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Ray Curren - Elm City Newspapers
July 14, 2008 - With a weekend free and clear of poor weather, and with the schedule set up to see all 10 teams in Zone II play, I finally took advantage. Of course, there is only one week left in the 2008 regular season, and barring a monumental collapse, it appears that Shelton will capture its third straight zone title.
But we’ll have more on that next week. This week, having been to all 10 sites that Zone II teams call home (New Haven actually had used two, for these rankings, we used East Shore Park, where they’ve played most of their games the last few years), I decided to rank them.
Unfortunately, there hasn’t been much of an upgrade in the last few years, you would think by 2008, everyone would have lights and a decent place to play. But a combination of a lack of respect for summer baseball, politics, and just other priorities for municipalities, has left things stagnant, maybe even worse than they
were five or 10 years ago. These rankings are based on the facilities as a whole, not necessarily the condition of the field, although that does play a part. But what I’ve looking for is some atmosphere: that you know you’re at a game that means something. In Legion, it’s tough because there are so many games in a short period of time, but sometimes at least, we’d like to see it. So without further ado:
1) Brinley Field - Orange It’s been somewhat of a down year for Orange, but there9s no better place to watch a game in Zone II. Good news: It’s got personality, with relatively short dimensions and a well-manicured playing field that usually drains fairly well. It has lights, pretty good sight lines to see the game (although watch out for foul balls), and a scoreboard that keeps track of the game by inning. It doesn’t hurt (or it may not be coincidental) that the team is always good, and many of the big games in Zone II over the years have been played here.
Bad news: It’s sometimes a nightmare to try to park when there’s approximately 16 other Little League games going on in the complex, and the concession stand is sometimes not open, but that’s about it.
2) Piurek Field - West Haven The closest thing many of the players that play in Zone II will get to playing on a major-league quality field. Good news: There may not be a better cared for field in Connecticut than the one at West Haven High. It’s got bullpens, spacious dugouts, and lights (although West Haven doesn’t use them that much). The dimensions are large, but fair, and everyone loves playing there. And it has the other inning-by-inning scoreboard in Zone II.
Bad news: It’s not terribly fan-friendly, most of the seats make you look through a fence, and the concession stand - when it is used - is way down the left field line. Also, unlike Quigley Stadium, there haven’t been many big games played there, so it doesn’t have the bi g-game atmosphere yet.
3) Shelton High - Shelton Home of the soon-to-be three-time defending Zone II champs, and it’s a worthy facility.
Good news: It is well taken care of, it’s got fences and pretty fair dimensions for hitters and pitchers, and it also has a working scoreboard. It is fan-friendly, and Shelton may currently have the best support in the league for its Legion team. There are dugouts and lights, and it’s got some personality with the hills in the background and Finn Stadium down the hill on the first base side. Bad news: It’s a pretty good walk from wherever you park to get to the game. It’s also difficult to travel from one side to the other, you basically have to go through the dugouts to get from the first base to the third base side. And its field, while good, is not as good as the first two.
4) East Haven High - East Haven Those breezes which freeze everyone during the high school season are very welcome in the summer for the Legion season.
Good news: It is a well-manicured field with good dimensions all the way around, which actually plays smaller than it is because the wind usually blows out. It has fairly large dugouts and a few bleachers for spectators which are in good spots to view the game. Parking is obviously not a problem, and it’s a short walk to the field.
Bad news: The biggest problem is no lights, which is a shame because the adjacent football field has them. Other than that, it has20no bullpens, which is a small problem, and it is very open. There is a scoreboard, but it’s never used. It also hasn’t been the site of too many big games since East Haven started playing there a few years ago.
5) Foran High - Milford It’s an improvement over where they used to play, but it still has a ways to go to catch the top four .
Good news: It’s got some charm, and has dimensions that are fair for high school and Legion players, but certainly reachable for home runs. The field is relatively well taken care of, certainly compared to the Jonathan Law field they used to play on. There are a few good seats for fans down the right field line on the hill.
Bad news: Like East Haven, the biggest knock is no lights, even though the adjacent football field has them. There is no concession stand, and the scoreboard is almost never operated. Other than down the right field line, most of the other places to watch the game are obstructed, making it tough for a lot of people to watch games.
6) Hamden High - Hamden It had so much promise when it was remade along with the rest of the Hamden High athletic complex, but it still looks the same.
Good news: The field has plenty of personality. It has unique dimensions, with center field being the shortest point, and you do get some feel that you are at an old-time ballpark (unless you look behind you at the football stadium). It has lights and they are used for night games, and most of the seats are fan-friendly, with a decent view of the action.
Bad news: The field itself is very average, rarely watered during the Legion season, and in dire need of some new grass in parts of the infield and outfield. The new renovations inexplicably took out the dugouts, leaving players vulnerable to both the sun and the fans that are walking by. Foul balls are lost by the dozens as they do into the adjoining apartment complex.
7) Penders Field - Stratford It does OK as a football facility, but as a baseball park, it needs a little bit of work.
Good news: There are plenty of seats behind home plate, and they give a fairly good view of the action all over the field. There are dugouts, and the field itself is kept in decent shape most of the time. Although there is no temporary fence, there are places to hit home runs down the left field line and to right field.
Bad news: It’s hard to get a feel that you’re at a baseball game when you arrive, as it is set up much more for football than baseball. With the fences only in certain places, the angles are tough for outfielders. It has lights, but they are rarely used, and it is the same with the scoreboard.
8) Branford High - Branford You would think the state champions two of the last three years would have a better facility, but - well - they’re Branford.
Good news: It’s pretty easy to get to, and it does have dugouts to protect the players from the sun. You can watch=2 0the game from behind the plate with a pretty good view, or sit out in the parking lot in right field and see almost everything.
Bad news: The field is rarely taken care of in the summer, when it rains, it’s up to the team to get it ready. There is no fence (well, kind of, in right field), so 400-foot outs are a possibility, as are the dreaded line drive home runs. The dugouts are open in the back, meaning players can be easily distracted by a variety of things, including tennis. And, of course, no lights and a scoreboard that is never used.
9) East Shore Park - New Haven
Fairly nice, but it’s just a softball field trying to host baseball games. Good news: It is fenced in all the way around and it does have dugouts, although they are small. You can sit and watch the game in center field and have a good view, and the seats on either side of the dugouts are pretty good to see the game. It also has lights that are regularly used.
Bad news: It’s a converted softball field, so there is no room in foul territory or behind the plate. The on-deck hitter is taking their life in their hands trying to take warm-up swings. The mound is way too high, making it appear closer to the plate than it is. And there haven’t been too many big games there since New Haven has come back to life as a Legion program.
10) Bailey Road - North Haven North Haven is still waiting for their field of dreams to be ready, but it’s turned into more of a nightmare.
Good news: You can get plenty of shade if you go there on a hot, sunny day, and it’s pretty easy to get to.
Bad news: The field is rock hard, making almost all ground balls dangerous. There is no fence (except a little in right field), no scoreboard, no lights, no dugouts, nothing to make it stand out in a positive way. In North Haven’s defense, they were supposed to get a new field two years ago, but for now, they have - by far- the worst facility in the zone.
EXTRA INNINGS: Another mistake on my part this week, it appears the state has decided to ditch the zone tournament format after a one-year trial and go back to the old system of inter-zone play-in games. This means that the second place team in each zone will only have to play one game to qualify for the 16-team state tournament at the beginning of August.
While it appears almost assured that Shelton will win the zone, Hamden may have a little work to do to hold off Branford for second. Post 88 went into a little bit of a tailspin and at week‘s end led Branford by only three games for second. With three games with Shelton remaining, even though Shelton may have already clinched, Branford may be able to set its sights on second place …
Elsewhere, four teams have already been eliminated from contention for the postseason: New Haven, Stratford, North Haven, and West Haven. Milford and East Haven appear to be the two teams that will fall closest to the .500 ma rk, and they happen to play each other to finish the season.
GAME OF THE WEEK East Haven vs. Milford, Wednesday-Saturday - Unfortunately for one of these teams, this may spell the end of their season. Both teams were hovering near the .500 mark at week‘s end, and although both will be a tough out against teams from other zones, it looks like one will say goodbye to the season here. Although it is possible with a couple of breaks, they could both get it in, or both be out.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK Kyle Birdsall, Orange - Birdsall‘s arm has led the charge for Orange and they appear to be on their way to the playoffs after a rotten start to the season. Birdsall picked up two saves last week and pitched a complete game to beat East Haven 4-2. Orange won’t get any home cooking this year, but should make life difficult for the other teams.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS 0
Number of forfeits so far in the Zone II season, something that used to be a major problem. Let’s hope we can get through the last week of the season without one, credit goes to the teams that have struggled this season, but keep showing up.
WHO’S HOT Branford - Hard to keep Shelton out here, with a record of 20-2 and all, but Branford has set its sights on second place, and with their record the last few seasons, who‘s going to bet against them?
WHO’S NOT Hamden - It took a while, but Hamden finally hit the roadblock that many thought they would earlier in the season. It would be a shame after such a great season to see them fall out of second place right at the end.
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