Shelley Field Carroll Field J & M Field TLC Field To Do List 2012 Field Descriptions & Improvements Return to Top Shelley Field (tree house field) Return to Top
Shelley field is our newest field, sponsored by Shelley Nursery and Greenhouse on Route 23 just outside of Waverly. It is located between the left field J & M fence and the woods behind. It was added in fall 2011 on the fly to accommodate the 20 teams playing in the NWBA Slow and Fast Pitch Ohio State Wiffle Ball tournaments. The field entered its maiden voyage with relatively short fences - 75' to BOTH the left and right field foul poles, 94' to the left center power alley, 86' to the right center power alley and 105' to center. These short porches are impacted by several overhanging trees in left field and a 16' tall right field fence (considering the 4' hill it rests upon). Shelley field yields an average of 18 runs per game and 10 HRs total by both teams. It's run output is average while its HR count was slightly higher than normal. Base hits are easier to come by than on Carrol Construction Field, but much more difficult than on J & M field.
All 3 basic 2011 complaints concerning this field have been addressed and fixed. 1) The abundance of HR robbing over-hanging tree limbs has been reduced by 80%, 2) the up hill grind to 1st base has been eliminated by nearly 200 tons of dirt making this almost level, 3) the veritable maze of saplings and thickets on the woods side preventing the retrieval of foul balls and HRs has been entirely removed. The newly graded and seeded infield has been mowed and the grass will be ready to go by opening day. Literally hundreds of small trees and a half dozen large trees have been removed from the outfield and in the woods to limit the impact of overhanging branches in play, particularly on home runs. HRs hit in any direction will now have a much greater chance of flying thru unscathed. The 3rd base foul line has been cleared of saplings to make retrieving foul balls easy and poison ivy free. The field is now illuminated by 8-400 watt metal halides and 2-1,000 metal halides, providing 420,000 lumens directly to the field with the over spill from TLC and J & M Yards assisting in the process. Currently lights have been mounted; 1) behind home plate to a locust tree that supports the tree house, 2) 2 lights are mounted to the locust tree directly to the rear of home plate, 3) the right field foul pole has 2 lights mounted in foul territory from the pole with remotely located ballasts at the bottom of the pole, 4) 2 lights are mounted on the rear of the pole located in left center field on J & M field. The power box has been mounted and energized on this pole also. The last 2 lights are mounted to a huge locust tree just behind 3rd base down the left field line. Wire strung between the power pole and the lights will complete the lighting project. The 14' tarp which formed the right field fence has been replaced by 2 6' tall sections of windscreen and a 6' tall windscreen now makes up the rest of the outfield fence. Carroll Field (front yard) Return to Top
Carroll field is named for Rick Carroll of Carroll Excavating , who graciously donated the dirt and grading necessary to level out this field. By our count nearly 400 tons of dirt were required for this process. This field is a love / hate relationship. Some teams love it, some hate it. The green monster in left field is a mere 85' away, but it is a full 14' tall. The right field fence is even closer - only 72' down the line but it is even taller - 12' of actual fence sitting on a 4' tall hill. Center field is the longest of any field being 110' in length and 8' in height. Against a good short stop, there are almost no hits to be had to left field here. Singles can be had to right, especially off the fence and singles up the middle are readily available also. The problem come when there is already a man on 1st base. Grounders to the 1st base side and up the middle result in more double plays than all other fields combined. Runners on 1st and 2nd and a ground ball to short results in automatic double play when the fielder steps on 3rd just a step or two away and relays to the mound for a pitcher's hand put out. This field shrinks with each additional base runner. The only way to score serious runs here is to hit HRs. For some reason, even with the short fences, this has proven difficult for many teams. Both foul poles for this field are 25' tall with American flags gracing their tops. Carroll field yields an average of 16 runs per game, with a spot on league wide average of 8 HRs per contest. Many of the league's most shocking upsets have occurred here and the field requires a team of patience and opportunity to tame it and claim it as their own. One thing is true about this field, rarely are there mercy rule games and contests invariably go down to the wire. As for improvements, Carroll Field has undergone a major lighting upgrade since the end of the 2011 season. Halogen lights on each of the 1st and 3rd base lines have been replaced with 400 watt metal halide lights. The lights on the 2 poles located behind the green monster have been replaced with 2-1,000 watt metal halides and 2-400 watt metal halide lights. This bank of 4 lights is mounted on a 40' pole. The 8 original halogen lights consumed nearly 56 amps and provided 260,000 lumens of light. The new lights consume 20 amps and provide 420,000 lumens of light, bringing the total illumination on the field to 500,000 lumens. All that remains in this process to be done is to run wire underground to the pole. For fencing, the fishnet utilized in center and right fields has been be fronted by 6' high windscreen. Some day we would like to widen this field an additional 8' down the 3rd base line. Our estimate is that it will take 220 tons of dirt to accomplish. This would make base hits considerably easier to come by on this field and make it not so HR centric. J & M Field (driveway) Return to Top
J & M Field is the field located closest to the driveway just off the back porch. It's perennial sponsors are Mike and Jill Bowers, done in memory of Jim and Margaret Driggs. This field features a 12' tall right field fence of fish netting and windscreen. This fence is shared as left field with TLC field. It is 85' down the right field line and 102' to center field, where 7' windscreen and fish net complete the rest of the outfield fence to the left field line. It is 90' from home to the left field foul pole - fairly short for a left field fence, but the fence drops back steeply to a depth of 102' at the light pole in left center field. Most HRs on this field are directly down the left field line with literally dozens of near miss foul balls for each successful HR. Although the right field porch is very short, there are precious few HRs hit there due to the prevailing wind direction and the 12' fence height. On average J & M yields and average of 12 runs per game - the lowest of any of the 4 fields, even though it is the field with the most area. To be successful here a team first must be solid on defence - in every field. There is simply too much room to cover to not be solid and give up free passes to one side of the field. Whereas borderline fielders can be hidden on the other fields by overlapping coverage, on J & M, due to the width and depth of the field, it is every man for himself. Small ball is the name of the game at the plate on J & M. Teams average 4 HRs per game total on this field, less than 1/2 what is averaged on any other field. After the sun goes down and the air gets heavier, HRs are as rare as honest politicians on this field. Both foul poles for this field are 25' tall with American flags gracing their tops. The only item possible remaining to be done on this field is the addition of 8' tall windscreen on the right field fence, which has proven unnecessary to this point because of the windscreen on the TLC field side. TLC (woods) Return to Top
TLC Field is the field located closest to the woods farthest from the house. It's perennial sponsors are John and Sue Harper of TLC Oilube. This field features a 12' tall right left fence of fish netting and windscreen, 90' in length. This fence is shared as right field with J & M field. It is 80' down the right field line and 102' to center field, where 7' windscreen and fish net complete the rest of the outfield fence to the left field line. This field is widely hailed as the favorite field of most teams and for good reason. The left field fence length combined with the prevailing wind direction make this a home run lover's dream. TLC yielded 22 runs per game and 12 HRs per game in 2012, both nearly double the average of all other fields. Nearly all league records for scoring have been set on this field. The field is wide enough to play small ball effectively to all fields. Even the right field fence is easily reachable by both right and left hand batters. TLC field epitomizes the "go big or go home" philosophy. If you can't put up 20 regularly, do not choose TLC as your home field.
TLC was improved in 2012 by eliminating much of the brush in the 1st base out of play area to make retrieving foul balls safer. The first base is in continual reseeding mode as it endures significant traffic due to all the runs the field gives up.
That Which Remains - Setup Tasks for Season 2012 J & M Memorial Field - items completed in orange General Items 1. Install new anchor pole in front of left center light pole 1. Plug, Reseed, Fertilize J & M 2. Fill anchor pole with concrete 2. Plug, Reseed, Fertilize TLC 3. Replace flag on left field foul pole 3. Plug, Reseed, Fertilize Carroll 4. Install left field foul pole 4. Fix Porta-John door 5. Fill right field anchor pole with concrete 5. Service Porta-John 6. Install right field solid anchor pole 6. Repair broken electric box 7. Attach right field fence to right and center field poles 7. Install rubber protectors over boxes 8. Install new flag on right field foul pole 8. Install bottom 2' of windscreen J & M 9. Install right field foul pole 9. Install bottom 2' of windscreen TLC 10. Attach guy wires to right field foul pole 10. Spray 2-4-D on all 11. Install right field fence support pole 11. Setup Irrigation system 12. Install center field solid support pole 13. Attach guy wires to center field fence pole 14. Attach 8' windscreen guy wires to solid support poles By Week 04/08 15. Erect left field fence 1. String power line from LC pole to Shelley #1 16. Erect and adjust left field fence 2. String supply line from Shelley #1 tree to #2 17. Erect and adjust center field fence 3. Reseed TLC football field fix 18. Install 1st & 3rd base foul lines 4. Reseed TLC holes 19. Install backstop screen 5. Reseed J&M holes 20. Install baseline safety fence 6. Reseed Carroll holes 21. Install outfield safety fence 7. Extend left field foul pole on Carroll 22. Install outfield fence gates in left and right center fields 8. Vegetation kill where appropriate 23. Install scoreboard 9. Level Carroll home, seed & straw 24. Paint anchor pole yellow 10. Order windscreen for J&M, Carroll, Shelley 25. Paint right field foul pole yellow 26. Paint center field foul pole yellow By Week 04/23 27. Paint left field foul pole yellow 1. Numbers 3 & 4 of J & M 2. Numbers 7 - 18 of J & M Return to Top 3. Numbers 3 - 8 of TLC
TLC Field - items completed in orange By Week 04/30 1. Re-Engineer irrigation pump setup at pond 1. Install new anchor pole in front of left center light pole 2. Install irrigation pump at pond 2. Fill anchor pole with concrete 3. Install fire hose from pond 3. Replace flag on right field foul pole 4. Install sprinkler pump at LP tank 4. Install right field foul pole 5. Dig hole for Shelley Center field fence pole 5. Attach right field fence to guy wires 6. Weld Shelley Center field fence pole eyebolts 6. Erect and adjust right field fence 7. Install 5 eyebolts for Shelley center field fence 7. Erect and adjust center field fence 8. Install Shelley center field fence 8. Install 1st & 3rd base foul lines 9. Mow Shelley field with push mower 9. Install backstop screen 10. Install baseline safety fence By Week 05/14 11. Install outfield safety fence 1. Install backstop screen & scoreboard TLC 12. Install outfield fence gates in left and right center fields 2. Install backstop screen & scoreboard J & M 13. Install scoreboard 3. Install backstop screen & scoreboard Shelley 14. Paint anchor pole yellow 4. Install backstop screen & scoreboard Carroll 15. Paint right field foul pole yellow 5. Construct 1 batter's box 6. Construct 1 pitcher's box Return to Top 7. Finish wiring Carroll lights Carroll Field - items completed in orange 1. Remove halogen lights from 4 poles 2. Fabricate 1st base double light holder Week by 03/12-19 3. Fabricate remote ballast holder on 1st base pole 1. Plug, Reseed, Fertilize J & M 4. Alter 2 halogen lights to be HID for 1st base pole 2. Plug, Reseed, Fertilize TLC 5. Install new HID lights on 1st base pole top 3. Plug, Reseed, Fertilize Carroll 6. Install ballasts on 1st base pole 4. Secure 3 loads dirt for 1st base line 7. Install and wire electric junction box for new lights 5. Level 1st base line 8. Remove halogen lights from 4 poles 6. Plant grass seed on infield, right field 9. Fabricate 1st base double light holder 7. Straw infield, home plate, right field 10. Fabricate remote ballast holder on 1st base pole 8. Engineer, weld, paint light bracket #1 11. Alter 2 halogen lights to be HID for 1st base pole 9. Engineer, weld, paint light bracket #2 12. Install new HID lights on 1st base pole top 13. Install ballasts on 1st base pole 14. Install and wire electric junction box for new lights 15. Install new flag on right field foul pole 16. Install right field foul pole 17. Install right field fish net fence 18. Install right field 8' tall windscreen 19. Install center field fence support pole 20. Install center field fish net fence 21. Install center field 8' tall windscreen 22. Install 1st & 3rd base foul lines 23. Install backstop screen 24. Install right field out-of-play fence 25. Install left field out-of-play fence 26. Trench from barn to edge of woods for new lights 27. Trench from garage to 1st base light pole (put on hold) 28. Trench from 1st base to 3rd base light pole (put on hold) 29. Install wire from garage to 1st base pole (put on hold) 30. Install wire from 1st base to 3rd base pole (put on hold) 31. Install wire from barn to woods line 32. Fill in trenches 33. Make electrical connections at 1st base pole 34. Make electrical connections at 3rd base pole 35. Make electrical connections woods station Shelley Field - items completed in orange 1. Dump and grade dirt for home plate 2. Dump and grade dirt for pitcher's mound 3. Dump and grade dirt for 1st base line 4. Cut down leaning tree in left field 5. De-limb trees in left field 6. Clear brush from 3rd base line 7. Plant grass seed on infield, home plate, right field 8. Straw infield, home plate, right field 9. Fabricate 1st base double light holder 10. Fabricate remote ballast holder on 1st base pole 11. Alter 2 halogen lights to be HID for 1st base pole 12. Install new HID lights on 1st base pole top 13. Install and wire ballast on 1st base pole
14. Fabricate right center light pole double light holder 15. Fabricate remote ballast box for right center light pole 16. Alter 2 halogen lights to be HID for right center light pole 17. Install new HID lights on right center light pole 18. Install and wire ballast on right center light pole 19. Install on off switch for new Shelley field lights on right center light pole 20. Modify current electric box to power new on / off switch 21. Fabricate home plate double light holder 22. Fabricate platform for home plate lights and ballast 23. Alter 2 halogen lights to be HID for home plate lights 24. Install new HID lights on home plate light platform 25. Fabricate remote ballast box for home plate light platform 26. Install and wire ballast on home plate light platform 27. Renovate a regular 400W and 1000W HID light 28. Fabricate platform for 3rd base lights 30. Install new HID lights on 3rd base light platform 31. Install and wire lights on 3rd base light platform 32. Fabricate batter's box single light holder 34. Alter 1 halogen light to be HID for batter's box light 35. Install new HID light on batter's box light platform 36. Fabricate remote ballast box for batter's box light platform 37. Install and wire ballast on batter's box light platform 40. Install right field 12' tall windscreen 41. Install center field fence support poles 42. Install center field home run fence 43. Install 1st & 3rd base foul lines 44. Install backstop screen 45. Install left field out-of-play fence 46. Build and carpet new batter's box 47. Build and carpet new pitcher's mound 48. Install scoreboard 49. Install new flag on right field foul pole 50. Install right field foul pole |
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