A lot of people will be getting their first taste of baseball at Legion Field today.

The American Legion Class A Northwest Regional tournament is under way, bringing teams from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Utah to Roseburg.

For the readers who have enjoyed baseball at Bill Gray Stadium for the past 52 years, you can sit this column out, since you've probably forgotten more about baseball and Douglas County than I'll ever know.

But for the visitors from the Last Frontier, Gem State, Treasure State, Beehive State and the Land of Equality, allow me to answer a few questions you might have while you're in the Beaver State.

What's a Dr. Stewart?

Dr. Earl B. Stewart (1881-1974) was a physician and philanthropist with great vision and a love for baseball. Among his many projects, one was make land available for the baseball field where your team will play this weekend.

Stewart also set up a charitable trust for the American Legion baseball program, which provides to this day. In 1970, the AAA club changed its name to Dr. Stewart's, or just the Docs.

Former county commissioner Bill Gray probably doesn't get enough credit for his similar vision and equally big heart. The stadium bears his name.

Don't Oregonians wash their cars in the rain and like coffee and jogging too much?

We have some of those stereotypes, but this is Southern Oregon.

The climate, geography and culture switches polarity once you leave Western Oregon for Southern, which occurs roughly at the Douglas County line. We're blessed with a Mediterranean climate, which makes watching legion baseball on summer evenings quite pleasant.

There's more topography here than the Willamette Valley, and mixed in with Douglas Fir trees are oaks, pines, myrtles and madrones.

As for those other things. Steve Prefontaine was born one county over, and Dutch Bros. Coffee was born one county down. And in years like this one, we measure rainfall in feet, not inches.

My team already played/doesn't play until 7:30. What do I do now?

Wildlife Safari is a great park to take a team to see exotic animals. It's 10 minutes south of Legion Field in Winston. You can even take your team van through the tour and there are group rates. What are giraffes, flamingos and elephants doing in Douglas County? That's the Mediterranean climate again.

But my personal favorite thing to do if I have a few hours to kill is go on a hike on the North Umpqua Trail. The 80-mile trail follows the cascading turquoise river from its headwaters to the Swiftwater Trailhead, about a half hour east of Roseburg on Highway 138. The trail is shaded in a thick conifer forest and stays cool even on hot days.

My team went two-and-out and now I've REALLY got some time to kill. Now what?

Ouch. Tough break.

Douglas County is one of two in Oregon that is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the west and the crest of the Cascade Mountains on the east. Both are 90 minutes away and offer a myriad of sights and activities.

Near the upper and lower boundaries of Douglas County are two Interstate 5 dessert landmarks. To the south, Heaven on Earth in Azalea serves cinnamon rolls as big as your head. To the north, the K-R Drive In at Rice Hill serves all sorts of flavors of Umpqua Ice Cream, which is made a few miles from Legion Field.

Can't I just watch baseball?

Absolutely, and you won't be the only one. Roseburg has great baseball fans, and not just for the home team. When Legion Field hosted the American Legion World Series in 1974, '93 and '96, fans adopted certain teams based how its players carried themselves. The 1996 Gonzales, La. team led by Ben Sheets charmed the town with its Southern manners.

Enjoy the sights and sounds. Most of all, enjoy the baseball.

• You can reach sports reporter Rob McCallum by e-mail at rmccallum@nrtoday.com, or by phone at 957-4221.