This article is from Ellsbury's hometown paper.
--pws
from http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1193801118304310.xml&coll=7
At the plate: tacos and Jacoby Ellsbury
SANDY -- Every kid on the Madras High School junior varsity football team had a Jacoby story. Waiting in line at the Taco Bell on Tuesday, the guys boasted their best connections.
Quarterback Clint Hagan almost got his autograph once. Lineman Jesse Macias' dad worked with him when he was at Madras High. Tailback Caleb Flu said his uncle coached him.
The team stopped at the Taco Bell on their way to a 5 p.m. Tuesday game with La Salle Catholic College Preparatory in Milwaukie. For most of the players, lunch is usually something like a chicken sandwich. But Tuesday was different. Tuesday's lunch was on Jacoby Ellsbury, the Boston Red Sox center fielder who was born and raised in Madras. He won free tacos for the nation when he stole a base in the second game of the World Series, fulfilling Taco Bell's "Steal a Base, Steal a Taco" promotion.
Playing football after a Crunchy Seasoned Beef Taco might make him a little sick, Macias said. But on second thought, "It's a Jacoby taco! How could it mess me up?"
The Madras team and two coaches traveled 93 miles in 90 minutes to eat their 24 free tacos. Their hometown doesn't have a Taco Bell -- yet. The city just approved one this year, said former Mayor Rick Allen, while waiting for his free taco.
Behind the counter, manager David Medrono, 54, beamed at the sea of blue and white jerseys. Business was good -- he gave away 425 tacos during the afternoon, and nearly everyone bought a drink or more -- but that wasn't the point. Medrono is a baseball fanatic, happy to join the excitement. Last week, he played shortstop on his Portland team as it won first place in the National Adult Baseball Association Senior World Series for ages 50 to 60.
The workers behind Medrono had less time for smiling. With a line spilling out the door, they had tacos to make. Fast.
Meanwhile, in Corvallis, where Ellsbury led the Oregon State University baseball team to the College World Series in 2005, the Taco Bell was equally busy -- a full parking lot, a long line at the drive-through and plenty of Beavers gear inside. Some of the first to arrive at the 2 p.m. free-taco start time were members of this year's OSU baseball team.
But without the Ellsbury connection, business sometimes lagged.
At the Taco Bell near Sunset High School in Beaverton, a steady stream of mostly retired couples arrived. "We thought it would be more crowded," said Dolores St. Marie as she and her husband, Ron, took advantage of the sunshine to walk from their nearby home.
Inside, a group of teens sprawled on a section of seats, chatting but not eating. "What free taco?" one asked. "We didn't know." They soon got in line.
But back in Sandy, Michael Roger, a Sandy High freshman, couldn't wait to get his taco. He's been a Red Sox fan his whole life. "I'm from Boston," he called to the front of the line. "I should be in front."
"But we're from his high school," countered Madras football coach Butch David.
Backing up, Roger said, "You guys got right of way, man. . . . Hey, did you know Jacoby?"
"Of course," David replied.
"What kind of guy was he?" Roger asked.
"He's a great guy."
In fact, it's that great-guy attitude that had most of the football players talking. Yeah, he's a hero of the World Series. Yeah, he stole a base. But it's his attitude that inspires them.
He had a good attitude at Madras, where he also starred in basketball, football and track. Now that he's on top, he's pretty much the same.
"He's not letting it all go to his head," Flu said. "He's not getting all cocky."
"He doesn't show when he's upset," Macias added. "Even if he strikes out, he is calm."
That strategy is one they said they're starting to employ on the team, which had a 1-6 record going into Tuesday's game. If Hagan throws an interception this season, he's going to act like Ellsbury and keep a straight face, he said.
For a team in which half the members are Native American, Ellsbury is a perfect role model. He is the first Navajo to make it to the major leagues.
"Heroes are usually on the reservation and not public," said coach David, a Native American. "This is a good thing to see. It gives them something to shoot for."
"It shows that every person can do this," Flu said. "Even from Madras, any person can do whatever they want."
Stu Tomlinson of The Oregonian and Casey Grogan contributed to this report. %%endby%% Casey Parks: 503-294-5972; caseyparks@news.oregonian.com
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