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Rays Tag 2 More Little League Parks For Upgrades, Fixes

Tribune photo by CHRIS URSO

Christopher Nichol Sr. sits in the dugout Tuesday with his children, Lily Eve and Christopher Jr., at Azalea Park in St. Petersburg. The Rays announced that they will renovate the park's Little League field.

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 17, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - The Tampa Bay Rays, who are enjoying unprecedented success on the field this year, are sharing the talents of their grounds crew and influence with local businesses to upgrade Little League fields across the Bay area.

Rays officials announced this week that two Little League fields, on both sides of the Bay, will get big league upgrades. The Azalea Little League fields at the 38-year-old Stanley M. White Memorial Complex is one, and the South Brandon Little League field on Parsons Avenue is the other.

Rays officials were at the St. Petersburg field today, along with third baseman Evan Longoria, and will be at the Brandon complex with pitcher Scott Kazmir at 10 a.m. Thursday.

Work will continue through the summer, and the fields will be ready for their fall schedules, Rays officials said.

At the St. Petersburg complex, team and Little League officials eyed work that had to be done on the clumpy outfield and weed-covered dirt infield.

Longoria, a 22-year-old star who recently signed a long-term contract with the team, said he considers the Bay area his home and wants to contribute to the community.

Before the announcement, Longoria said he started out playing in Little League and that it is important to have a smooth and level field.

He looked at the Azalea field and said he had never played one in such poor shape.

The field renovation program began two years ago with Oliver Field at Campbell Park in St. Petersburg. In 2007, the Rays slid into Tampa, dumping $100,000 into labor and materials to upgrade the West Tampa Little League complex.

The six-month renovation restored one of Tampa's oldest fields, a venue for a gaggle of players who eventually made it to the big league, including Luis Gonzalez, Tino Martinez, Tony La Russa and Lou Piniella.

The West Tampa complex, which includes two baseball fields, a softball field and a T-ball field, is surrounded by red brick streets and 100-year-old oaks.

The Rays lent their grounds crew to fix the rutted outfield and base paths and joined forces with construction companies to build a new concession stand and put a roof over the bleachers behind home plate.

Leslie Tieszen, manager of the community relations department with the Rays, said she can't say how many leagues in the Bay area have put in requests for upgrades, but there are a lot.

"We have to determine which fields to renovate, where they are and what condition the fields are in," she said in describing which sites get the nod. "In some cases less is needed, and there are some cases where a field is so bad there is not much we can do."

Rays grounds crews make sure there is appropriate drainage and fix other things, she said.

"There are things we can do to make the fields look good," she said. The South Brandon and Azalea Little League fields are the third and fourth to get the star treatment.

John Sheehan, with the Azalea Little League, said the complex, on 75th Street North, is one of the oldest in Pinellas County and is in serious need of repair.

"We're not city-owned," he said. "Over time, assets need to be replaced."

The complex has four fields, and all will be worked on, but most of the work will go to renovate the junior field, he said

About 200 players use the facility he said.

Rays President Matt Silverman said that choosing the Azalea fields was easy.

"The Azalea Little League is a perfect fit for us," he said. "It's a stone's throw from our spring training facility.

"And it's part of the fabric of the community."

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

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