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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 10, 2006 Medford native and San Diego Padres executive vice president and general manager Kevin Towers speaks at the new baseball fields Monday. Fond memories Padres executive Kevin Towers returns to his roots and voices support of the Medford Sports and Community Park being constructed near the old Miles Field By DON HUNT Mail Tribune On an overcast but relatively pleasant January day, Kevin Towers stood just a stone’s throw away from home plate at Medford’s new baseball park. The former Medford High standout and current San Diego Padres vice president and general manager gazed upward and pointed to the Rogue Valley Manor. "That’s pretty close to the view I used to have standing at home plate at Miles Field," Towers said. "I can’t believe all the development that’s gone on here since I left, but you look up at the manor and it brings back memories. "When you have backdrops like the manor and Mount Ashland," Towers added, "it’s a tremendous place to have a ball field." The $5.3 million Harry and David Field, located near the old Starlite Drive-In Theatre and just a half-mile south of the now defunct Miles Field along Highway 99, is beginning to take shape. Grass is springing up on the field itself, the first set of bleachers is under construction and stone blocks are being erected for a concession stand and restroom. Advertisement The ballpark, part of the 132-acre Medford Sports and Community Park, is scheduled to open in time for the start of the high school baseball season in late March. Dressed in a bright blue shirt and dapper black suit, Towers looked the part of a major league executive as he addressed a gathering of baseball enthusiasts and the media at the new field Monday. But Towers’ roots are in Medford, which he remembers as a blue-collar town of about 35,000 when he graduated from Medford High in 1979. He starred as a pitcher for Jim McAbee but also played football for the legendary Fred Spiegelberg and basketball for Frank Roelandt while donning the red and black uniforms of the Black Tornado. "I grew up on the west side of town and my first memories (of a ballpark) are of Fagone Field," Towers said, referring to Medford’s softball complex. "But I played at Miles Field with the high school team and the (American Legion Medford) Mustangs. "I remember all those warm, summer nights in the ballpark. (Having a ballpark) means a lot to a town like this. It develops a civic pride, and it’s just a great place to meet people and have a good bonding experience with your family and friends." The new field, which will seat 1,500 and have room for expansion, will play host to high school, American Legion and Babe Ruth games and tournaments. It eventually will be surrounded by soccer fields, softball fields and walking paths. It might also one day play host to another minor league baseball team, Towers said. With Jackson County’s population just a subdivison or two away from 200,000, Towers said the area’s population is already larger than some markets that have professional baseball. Pro baseball left Medford in October 1999 when the Southern Oregon Timberjacks — a Class A affiliate of the Oakland A’s — pulled up stakes for Vancouver, British Columbia. "This area is big enough to support a team," said Towers, who was a pitching coach for the Spokane Indians of the Northwest League in the late 1980s. "This has always been a sports town, and the weather here in the summer is perfect for baseball. "As an old Medford guy, I’d love to see it happen." Step No. 1 — having a first-rate stadium — will soon become reality. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail Fond memories ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Distance Education Computer Security Cheap Website Hosting Discount Hotel Reservations dvd-r Online Pharmacy Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews High End Computers Online Casino News Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Student Loans Advertisement s