Fans see smooth season in the works

PALMER - Mary Combs and Leanne Whitmore of Palmer are both big Mat-Su Miners fans, but until last week, taking a trip to the ballpark was a bit of a pickle.

Both Combs, 85, and Whitmore, 19, require special assistance to get from the front gate to the stands at Hermon Brothers field. When she attends games, Combs usually rides in a special golf cart provided by the club for elderly and handicapped individuals. Whitmore, meanwhile, is a little person whose condition requires that she use a motorized wheelchair to get around more easily.

In the past, making the trek along bumpy gravel to the stands was a rocky affair for both. But because of a recent paving project completed last week by the Alaska Baseball League club, that's no longer the case.

&#8220It's very nice,” Whitmore said Friday following a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly-paved spectator area. &#8220It's a lot easier to get around.”

Whitmore said she's been a fan of the team for as long as she can remember and tries to get to as many games as she can each summer. But in the past, that meant she needed special assistance to get around the park.

&#8220I had to take someone with me whenever I wanted to go,” she said.

Because of the new paving, she believes she'll be more independent and likely will make more trips to Hermon Brothers.

&#8220Hopefully, yeah,” she said with a smile.

Combs, too, said the new paving project will add to her enjoyment. As a supporter of the Miners since the team's inception in 1976, Combs has seen just about as many Miners games as anyone.

&#8220I've been with them since they started,” she said Friday.

She used to take tickets at the front gate, and said she now makes it a point to get out to the park whenever she can.

But while the golf cart - which was donated to the club by Fred Meyer - is a big help, the trip wasn't always a joy because the path was so bumpy. She said that the paving may not seem like much to most, but for those in her position it's a huge improvement.

&#8220It makes a world of different to someone like me,” she said.

Attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony with sons, Mike and Ron, daughter Valerie, granddaughter Tamara and daughter-in-law Sheryl, Combs said she's thrilled by the improvements.

&#8220I was elated to see this,” she said.

Ron Combs pointed out there are a lot of longtime Mat-Su residents like his mother - the Combs family homesteaded in the Valley in 1947 - who enjoy watching the Miners play.

&#8220We've got a lot of elderly people that come out to the games,” he said.

The paving project was done with the help of a $43,000 grant from the Mat-Su Borough.

In addition to special guests Whitmore and Combs, a number of Valley dignitaries attended the special ceremony, including legislators Bill Stoltze, Carl Gatto, Lyda Green and Charlie Huggins. Also on hand for the event were Miners president Marty Metiva and his wife, Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce executive director Cheryl.

Marty Metiva said he believes fans will love the park's newest improvement.

&#8220It was the best field in the state and now it's even better,” Metiva said.

Rep. Stoltze pointed out that the asphalt paving will also help cut down on the amount of dust that blows onto the field and into the stands.

&#8220This will improve the whole atmosphere,” Stoltze said.

Miners general manager Pete Christopher credited his wife, Denise, with writing the grant document which was eventually awarded by the borough.

&#8220She did it all,” Christopher said.

Christopher also thanked a number of area businesses who helped out with the project, including Northern Industrial Paving, Central Paving Products, the Alaska State Fair maintenance crew and MJM Paving.

Following the ceremony, the Miners players held a brief public workout, after which they mingled with fans and signed autographs for a number of starstruck children.

Eagerly getting autographs near the home dugout was 10-year-old Justin Davies of Palmer. Davies, a Chicago White Sox fan who plays infield when he's not cheering on the Miners, said the preseason event was a hit.

&#8220It's sweet,” he said.

And after getting his first look at this year's, Davies said he's predicting big things from the 2007 Miners.

&#8220I think they're going to be the best.”

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@

frontiersman.com