Yesterday the 33+ Division was told very early on that the fields in Schenectady Central Park were unplayable yesterday (Monday, May 22) - despite the fact that I personally stopped by the fields and noted that even with the rain we received over the weekend that there was no standing water at the "C" Diamond and only one small puddle on the first base line of the "B" Diamond - and that was at 8:00 in the morning.

At approximately 12:00 p.m., our opponent's manager stopped by the "B" Diamond to check on field conditions for our game later that day and noted that the puddle at the "B" Diamond was gone and that the field was dry.

We were shortly thereafter notified that the fields were deemed unplayable for games starting at 5:45 p.m.

We were then left scrambling around looking for playable fields and I actually took time from work to search for a playable field for our game; driving around observing field conditions myself and reporting back to the commissioner. And the commissioner was left scrambling trying to check with other field contacts anywhere in the Capital Region to move these games to.

The City of Schenectady had to do little more than unlock the gates (although dragging the infields and preparing the pitchers' mounds would have been appreciated - while not necessary) but instead decided to take the easy route and tell us "no games." Don't we pay for the privilege to use the fields? I understand that sometimes complications happen with last minute weather conditions, but this was hardly last minute - and we as managers took the time to check the fields ourselves so we could notify our players. There is no excuse for cancelling those games yesterday; at least, there is no acceptable excuse. We played in terrible conditions at Blatnick Park just one week prior - standing water in the hitters circle around home plate on on the third base line; a LAKE in centerfield and extremely soft conditions throughout the outfield; 45*F with a wind chill near freezing; etc. - and we couldn't play in yesterday's conditions?

Lastly, I went ahead and stopped by Central Park on the way home from work and took note of the field conditions. Both the "B" and "C" Diamonds were not only playable, but you could argue that the water they absorbed over the weekend actually made conditions ideal. Plus, the sun had been shining and the breeze had been blowing all day which helped dry the surfaces to create what should have been considered the ideal conditions for a ball game.

Attached are some photos of the "B" and "C" Diamond and their "unplayable conditions" from Monday, May 22 at approximately 5:00 p.m. - 45 minutes prior to game time.