So has anyone actually played at Voorhesville HS Field yet this year? Heck, has anyone even actually seen it up close and personal yet this year ~ as opposed to from the parking lot which is nowhere near the field???
I am curious because rather then showing up only to find the field completely unplayable despite a bright sunny day as we did last year, I'd really appreciate it if there was actual confirmation that the field is not 100 x worse then even the Satellite (I know, hard to believe, but true) as it was last year the only time I stepped foot on it...
As those games had to be cancelled that day last year (even though again, everyone showed up as there was no advance scouting) and I notice that there are some different fields on this week's 45 schedule, I'm just trying to avoid those of us having to drive all the way out there on Sunday morning bright and early only to find the field in the same unkempt shape as last year and the unpleasantness associated with that scenario...
Especially when it looks like there is an open slot @ NS later in the afternoon... Just sayin...
-- Edited by Marcus Aurelius on Friday 20th of July 2012 09:58:24 AM
Marcus, I have played on the VHS twice this season, and both times the field was groomed and was not that bad. The pitchers mound is not the best,but everything else was ok. I don't know if anyone is taking care of it since school is closed. Someone should just take a walk around to see. Harold 55 Cardinals and 45 Cyclones
mark - my 55 team played at vhs on tuesday. hope these are useful pointers for you and your teammates:
to get to the field, if you're coming from voorheesville on 85A, turn right at MARTIN ROAD, which is the road just before the school. a back road takes you to the parking lot, just behind the diamond's outfield. (if you take the school's main entrance, you'll end up at the football field, which is hefty hike from the baseball park.)
as for the field itself: the infield dirt was smooth, well dragged and soft (though not as soft as the satellite's sandbox). the boxes and bases were lined, and the grass was cut. there is no fence around the field. there's a fairly large backstop, but, alert the batteries, it's a good run back to it from home plate. there are benches on both sides of the field.
the night we played it was hot (86) and very dry, and now and then a strong wind would come from the woods behind the diamond. if anybody smacked the ball then (nobody did) they could send it a good distance. i'm guessing it's about 400 - 450 feet from home to the parking lot, which is closest to left field.
troublesome aspects? yes: the grass is uneven and bumpy - much like the satellite field's, but with fewer gopher holes and, while the infield is fairly flat, the outfield, particularly in center and right, has what i'd call a small crater in it. just beyond second base, center dips and continues on a slow incline toward the parking lot. looking out from home plate, a center fielder, standing in that big dip, could seem to be missing his legs.
the effect? a line drive hit to center or right, landing on that hard ground, could (and in one case, did) roll a long way. alert your outfielders.
and the pitching mound is not quite a mound. it may rise, oh, 5 inches, at best from the earth around it. it's closer to a softball circle than a mound. alert your pitchers and hitters.
if you're there on a sunny day, be warned, not much shade and no water. so bring lots of sun block, water and if you have little tents or folding chairs with canvas tops on them, bring them.
if you play after 5 pm the woods cast a shadow along the first-base line and the shadow lengthens as the sun sets, reaching to third base. but the third-base side is sunny and hot most of the time. again, if you play after 5 pm, it might be wise to have both teams on the shady side of the diamond. before 5 pm, forget it: both teams will take the glare.
the woods will serve as the men's (and women's) rooms. have no idea if there's poison ivy or oak there, but it might be wise to be watchful.
finally: can two teams play a decent game of ball at the field? yes, a good one, too, if they're alert.
in many ways, the field resembles fields we played on as kids, spacious, sunny, and, on the grassy parts, bumpy.
now, there is one really remarkable aspect to it: sometime during your game, take a look over second base, past right field and toward the hills. those hills are green, rolling, filled with trees, and beautiful, especially against a blue sky. or so i found it.
it's a calming view; not a bad thing in a tight game.
