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The On-Deck Circle
The Official
Newsletter of the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
Volume 9, Issue 1, February, 2006
Welcome!
Ten years of memories; ten years of fun! And with that theme for 2006,
the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes are set to embark on a truly memorable
season. There’s a new
state of the art video board set for installation over the right field
wall, six major fireworks shows during the season and an impressive
list of events and attractions that includes a return appearance from
The Famous San Diego Chicken.
Wacky Wednesdays and Bingo Sundays will become regular features
throughout the summer as team co-owner Jerry Walker has pledged to make
the club’s 10th Anniversary Season “our biggest
and best ever.”
There’s a lot to talk about. Here are the stories
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NEW VIDEO BOARD TO BE INSTALLED AT VOLCANOES STADIUM
 Biggest and Best Addition Yet
Volcanoes Stadium will have a “Big
League” feel when fans walk through the gates of “The Crater”
for the team’s 10th Anniversary Season this summer. A new, sophisticated video
graphics board, positioned just above the right field wall, will be added
to the Stadium this spring.
The entire display, including sponsor
panels, will be 13 feet high and 22 feet wide and will be able to display
life-sized images and current statistics of the players. As part of the project, the
existing Interstate 5 marquee will be retrofitted making installation
possible. The video board
will also serve as an auxiliary scoreboard. In addition, a speed pitch
indicator will be integrated into the board’s video components with
the capability to display the speed of each pitch.
“This is the most significant improvement
to Volcanoes Stadium since its construction in 1997,” said team
co-owner Jerry Walker in making the  announcement February 8.
“Each season, we’ve added new things to enhance the atmosphere
here at the Stadium for the fans.
Our goal has always been keep the experience fresh and exciting
for the fans,” he concluded.
Previous Stadium enhancements include:
1998: Expansion of the family recreation
and barbecue area down the left field line.
1999: Addition of 306 new, upper level
box seats.
2000: Construction of the Home Run Porch
and expansion of the barbecue area.
2001: Debut of the Your Back Yard
Children’s Play Area.
2002: Building of the Lava Lodge
Group Hospitality
Center and four
specialty concession stands (Healthy Hut, Asian Wok, Cafe Ole’ and
The Dog House)
2003: Construction of the new batting
cage for team and fan use.
2004: Creation of the Diamond Club Suite
and Lava Lodge Sports Pub
2005: Expansion and remodeling of the Volcanoes
Pro Shop.
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VOLCANOES ANNOUNCE 2006
LINEUP OF EVENTS
Best Promotional schedule Ever!
 With six fireworks shows, a host of special attractions including
the Famous San Diego Chicken, Wacky Wednesdays, Baseball Bingo and a
nationally recognized series of community outreach events, the
Salem-Keizer Volcanoes have announced their strongest lineup of events as
part of its 10th Anniversary season.
Fans will get their first look at the
team on Fathers Day, Sunday, June 18, when the Volcanoes host the College
All-Stars for the second consecutive year. The Northwest League home opener
is Saturday, June 24, against the Boise Hawks. Fireworks will be featured after
every Friday night home game and on the Fourth of July. Wacky Wednesdays will feature an
entertainment act with the Famous Chicken making his first Northwest
appearance in three years on July 26. Baseball Bingo will become a
regular feature for all seven Sunday home dates.
TAKE A
LOOK AT WHAT'S COMING IN 2006!
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TICKET PACKAGE DATES SET FOR 10TH ANNIVERSARY
SEASON
Order Yours Now for Best
Seating
 With a lineup that includes three fireworks shows and an appearance
by the Famous San Diego Chicken, the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes have created
the strongest 10-game ticket package in franchise history in conjunction
with the team’s 10th Anniversary Season.
Besides the trio of fireworks shows
(July 14, August 11, September 1), fans purchasing the 10-game package
will also enjoy Opening Night (June 24), The Spitball Gang (June
28), Baseball Bingo (July
16), The Famous Chicken (July 26), Crater’s Birthday Party (August
5), Hometown Heroes and Team Photo Giveaway (August 27) and the Baseball
Card Set Giveaway (with the fireworks show on September 1).
The 10-game plan gives fans the
opportunity to see every team in the Northwest League. Cost for all 10 games is just $80.
The five-game schedule for 2006 includes
Opening Night (June 24), Roberto the Magnificent and Free Baseball
Giveaway (July 12), Baseball Bingo and the Turn Back the Clock Game (July
23), Fireworks Friday (August 4) and The Spitball Gang (August 23). Five-game plans are $40.
Season tickets and 19-game ticket plans
are also available and the Volcanoes are now taking reservations for
group functions. For
information, or to order tickets, contact the ticket office at Volcanoes
Stadium at 503-390-2225, ext. 3007.
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SEVEN FORMER VOLCANOES RATED AMONG GIANTS’ TOP 10
PROSPECTS
Baseball America’s Top Picks
After posting the second-best overall winning percentage in the minor
leagues last season (.555), the San Francisco Giants are very
enthusiastic about the potential of a talented group of young players led
by a host of Salem-Keizer alumni.
Seven former Volcanoes have been ranked among the Giants Top 10
prospects in Baseball America’s
annual repeat, released December 19.
The seven players are Eddy Martinez-Esteve (#3), Travis Ishikawa
(#4), Jonathan Sanchez (#6), Nate Schierholtz (#7), Fred Lewis (#8),
Kevin Frandsen (#9) and Craig Whitaker (#10). All but Sanchez and Frandsen were
on the same list a year ago.
Pitcher Matt Cain was rated the Giants top prospect for the second
consecutive year while speedy shortstop Marcus Sanders was ranked second
and pitcher Merkin Valdez, number two a year ago, was slotted fifth.
Full
Story
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SANDOVAL AMONG 12 VOLCANOES TO EARN SPRING TRAINING INVITE
Camp Opens February 15th
The San Francisco Giants open spring
training this month with a record 26 former Salem-Keizer Volcanoes in
camp. The list includes 14
S-K alumni who are on the club’s 40-man roster and an additional
dozen who were given spring training invitations in January including
19-year old Pablo Sandoval who earned Northwest League All-Star honors at
third base last season.
Former Volcanoes on the Giants’
40-man roster include pitchers Noah Lowry, Brad Hennessey, Kevin Correia,
Scott Munter, Jack Taschner, Jon Coutlangus and Jesus Reina, catcher
Justin Knoedler, first basemen Lance Niekro and Travis Ishikawa, and
outfielders Jason Ellison, Fred Lewis, Dan Ortmeier and Nate Schierholtz.
In addition to Sandoval, spring invites
were also extended to pitchers Joe Bateman, Justin Hedrick and Jonathan
Sanchez, catcher Todd Jennings, infielders Kevin Frandsen, Derin McMains
and Jake Wald, and outfielders John Bowker, Brian Horwitz, Adam Shabala
and Clay Timpner. (Sanchez,
who will play for Puerto Rico, and Minnesota’s Joe Nathan, a member
of the U. S. team, are the only former Volcanoes who will play in the
first World Baseball Championships this March.)
Lowry, a fixture in San Francisco’s rotation a year
ago, is slotted as the Giants’ number three starter behind Jason
Schmidt and newly acquired Matt Morris. With Matt Cain ticketed for the
number four starting position, Hennessey and Correia will battle for the
fifth spot in the rotation.
Niekro has been tabbed as the club’s starting first baseman
after platooning with veteran J. T. Snow a year ago. Snow is now with Boston.
Rich Draper, who covers the Giants for
the internet website MLB.com, reports Niekro has gained about 15 pounds
since last year after a rigorous conditioning program designed to prevent
the injuries that have plagued the former NWL batting champion throughout
his professional career.
Lance told him, “I’m going to try and stay healthy and
do the best I can. I’m
going into camp feeling I have a lot to prove…I’m not going
to sit back on my heels by any means.
Niekro struggled against right-handed
pitchers in 2005, hitting just .206 in 170 at bats. After batting .297 with 10 home
runs in the first half of the season, he hit only .186 with two homers
after the All-Star break following injuries to his right foot and left
big toe. Veteran Mark Sweeney
will back up Niekro this year.
Ellison pencils in as the club’s
fifth outfielder behind the starting trio of Barry Bonds, Randy Winn and
Moises Alou and off-season acquisition Steve Findley. Knoedler is trying to earn a spot
as the Giants’ number two catcher behind Mike Matheny though some
observers suggest he’d benefit from another full season at Triple-A
Fresno.
San Francisco’s spring training camp opens on February 15.
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LISA WALKER IS MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL’S WOMAN EXECUTIVE
OF THE YEAR
National
Magazine features Story!
 Lisa Walker, the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes Director of Corporate Sales
and Promotions, received the prestigious Rawlings’ Minor League
Baseball Woman Executive of the Year award at the Baseball Winter
Meetings in Dallas, Texas. She became the 30th
recipient of the award which covers all classifications of minor league
baseball. The presentation
recognized Lisa for the Volcanoes’ strong support of community
outreach initiatives and non-profit organizations including the
club’ successful Cancer Awareness Nights.
In a profile that appeared in the
February issue of At The Yard, a monthly magazine which covers
Minor League Baseball, writer Brad Del Barba told the story of
Lisa’s breast cancer diagnosis in September, 2000, writing,
“The face-to-face encounter with the reality of her own mortality
became her calling from God to help others. And she has done so in her many
actions, even through baseball.
“I think five years ago, I would
have thought of myself aspiring to be worth of it (the award)…It
wasn’t until after my experience with cancer that I looked more at
what work I can still do and how I can make a difference,” said
Walker after giving a humbling speech at the Winter Meetings.
After completing her treatments and
being given a clean bill of health, walker turned her energies and
creative mind to bringing various outreach programs to Volcanoes
Stadium. With the help of her
oncologist, Dr. Bud Pierce, Lisa’s first Cancer Awareness Night in
2002 saw 50 cancer survivors take their place on the field before a
Volcanoes game. Last season,
over 200 cancer survivors joined Lisa and Volcanoes players on the field.
With an eye towards the future as the
Volcanoes celebrate their 10th season, Walker looks back at her past and
counts her blessings.
“This year marked the fifth
anniversary of my breast cancer diagnosis. I can honestly say, without
question, these have been the very best years of my life,” Walker told the crowd (of 3,000) in her award
acceptance speech in Dallas. “I have come to learn that
the Grace of God is sufficient for me.”
This season’s Cancer Awareness
Night will be Saturday, August 12.
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CLUBHOUSE CHAT
with JERRY WALKER
Words from the Co-Owner
 We’re getting
ready to Play Ball!
Excitement and enthusiasm is in the air. The first store, Lowe’s, in
the Keizer Station development immediately south of the Volcanoes Stadium
is open. Target is set to
open March 5. 67 other stores
will follow, along with an estimated 3,000 jobs. The roads headed to the Stadium
are completed and are a significant improvement to the old Radiant Drive,
which has now been renamed Stadium
Drive.
I’m very pleased to announce the addition of John Preston,
Jerry Howard and James Erickson to the Volcanoes front office staff. They are great additions to our
staff and have boundless energy and great enthusiasm for our community
and Volcanoes Baseball. Be
sure to stop by and see us soon, say hello to John, Jerry and James and
check out all the activity in and around Volcanoes Stadium.
New for 2006! Of course the new
Video Board (see lead story) is the biggest improvement for 2006, but
there are lots of other exciting additions as we prepare for our 10th
Anniversary Season. We have set aside a section in our lower level box
seats, immediately above the visitor’s dugout, for groups. Now your group can enjoy Volcanoes
Baseball from the best seats in the house. From corporate
meetings, company outings, to family parties, Volcanoes Stadium is the
perfect site for your summer gathering. Our custom tailored Volcanoes
Group Outings provide everything you need to make your corporate party,
birthday, or family gathering the best event ever. With 2 great catering
choices hosted in our Lava Lodge, your event is sure to be a
success. This will be a very
popular area, so it is important that you contact James Erickson, Fan
Experience Coordinator for the Volcanoes, at 503-390-2225, to reserve
‘your date’.
Also, new for
2006, you can now Earn "Cash" as a Volcanoes Season Ticket or
Ticket Package Holder!
We have found many of our current season ticket and package holders
have friends and family that would also like to have Volcanoes
tickets. Let us know who the
are and in appreciation for your referrals, you will receive $100 in
“Crater Cash” for every person you refer who purchases a pair
of season tickets, $25 in “Crater Cash” for every pair of
10-Game Packages, and $10 in “Crater Cash” for every pair of
5-Game Packages. What is
“Crater Cash” you may ask? “Crater Cash” is the
new in-stadium currency here at Volcanoes Stadium, and can be used to
purchase merchandise or concessions throughout the ballpark. Think of all
the Killer Kielbasas and Volcanoes Burgers you could buy. The best part
is… there is no limit to how much you can earn! To refer a friend(s), simply
call 503-390-2225 and give us the information, or email J.Erickson@Volcanoesbaseball.com.
Just make sure to let us know your name, so we know whom to thank.
Over the past 9 seasons, we’ve had many fun experiences here
in Volcanoes Stadium. We know that you have had some great times here as
well. We’d like to hear about your memories here at the Stadium!
Take a couple minutes and write one or two (or 10) sentences about your
great experience and email it to J.Erickson@Volcanoesbaseball.com. If you are lucky, Your story could
end up on www.volcanoesbaseball.com, in the 2006
yearbook or Media Guide, or even in a Volcanoes commercial!
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COMPLETE 2006 SCHEDULE
Best Schedule Yet!
The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes will open
their 10th Anniversary season with a five-game road trip
against the defending Northwest League Champion Spokane Indians on
Monday, June 19. The
Volcanoes home opener will be Sunday, June 26, against Yakima at 5:05 p.m. The 76-game schedule will conclude
on September 6 in Eugene.
Game times remain unchanged. Monday through Thursday games
begin at 6:35.
Friday-Saturday games start at 7:05 and Sunday contests will
continue at 5:05. The two
exceptions are on July 4 (7:05 start) and July 27 (2:05 start).
Season tickets and ticket packages for
the 2006 season are now available at the Stadium Ticket Office or by
calling (503) 390-2225, Ext. 3007.
Here is the
Volcanoes complete 2006 schedule.
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BY THE
NUMBERS: Salem-Keizer Final Stats for 2005
2005 NORTHWEST LEAGUE FINAL STANDINGS
WEST WON LOST PCT. GB Manager Attendance
Vancouver (A’s) 46 30 .605 --- Juan
Navarette 124,708
Volcanoes (Giants) 45 31 .592 1 Steve
Decker 108,418
Everett (Mariners) 42 34 .553 4 Pedro
Grifol 108,884
Eugene(Padres) 34 42 .447
12 Roy
Howell 124,512
EAST WON LOST PCT. GB Manager Attendance
Spokane (Rangers) 37 39 .487 --- Greg
Riddoch 180,084
Tri-City (Rockies) 36 40 .474 1 Ron
Gideon 63,173
Boise (Cubs) 34 42 .447 3 Trey
Forkerway 109,746
Spokane
defeated Vancouver,
three games to two, to win Northwest League Championship Series
2005 NORTHWEST
LEAGUE ALL-STAR TEAM
MGR Steve
Decker Volcanoes DH Lizahio
Baez Spokane
C Josh
Ford Yakima RHP Mike Madsen Vancouver
1B Will
Thompson Volcanoes LHP Darin Downs Boise
2B Luis
Valbuena Everett RHRP Brian
Anderson Volcanoes
3B Pablo
Sandoval Volcanoes LHRP Brad Kilby
Vancouver
SS German
Duran Spokane MVP Steve Murphy Spokane
OF Travis
Becktel Tri-City
OF Mike
Mooney Volcanoes
OF Steve
Murphy Spokane
2005 SALEM-KEIZER VOLCANOES: Final Statistics
Name G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB Avg Name_______ W-L ERA_ G IP H SO BB Sv
ABREU,
Johany 22 53 5 10 2 1 0 8 3 .189 ANDERSON, Brian
3-1 1.95 27
28 16 42 3 19
BABINEAUX,
Charlie
47 142 13 29 7 0 4 18 0 .204 CEPEDA, Benny 0-1 6.43 6 14 13 5 13 0
BUSCH,
Andy 36 105 10 22 5 0 2 9 0 .210 CODY, Buck 0-2 3.78 15 17 19 22 6 0
CONTRERAS,
A. 22 72 10 18 3 0 0 4 4 .250 FOLTIN, Wayne 2-1 3.38 17 21 24 20 7 0
COPELAND,
Ben 29 121 25 37 5 4 4 23 2 .306 GRIFFIN,
Dan 3-2 2.39 8 38 33 49 12 0
DIXON,
D. J. 42 101 13 30 6 0 1 9 1 .297 HINSHAW, Alex 0-1 3.68 25 22 17 33 18 0
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