Statesman Journal from Salem, Oregon • Page 2

CASEEaLL STATESMAN JOURNAL 3B MONDAY, JUNE 23, 1997 Eager players disappointed by ramoet, too Throu Saturdays gwna AB 28 36 4 0 2 10 Rodtrguez Faifctom Mosier Flaherty Weas Byas Mount Voung Greene Pness Casper Mendoza Kenna Baeza Lopez Totals .500 429 412 375 333 304 286 273 250 7 0 3 17 1 7 8 2 3 6 1 2 23 5 7 21 2 6 22 7 0 2 8 0 2 14 2 3 14 1 2 17 0 1 5 0 0 4 0 0 3 .250 1 2lt" 0 143. 0 059 0 000 1 000 5 17S 21 46 3 Stolen Byas 44. Young 2-3. Greene 01, Menooza 0-1 PITCHING IP 3 SO W-L 3 Sv ERA 0 000 Rice Hutchings Travw 2V4 2 2 2 1 2 000 000 Port 6 7 2 Joseph 2Vi 2 3 TaHahashi, 2i1 4 1 300 5 2 2 5 1 4 4 1 2 3 Nathan 4 50 640,, 692 -900 900 Raey DeAbreu Malencti Andra Can. Jensen Nieison Verdugo Totals 4 6 to 1 4 7 1V5 3 5 5 012.86 ii 01350 013 85 014 40 0 6.92 4 8 0-2 18 43 04 mwuiiiH 'i day that a helicopter flies in and the mayor of the city gets out.

That was definitely exciting." For the Volcanoes, it was a disappointing conclusion to a long day. The team drove all night after Saturday's game in Spokane, and arrived in town at 6 a.m. Sunday. "It takes a long time to get ready for a ballgame, and then to finally get ready and to have to shut it down is tough," Volcanoes first baseman C.J Ankrum said. "If it wasn't a brand new field and the fans and the city weren't so excited for the game, they probably would have called it a long time ago.

They did everything they could." Ankrum said he felt especially bad for the fans. "They're excited for everybody to be here," he said. "This city hasn't had baseball for a long time, and if it makes them happy then it makes us happy." Volcanoes players caught their first glimpe of the stadium when they arrived from Spokane. "It looks real nice," outfielder Brett Casper said. "Everybody kept on talking about what a great facility this is, and they're right." Casper hopes fan interest will remain high despite the opening-game rainout.

"I felt real bad because they all came out to watch us play," Casper said. "We hope they'll come back tomorrow night and the following night." 22 23 24 26 27 28 YAK YAK YAM YAK YAH IUO IUO 6 05 7 06 7:05 7 0S 7-Q5 7 0S 7 05 29 30 IUO S.O. 7.05 7.06 JULY y. 1 2 3 4 5 CO. S.O.

TV IVK rvt 7 OS 7.05 7 05 7 05 7 05 6 7 8 3 1(1 II 12 iv ivt iu iua iu wow 7 05 7 06 7-06 7:06 7'0S 7 05 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 FOR POR lOR MR POR IVR IVR 7 05 7 06 7U6 7.05 7 06 7:05 70 21 22 23 24 25 26 IVR IVR IVR ROI ROI ROI ROf 2-05 7.05 7-05 7 05 7 05 7 05 7 05 27 28 29 30 31 ROI CO. f.O. f.0. 7.05 7.05 7D5 7.06 SOGGY START: The Volcanoes' postponed Sunday night's game. TIMOTHY J.

GONZALEZStatesman Journal while waiting out the storm that ACSUST The Volcanoes and Yakima Bears were looking forward to a special night. BY GARY HOROWITZ The Statesman Journal KEIZER A rainout wasn't exactly what the players were hoping for Sunday night in the Volcanoes' inaugural home game. At least there was plenty of time for many of the 4,901 in attendance to purchase souvenirs. "The rain gets old," said Volcanoes' pitcher Eric Johnson, who accurately captured the moment. Johnson and his teammates signed autographs in the rain after the game was called.

"We expected a sellout, and we knew the city was pretty excited to get a baseball team out here," Johnson said. "It's pretty disappointing to get rained out, especially on a big day for the city and a big day for baseball." At least the pregame festivities beat the rain. Yakima Bears players sat in the visitors dugout and watched Keiz-er Mayor Dennis Koho arrive via helicopter to throw out the first pitch. "It would have been exciting to play with all these people here opening night, Yakima catcher Jason Brown said. "Everybody was ready to go.

"We had nothing else to do but sit in the dugout and watch. It was entertaining. It's not every Stadium traffic moves briskly Radiant Drive residents complain of fast cars near the stadium. BY ELVIA DIAZ The Statesman Journal Despite heavy rain and some opening-night confusion, traffic moved relatively quickly in and out of Volcanoes Stadium. In fact, a little too quickly for some nearby residents.

Some residents who live along Radiant Drive, one of the main roads to the stadium, complained that drivers were going faster than the speed limit. "Most cars were doing about 50 mph," said Ronald Walls, who lives on the street. "There were no police officers patrolling this road." It took barely half an hour to usher nearly 2,000 cars out of the ballpark parking lot after the game was canceled, said Keizer Police Sgt. Kent Barker. "It was very smooth on the way out," Barker said.

"We didn't have any major incidents." Barker said police will meet today to review Sunday's traffic and consider any changes. Most fans patiently waited as two lines of cars took turns being ushered onto streets leading away from the ballpark. Others simply waited. Greg and Heidi Pramuk spent 1 2 S.O. f.0.

705 7.05 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 M90 SPO SPO mo tPQ YAK 7:05 7 05 7:06 7-06 7:05 7 06 10 11 12 13 14 15 18 YAK YAK YAK YAK ROI ROI 7 06 7 05 7 05 7 05 7 06 7:05 17 19 19 20 21 22 23 ROI ROI ROI Mill MR OR FOR 2 05 7:06 7-05 7.05 7-06 7.06 7 06 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 FOR FOR IUO IUO IUO IUO tUO 7 05 7:05 7:05 7 05 7 05 7 05 7.08 31 RUO 705 SEPTEMBER 1 2 3 f.0. R.O. f.O. 7 05 7 05 7 05 TIMOTHY J. GONZALEZStatesman Journal TRAFFIC: Laloni Boyd (left), 9, and Cheryl Lucchetti, 8, watch the line of cars head north past Boyd's home on Radiant Drive NE and into the parking lot of Volcanoes Stadium.

Mike Byas tries to catch rain with his hat Tl lane was open." Prior to the game, cars were lined up on Radiant Drive all the way to Lockhaven Road, about a mile south of the ballpark. But drivers didn't seem concerned about the delay. Some residents decided to turn the mishap into something fun by waving at baseball fans driving by their front lawns. "We're having a great time waving at people," said Chrystal Boyd, sitting with relatives and joking about the traffic. "I might even charge for parking." i "TT BY The the got the the Rain should go away by tonight JANET DAVIES AND KALY SOTO Statesman Journal By tonight the showers that washed away baseball in Keizer on Sunday should be knocking on Idaho's door, according to the National Weather Service.

Heavy rains halted play in what was to be the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes first game. North Salem and Keizer apparently caught more than their share of the summer storm, which was caused by a cold, upper-level, low pressure system off the Washington coast, said Russ Willis, public forecaster for the National Weather Service. Today's forecast calls for showers in the morning, but they should end by evening, Willis said. The service had predicted scattered showers for Sunday evening, Willis said. However, witnesses said the heavy rains were concentrated in Keizer.

Brian Miller, air traffic controller at McNary Field in Salem, said the weather was looking rotten to the North. "It's pretty clear over here," Miller said at the airport, which is where the National Weather Service measures local rainfall. "About four miles to the north of the airport it's dark, and you can see rain coming out of the clouds. It's that bad," Miller said at about 9 p.m., one hour after the Volcanoes game was postponed. Salem police were reporting flooding problems in north Salem.

Fans: Rain a letdown CONTINUED FROM 1B postponement was a letdown. "We were all jazzed up for the game. We here at 5:30." But Lien will return. He has a special place in history: His suggestion for team's nickname was chosen by club officials. Ray Hawley and Rick Harp weren't perfectly happy, but their mood had improved since Saturday, when they were fuming over their seat assignments.

Hawley said club owners Jerry and Lisa Walker made several phone calls Sunday to patch up the differences. The new seats are "not what I wanted, but they're better than I had," said Hawley, one of five fans who informed Statesman Journal of ticket problems. "The paper reported it and forced their hand." Bill Kluting of Dallas and Kenny Smith, stuck in a concession line, maintained smiles. "The lines are slow, but it's a spacious park with good visibility on all sides," Kluting said. Smith was anxious to see Class A baseball again.

He remembers seeing Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza at Chemeketa Community College in the 1980s. Piazza, a star catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, was a rookie for the Salem Dodgers. Griffey played for Bellingham. Salem teams played at Chemeketa in the 1980s as a minor-league affiliate to California and Los Angeles.

"I love entry-level ball," Smith said. "It was great seeing guys like Griffey and Piazza." Kay: BOI Botse EUQ Eugene: EVR EveroB: POR Portland; 0 Southern Oregon; SPO Spokane; YAK Yakjme. Home gam Away Game Players by position in alphabetical order, with jersey numbers in parentheses. SALEM-KEIZER VOLCANOES Pitchers Jeff Andra (44), Shawn Austin 1 (38), Rick Clark (6), Milton De Abreu Joseph Farley (46), Mark Hutchings Ryan Jensen (32), Eric Johnson (23), Kevin Joseph (36), Will Malerich (25), Joe Nathan (22), Tom Nielsen (23), Gary Olivo' ti (37), Jeff Pohl (43), Nathan Rice (33), Mike Riley (21), Kurt Takahashi (39), Jesse Tra-' -vis (41), Jason Verdugo (19). 5 Irrfielders C.J.

Ankrum (23), Art Baeza (29), Julio Cordido (15), Clay Greene Pjarinfi MonriM7A fn Mark Mneiar tTi Nelwin Oquendo (13), Travis Young (9), roMiM Tim Cbhariu fOfi Kenna (12), Matt Priess (16), GuillermoRc- dnguez (8), Outfielders Mike Byas (2), Brett Casper (31), Chad Faircloth (30), Luis Lopez (35), Carlos Valderrama (45). Zach Wells (5). Coaching staff Shane Turner (20), manager; Shawn Barton (14), pitching coach: Eric Retsinger, trainer. YAKIMA BEARS Pitchers Kym Ashworth (43), Lance Backowski (52), Shane Bloomfield (51), Adrian Bumside (53), Bill Everty (12), Kyle Graham (56), Brett Husted (44), Chris. Karabinus (46), Mickey Maettas (35), Matt Montgomery (31), Chris Ochsenteld (47), Beau Parker (8), Mike Rawts (27), Dann -Schmalz (5), Jason Walters (54), Catchers John Hernandez (23), Co-nand Horton (25), Jason Brown (29).

Infielders Rickey Bell (9), Jamie Goudie (10), Brett lllig (30), Willie King (55), Nick Leach (11), Rich Sana (4), Brian Zaun (21). Outfielders Joe Paterson (15), Kimani Newson (26), Derrick Peoples (33). Cash Riley (57), Wayne Slater (24), Phoenix Wynter(45). Coaching staff Joe Vavra, manager; Mitch Webster, hitting coach; Dave Os-. teen, pitching coach; Jason Mahnke, train- South Division Portland 4 Southern Oregon 3 Eugene 2 Salem-Keizer 0 North Division Pel GB .667 .500 1 .333 2 .000 3'A Pet GB 833 .667 1 .500 2 .400 2VS Spokane Everett Boise 5 4 3 Yakima 2 SUNDAY'S GAMES Yakima at Salem-Keizer, wet'' grounds Portland 4, Spokane 2 Everett 3, Southern Oregon 1 Boise 9, Eugene 3 TODAY'S GAMES Yakima at Salem-Keizer, 7:05 p.m.

Spokane at Portland Southern Oregon at Everett Eugene at Boise i TUESDAY'S GAMES Spokane at Portland a Yakima at Salem-Keizer, 2 8:05 p.m. Southern Oregon at Everett Eugene at Boise i EVERETT 3, S. OREGON 1 Oregon 000 000 1001 3 Everett 020 100 OOx 3 SO' Vizcaino, Manwiller (6), Nina (8) and Figueroa: Meche, No f7), Kawahara (8), Brea (9) and Williams. Meche, 2-0. Vizcaino, 0-1.

Sv Brea (1). 2:53. A 1946. W1H KUM I LAIHU 4, SrUIWit 2 Spokane-Portland unweort Spokane 001 000 1002 0 Dnrttanri fWl 1 11 ftf. 1 in 9 Alexander, Gilfillan (6), Roeder (8) and bioii oj anu uuiitaiBg.

vv niveia, tu. Alexander, 1-1. Sv Petrosian HRs Spokane, HHI (1); Portland, none. BOISE 9, EUGENE 3 Eugene 100 000 2003 3 Boise 023 011 20X 10) 1 Wyatt, Shumate (6), Lebeko (8) and Pugh. Gangeml, Snelllngs (7), Soriano (9) and Dewey.

Gangeml, 1-1. Wyatt, 0-2. HRs Boise, Castro (1). 3:05. A 4,287 Field: League official helps with decision this road was open and now I have to find my way around," Ken Robblee of Salem said.

Lesley Cartier said she had to park a mile from the parking lot because of the misinformation. "It's unfair that I had to walk. I'm handicapped," she said. "I told them (police) that and they didn't care. We came late and so we couldn't go around to get a space." On the way out, Tepper Lane was open eastbound only.

"It has been a real mess on this corner," said Barker, at the intersection of Tepper and McLeod. "Too many people thought this i 1- half an hour huddled with their two children under a shelter at the ballpark, filling out a credit card application to get a free Volcanoes baseball. "There was no sense waiting in the car for 30 minutes," Heidi said. Most of the complaints came from people who showed up at Tepper Lane trying to get to the parking lot. Although city officials tried to publicize the fact that Tepper would be closed an hour before the game, many people didn't get the word or heard otherwise.

"I just heard over the radio regularly scheduled game tonight against Yakima, then make up Sunday night's rainout as part of a doubleheader Tuesday night. The postponement was just another letdown for the team after opening the season with a winless, five-game road stand in Spokane, Wash. "We've been waiting forever and then this happens," Byas said. "I guess it's better to play on a safe field. I'd rather fans see a good game rather than a sloppy game." "It's very disappointing, especially after the road trip we just had," said designated hitter David Kenna, referring to the team's 0-5 start.

"We wanted to do it for these people here. We know it's special for them." When the announcement was finally made over the loudspeaker at 7:50 p.m. that the game had been postponed, the Volcanoes came back onto the field to sign autographs, even though the rain began to fall again. 1 CONTINUED FROM 1B NWL president Bob Richmond was called onto the field to help make the final decision. "They did a good job with what they had to work with," Richmond said.

"It's too bad for all these people. We hate to do this to the fans." Even after it looked like there was no chance the game would be played, the grounds crew continued raking the base paths, just in case. The rain began to let up after a half hour, but it was too late. The damage had been done, and the dirt areas of the infield had been reduced to slippery mush. "We're all dressed up with nowhere to go," right fielder Brett Casper said as the team milled around the dugout, waiting for word, one way or another.

"Look," center fielder Mike Byas said, pointing to the slicker-clad crowd. "I know they're disappointed. I wanted to play in front of 4,500 fans. It's fun playing in front of a big crowd. I hope the crowd's around for tomorrow." The Volcanoes will play their I JAY REITERStatesman Journal WAITING: Keizer resident and baseball fan Craig Opra used his car's hatch as a shelter from the rain..