Payson Roundup

The decision to hold the 10-11-year-old Little League state baseball tournament in Nogales has caused quite a stir around Arizona.

Some Little League coaches and officials are complaining that Nogales, which is located on the Arizona-Mexico border, is too far a trip and too expensive for most of the Little League players, coaches and parents.

They argue, state tournaments should be held in one of the state’s more centrally located towns.

Some are also concerned about safety in the border town saying drug wars can spill over into the community’s streets.

Payson Little League President Slade Gibson is not one of those officials grumbling about the tournament site.

He says Nogales officials and the city’s mayor have alleviated any concerns about safety and the trip south is just one of the money challenges Little League teams face each season.

“We’ve been to Page before, and that’s a long trip,” Gibson said. “Where you play is just the luck of the draw.”

With the Payson team staying at an upscale resort in Rio Rico — thanks to summer bargain rates the resort extended — Gibson is confident Payson’s Little League players will enjoy a memorable experience.

But not all Little league officials agree with him.

Gilbert American All Star Manager Brian Schmidt says he polled other coaches and volunteers and all who responded to his query were against traveling to Nogales.

He’s predicting some teams will pull out of the tournament. Reportedly, Verde Valley in Cottonwood has said they will not enter their qualifying team.

Schmidt wrote in an e-mail to league officials around the state, “In these economic times, no one planned on fund-raising enough to cover traveling expenses, time off from work, etc.”

He also wrote, “this decision (to play in Nogales) did not take children into account and ultimately will rob those players on those teams of any experience.”

Mark Lane, District Three administrator answered by saying “I take particular exception to the line that the kids were not taken into account.”

He argues players were considered in selecting Nogales and that no matter where the tournament is held, teams would have had to raise funds to travel to the site.

District administrator Gene Biernat e-mailed others that it would be a slap in the face to the Little League family in Nogales to not hold the tournament there.

“These fine people work just as hard as anyone else in Little League and deserve to host a tournament once in a while,” Biernat said.

Most all involved in the controversy agree that if a Little League District does not send its championship team, it should send the runner-up squad.

Fortunately, there is no controversy in the Rim Country and Payson’s all-stars will travel to Nogales with, what coaches say, is a determination to win the town’s first state Little League championship.

Open running

New Payson High School track and cross country coach Jonathan Ball is hosting open running sessions at 6:30 p.m. each weekday. Interested runners need only to show up at that time outside old PHS gymnasium to participate.

Call Ball at (928) 474-2233 for more information.