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caption, page 1:
On its Way Out
The non-functioning scoreboard at Murphy Park was taken down. A new scoreboard will be put up. More photos on page 9. Linda Lemmon photo.
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Getting Ready
Clockwise from top: When the non-functioning scoreboard was taken down, the damage from insects and weather was apparent. Volunteers cleared out numerous wasps' nests when taking down the old scoreboard. They litter the grass. The whole old scoreboard and above: Sean Dempsey, league president, smooths one of the infields.
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — When the “boys of summer” return to their field at Murphy Park, after the 2020 season was struck out by COVID-19, they’ll be greeted by a brand new scoreboard.
The Putnam Little League parents and officers April 10 took down the scoreboard to get ready for the new one. The original scoreboard was installed in 2003 and hasn’t worked for the last four years, according to league president Sean Dempsey. They had to take care, taking it down, because it was loaded with wasps’ nests.
The new scoreboard was donated by Walmart. Chris Gustavson, last year’s president, said the group approached the Putnam Walmart last year and corporate headquarters in Arkansas approved it.
The new one will be the same “Clipper Blue” but it won’t have wasps’ nests. It will have bright LED lights and can be controlled by remote control. An electrician will be donating his time to hook up the scoreboard when it’s here.
This year, equipment, like bases, etc., was donated by Cargill Chevrolet and Chevrolet Inc., Dempsey said.
The numbers aren’t bad this year, considering there was no baseball last year, according to Dempsey. There are 10 Major division players, 13 Minor, 15 in Coach Pitch and 30 in T Ball. In softball, there are 13 in the Major division and 7 in the Coach Pitch. Softball will be combined with Thompson and Dempsey said they hope to have a Senior Division.
COVID-19 not only knocked out the 2020 season, it also knocked down the number of donations and sponsorships. Dempsey said sponsorship signs that line the fence at the edge of the field are “down a bit” Businesses were hit hard, Dempsey said, so it’s understandable that sponsorships would be down as well. “We’re down eight or nine sponsorship signs,” he said. This year the sponsorship signs went to the middle of centerfield. Dempsey said some years the signs circle the whole field.
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