To the editor:
An errant toboggan, a bit of Raider Magic, and a young man who refused to stay down started the 2025 Raider baseball season on a memorable note for me last Friday evening.
Robin and I have seen every major league team play (live), and nearly every stadium in the "show." We have graced a long list of minor league parks, too, from Myrtle Beach at the Atlantic Ocean, to Rancho Cucamonga near the Pacific, with stops in between at the likes of Oklahoma City, and San Antonio with its "Puffy Taco" mascot. (Don't ask — puffy tacos are a thing there).
But we love spring evenings at Raider Field. Clocks seem to pause for a while as old folks marvel at the energy a grandson — even if it's someone else's — can muster to chase a long fly ball, or connect a bat to an 87 mph fastball. There's something about watching a mom, or dad, chew nervously on a lip or suck in a breath as a son steps to the plate (or toes the mound rubber) in a clutch situation.
Now, with temperatures cooling on this late February evening, we eased away after the fourth inning. I had taken along a toboggan for extra warmth, and could not find it after we were back home. After a short debate with myself, I opted to return to the field and search. It was waiting, right where I dropped it ... and so was a bit of Raider Magic.
I wrote about a cool March evening in 2024 as I stood near Jeri Taylor when son Landon rifled a walk-off single to defeat Purnell Swett at Raider Field. This year, I was seated a few feet from Collin Hill's mom, Amanda, as his double delivered the eventual winning tally against Porter Ridge.
And you might know, it was Landon Taylor's hit that positioned him to score that run.
Raider faces were glum in the opening frame, however, as the Pirates chased starter Collin Hill after touching the Raiders for four runs after only two outs. The raucous chatter from their bench suggested the Pirates figured one more green sophomore was down and done. Perhaps they did not realize that Hill already possessed a season's maturity as a freshman — and the patience to await his moment. Gone from the mound, but still in the game, Hill took over at first base as Caden Nolan turned in 5.2 innings of solid relief pitching while adding 3 hits and 2 RBIs at the plate.
Jeremiah Ritter was also awaiting his moment. With the game in the balance, a slender lead, and runners aboard, the pitcher's mound can be a lonely place at those times as it puts even its best occupants to the test. But the senior relied upon his wits, and good gloves behind him, to deliver the final outs. It was great fun, of course, to tease Jeremiah's anxious grandmother, Linda Ham, that "there was nothing to worry about, here!"
You'll nearly always spark a debate among locals about the exact beginnings of "Raider Magic." Long-timers contend that it began on an early September Friday in 1972 when the very first Raider varsity football squad staged a late drive to score against eventual state co-champ Sanford Central, then gambled and succeeded with a 2-point conversion to upset the powerful Yellowjackets.
Other "magical" examples abound in championship tilts over a half century, but they can happen — even in mid-season — when you least expect them. 2025's Raider diamond squad has delivered its first spell of the magic. Will there be more?
