SPORTS
East Oregonian
B2
Saturday, March 20, 2021
Regret, relief and reflection at season’s end
BRAD
TRUMBO
UPLAND PURSUITS
T
he rich aromas of a
moist, finely blended
pipe tobacco drifted
from the crooked briar-
wood clenched between my
teeth. Taking a slow pull, I
puzzled over the two spent
20-gauge shells lying before
me, signaling a close to the
2020 upland bird season.
Each season brings new
and unique experiences,
and lessons learned, and
relearned.
Unique experiences of
2020 included a road trip
to North-Central Montana
for sharp-tailed grouse,
and making a new hunt-
ing buddy from Almira,
Washington, on the
basalt-channeled scablands
chasing quail and pheasant.
Both experiences offered
complete surprise and
education.
A tip from some Helena
residents led me to the
Conrad area of Montana,
only to find it a complete
bust. Having hunted sharp-
tails in far Eastern Montana
and finding coveys thick
as starlings, I was confi-
dent in my setter’s ability
to find birds. Map scout-
ing for large grasslands and
sagebrush tracts had me a
bit concerned, but I identi-
fied a few areas that looked
good among the patchwork
of cropland.
Upon arrival, I found
a single tract in 50 square
miles with a semblance of
the native prairie I sought.
Over the course of a few
days, my setters never
Brad Trumbo/Contributed Photo
Finn taking a quick break in channeled scablands.
once got birdy. We saw not
a single game bird along
farm roads or public access.
Thoroughly disappointed,
we packed it in early,
headed for Flathead Lake,
and camped in a beauti-
ful lakeside state park for a
pick-me-up.
On the contrary, in
December 2020 I met a
social media acquaintance
near Grand Coulee, expect-
ing prospective covers to
resemble our local bird
numbers. Darren McCall
and his daughter Kinzie
were gracious enough to
show me some of their best
covers, while I ran my best
dogs. Wading into the first
field of the day, dappled
in Great Basin wild rye
and other choice grasses,
a scene reminiscent of the
Dakotas erupted as waves
of pheasant took to wing
hundreds of yards ahead of
us and the dogs.
Moving on to the quint-
essential quail cover of the
scablands, every grassy
pocket held pheasant, but
we put up not one quail
covey. The sagebrush and
bunchgrasses were cloaked
in ice and the landscape a
glimmering prism, punctu-
ated by the milky green of
sage and chocolate basalt
outcrops. Darren claimed
a single rooster, and we
enjoyed an exhilarating
hunt behind Yuba as she
taught a clinic on pinning
hens.
The common lesson
relearned from both
Montana and Grand Coulee
was that quality habi-
tat produces birds. The
Montana habitat was abhor-
rent, while the scablands
were characterized largely
by native vegetation.
Also noteworthy, the
western wildfires may have
kept me from the Oregon
sage grouse season, but
exceptional mourning dove
flights on my homestead
amid the smoke were a fair
consolation. Finn and Yuba
hunted at peak perfor-
mance, Yuba in particular.
Following a second surgery
in August 2020 to correct
hip dysplasia, she now has
no hip sockets. I feared her
stamina and stability would
prove a challenge over the
fall but, being freed of crip-
pling arthritis, her exuber-
ance, determination and
skill were redefined.
Yuba’s pheasant savvy
comes as a result of passion
and drive that have helped
hone her skills over the
years. I lost count of her
finds this past season, and
the tenacity in which she
pursued downed birds was
an inspiring spectacle.
Taking another pull,
the sweet aroma triggered
further memories. The time
has past to hang up the vest,
stow the side-by-side, and
box the pipe for another
grueling nine months
of anticipation. And, as
always, it was done with a
pang of regret, yet a sigh of
relief.
Season’s end signals a
close to the crack-of-dawn,
frozen finger mornings, and
cutting, combing and pluck-
ing a thousand invasive
weed burrs from the noto-
riously tangly setter coats.
It also brings halt to the
sight of high-tailed points
beneath the golden rays of
the crepuscular hours, and
the rush of wings against
crackling grasses and shrub
limbs.
My girls and I are getting
no younger. The same can
be said for my upland breth-
ren. And to me, a picture
is worth 1,000 birds. It’s
going to be a long wait for
September. May the memo-
ries of the stellar days afield,
and time spent toting the
scattergun with friends and
family, simply following
the dogs and admiring the
splendor of the uplands, see
us through to the early 2021
grouse season.
———
Brad Trumbo is a fish
and wildlife biologist and
outdoor writer in Waitsburg,
Washington, where he also
actively serves the Walla
Walla-based Blue Mountain
Pheasants Forever chapter.
For tips and tales of outdoor
pursuits and conservation,
visit www.bradtrumbo.com.
Charlie Riedel/Associated Press
Seattle Mariners pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, from Japan,
throws to Kyle Lewis during spring training baseball
practice on Feb. 25, 2021, in Peoria, Ariz.
Mariners: ‘If you
look around the
league, there’s not
many center fielders
that throw people out’
Continued from Page B1
the AL West in 2022.
But as much as Lewis
proved last season, he has
still played just 76 total
games in his major league
career. His first taste of
the majors didn’t arrive
until September 2019.
And while he was great
last season, Lewis played
against only the AL and
NL West.
So while there is opti-
mism about just how good
Lewis could end up being
as Seattle’s center fielder,
he understands being
successful in a full season
this year may be more
important that what he did
last year.
“I thought I was going
to have that opportunity
last year. But being able
to still learn and get infor-
mation, or being in the big
leagues and having those
different experiences,
going to different ball-
parks last year is definitely
helpful for me moving
forward,” Lewis said. “It
has done a lot for my confi-
dence level and feeling like
I’ve been around a while,
even in different capacities,
whether it be practices,
whether it be just meet-
ing rooms, day-to-day has
definitely helped my confi-
dence as well.”
Lewis finished last
season hitting .262 with 11
home runs and 28 RBIs.
His OPS of .801 was very
good, but his 71 strikeouts
were higher than desired.
Lewis also struggled badly
as the league began to
adjust over the final month.
He hit .373 for the first 28
games with six home runs
and 18 RBIs. Over his final
30 games, Lewis hit .154
and struck out 43 times.
Some of that was to be
expected. Manager Scott
Servais said the message
to Lewis was to focus on
whether his process and
approach at the plate were
remaining consistent, not
on the numbers.
“That’s what we’re
really harping on with
guys like Kyle, all of our
guys really, understanding
the batting average is going
to come and go,” Servais
said. “That’s really what
you find out of course this
season is are guys mentally
able to handle the ups and
downs. Now, the more you
go through it, the more
qualified and capable you
are to handle it, but you
need to go through it.
“A lot of our guys
haven’t gone through 162
games of a big-league
season yet. It’s just where
we’re at in our develop-
ment.”
One area where Lewis
wanted to get better this
offseason was on the
defensive side, specifically
with his throwing. He had
some spectacular moments
in center field as a rookie,
but last season was his first
opportunity to play the
position full time.
“If you look around the
league, there’s not many
center fielders that throw
people out. They’re typi-
cally out there, they can
cover a lot of ground,
they’re very athletic, they
make plays,” Servais said.
“We’ve seen Kyle do all
those things, but the throw-
ing arm kind of gets forgot-
ten and he doesn’t want to
be that player. He wants to
be a complete player.”
ON THE SLATE
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Caution tape blocks off the bleachers at Weston-McEwen High School ahead of a volleyball match against Umatilla on Mon-
day, March 15, 2021.
Fans: Indoor sports are still limited to only 50 people
Continued from Page B1
The Hermiston football
team was able to welcome
400 fans on March 19 against
Kennewick, which included a
small number of tickets for the
visiting team.
“We are excited to have
people in the stadium,” Herm-
iston athletic director Larry
Usher said. “We are doing
what we can to make it enjoy-
able for our seniors. Next
week, when we go to Edgar
Brown (in Pasco, Washing-
ton), they will get to have
about 1,800 fans. We get to
have a couple of parents per
kid go.”
While stadium seating
was limited at Kennison
Field, Hermiston High School
offered fans an opportunity
to come together outside the
facility to watch the Bulldogs’
two home games.
The booster club barbe-
cued hamburgers and hot
dogs, and fans brought their
own chairs to settle in and
watch the games on a big
screen.
“We have had tailgate
parties,” Usher said. “We gave
away prizes and had games.
We try to make it enjoyable.
A home football game is a
community event.”
While football games
get to add more fans, indoor
activities still are limited to
50 people, including play-
ers, coaches and officials. Fan
numbers will go up if Umatilla
County moves to moderate or
low risk.
At Weston-McEwen High
School, school officials locked
the doors after Irrigon arrived
for their match on Tuesday,
March 16. The same happened
for the Nixyaawii vs. Pilot
Rock volleyball game on
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“It was super quiet in the
gym,” Irrigon coach Vanessa
Pacheco said of the March 16
match.
Morrow County, which is
in the low risk category, has
been able to enjoy additional
fans for a couple of weeks.
The March 18 Heppner
football game against Grant
Union had approximately 300
fans, and volleyball teams can
have 50% occupancy in the
gym.
“It has been nice to have the
fans back,” Heppner volley-
ball coach Mindy Wilson said.
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SATURDAY, MARCH 20
Prep football
Hood River Valley at Pendleton, 1 p.m.
Prep volleyball
Hermiston at Hood River, 2:45 p.m.
Pendleton at The Dalles, 11 a.m.
Weston-McEwen at McLoughlin,
11 a.m.
Stanfield at Grant Union, noon
Heppner at Irrigon, 1 p.m.
Echo at Condon, noon
Prep cross-country
Hermiston at Richland MCC meet,
10 a.m.
Prep girls soccer
Hermiston at Chiawana, noon
McLoughlin at Pendleton JV, noon
MONDAY, MARCH 22
Prep boys soccer
Pendleton at Ontario, 1 p.m.
TUESDAY, MARCH 23
Prep girls soccer
Pendleton at The Dalles/Dufur,
4:30 p.m.
Prep boys soccer
The Dalles/Dufur at Pendleton, 6 p.m.
THURSDAY, MARCH 25
Prep football
Hermiston at Chiawana, 7 p.m.
Irrigon at Umatilla, 5 p.m.
Prep girls soccer
Hermiston at Walla Walla, 2 p.m.
Prep slowpitch softball
Hermiston at Pasco (2), 4 p.m.
FRIDAY, MARCH 26
Prep football
Pendleton at Redmond, 7 p.m.
Stanfield at McLoughlin, 7 p.m.
Joseph at Echo, 7 p.m.
Pilot Rock at Ione/Arlington, 7 p.m.
Prep volleyball
Echo at Bickleton, 5 p.m.
McLoughlin at Riverside, 1 p.m.
SATURDAY, MARCH 27
Prep football
Weston-McEwen at Heppner, 2 p.m.
Prep volleyball
Ridgeview at Pendleton, 11 a.m.
Hermiston at Pendleton, 3 p.m.
Prep girls soccer
La Grande at Hermiston, noon
McLoughlin at Riverside, 1 p.m.
Umatilla at Stanfield/Echo, 1 p.m.
Prep boys soccer
McLoughlin at Riverside, 3 p.m.
Prep cross-country
Walla Walla, Southridge at Hermis-
ton, 3 p.m.