The Story.

My summer job in high school and college was taking care of softball diamonds and the American Legion baseball diamond in Nampa, Idaho. I loved the challenge that public diamonds experienced. Getting fields ready despite the weather events, broken sprinkler lines, and youth mischief.

We “doctored” the baseball field on occasion depending on who we were playing. Sloped the base path foul if they bunted. Muddy up first base if they stole a lot. Grow the grass a little higher to slow down a hot hitting team or a little shorter if our players were on a hot streak.

Life Happens.

I coached Babe Ruth Baseball during college summers. In college, I was a student athletic trainer. Went on for a post-graduate degree in physical therapy. Never left my athletic roots. Worked for the Kerlan-Jobe Clinic in Los Angeles. We took care of all the professional sports teams in LA.

Moved back to Idaho and began working as a physical therapist focused on orthopedic conditions. Also, worked with many local high schools to develop athletic training services for their athletes.

41 years as an athletic trainer on the sidelines. 44 years as a physical therapist. Retired March 2021.

A Need.

Volunteered to help a local recreation district renovate 2 little league fields that hadn’t been used in 2 years due to COVID. They were in horrible condition. Local Junior College baseball and softball staff & players, the Rec director, parents and kids volunteered 100+ man-hours.

The fields were not much better. The Rec department ultimately chose to recommend to their teams that these fields were marginal for practice but NO games. They moved their games to another city for the 2021 summer. It cost them $400 per team x 19 teams = $7600. OUCH!

Explored the Internet.

I used a piece of equipment to grade my little farm’s roadway some years ago. I remembered that company had some ATV attachments for ball diamonds. So, I began to explore.