“Bring ‘Em Home, Ramon!”
The Fielders game on Sunday against the first place Fargo-Moorehead RedHawks was one of their best yet. Cheering fans were rewarded by a 12-3 win that brought the inaugural season to a respectable 9-17 record. Garry Bakker gave his best pitching performance allowing no runs in his seven innings on the mound and every Fielders’ starter reached base at least once. A three-run homer by Joshua Short in the eighth and there was no looking back.
As players came up to bat enthusiastic fans offered their support with phrases like, “Bring ‘em home, Ramon!” and “Look, they’re Escared of our batter!” Of course, they were referring to some of the stronger hitters on the team, Amos Ramon and Anthony Esquer who along with another rising star, Brandon “BA” Anderson, round out a formidable team.
Until now all of the excitement has been playing out on the road and at the Fielders’ temporary facility at Carthage College in Kenosha, WI. The burning question is “When will they really be home?” That is getting easier to answer as the new stadium advances its construction at the NE corner of Route 173 and Greenbay Road in Zion, IL. The professional field is being framed and installed with thick-cut sod arriving on Monday. The fencing is underway as are the permanent dugout structures. The seating contractor arrived on Wednesday and will be constructing the supports for over 6,000 seats by July 2nd. While some of the seating will be just for Season One, many are permanent acquisitions.
The stadium lighting has been ordered and set for shipment on July 9th with installation by the end of the month. All games prior to that will have to be afternoon schedules, but will still be played. The parking areas are underway both on site and just to the west along Greenbay Road. Concession and play areas have been designed and engineered to provide sufficient water and electric service this season. The permanent scoreboard and sound system are on their way to the site, but the main stage will have to wait until 2011.
The goal has been to have as much of the structure as we can in place by July 2nd, however the rain has created some concerns and added a least a week to that schedule so far. The good news is that every rain out game in Carthage will be played here in Zion later in the season.
If you haven’t yet seen a Fielders game you ought to consider a short drive to Kenosha for the next couple of weeks. Only $5 per ticket, kids are free, and offers some of the best between-inning entertainment you’ll find on the North Shore. Dancing and skill contests, giveaways, three-legged races, autograph signings and the chance to run the bases like a pro. Displaying perhaps the finest minor league baseball in the Midwest, there is no doubt that even as we welcome some of these players to their new home in Zion, a few are destined for the Major Leagues.
If you want to know why baseball is still America’s favorite pastime, you only have to watch these guys play. The Fielders put the ‘bee’ in baseball…you had to see that one coming! For updated construction information and game schedule please visit www.fieldersbaseball.com.
Download Temporary Field Plans (.pdf)
