Keeping fields ready for dreams

By Tom Williams

Boardman’s baseball/softball complex thrives as summer’s heart of the community.

BOARDMAN — Thanks to proactive planning, Boardman Community Baseball continues to provide 70 sponsored teams for 900 children.

“That number is about what we had last year,” said BCB president Tim Kaple who was concerned about a drop because of the economy.

“The fact that we have held consistent shows that the community thinks we have a good program here,” Kaple said, “and it’s worth spending their money to send their children here to entertain them and to learn about the game.”

Finding sponsors was a challenge the board attacked last fall.

“We knew early on that we would have to hustle a little bit,” Kaple said. “So last fall when we organized, we sent out a message to the board that we were going to have to hustle this year to make it all happen.

“We put a couple more people on our sponsorship committee to help us get that accomplished. And they pulled it off.”

In his third year as BCB president, Kaple is quick to point out the contributions of board members and parent volunteers are what make BCB click and their 20-field complex Fields of Dreams a Boardman hotspot.

“From May through the end of July, this is the central community focus in Boardman,” board member Cynthia Rogers said. “On McClurg at about 5:30, you can’t move on that road. This is the center of Boardman.”

And it’s not just Boardman residents who enjoy the Fields of Dreams. Players ages 13-and-older are members of Tri-T Pony and Colt leagues that include surrounding communities. This season, the 11-12 girls teams also travel to nearby towns.

This is the 55th year that youth baseball has been offered in Boardman.

The majority of teams are for young boys. There are 12 teams for ages 5-6, 11 for 7-8, 12 for 9-10 and 11 for 11-12.

“A lot of people outside of Boardman think this is a state or city-funded park,” Kaple said. “This [was built with] all private money, every dime of it.

“Clarence Smith and John York got things started for us and they said ‘take care of it.’ And we have invested about $300,000 over the last 10 years in improving this place,” Kaple said.

Tony Provenzale is complex coordinator and works with longtime board member Greg Krieger.

“Over the years, we‘ve made tremendous strides,” Provenzale said. “We’ve rebuilt every field here since it opened.

“We built dugouts on the minor fields, added drainage,” said Provenzale who also handles the concessions. “Now, we’ve added restrooms at the girls end of the complex.”

Kaple said the contributions of volunteers, especially Team Moms, are crucial.

“Every single team has a Team Mom representative,” Rogers said. “She kind of helps managers run the team as far as logistical things.”

Rogers said Team Moms take pressure off the coaching staffs by collecting raffle tickets, help organize Opening Day festivities and create banners.

One of BCB’s projects this year was selling tickets for Thursday’s Cleveland Indians at Pittsburgh Pirates game at PNC Park. BCB sold approximately 900 tickets.

“Team Moms are invaluable — this place couldn’t go without them,” Rogers said.

Making sure things run smoothly requires a gameplan.

“Safety is a big thing,” Kaple said. “We invested this year in a brand-new storm detector [that] detects lightning and thunder.

“We installed a television set by the Officer of the Day desk so they can watch The Weather Channel if they think something is coming.”

Each board member takes a turn serving as Officer of the Day.

“They basically run the complex,” Kaple said. “If there is a game going on up here, we [must] have representation from the board. They ride around in a golf cart, make sure everything is going OK where it’s fields or health issues.”

Kaple stresses that it’s not all work and no play.

“It is a commitment to be on this board but it’s a social experience. You build good friendships. Not just the kids, but also the parents.”

williams@vindy.com