grubs

There is an epic battle happening on the St. Marys Cement Plant Field at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum. However, there are no bats and balls involved ... just grubs.

The feisty insects are root-feeding headaches, even for the CBHFM site manager and turf guru Don Finnie. The severe infestation has yellowed the pristine outfield, which is well-known as one of Canada's most highly respected baseball facilities. "There are no roots left to anchor the turf and thus there is no way for the turf to extract water," said Finnie. "The turf in left and centre field rolls back like carpet."

The non-profit, registered charitable organization is now faced with no choice other than using a curative insecticide and having to replace the turf. "While we take great pride in our site and have a strong desire to maintain our first class reputation, cost-cutting measures are a fact of life here at the Hall of Fame," added Finnie. "Had we applied a preventative grub control product, we would not be facing this expensive problem. It's very similar to insurance - if you have it, you won't need it. This time, the grubs won, and it will likely cost us in the neighborhood of $5,000 to bring the field back to status quo."

Born and raised in Windsor, CBHFM president & CEO Tom Valcke grew up a Detroit Tigers fan. "There is definitely some irony that I used to root for Grubb (Johnny Grubb played for the Tigers in the mid-80's), and we now find ourselves unwillingly providing root for grubs. It's a good thing Johnny is retired, because after going through this awful endeavour, I can't see myself ever being able to root for a grub again!"

Having to allocate the CBHFM's resources to the grub situation on the main field will delay the completion of the second and third youth fields until the spring of 2003. The latter two diamonds are approximately 75% complete, and the Hall is seeking donations and/or sponsorship to complete the dugouts, build a retaining wall, install a backstop and complete the turf requirements, in order to give St. Marys' youth the opportunity to play on two more top-notch fields. "It has always been our goal not to charge local boys and girls teams to play at our facility," added Valcke. "The cost of finishing diamonds 2 and 3 will be approximately $75,000, and we are well on our way thanks to the generosity of the Rotary Club of St. Marys ($24,000), Shur-gain ($12,500), and the Kinsmen Club of St. Marys ($5,000). Their cumulative donation of $41,500 sits earmarked for this project. Donations by individuals wishing to remain anonymous and the grant of $100,500 USD from The Major League Baseball Tomorrow Fund have been critical in bringing us this close, and we are confident that someone will step up to the plate with the remaining $30,000 or so needed in order to finish the job."

Regarding the site, the next project on the horizon will be the installation of an irrigation system. The Hall currently waters the 32-acre property manually, but the new developments now make the task of watering well-beyond a one-person job. The irrigation system is estimated to cost $35-40,000. Talks with the St. Marys Cement Plant and the Upper Thames Conservation Authority are ongoing regarding the possible use of Cement Plant land for a settling pond / wetland area that would serve as our main water source.

Also in the Hall's short-term site plan is the installation of dugouts and dressing rooms on the St. Marys Cement Plant Field. "Teams love coming here, and they rave about their museum experience and about everything between the lines," said Valcke. "However, it is awkward to have to ask them to change into their uniforms before coming, or to put them on in the parking lots, especially for the teams who travel a long way to play here. Then, they have to use Johnny-on-the-spots for when Mother Nature calls. Finally, once their game is over, we are not able to provide them with a showering facility and thus they are forced to go home dirty and smelly. We need the dressing rooms for the players and coaches to enjoy the experience from A to Z, and we can't expect them recommend us to other teams until we can complement what we have with these fundamental amenities. Also, this will ultimately draw more traffic to our museum and increase the likelihood of our visitors patronizing our downtown merchants." Including the infrastructure required (i.e., water, hydro, storm sewers and sanitary sewers), the Hall is seeking upwards of a quarter-million dollars to complete the project on the main field.

To seek more information re: tax receiptable donations, please contact the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum at (519) 284-1838.

PLEASE NOTE:

(1) MICHAEL BURGESS (Les Miserables) Benefit Concert For the Hall of Fame:
8pm, Thurs, Dec. 5, 2002 at the Centre In The Square, Kitchener.
Pre-concert dinner and post-concert VIP Reception tickets also available.
Tickets Now on Sale ... for more info, checkout www.baseballhalloffame.ca

(2) 2003 SUMMER CAMPS for Boys & Girls
Week-long camps (drop off Sunday, pick-up Saturday), including accommodation & meals
Focus on baseball FUNdamentals, swimming, soccer & tennis, trip to SkyDome
Social Justice and Cultural Awareness programs incorporated
Baseball Celebrities to take part

GRUBS 1 – HALL 0