For sixty years, the Portland Rockets, a semi-pro wood bat baseball team in Portland, Indiana, gave men from across Indiana and western Ohio a chance to play old-fashioned baseball, grow as players and as men, gain notice, and sometimes enjoy a last opportunity to continue the game before leaving it behind. Founded in 1959 by Dick Runkle, the franchise became one of the oldest in amateur baseball. Ray Miller took over the team in 1972, when his son Randy Miller, the current Rockets manager, started playing, and he helped keep amateur baseball alive in Portland through his commitment to his family, team, and community. The team plays at Runkle-Miller Field on Portland's southwest side in an area locally called Sportland, and the Rockets came to represent history, respect, and community in this small town. Their continuing place in Portland was sustained by community support and local business sponsorship, and their history was honored through a mural on the side of the Ritz Theater recording the team's steady presence as a local symbol.