Always on the lookout for ways to make the PVOTB games even better, Bullet noticed how the Pro Diamond Crew kept the fields in such good shape at the Reds Spring Training Complex in Sarasota, Florida on the January Nor'Easter barnstorming tour. No sooner were we back in New England, PVOTB and TNB enthusiasts were raising money for a similar upgrade to Pioneer Varsity, JV and Herlihy Fields. With lots of help from Hammer, Max, Duse and Mrs Fluffy the wish became a reality. Here is a look at the process.
***The next weekend...***
The weather almost spooked the crew into a cancellation, but the overcast weather was actually great working conditions. Although the clay tiles look like 'bricks', they are not. They would dissolve into a small pile of goo in minutes if exposed to a hard rain. So, under these weather conditions, you gotta work fast. The crew was up to the challenge and completed the project in several hours. After the work is done, the 'Tiled Areas' must be tarped then, and after EVERY use during the Baseball season. If maintained properly, the tiles become a firm substrate that you basicallly don't know is there, except for the less obvious fact that the batters box, catchers box, and pitchers mound remain in good shape throughout the game.
