The Vashon baseball community turned out in full force on Saturday (4/28) to honor Mr. Baseball, Jim Martin. It was the opening day ceremony for Vashon Youth Baseball & Softball (VYBS), with Lance Morgan as the day's Emcee, and Art Thiel of the Seattle P-I as the keynote speaker. The highlight of the festivities was undoubtedly the tribute to Jim Martin. Head Coach Steve Hall spoke warmly about his assistant coach, and even made a joke saying "...we wanted to name the field after Jim, but the school board said we had to wait until he was dead." After presenting Jim with a plaque containing the varsity team photo plus a ball signed by the players, Steve read the inscription, a quote from Jackie Robinson, which he said summed up the man perfectly: "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." Also unveiled was a 4x4 wood sign generously donated by Wagons of Steel which will be installed under the scoreboard at the baseball field. The event finale was the announcement of the duel mayoral candidacy of Lance Morgan and Jim Martin for unofficial mayor of Vashon Island's Strawberry Festival. They mayoral race is a fundraiser, with voters plucking down a dollar per vote. Proceeds will benefit Vashon Youth Baseball. Click here for event photos.
