A Sad Farewell To Douglas County

Calling a Roseburg Indians baseball game against Crater (2012).

As quickly as it all began, my time in Roseburg, Oregon has come to an end.

One week in November, two years ago, I contacted a man about a job at a radio station. Soon, I was planning a move three hours south from Portland to take over as a reporter, news anchor, and play-by-play announcer with Brooke Communications.

Getting pumped with coworkers for another Civil War match-up (2012).

My one year and eight months with the group there in Roseburg taught me plenty. I became a better broadcaster, a better writer, and more importantly, friends with many new people. I will always look back at this time with great fondness, no matter how abruptly it ended.

I want to thank Pat, Brian, Kyle and everyone at Brooke Communications for giving me the opportunity to learn and grow. I hope they enjoyed my time there as much as I did.

Now, it’s on to the the familiar chore of searching for a new job. Options are limited in Roseburg, so I will be looking elsewhere and moving at the end of the month. My focus will be on staying in the Northwest and staying in broadcasting, but my interests may take me to other locations and jobs possibly away from a mic.

If you happen to hear or know of any opportunities in sports or news broadcasting, or just sports in general, please feel free to let me know. Leave comments here, contact me via email at joeykeeran@gmail.com., or via any other form of social media.

I appreciate all the support from family and friends during this endeavor. Without all of you, this would be a much more arduous situation.

Age might only be a number, but 30 years wore me out

For those of you wondering how my #DirtyThirty birthday trip with Ryan Goff finished up, you can take my absence on my on this blog as a sign. The final few days of our trip out east were very engaging, busy, exciting, and exhausting.

It’s been a week-and-a-half since we returned to Oregon and tonight seriously feels like the first moment I’ve had to sit and pound out some thoughts on the keyboard.

Overall, the entire trip was amazing. Eight straight days of sitting at a Major League Baseball stadium is practically any baseball fans dream come true.

From Pittsburgh to Philly, then DC to New York with a short stop in Baltimore and finishing in Boston, my trip with Ryan took us all over the East Coast. We saw baseball, obviously, but we also saw historic sights and old friends, tasted new beers and new food, walked miles and slept little, met celebrities, talked our way into the NFL Draft, and explored our interests in radio broadcasting.

Looking back on it all, I’d say the most enjoyable ballparks were Orioles Park at Camden Yards, Fenway Park, and PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

Easily one of my most favorite non-ballpark moments was getting to meet a broadcasting legend Dan Patrick and his Danettes. We first met up with them at a pre-NFL Draft function and then got to tour their New York studio the next day and chat some more.

Stay tuned to my blog for more tidbits and pictures from the trip. I’ll find time to do a picture blog of the highlights from the trip.

Thanks for stopping by.

Dirty Thirty Update

Just a quick post today as we continue our time in Washington DC. Ryan and I met up with our friend Jason who lives and works in the District. He was kind enough to let us crash at his place with him and his fiancé Ashley.

During the day Ryan and I got a chance to check out a few sights. White House…check. Capitol Building …check. Smithsonian Museum…not quite. We got ushered out as they were shutting things down. Got too distracted by all the other sights that we didn’t make it in time. Oh well.

We’re staying in one spot for two nights, a first on the trip so far. Another day in DC before heading to New York by way of Baltimore. Looks like we’re planning on a second trip to Nationals Park tonight. The Nats lost 3-2 on Monday, meaning our home team winning streak is no longer. We’ll try again tonight.

Dirty Thirty Update

Day two of the #DirtyThirty birthday trip brought us to Philadelphia. A six hour ride from Pittsburgh was mainly spent sleeping. After arriving in town, we had time to kill before meeting our host for the evening and going to our second baseball game in as many days.

Ryan and I stopped at what was described by one visitor as “an actual Irish bar!” At least that’s what we overheard her say as she walked in on her cell phone. Sliante featured some good grub and a tasty beer.

Then it was off to burn some calories and see a few sights around the town. Eventually we made it to a brewery that has easily been my favorite of the trip. Nodding Head had about six brews on tap and a display case of more than 100 bobbleheads. The little nodding souvenirs were the most interesting part for me, although the beer was good too. The prized gem, in my opinion, was a Harry Carrey bobblehead. We asked about trading one of the Andrew McCucthen bobbleheads we got in Pittsburgh the day before, but the owner wasn’t in. So, we got his email. He should expect to hear from me soon.

Anti-climatic moment of the day:
After walking about a mile-and-a-half of walking, Ryan and I finally arrived at the Sigma Sound Studio, where such stars as Boys II Men, Patti LaBelle, and Jennifer Lopez have recorded music. We were confident we wouldn’t be able to actually tour the studios, but had high hopes for maybe a glimpse of what was inside or at worst a sign recognizing the historic place (I say historic because we found out about it on my History Channel app). We were obviously disappointed to arrive to a glass building with nothing but dark tinted windows and no identifying marks. In fact we had walked by three times before we realized we had actually reached our destination.

Ecstasy moment of the day:
At our second ballpark of the trip, Citizens Bank in Philadelphia, we had probably our most memorable meal of the trip so far. Fried chicken and a honey donut from Federal Donuts. The chicken was so crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The donut was a gift from the heavens. Slightly crunchy on the outside but, like a sponge, soaked with a delicious honey flavor.

The Phillies won 7-3 on a huge 8th inning and now we are 2-for-2 on the home teams winning. We’ll see if the streak continues tonight as we head to see the Nationals in Washington DC.

Sigma Sound Studio…disappointing

Dirty Thirty Update

Day one complete, and it was a huge success. The Pirates won, we got Andrew McCutchen bobbleheads, and we even found a place to stay.

I hadn’t mentioned the last part earlier to spare my mom and girlfriend any concern or stress, but Ryan and I actually arrived in Pittsburgh with no where to stay. We had made several attempts to find a cheap place for the night, but they all fell through.

As a last ditch effort before making ridiculous bids on line for four star hotels, I put a posting on a website called www.couchsurfing.com. I had tried the site while in New Zealand, but didn’t have any luck. That all changed when Aaron, a 28 year old software analyst who finished fourth in the decathlon at the 2007 NCAA Division II National track meet, responded to my post.

Ryan and I were a bit unsure at first, but it turned out all right. We met Aaron at The Park House for beers and some Bluegrass tunes.

All-in-all, not a bad first night. Now off to Philadelphia on our first Megabus excursion. Only a six hour ride.

Dirty Thirty Update

Hello folks from Chicago! Our first flight of the trip is now complete and we’re now waiting to board our flight to Pittsburgh.

I’ll attempt to keep updates coming in the blog here, so stay tuned.

Best Quote (so far…and it’s still early):

Have you seen my gut? Everything is low and tight across my waist

– Ryan Goff, during preflight safety instructions.

While on the plane and waiting for a “not-feeing well” passenger to de-board, we were talking about the number of ballparks we’ve seen games in. My total came to 10, including parks no longer in use. Ryan’s tally was 4. We will each at 6 to our totals since neither of us have been to the ones we’re scheduled to visit.

JOEY
Seattle (Kingdome and Safeco)
San Francisco (Candlestick and AT&T)
Oakland
Dodgers
Angels (Anaheim Stadium and Edison International Field)
Arizona
Chicago (Wrigley)

RYAN
Safeco Field
Wrigley Field
AT&T Park
Jacobs Field

Suggestions Needed For The Dirty Thirty

*Avid readers, sorry for the lack of content as of lately. I’ll work on it…I promise.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

As 2013 continues to chug right along, I continue to get closer to a milestone in my life. Thankfully, this has been one relatively easy to obtain.

Since my birth in the summer of 1983, this moment has been practically inevitable. On June 10 of this year I turn the big 3-0. That’s right, 30-years-old. If I’m lucky, it’s approximately 28.8% of my life.

To celebrate the big moment, I’m going on an adventure.

Together with one my best buds, Ryan, I’ll be heading on a trip to the East Coast for about 10 days. We leave on Saturday (4/20) and while we are gone we plan to visit a number of the top ballparks in the nation, see the NFL Draft, hopefully see a friend or two, and likely have a few cool stories to tell.

Our itinerary currently takes us through Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Baltimore, New York City, and Boston. I’ve never been to any of these places, except for a quick trip to D.C. back in the eighth grade.

My hope is that leading up to the trip I can get some recommendations on things in those cities that can fill up some of the time in-between games. Places to see, things to do, food to eat, or beer to drink. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

This trip is my hurrah to my 20s, so I’m looking to make it an out-of-this world extravaganza. Thanks for any help in making this year’s birthday the greatest so far.

Roseburg Wins Pitching Duel To Advance To Semis

Josh Graham strikes out Joey Losk to advance to the semifinals

A pitching duel broke out in the quarterfinal match-up between Roseburg and Beaverton on Friday. Roseburg senior Josh Graham battled with Beaverton’s Mitch Allen in a 2-0 win that sent the Indians to the semifinal for a second straight year.

The pitchers combined for a scoreless game through four innings and totaled 11 strikeouts during that span. Both pitchers kept hitters off balance and a dribbler down the third base line off Allen was the game’s only hit through four.

Roseburg broke the scoreless tie in the top of the fifth. Boog Leach notched the game’s second hit with a ground-rule double to right centerfield. Cody Walker came on to run for Leach and moved to third on a balk by Allen. Kody Matthews plated the first run for Roseburg on a sacrifice fly to centerfield.

A similar situation led to Roseburg’s second score in the seventh inning. Leach led off the inning with his second straight double. He advanced to third on a wild pitch. Connor Newell brought Leach home with a single through the gap on the right side of the infield.

Beaverton managed just one base runner against Graham. Brandon Cornwell beat out the throw from Newell for an infield single. He was stranded at second after advancing on a sacrifice bunt.

Graham finished with eight strikeouts and allowed just one hit. Allen received the loss, but allowed just four hits and struck out 11.

The Indians will now play on Tuesday in the semifinals, but they are still waiting to find out their opponent. The winner of Jesuit and Oregon City will come to Legion Field. The quarterfinal match-up between the school’s was postponed Friday due to lightening. The game was tied 4-4 after seven innings at the time it was delayed.

Roseburg – 000 010 1   2 4 0

Beaverton – 000 000 0  0 1 1

WP – Josh Graham (10-1) 7.0IP, 1H, 0BB, 8K

LP – Mitch Allen 7.0IP, 4H, 2ER, 4BB, 11K

 

 

 

Priestley Tosses Gem And Leads Indians To Quarterfinals

Roseburg and Southridge get set for first pitch

Jared Priestley continued his hot streak at the plate and dominated from the mound to lead Roseburg to a birth in the quarterfinals of the 6A state playoffs.

The senior threw a one-hit, complete game in a 4-1 victory over the visiting Southridge Skyhawks.  He also led off the Indians scoring with his second homerun of the year in the second inning. Priestley’s performance lowered his team leading ERA to a miniscule 0.42 and the right-hander hasn’t given up an earned run in over 24 innings pitched.

Teammates greet Jared Priestley after a trip around the bases

Priestley did see a run score while he was on the mound for the first time in over a month. An error on a ball hit by leadoff hitter Chandler Whitney allowed the Skyhawks to take the lead in the first inning. Roseburg (23-2) still trailed as it entered its half of the second inning, but on the first pitch he saw, Priestley sent his second round-tripper in as many games over the fence in dead-centerfield to tie the score.

Roseburg would add another run in the second on a double by Connor Newell, his second of the game. Darin Nelson scored the third run for the Indians on a double by Mike Morin in the third inning and the game’s final run was scored on an RBI sacrifice fly by Newell in the fourth.

Meanwhile, on defense, Priestley kept hitters at bay. He struck out nine hitters and walked none. Even when the Skyhawks put balls in play, the Roseburg defense made remarkable plays. Kody Matthews, on multiple occasions, showed his range up the middle to snag sharply hit balls for put outs at first. Morin was equally as impressive at first, digging throws out of the dirt to finish outs in the field.

The Indians now face Beaverton in the quarterfinals on Friday. Home field advantage goes to the team with the least number of games played at home in the playoffs. Beaverton will host the Indians as it has won both of its games on the road. For the second time, Roseburg will see a team that played extra innings in the round before. Beaverton played 10 innings against Sprague before claiming a 6-4 win on Wednesday night.

Southridge – 100 000 0  1 1 2
Roseburg –     021 100 x   4 6 1
WP – Jared Priestley (8-0) 7.0IP, 1H, 1R, 0ER, 0BB, 9K
LP – Luke Merkel 4.0IP, 5H, 4R, 2ER, 2BB, 3K

POSTGAME PODCAST:

A quick wrap-up of Roseburg’s 4-1 win with Coach Troy Thompson

Roseburg Stats through May 23

McKay Scots Hang Close, But Indians Advance

It took five innings for Roseburg to break free from McKay, but the Indians fought through a 3-3 tie to win over the Royal Scots 11-3 in the first round of the state playoffs on Monday.

Senior Josh Graham started for the Indians (22-2). Graham pitched six innings and gave up all three runs scored by McKay. It was the second time all season any team had scored more than one run against the righty. Graham finished the day allowing five hits and striking out 10 to increase his season total to 105.

Graham was also a star at the plate. The clean-up hitter started off the scoring in the bottom of the first with a two-out single that scored Connor Newell from first. The shot from Graham was a line drive that hit the wall on the fly.

McKay tied the game in the next half-inning. Michael Tolento registered the first Scots hit of the game for a triple to right field. The next hitter, Forrest Shumate, scored Tolento on a groundball out to the right side.

Roseburg took the lead again in the bottom of the second inning, when Jared Priestley sent his first homerun flying over the left field fence to move the Indians ahead 2-1. McKay responded with another run in the third to tie the score. In the bottom of the inning, Josh Graham once again came up with the big hit. Graham’s fourth homerun of the year was a solo-blast over left-centerfield that put the Indians ahead by 3-2.

In the fourth it looked as if Roseburg may have finally stopped the Scots from tying the score again, but with two outs, three straight singles tied the score 3-3. Roseburg went quietly in the fourth inning, but exploded for four runs in both the fifth and sixth innings. Kody Matthews chipped in on the scoring with a three-run triple in the fifth and Graham finished his 3-for-3 night with a double that plated a run in the sixth.

The Indians move on to the second round to face Southridge at Legion Field on Wednesday. The Skyhawks upset Tigard in nine innings with a 3-2 victory. The game is tentatively scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

McKay –       011 100 0  3 6 2

Roseburg – 111 044 x  11 12 0

WP – Josh Graham (9-1) 6.0IP, 5H, 3ER, 1BB, 10K

LP – Eric Murry 4.1IP, 9H, 7ER, 4BB, 2K

POSTGAME PODCAST:

Coach Troy Thompson chatted after the first round win over McKay.

Roseburg Statistics – Hitting and pitching statistics for Roseburg through May 22.