Rocket boosters have liftoff

For many baseball fans who go to Runkle-Miller Field in Portland, reading the scoreboard can be a challenging task.

Those with perfect vision can see it’s there; deciphering what it says, however, is difficult.

Most may just voice their disdain about not knowing the score, the inning or the count.

Nick Miller isn’t one of those people.

Miller, a longtime Ohio resident who moved to Portland about three years ago, took matters into his own hands.

Because of the inability to clearly read the scoreboard at Runkle-Miller Field, he was the driving force behind the purchase of a new one. Since then, he has parlayed that role into becoming the unofficial president of the Portland Rockets booster club.

“He is a community-minded, caring individual,” said Portland Rockets manager Randy Miller (no relation). “He shows up, roots for the home team and has taken on the title of president of the Rockets booster club.”

And, as Randy Miller does with each fan and supporter of the Rockets, he’s accepted Nick with open arms.

“He’s part of us,” Randy Miller said. “He just wants to help. I think the team sees we have that kind of support. It shows that Portland is a place to play baseball with people like that in the background.”

In the last few years, suggestions had been made to Portland Park Board regarding improvements to the home of the Portland Rockets at the corner of Blaine Pike and Western Avenue.

Among those were remodeling the restrooms and the cleverly-named concession stand, “The Lunching Pad,” renovate the dugouts and press box as well as get a new scoreboard.

The current scoreboard, a faded black hunk of metal, was installed in 1986, and replacement parts and light bulbs were becoming more and more difficult to come by.

“One of the things the mayor said … they didn’t think they could afford the type of scoreboard that Randy Miller wanted,” said Nick Miller. “I said the Rockets deserve a nice one and I’m gonna see what I can do.”

The thing is, the 68-year-old Xenia, Ohio, native, didn’t have any marketing background. He worked for more than three decades as contractor for the Department of Defense.

“He saw a need,” Randy Miller said. “(The scoreboard) has been a dream in the back of my mind for a long time. He made some connections, and has been able to get the project off the ground because he cares and wants to see it flourish.”

In early January, Nick Miller spent hours creating a Powerpoint presentation to take to area businesses asking for donations to help pay for the scoreboard.

He had a $5,000 deal set with Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Portland, but it ended up falling through because of a few stipulations. With the donation, Coca-Cola would have been the primary sponsor on top of the proposed 28-foot-by-8-foot scoreboard.

After the deal fell through, however, an anonymous donor came forward in Coke’s absence.

Five months later and with more than $13,000 raised, Miller faced another challenge — installation.

So in early May, Miller presented Portland Park Board with a proposal to purchase a new scoreboard and have it delivered as long as the board would cover the installation costs. In its May meeting, the board approved to appropriate up to $6,000 to install the scoreboard.

“We were all set at that point,” Miller said.

The scoreboard has since been purchased and delivered, but installation is still waiting on engineering specifications to make sure the large structure won’t blow over during high winds.

The perpetual waiting has both Millers, as well as supporters of the team, chomping at the bit to see it operational.

“Hasn’t hit me yet because it hasn’t been put up,” Nick Miller said. “I’ll have a sigh of relief but it’s also been one of the best experiences of my life. To actually concretely get something done that anyone can enjoy … I’m sure it’ll be appreciated by all the Rocket fans (and) the hundreds of ex players that come by to support the Rockets.

“I worked for the federal government for years. There is nothing more depressing than seeing millions of dollars go down the rat hole and see nothing to show for it. … This is a really refreshing thing I’ve been able to do and to see from the vine it actually came to fruition.”

The scoreboard won’t be a one-and-done task for Miller. He and his wife, Helen, have been supporting the Rockets for years, and they would like to see the venue continued to get updated.

“The Rockets have been here for 59 years,” he said. “They’re just an unbelievable asset in any community, let alone one of this size.

“Along with (Portland Water Park), Arts Place, John Jay Center for Learning, fairgrounds, library, there are cities three and four times bigger than this that would love to have just one of those things. Portland is blessed with all of those, which is one of the reasons why I fell in love with the city. It is a very giving place.”

Next on the list for Nick Miller is obtain funds to help renovate the Lunching Pad and restrooms. Another item on the wish list is to add padding on the concrete wall behind home plate.

With all of those improvements, the manager is hopeful the team can host a National Amateur Baseball Federation regional tournament.

And the longtime Rocket manager is glad Nick is spearheading the efforts.

“Every time I see him I want to give him a hug,” Randy Miller said. “He is a good guy, got good intentions and we’re glad he’s working for us.”