hi guys - just a heads up. for any teams that use cba, a list of things to do - and not do:
1. please park in the parking lot. do not park on the grass near the field or school.
2. if you need to bring equipment in a van or car to the field, use only one vehicle, drive slowly (5 mph) up the service road, park, unload and drive out.
3. the shed to the left of 1st base dugout contains a drag, rakes, lime and a spreader. when you get there, if the field isn't dragged or limed to your liking, feel free to do it. one person can work the drag, though you can move pretty fast with two.
4. i'll be bringing extra lime over on wed.
5. before the games: please do not hit balls off the fence. that includes hitting off tees, underhand slow pitch or pepper. it also includes batting practice. if you'd like to take bp, please stand at home plate. don't take it from the backstop.
6. cba does not allow alcohol or smoking anywhere on its property. it's fine if you want to tailgate after games in the parking lot - but please drink only non-alcoholic beverages, no beer.
7. since the school is cba, it's important that you try to avoid cursing - certainly loud cursing. that's in part because kids are walking by the field all the time and because everything that happens at cba is an advertisement for the school. people who pass by - includling prospective parents - don't know if we are or are not affilated with cba. so if they see us playing smart, cool games - then the odds will increase they'll want to send their kids there. we can't do anything to cost the school future tuitions. the brothers who run cba live in the house behind left field.
8. after games please clean and sweep the dugouts. i've asked jim smith, the school's athletic director, to put brooms in the shed.
9. after the games, too, please drag and rake the fields. it is NOT necessary to put tarps down or to put the bases in the shed. and bolt the shed's locks and close the gates.
10. if second base pops out when you're sliding, there's a metal digger - an old gray stake - on a shelf to the left of the shed. that'll help you dig out the dirt.
we've had the field now for five years, guys, and it's been good for us. it's one of the newer high school fields in the area, built about seven years ago. for those who are interested, the dimensions are bigger than shea: 360 down each line and 410 to center.
i think most everbody understands that cba has, for understandable reasons, a fairly low tolerance for improper behavior. we've behaved with class so far and jim smith has gotten nothing but good reports for us. i thank you for that.
so, have good times, guys, and may all the teams who play there win.
-mike hart
p.s. jim smith's phone number at school is 452-9809 ext. 115; my home number is 459-6854.
Mike, what's the recommended procedure for rainy nights at CBA? In the past, I recall that they strongly prefer we don't use the field even if it's marginal. Do you suggest that the home team manager contacts CBA directly? Or are you working as the conduit?
I'm saying: If they want to cancel the game on their end, how will we know?
good question, jim. we've never formalized an answer, but we should.
the simplest and most consistent answer is that the home manager should make the call, much as he would at any field.
usually that means that if there's any doubt about the weather, the home manager - or one of his players who lives nearby- should go to the field early and check it out.
the main ideas are to make sure that the teams can play a fairly dry game and that they don't tear up the field. cba does not like using quick-dri but it does have some dirt by the first base dugout which can be shoveled on small puddles.
long puddles - or little ponds that form after about 10 minutes rain around the infield bases, at short and at home - are generally too large for shovelfuls of dirt. besides, the water rises back up through them (i know from sore-back experience; regrettably, the field was built on stony base, so drainage is bad.) if ponds form, playing a game is pretty much out.
it's hard to reach jim smith during the summer - he frequently goes away - and the only people there are the two-men janitorial staff, one of whom cares for the lawn and drags the field. in any case, they don't make the calls about playing on the field. jim has trusted us in the past to do that. the staff, which works 8-3:30, is available for emergencies. (i'll forward jim's home number to each manager by separate email.)
the best procedure i've found - especially on days when rain may be coming through late in the afternoon or early in evening (that is just before 6 pm) is to tell all the players that you'll contact them by a certain time (say 4:15 or 4:30 ) at home. if they don't hear from you by then, assume the game is on. if the rains hit between 4:30 and 5:40, then you hope that a critical mass of players has cell phones and you try to call them and save them driving time.
it is true because we live in a weird microclimate that it can be raining like crazy in delmar and clear in colonie - or the other way around. so unfortunately, someone has to check the field and contact people.
if the peppers play at the field on a threatening evening, i try to get there between 4 and 4:30 and then give the opposing manager (whether he's the home manager or not) a call. if he's the home manager, it's still his call and i'll just offer advice. i'll do that tomorrow (6/1) with you.
Thanks for the reply, Mike, you've done a great job with that field to everyone's benefit.
However, given your detailed answer, I couldn't help imagining this scene . . .
Mrs. Hart: "Honey, could you pass the ketchup?" Mike Hart: "Ketchup? That reminds me of a story! I once met a little old Armenian woman named Sasha who, as it happened, was morbidly afraid of cats. So, naturally, I . . . "
ouch! jimmy skewers me with a shiskabob of truth! which reminds me of a story. once in texas, we were having a cookout, aardvarks on a spit as i recall, and this big, tall vegetarian with an ornery south texas accent walks up and ... well, i'll save the rest for another posting.
need to answer one last question about cba. comes from caller to my house: there is no lock for the shed. it's only bolted at the top.
