were able to work
together. There was a lot more fl exibility
because we knew that partnerships was
there, where in the past, that fl exibility
hasn't necessarily been there,” Diarmit said.
“You had three leagues fi ghting for
those fi eld slots. With us combining, it
takes one-third of that problem away.
McNary Youth Baseball
statement on new league
Competition has always been healthy
for our players, and it's why we volun-
teer to create competitive programs for
all our players. There are always diff er-
ent philosophies for what works best to
reach the most kids with diverse skills,
ages, and experience. Because of that,
there will always be new programs that
come along based on a new set of goals.
KYSA/MYB's baseball and softball
programs have endured for four-plus
decades to serve thousands of players
because the model makes sense. We
strive to provide opportunities for per-
sonal growth and development of youth
athletes while also reinforcing positive
infl uences, self-confi dence and self-es-
teem. We serve the broadest group of
players and skill sets. Thanks in a large
part to this, we've never run out of par-
ents and players to serve.
The key diff erence to the JBO model
we support, is that it provides a com-
petitive atmosphere for beginners and
advanced players at each age level.
Every kid can be a starter, and rather
than only advanced groups or players
going to tournaments and end of year
championships, even our newest soft-
ball and baseball players experience
that. We don't negotiate on that.
As we learn what others seek to build
this time, we are eager to see if our busi-
ness models are similar or if the Keizer
community is best served with two
options to meet their diff erent needs.
However, we will be faithful to our core
values as an organization. Historically,
we've been satisfi ed to maintain the
model, but remain open to working with
any program that shares our core values.
- McNary Youth Baseball Board
Instead of fi ghting with each other, we can
work together and coordinate to do this,”
Bays added.
During the season, Cal Ripken and Little
League also collaborated with McNary
Youth Baseball to do inter-league play
for each organization's tee-ball and coach
pitch teams.
“There were a lot of people that were
against merging, but this showed that we
can work together,” Bays said.
Although the collaboration was suc-
cessful at the lower levels, McNary Youth
Baseball — which plays under a Junior
Baseball of Oregon (JBO) model — is not
currently planning on joining forces with
Keizer Baseball and Softball. The McNary
Youth Baseball board of directors met on
Thursday, Oct. 7 and released a joint state-
ment in regards to the partnership between
Cal Ripken and Little League.
“The key diff erence to the JBO model
we support, is that it provides a competitive
atmosphere for beginners and advanced
players at each age level. Every kid can be
a starter, and rather than only advanced
groups or players going to tournaments
and end of year championships, even our
newest softball and baseball players expe-
rience that. We don't negotiate on that,”
the statement said — read full statement in
sidebar (left).
As the former McNary Youth Baseball
vice president, Bays says the goal is to
someday join forces with the organization.
“We are all about them joining when
they are ready to or if they want to, but
we're not trying to force anything on them,”
Bays said. “Right now, we are basically two
charters under one organization. Maybe
one day we will have three charters under
one organization.”
Both Bays and Diarmit are hoping that
the new program will bring more stability
to the Keizer youth baseball and softball
scene.
“With both our programs supported by
national organizations we can provide our
players with multiple opportunities to play
in state, regional and national tournaments
with the hopes of putting Keizer Baseball
and Softball back on the map,” Diarmit
said. “We want to thank everyone for their
support and we can wait to see all of our
players on the fi eld soon.”
Sam Goesch
Ins Agcy Inc
Sam Goesch CLU, Agent
3975 River Road N - Keizer, OR
Bus: 503-393-6252 - Web: SamGoesch.com
State Farm , Bloomington, IL
(1211999)