Via social media, the Keizertimes asked readers: If Major League Baseball eliminates the Volcanoes from its minor league system in 2021, how would that affect the Keizer and Salem communities?
Here are selected responses:
If more people went to the games it would be worth keeping the Volcanoes. I’m not into baseball, but I did enjoy going to a game or two with friends. It was fun. -—Stephanie Duncan
Baseball is a cornerstone of Keizer’s identity. Keizer All Stars Little League is known all over the valley. When my job takes me to other parts of the valley, when people find out I’m from Keizer, they often mention having heard of the All Stars, as well as the Volcanoes. To lose the Volcanoes would be to lose a fairly big piece of Keizer’s identity. -—Chris Propeck
We’d be losing a large part of what makes Keizer, Keizer. I might even go so far as to argue that the development of the Volcanoes Stadium was the first development Keizer had that gave it an identity separate from that of Salem, despite the two cities’ names claiming ownership of the team. Without the Volcanoes Stadium, Keizer Station would be just another sad series of strip malls, no different that the multitude that can be found in Salem and the greater Portland metro area. Be sad to see them go. -—Brennen Hankins
Our firm had four season seats behind home plate—dropped them when it got hard to even give the tickets away. As a family, we’ve also had season tickets for years. That said, I only made it to four games last year. (My wife, daughter and father in law made it to a lot more.)If Volcanoes go away, I’ll be saving a couple grand in ticket prices and we’ll go to the Hillsboro Hops a few times to get our fix. We’ve continued to watch the attendance drop over the years and the service and fan experience has certainly taken a hit the last ten years, too. Honestly I won’t miss it. -—Elliot Kroon Groeneveld
Honestly, I’m gonna be that guy and say where was all this concern for the public transit of the Salem-Keizer area? It’s baseball, true; it’s been a cornerstone of the community but in all aspects so is the need for public transit. Maybe give it a decade break like they did Cherriots. -—Dakota Saunders
