Leave it better: field of dreams: heavily-used sports fields in Boston get a much-needed structural facelift.Project: Teddy Ebersol's Red Sox Fields at Lederman Park, Boston, Mass. Problem: Popular, yet aging fields in a prime location on Boston's historic Esplanade were often waterlogged wa·ter·logged adj. 1. Nautical Heavy and sluggish in the water because of flooding, as in the hold: a waterlogged ship. 2. because of poor irrigation irrigation, in agriculture, artificial watering of the land. Although used chiefly in regions with annual rainfall of less than 20 in. (51 cm), it is also used in wetter areas to grow certain crops, e.g., rice. . The area needed a permanent solution to maximize the space while fixing structural problems of the damaged and uneven fields originally constructed in 1951. Partnerships: Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Red Sox are a member and currently champions of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball’s American League. From to the present, the Red Sox have played in Fenway Park. Chairman Tom Werner Thomas C. "Tom" Werner (born April 12, 1950 in New York City, New York) is the Chairman of the Boston Red Sox, as well as an American television producer and businessman. Werner was born in to a wealthy New York area family. jumpstarted the effort of reconstructing the fields on state park land to honor the memory of Edward Teddy Ebersol, a 14-year-old Red Sox fan and son of sports journalist Dick Ebersol Duncan "Dick" Ebersol (born July 28, 1947 in Torrington, Connecticut) is an American radio and TV manager. He was protégé of ABC Sports czar Roone Arledge and was a key NBC executive in the launching of Saturday Night Live , who died in a plane crash in 2004. The Red Sox Foundation, Hill House and The Esplanade Association--all non-profit organizations--worked together in cooperation with Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney  This article or section contains information about one or more candidates in an upcoming or ongoing election.Content may change as the election approaches. to breathe new life into the old fields. Solution: Dave Nardone, senior associate at Geller Devellis, the company that redesigned the area, said that little had been done to the crumbling 1950s structure in its lifetime. After tackling the basic issues of rebuilding the fields with proper drainage and irrigation systems, the fields were equipped with dugouts for baseball and softball softball, variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Invented (1888) in Chicago as an indoor game, it was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies' , and lighting to extend the hours the fields could be used. The plan re-organized the space so that the large ballfield was moved south, allowing for the enlargement of the second field to youth baseball or adult softball size. A third, smaller field for tee ball Tee Ball or T-Ball is a sport based on baseball and is intended as an introduction for young players to develop baseball skills and have fun. The name Tee Ball is a registered trademark while T-Ball is the generic name, although many sources use Tee Ball as a generic name. or youth baseball was added. When baseball season ends, five youth soccer fields and a regulation-sized soccer field fit into the space. Costs and Timeline: Planning for the project began at the end of 2004. The project broke ground in June 2005. A year later on Ebersol's June 10 birthday, the opening of the fields was marked by a celebration attended by state legislators, Red Sox officials and members of the Ebersol family. The three non-profits and other key advocates raised more than $2 million for the revitalization. Community Impact: Just weeks after the renovated fields opened, Nardone said that as many as 400 kids were playing on them at a time. "It's a great win when everyone can work together the way these groups got together for the community" he said. Nardone explained that while the state park may have been up for renovations in the future, the true momentum was the group effort that pushed it along quickly. |
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