Jack Myers to serve as Little League grand marshal
by Peter Jakey, Managing Editor
An annual tradition continues Saturday at noon with the Rogers City Area Little League parade, which will be led by longtime supporter Jack Myers, along with queen Arianna Chojnacki and her court Brooke Daniels and Catheryn Hart. Teams will line up at the Grambau Center along Huron Avenue, and behind a police escort, the players and managers will march to Little League Field for opening day festivities.
There will be a flag raising, reciting of the Little League pledge and the throwing out of the first balls. Nearly every team is expected to be in action Saturday, with the regular weekday schedule getting underway next week. MYERS, A Rogers City barber for 47 years, was involved in the local Little League program for 17 years. He had three boys play baseball: Mike, Jim and Andy. His wife, Ruth, served as treasurer for 16 years.
Jack remembers closing his North Third Street shop at 6 p.m., changing his clothes and grabbing a sandwich, before hustling down to the park to try and not miss batting practice before a 6:30 p.m. game. ?It sure takes up a lot of your time, but it sure is well worth it,? said Myers. ?Once you are out of it, you miss it.?
Myers managed teams that went to the state tournament, but also took a Big League squad, consisting of players from the region, to a state championship in 1991. They defeated a team with future Hall of Famer, New York Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter on it. ?He had a bad day,? said Myers. ?It was one of only a few.? The team went on to the Central State Big League Regional in Grand Rapids where they were one big hit away from boarding an airplane to Florida to continue in the tournament and play for a World Series title. Myers believes it was the highlight of his career.
?IT IS NICE to see him recognized for all of his hard work and dedication,? said Andy Myers, who has been working with his father in the barbershop for eight weeks. ?There were a lot of days and nights of work that went into building that complex down there. He was very instrumental in helping with the dugouts, bleachers, to building the senior field.?
Jack Myers said it is ironic that the grass on the Major League division infield is being removed so tournament games can be played in Rogers City, because he recalls a time when they needed to establish grass infields to be considered for playoff contests. Myers, who doesn?t believe all the credit should be given to him, but to many other volunteers as well, wa
?It is an honor that they would think of you, and remember that you were involved,? said Myers. ?Whoever is in charge of Little League, you?ve got to give them credit.? The biggest change since Myers left in 1992 is the there are far less teams. He said there were 34 teams, 126 boys alone in the Minor League division. But that also speaks to the shrinking of the city population.
Baseball is still in his blood. His son Jim has twin 12-year-olds who are in Little League in Rudyard and he?ll busy watching them. Plus, he still loves the Tigers and watches as many games on television as possible.