John Reel: Given today's field conditions -- I'm hopeful! -- I'm reminded of the old Speedy Dry days. We used to have access to a couple of bags here and there, as I vaguely recall. We were instructed to use it sparingly, like expensive caviar. Then one day two teams in the 28s, this goes back almost 20 years, used something like 75 bags of it to get in a game. Just went completely bananas with the stuff. Lost their minds. Had to cost close to the $1,000. And that was the end of that, the **** was shot. Do we ever use Speedy Dry anymore?
Anybody recall that incident?
Edit: I've been informed that it was 28 bags of Speedy Dry -- enough to turn an infield into concrete for the foreseeable future.
-- Edited by JimmyP on Thursday 6th of June 2019 01:59:57 PM
Jim - For the most part the fields we use are maintained by the organization that rents the field to us and we aren't supposed to do much if anything to the field.
I remember a time coaching Babe Ruth travel that we had two Bethlehem teams and we both had double headers and after multiple rainouts we were desperate to get the games in so we did something similar. Hours of work and many bags of speedy dry. We were playing the South Troy Dodgers and the other team was facing a very strong opponent as well.
All that work and we both got swept and all four games were called because of the mercy rule!
Around that same time period, I left for a game on a wet Saturday morning to SUNY while my wife headed to Price Chopper to do the food shopping. It took a lot of effort to get the field ready but we got the game in and it turned out to be a nice day. When I got home, a very confused wife told me that she saw Jon Martin and some other Cubbies at the Price Chopper with two carts full of Kitty litter. Must have been the week after all the Speedy Dry was used. I don't remember playing on that field since then.
We were only recently using speedy dry at Satellite where we did the work to maintain that field . Other places might entrust us with minimal use like Bob Moore. John Corrigan is correct in that most fields dictate a hands off policy altogether. recently someone tried to move mud off to the grass at New Scotland, perhaps another group, but we were once again admonished for this. I can tell you from working on wet fields that speedy dry is the last in a series of task to get a field playable. Even our use at Satellite was only after the labor of carefully removing standing water, without moving the mud. and then letting the mud dry out as best we could. and field prep guys have different techniques , some will just spread the mud to the whole dirt area in a process of turning it over with a IF machine attachment . others dig a sump hole and bale, some use a squeegee to avoid picking up most of the dirt. usually its a combo of all the above, then speedy dry if they perceive it will help dry a specific area by game time.
all this aside this is the wettest start ever. We are all anxious to play and get not only scheduled games in but now a huge slate of makeups. Don't let your enthusiasm to play a game lead you do do something a field prohibits. We lost SUNY in part because of that incident described here. We have strained other field relationships by violating other field use rules. If you are vague on these rules ask your commissioner.
I have faith that the summer will arrive with less rainfall and we can get these games in and schedules back on track. if not we can adjust in various ways to get it done. I am surveying the Commissioners to get their input as well. Right now budgets are stressed as we buy more available makeup slots and have paid for umps in rained on and out games. But this is where the leagues financial stability and strength come in to back up divisional budgets and get us thru these wet and trying times. Be patient , we'll get this season in.
