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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Ashland Fire & Rescue: New column about Ashland emergency services debuts today Dianne Williamson: College admissions mania ill-advised 10 things to know for Tuesday Do you have spring fever? Rotary Club of Ashland names Riley O'Sullivan as Student of the Month Education Dianne Williamson: College admissions mania ill-advised Rotary Club of Ashland names Riley O'Sullivan as Student of the Month Teacher's Tips: Who gets to teach history? Northwest Pizza to raise money for Ashland Schools Foundation Prisoners in their own home Environment Mt. Ashland Ski Area to host party March 28 Mt. Ashland hopes coming storm will reopen ski area Wild Side: Selfish and other reasons for saving endangered species Mt. Ashland Ski Area: Low snow closes 'bunny hill' chairlift for beginning skiers With pre-season conditions worst in 25 years, catastrophic wildfires expected in region this summer Business Ashland's Standing Stone brew pub joins green beer coalition Cars We Remember: 1967 Rambler Rebel, 1960 Rambler American Super, and some early engine design flaws Silvio Calabi: Nissan has a winner with its new Murano Ashlanders share seeds Breaking ground on organic vineyard practices Politics and elections Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Short-term rental restrictions kept in some areas, loosened in others Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US Mark L. Hopkins: Looking for a political straight shooter Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state State News Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Nation - World Leonard Nimoy, famous as Mr. Spock on 'Star Trek,' dies Obituaries Rosalind Dee Death Notices Norman Christlieb James Ellis York Death Notices Shareable Bank of America is predicting a massive Tesla collapse Sports Latest Stories Grizz bats heat up in Bend Kansas City Royals star pitcher Jeremy Guthrie visits Ashland to kickoff fundraising campaign Ducks enjoy the challenge Fantasy Sports: Clayton Kershaw a clear-cut ace Oregon bows out High school Grizzlies rally past GP, to 2-0 start Ashland boys capture another Sato Cup snowboard title at Mt. Bachelor Fredrickson leads Grizzlies to season-opening romp Grizz alpine skiers finish strong at state Ashland High's Honsinger tops field in final nordic ski meet Southern Oregon University Ducks enjoy the challenge Oregon bows out Oregon State women come up short in second-round loss to Gonzaga Raiders roughed up at Corban Ducks survive, advance Voices Latest Stories Rick Holmes: What addicts say about getting high and getting better Landgren cartoon: Arsenic wine Dianne Williamson: College admissions mania ill-advised Council Corner: Getting to yes or no — or maybe Granlund cartoon: Ted Cruz enters the 2016 race Editorial Our View: Ashland High principal is the head of her class Our View: Tuition trauma Our View: SOU's economic clout Our view: Keep it simple in developing marijuana rules Our View: Ashland is at risk as a bad fire season looms Letters Letters to the Editor, March 23 Letters to the Editor, March 20 Letters to the Editor, March 19 Letters to the Editor, March 18 Letters to the Editor, March 17 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Hannah Thomas-Garner's father thanks the Ashland community Guest Opinion: Ashland is asking for trouble with new room rental rules Guest Opinion: More reasons to oppose Jordan Cove Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Guest Opinion: Ashland schools failed to protect my son from bullying Columns Council Corner: Getting to yes or no — or maybe Chris Honoré: 'Like a ghastly rapid river, through the pale door, a hideous throng rush out ...' Herb Rothschild: Donating with care Guest Opinion: Hannah Thomas-Garner's father thanks the Ashland community Matthew T. Mangino: When is a confession not a confession? Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories The Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents Eugene O'Neill's autobiographical 'Long Day's Journey into Night' Community blog: Words, wine and Craig Wright 4 Things To Do This Week Improv rock and folk band hosts a dance party at the Ashland Community Center Best bets for entertainment around Ashland, March 19 Theater The Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents Eugene O'Neill's autobiographical 'Long Day's Journey into Night' Ticket Availability Camelot Theatre in Talent: This 'Sunset' is not as dark Ticket availability Ticket availability Music Album reviews: Recent and recommended for March The Farr Side: New format for ‘American Idol’ as show continues a strong run Improv rock and folk band hosts a dance party at the Ashland Community Center The Farr Side: Madonna — ever the trendsetter Nitty Gritty Dirt Band co-founder John McEuen performs at the Unitarian Fellowship in Ashland Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies Movie review: ‘The Gunman’ misses the target Movie listings: March 20-26 More wonderful wrinkles at 'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' 8 must-see spring films Movie review: ‘Wrecking Crew’ is a look at the people who really put the bomp Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Season Stepp: Waffle iron isn’t just for breakfast anymore Food for Thought: Watermelon is the perfect smoothie ingredient Episode 2.4: The case of the missing client Cars We Remember: 1967 Rambler Rebel, 1960 Rambler American Super, and some early engine design flaws It Is What It Is: When in Rome... Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Calendar: Tuesday, March 24 ... Council Corner: Getting to yes or no — or maybe ... Do you have spring fever? ... Calendar: Tuesday, March 24 ... Council Corner: Getting to yes or no — or maybe ... Do you have spring fever? ... YOUTH BASEBALL Ashland baseball players head to Mexico for inaugural 'Sister City Baseball Classic' Ashland baseball players head south of the border for inaugural 'Sister City Baseball Classic' Comment By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Mar. 20, 2015 at 6:34 PM Updated Mar 21, 2015 at 4:05 PM By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Mar. 20, 2015 at 6:34 PM Updated Mar 21, 2015 at 4:05 PM » Social News It’s said so much regarding youth sports, it could be the official slogan: “The score doesn’t matter.” That may not always be true, but in the case of an Ashland youth baseball team that’s on its way to Mexico, coach Steve Rice is confident the score won’t mean a thing this week. Thirteen 11- and 12-year-old baseball players from Ashland are en route to Ashland’s sister city of Guanajuato, Mexico, today for what has been dubbed the Sister City Baseball Classic, a week of fun that will include a baseball tournament, tours, a clinic with a professional team and a whole lot of Mexican food. The group of about 35 players and family members, plus a few who are along for the ride, will land in Mexico late Saturday night local time, about 10 hours before Ashland is scheduled to play its first game at 9:30 a.m. against Tigres A/B. Its second game is set for 1:30 p.m. against Tula. By then the players will probably be running on fumes, but Rice says win or lose they’ll have a blast. “I don’t care if we win, I think we want to go down there and have some fun,” said Rice, who has twin sons on the team. “I expect that they’ll probably run a little harder in the outfield and maybe leap for some balls that they may not have leapt for before just for the fun of it. That’s what I hope to encourage. “If someone’s coming around third and they have even an inkling of making it to home I’ll send them, because it’s fun. Get them to slide into home and if they’re out, they’re out.” The players who are not staying in motels with their parents — Rice, his wife and his sons, Kellen and Jackson, will stay in a motel — will instead stay with host families for the duration of the trip, which runs Sunday through Friday (they depart for Ashland at 4 a.m., March 28). The six-day stay is jam-packed with activities: • On Monday they’ll take part in a three-hour clinic led by the Monterrey Sultanes. • Later that day, all the host families and players will get together at a local Lions Club or a restaurant (Jardin de los Milagros) for a group dinner. • On Tuesday, they’ll meet for breakfast downtown then take a city tour and visit Casa de la Cultura, a local landmark. That night, they’ll play their third game of the week. • On Wednesday, they’ll play a night game against Tigres A/B. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. • On Thursday they’ll go on another local tour and spend time with their host families. • On Friday, they’ll all meet for breakfast downtown, play one more game then reconvene for a farewell dinner at Club Amigo (the Lions Club). “The hospitality that they will experience in Guanajuato will be unlike anything that they have experienced before,” said Ashland city counselor Rich Rosenthal, who played an integral part in organizing the trip. “It’ll be an experience they’ll never forget.” Rosenthal got the ball rolling when he visited Guanajuato in June on business and arranged meetings with the local Little League president, who happened to be a graduate of Southern Oregon University. Turns out, Guanajuato’s Little League leaders were also interested in some sort of athletics exchange, and both sides agreed that baseball was the perfect sport to incorporate. “So just coincidentally, (Guanajuato’s Little League president) had been to Ashland before, had gone to SOU, speaks English fluently and is a huge baseball fan,” Rosenthal said. “He helped form that Little League nine years ago, so he was thinking the same thing: ‘Let’s get this going.’” Rosenthal did that by passing the seed, and his three primary contacts, on to Ashland Little League, which sent out an email blast in October to judge the interest level. Enough families responded to put together a team, so the league formed a five-person Baseball Classic committee that was charged with hammering out the many details, from game times and fields to host families and tours. The Guanajuato Little League helped as well. Though the players and coaches involved are associated with Ashland Little League, Little League itself cannot sanction the event because it’s being held outside of the United States. Each family is responsible for paying its way — the roundtrip plane tickets cost about $800 — and will bring its own gear. The hope is that this will be the first of many baseball exchanges between the sister cities, with Guanajuato tentatively scheduled to play in Ashland next spring. “When we started the whole thing that was at the forefront of all the planning,” Ashland Little League president David Johnson said. “We were hoping this would be an event that would go on for generations and that it would be amazing for our community — another collaboration between sister cities that’s different than anything that’s been done in the past. And as it gets momentum, the community would be very supportive of it.” The players themselves are pretty supportive, too. Before their first and only practice together Thursday, Rice smiled as he kidded the boys about the possible gastric consequences of too much Mexican food, then opened practice by lofting pop flies into the outfield for a little diving-catch work. They caught some. They dropped some. Oh well. “I heard they made it to the (Little League) semifinals, so I think it’s going to be pretty hard to play baseball,” said Jackson Rice. “But we’re going to have fun whether we win or lose.” Joe Zavala can be reached at 541-821-0829 or [email protected]. By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Mar. 20, 2015 at 6:34 PM Updated Mar 21, 2015 at 4:05 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. 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