Volume XXIII, Issue 18 September 18 - October 1, 2009
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Volume XXIII, Issue 18 Maricopa, Arizona September 18 - October 1, 2009 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Kyle Christiansen of Stanfield prepares to put the tag on a Ira Hayes baseball player during a semi-final game. Stanfield Makes it Four in a Row Story by R. Miguel & Photo by KD Morago Baby Boomers and Generation X’ers were front row center as Harrah’s Ak- Chin Casino and Resort hosted Starship featuring Mickey Thomas, in the Oasis Lounge for two free shows, at 3pm and 7pm respectively, on Monday, September 7th. Thomas, who was a member of the 70’s group Jefferson Starship, was in great form. His voice resonated out onto the gaming floor from the moment they hit the stage opening the 7pm show with “Layin’ It On The Line.” “No Way Out” soon followed. Prior to singing their next song “Jane,” Thomas wished the crowd a “Happy Labor Day” and encouraged everyone to “enjoy the fruits of your labor,” in salute to recognizing the holiday. While most were probably settling in at home after enjoying a three day week end, those in attendance at the Starship concert were seen dancing in the aisles as the hour long show was complete with a set list that had songs from each decade (60’s, 70’s and 80’s) to the origins of Jefferson Airplane. The first half of the show covered hits from the ‘80’s Jefferson Starship decade, including “Sara,” “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” and “Stranger.” Starship then took the audience back to the 60’s decade of Jefferson Airplane, as female singer Stephanie Calvert belted out “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love,” á la Grace Slick. Thomas then moved to the 70’s with his classic rendition of Elvin Bishop’s 1976 hit “Fooled Around And Fell In Love.” What followed was “Find Your Way Back,” from the 1981 record Modern Times. In addition to Calvert, the band was introduced which consisted of back- ground vocals bassist Jeff Adams, and keyboardist Phil Bennett, as well as Mark Abrahamian on guitar and drummer Darrell Verdusco. The final song of the evening was the Jefferson Starship song, “We Built This City,” a number one single in 1985. After the band took a bow, part- ing words from Thomas included “Thank you Ak-Chin!” Although the crowd kept the applause going for several minutes after the curtain came down, in hopes of a possible encore, the house music came on and Labor Day ended on a sweet Starship note at Harrah’s Ak-Chin. Harrah’s Ak-Chin Rocks Labor Day with Starship The monsoon weather played a role in this year’s Third Annual Ak-Chin Men’s Baseball Tournament, with strong gusts of wind and rain. And although the pounding rain caused major flooding between the bases and at least an hour of rain delay, it couldn’t stop the boys of summer from playing “rez ball”. Eleven teams journeyed to Ak-Chin for the Labor Day weekend tourney, held September 2 – 6, 2009. The field con- sisted of powerhouse teams such as; Casa Grande, Outlaws, Salt River Red Mountain and three time champion, Stanfield. Stanfield made it a four-peat, as they upended rival Casa Grande, 3-1 in the winner take all championship game. After receiving a first round bye, Stanfield run ruled Burnett’s team dur- ing their first game, but quickly were placed in the loser’s bracket after being pinned with a 10-0 loss to Casa Grande during third round play. Stanfield worked their way up through the loser’s bracket; quickly dispatching North Komelik on Saturday, and then playing games back to back on Sunday, defeating the Skinz, Salt River and Gila River to get into the championship game to re-face Casa Grande in the late evening. It was a game not to be missed. In the finals, Stanfield scored quickly, jump- ing out to a 2-0 lead. They played great defense behind the strong pitching of Marcus Madrid, who held Casa Grande scoreless for the first four innings. Casa Grande pushed across one run in the fifth frame, but Stanfield answered back with one of their own for the tourna- ment title. Placing third in the tourna- ment was Ira Hayes, from Gila River Indian Community. All teams who placed received shirts and trophies for their accomplishments. Players selected to the all-tournament team were given shirts and individuals who were selected in various categories such as; Outstanding Catcher, Pitcher, Infielder and Outfielder were given plaques. Teams who participated in the tourna- ment were; C.C. Cowboys, Outlaws, Salt River Red Mountain, Windtalkers, Skinz, Casa Grande, Stanfield, Burnett’s Team, Burnaz, North Komelik and Ira Hayes. more photos on page 6 Story & Photo by KD Morago Page 2 Wishes Page 3 Community News Page 4 Department Profile Page 5 Education Updates Page 6 Sports Page 7 MWMS Team Photos Page 8 Department Updates Page 9 Public Notice Page 10 Other News Page 11 Harrahs Mickey Thomas of Starship gets the crowd dancing at Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino and Resort on Labor Day. Starship performed two shows and songs played went back to the days of Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship.
