Most of them are Here.

Most of the players have arrived here in Harrisonburg.  Traveling by air and traveling by car.  The cars came from Boston, St. Louis and Greenville, SC.  Another car, was arriving tonight from Louisiana.  They are here save and sound.  Now, is the wait for the rest of the players to arrive.  They have been temporarily delayed by post season play.  These teams, Georgia Tech, Auburn, Arizona, and Oklahoma City,  (I think I got them all.), will arrive after they finish their post season games.  You really wish the best for these teams and their players, but at the same time, we wish they were here.  Such is the struggle of the coach putting together a roster for the season.  We will have a starting line up this Thursday evening.  But substitutions will be limited until the end of the post season play.

We had practice today at the new field. Practice was good.  After stretching and warming up, the players took some batting practice.   And after batting practice, they took some fielding practice.  While the fielders, were in the field, the pitchers when to the bull pen to throw some. 

You have to learn the new stadium.  You have to learn where everything is, but most of all, you must learn the shortest distance between things that you need to get.  The more steps you can save the less worn out you will be. 

A Banner Day

One of the first signs of spring is the bloming of the daphadils.  The first signs that the Turk ball players are about to show up is the hanging of the advertising banners on the outfield fence.  This year was a little bit different because we are at a new field and the placement of the banners is a little bit different.  During the past week, JMU had to remove the wind screen so that we could hang the banners on the fence.

These banners are a heavy duty with grommets at the corner and along the top and the bottom.  There are about 80 of them, I would guess.  We hang the banners with wire ties.  These are adjustable bands that tighten up but will not loosen up. We got to the stadium at about 10 o'clock and with the help of several JMU people we were able to hang all the banners by about 3 o'clock.  Finished just prior to the rain showers.

We will have to return to rearrange some of the banners, but that shouldn't take too much time.

Do patronize the businesses you see on the banners.  And while you are at the business, tell them that you appreciate their support of the Harrisonburg Turks. 

The New Field

I watched a game from the stands of the new stadium Saturday night.  The JMU Dukes were playing the Delaware Blue Hens.    I was really there to size up the new Veteran's Memorial Park.  Something that might be a little unusual to the out of town folks is the name of the field.  The field is named, Eagle Field.  Eagle is not the JMU mascot, Eagle Field is named after Rodney Eagle, a JMU supporter and former mayor of the town of Harrisonburg. 

The fences are 330 to left, 400 to center and 330 to right.  The fence in left field is 8 feet tall.  There is a batter's eye in center field.  I remember when the structure for the batter's eye was being erected.  The structure was stout enough, I first, jokingly though, it was the support for a big screen.  The structure is covered with the screen material that you can barely see through.  From right center field to the right field foul pole the fence jumps to 16 feet tall.  The other thing that I tried to guess at was the distance between home plate and the back stop.  I am going to guess that it is about 50 feet.  Catchers are going to have some work to do.  At the old Veteran's Memorial Stadium, on a pass ball or a wild pitch, all the catcher had to do was to turn around and field the ball as it bounced off the concrete wall.  The backstop at the new park has padding on it and the ball doesn't bounce very far.  The light, while a little lower than they were at the old Veteran's Memorial Park, these light seem to light up the field very evenly.  The night was nice, a little cool, but a great night for a baseball game.The JMU Dukes won 12 to 4.

New Stadium Photos

My normal route home from work takes me right by the new Veterans Memorial Stadium.  Today on my way home the JMU Duke were on the field practicing.  I quickly turned the car around to go back to the office to get my camera.  I needed some updated images of the ball field.  I drove up to the field coming in the back way, that is on the single lane drive that is along the third base side of the field.  Before a took the images I asked permission of one of the coaches.  I did ask him how he liked the field, and in particular how the "carpet" was around the base paths.  He stated that the field needed to settle in a little bit.  ( Whatever that means?)  He also said that you slide farther on the carpet, particularly if the field is wet.  The field will drain about 6 inches of water in an hour. 

The dugouts a spacious, and yes that is a hot line to the bull pen.  There is a three lane bull pen, and two batting cages. Oh, the JMU coach stated the the phone was not operational.  But, for a donation to the JMU baseball organization, you could have the phone named after you.

The New Ballpark

Out with the old and in with the new.  Last year we spend the season the JMU baseball field, while the new stadium was built.  The new field is all "carpet."  The only dirt on the field will be the pitcher's mound and the home plate area.