Author	Topic:   Harrowsmith FMC
phil	posted 5/31/08 10:35 PM     i think we need to all come to agreements about the right feild Foul line at this dimound cuse home plate and first do not line up with the foul line out in right feild..
KDCSL Convenor	posted 6/2/08 5:44 PM     The diamond is squared up with the first base line running from the home plate area out to the drainpipe in the middle of the house. That actually makes a pretty nice and clear foul line - Then you just have to make sure that you place your base right on the line. Pegging the base down, as we are requesting all teams do this year, will help to ensure that it stays in place on the line where it belongs.
phil	posted 6/2/08 6:31 PM     but even when first was there the end of the house is better to use so no one gets confusid
Blake	posted 6/2/08 7:52 PM     The diamond was measured out and if you change the foul line from where it is to Phil's proposed line, the field would have to be moved over and the other foul area would be in the bushes. It is however the home team's choice where they feel the foul lines are. As far as our team, we will maintain the current foul lines.
phil	posted 6/3/08 11:53 PM     so how did u measure it and wich feild was it compared to?? Sorry for makeing a big deal its just other teams are up set also.
Blake	posted 6/5/08 1:43 PM     It is a regulation size field. It's not compared to any diamond, it is the correct size. Again, whoever is the home team can create their own foul lines if it's a problem.
Someone	posted 6/6/08 11:09 AM     I agree with both Phil and Blake but I think both home and away team should agree with each other not just home team.? God bless every one
KDCSL Convenor	posted 6/10/08 6:06 PM     When we laid the field out we used surveying equipment to make sure there was a 90 degree angle between the first and third baselines. An easy trick that will get you pretty close though - Stand on home plate, and spread your arms out straight to either side. Line your body up so your left arm is pointing straight at the left foul line/pole. Then clap your hands together in front, and you will be pointing right at the right foul line/pole!
phil	posted 6/10/08 9:29 PM     thankyou for exsplaneing that to me peater
Someone else	posted 6/14/08 11:24 PM     Wow I can't believe how petty people can be and the things they will complain about! This field has been used for YEARS and the foul lines have not changed so why is someone NOW complaining? You must not have a lot going on in your life if you have to start picking at things and causing problems where there is really no problem. The diamond is FREE and in better condition than some of the other diamonds we have to play on so STOP complaining. That is my rant on the matter and hopefully everyone can now find better things to write about. And by the way Phil you really need to pay attention to your spelling. I say this because either you didn't pay attention when spelling Peter or you were being blatantly rude by spelling it Peater. I prefer to think it was the first rather than the latter.
phil	posted 6/15/08 10:41 AM     sorry Peter i was not paying attention and thankyou someone else for letting me know that sorry it was not meat to be rude.
JT-BatterseaBethel	posted 6/15/08 12:28 AM     "The diamond is FREE and in better condition than some of the other diamonds we have to play on..." Exactly which diamonds would those be? Hemlock downs is the only one I can think of that would even be CLOSE... and it's still nicer. I don't agree with what Phil is saying... not at all, in fact. I don't think any teams are upset about it. BUT that said, I brought this up at the first coach's meeting; that diamond is the pits. Harrowsmith diamond has no fencing to protect anyone, and it has no bleachers to sit on. The equation 'free' = 'good' is not always true. Boy, I hope I didn't make any spelling or grammar mistakes. Congratulations, you just suggested he has too much time on his hands, and then you took the time to correct his spelling on an internet forum for church league softball. Fail. Take it easy, JT
Someone else	posted 6/15/08 5:15 PM     The new Wally Elmer diamod that we have to play on has no bleachers, not even a board to sit on (at least when we played there the one night) and you have kids riding dirt bikes through it while your playing. 3rd Ave has a hill behind the short stop. I think you don't like HFMC'S diamond because your team can't hit numerous home runs and with no fence the rule doesn't even apply. As for no fence to protect people I think people just need to pay attention to the game and what is going on around them. We have not had anyone hurt on the sidelines yet so really no problem there either. If you want another place to sit bring a lawn chair otherwise use the bench that is provided. We may see if a church member could build another if he has time but it may have to wait. I only pointed out the spelling mistakes because it looks really bad to have that many mistakes on an internet forum and I'm not just talking about Peter's name. If you look on other posts there are dozens of mistakes. If you have the time to post then take the time to check your spelling. That was all I was trying to say. Sorry if it came off rude..I really didn't mean it to sound that way.
JT-BatterseaBethel	posted 6/15/08 7:21 PM     One of the Wally Elmer diamonds has full fences, and we've always played on that one. In fact Wally Elmer has a larger outfield than most. I'm not sure what diamond you're referring to? What you said is completely backwards - at diamonds with no outfield fence the match + 3 rule doesn't apply. So by your logic we should want to play at HFMC? nope. Also - the people I was talking about protecting are the 1, 2, and 3 year olds who sometimes come out to our games with their moms and dads who are playing. It's safer when they can toddle around behind a chainlink fence. So I'll pass along your message that they should pay more attention - I think one of them forms partial sentences now, so hopefully he'll understand. (his spelling's probably not that great, so please don't hold that against him!)
Someone else	posted 6/15/08 8:59 PM     I'm refering to the diamond that is behind that one..the one we are suppose to play on. If you guys were able to play on the other one than that is great and I am glad you can play on the better field. If you don't like HFMC's field than that is how you feel but many people like playing on that field. If you want, talk to the league about putting some money towards it so they can fix it up. HFMC just doesn't have the funds to do that right now. You can see how far the building project has gotten so it doesn't take much to figure out they don't have the funds to fix up the ball diamond. As for your comments about 1-3 year olds paying attention to the game I had hoped you were smart enough to realize I was talking about the players and people watching over those children to be paying more attention. MOST people who see any child about to wander towards the field ALWAYS yell out for the play to stop so the child can be redirected back behind the backstop or farther away from the field. But my mistake for not making that comment perfectly clear (and I am being completly sincere about that NOT sarcastic). And please let the spelling thing go! I have apologized for how that sounded and I will say it again. I am sorry. I didn't mean for it to come off as rude. I hope Phil will accept my apology as well.
Someone else	posted 6/16/08 0:33 AM     This posting has gotten out of hand and I have said some things I shouldn't have but I do want to say again how very sorry I am for the way my post sounded. I REALLY didn't mean for it to sound rude and I am apologizing to Phil for the way I came off in that post. Obviously we and by we I mean JT and I are not going to be able to agree on HFMC's diamond. And I just want to ask if we can agree to disagree and move on? Hopefully we can. Again I am sincerely sorry for any remark that may have come off as rude. I lost my christian attitude for a bit there and I hope it is now showing. Let's just have fun and be thankfull that we are able to come together and play baseball.
Jeff	posted 6/16/08 5:04 AM     Who are you? "Someone else" just doesn't cut it!! I'm guessing you are from Harrowsmith. I want to know who you are.
phil	posted 6/16/08 5:38 AM     Wow I did not mean to start a fight. But anyways Hows every one doing?? Hoping we are ready to play ball tonight.. And some one else its ok i was tired just got done work that night.. Jeff =) I gree with ya And Peter I just Like to say thanks for exspling it to me No i understand when u put it like that.....
Someone else	posted 6/16/08 12:56 AM     Hey Phil...I'm still upset about how my post sounded and I hope from your 'it's okay' you have forgiven me. I was kind of upset when I wrote the post but I NEVER meant for it to sound rude. (I also know that is no excuse) I guess I just don't see a huge problem with our diamond. But that is just how I see it and others see it differently. Jeff- yes I play for Harrowsmith. Again I am sorry for how the post sounded. Sincerely Sarah
phil	posted 6/16/08 7:32 PM     its ok Sara i did not take it to hart. It did not hurt my feelings.
Sarah	posted 6/16/08 9:57 PM     Thank you Phil. I have been very upset about all that was posted and how I came across and Jeff has read my mind and heart about the boards being erased. You are a really great guy not to have taken it to heart. Thank you again for accepting my apology.
Blake	posted 6/17/08 2:57 AM     It is easy to confuse a persons tone when reading a post on a forum, so please understand that the follwing is to be taken in a "caring fatherly" way. Ok, everyone who has written on this particular topic has been petty and have let this get out of hand. I expect a lot better of all of you (I do know who all of you are after all)we are a bunch of adults and I expect that you all start acting like it. Sarah has said she was sorry many times, but some of you keep throwing her previous comments back in her face, give it a rest...seriously. We are all out there to have a good time and play some ball, no matter the field we are playing on. No one has said that the HFMC diamond is a great diamond to play on, the only thing is that it has been used for free for years, which in turn keeps the cost of the league down. So if every team that has such a problem playing there (Harrowsmith plays 16 of the 28 games there by the way) would pitch in some $$ it could be up to par. Guys, please stop with the childish arguments, it's not worth it. See you on the field
phil	posted 6/17/08 8:47 AM     blake i have let it go. after peter exspland the logic way to measre it so i have let it go awhile ago but hey see ya in a couple of weeks man.
KDCSL Convenor	posted 6/28/08 11:39 PM     The most important consideration about the use of HFMC's diamond is that there is nothing better *available*. I personally am very happy with all of the diamonds we use (including HFMC, where Har does play a lot of games - I respect other people's opinions though.) I know not everyone was playing in the league when most of our fields were public schools like RG Sinclair, Holsgrove,... and who remembers playing at St. Pats in Harrowsmith for one season? We've used some pretty crazy diamonds in the past, and we've come a long way. I tried to find one more diamond this year, but was unable to - Our best possible options would have been *late* slots at John Brewer and possibly Verona, and those are both a long way out of town so people would be getting home at like 11:30. I don't think many teams would prefer that! Worth noting for the future of the league - We are being pressured every season to give up Westbrook to the Clippers soccer league who have a huge number of youth playing on too few city fields. I was given the option and said no thank you this year, but next year we may not get the option! There's hope that the new sports multiplex will add several new diamonds (like Cloverdale), and that would take some pressure off. That won't happen overnight if ever though - I'll watch their progress with interest! Thank you for cooler heads prevailing in this thread - And have a terrific Canada Day everyone! Peter.
Jenny	posted 6/29/08 4:18 AM     I personally remember playing at Holsgrove Public School. Driving past it now, I think "How the heck did we ever play there???" (Even when there was still a backstop)The pavement in left field, and the monkey bars in right.. BRUTAL! I don't mind the Harrowsmith diamond. It's obviously not ideal, but it serves its purpose and it's free! Not alot is free these days, so let's be thankful. :)
phil	posted 6/29/08 7:26 AM     Iam not up set about the feald the feald is fine its just the foul line if we can fix that i think evey one whould be happy I rember some of the feailds. How about some high school base ball fialds???
JT-BatterseaBethel	posted 6/29/08 12:30 AM     Holsgrove was pretty awesome. I could hit it OVER the school... it made me feel like a big man!! :)
Matty	posted 6/30/08 0:15 AM     Worse field I played on was behind the old cat public school which is now third day. I broke my thumb the first time on that field when I was 15.....good times
Matt (the HFMC one)	posted 7/16/08 10:31 PM     I'm reluctant to add a post to this thread that did get a bit out of line - but in the hopes of being entirely purposeful, it felt worth adding a comment and a request for help. First, the comment: this topic is a sensitive one as the post above points out - as someone who was part of building the diamond and has played at least 1/2 my games on it since it was built, let me join in agreeing that it is not one of the best diamonds out there - not even close. I would like to respectfully ask people who play a few games there each year to go easy on complaining about the diamond - we built it with the resources we could pull together ourselves (tried very hard to keep the church from having to foot many of the bills, although the church certain does continue to pay to have it mowed and some other incidental costs), and for that we get to play the majority of our games there. I hope that the people who come out there for a few games during the season and complain bitterly about how awful the field is can appreciate that several of us (who built the diamond to try to help out, do our best to maintain it, and play more than 1/2 of our games there) don't appreciate it. The range of complaints stretch from some teams that have a couple of players quietly complain about the field amongst themselves to the extreme of a new team judging the field unfit for them to play on - but I don't believe I've been at a game this year when I didn't hear a comment. I'm sorry if that offends anyone, but asking if folks could go easy on the complaints certainly seems to me like a fairly reasonable request. So, very respectfully, I'd ask folks to go easy on slamming the field, at least when you are actually playing Harrowsmith (if you just can't help yourself, we'll do our best to be understanding). Now, for the request - for anyone that sees some of the issues that the field presents - are there folks out there that have any ideas, experience, or angles on reasonably priced materials and/or equipment that might improve the diamond - if the good folks on the league executive are unable to find a better alternative for next season? We have people willing to volunteer their labour and some equipment, and a few of us willing to put up some reasonable amount of money... but to be honest, I don't know that we've got a lot of great ideas about what the best, cost effective ways to improve the diamond are. Any helpful leads would be appreciated.
someone	posted 7/16/08 11:12 PM     i have one fix the right feald foul line make it right every team we played out there this year we agreed that the end of the house and the eligtric post it seem to make every thing good and fair just something to look in to tks and God bless this feald
Sarah	posted 7/18/08 11:00 PM     Treading carefully..haha..I have an idea to improve the field but I'm not sure it would work. Would it be possible to disc the field (farmer's may know this) down so it's pretty flat and then reseed it with grass seed and burn the baselines, commitment line and maybe the foul lines with killX or something to that effect? We could put a large, tallish white post out in right field(similar to the one marking left field) to mark the foul line but I am wondering if people might run into it. Those were my ideas...not sure if they will work or not but maybe it's a start. I suggested grass as an infield because it's , in my opinion, easier to play on than some gravel diamond's because you don't get large piles here and there that can pose a problem to running. Just some thoughts..
phil	posted 7/20/08 3:23 AM     hey how much of the land is own buy harrowsmith fmc?? Mabey or try to put a fance up
Blake	posted 7/20/08 10:43 PM     As much as we'd love to be able to put a fence up and/or have the crushed red shale in our infield, both of those things cost lots of money. Also, as far as the right field foul marker, realistically it is almost impossible to have a regulation sized field if we move the foul line by as much as has been suggested. I hate to be negative, but since we have had so many complaints over the field this year maybe we can find a replacement field for the years to come.
phil	posted 7/21/08 3:59 AM     how about highschool base ball fealds?? some of them are really nice?
KDCSL Convenor	posted 7/23/08 4:02 AM     Public school fields (the few that aren't terrible) are rented out by the school board, and they require a huge insurance contract (costs ~$1200 for the season) Most High Schools don't have ball diamonds. The ones that I know of (QE, ESS) are distributed by the City, and they are spoken for by other leagues. Soccer and baseball fields are hard to come by! On that note, how are teams feeling about the new-to-us diamond out on Brewers Mills Rd? Nice diamond... Long drive...
Jeff	posted 7/23/08 4:13 PM     Love Brewers Mills diamond, played there most of my life!! But it is to far. That is the one diamond I do not like going to because I know its going to be a long drive and the gas prices don't really help much. I know it is hard to organize a league and try to get good quality fields at the same time. Brewers Mills is a good field, its just to bad its so far. Harrowsmith FMC does have its problems, but at least it is closer and the grass is mowed. I have enjoyed all the diamonds we have played at this year, and just enjoy getting out to play. I think the league does a very good job each year in finding diamonds to play at. Question: If we paid higher league fees could we play more games at other diamonds? Its just a question because I don't think we pay very much now for a season of baseball. How about Verona, Battersea, Cataraqui, Amherstview, there are many more. Battersea is the best field ever, well I think so anyways. Verona and Battersea are kinda far but not as far as Brewers Mills. Thats all I got!
Blake	posted 7/23/08 9:10 PM     I don't personally like the Verona diamonds. They are short and not well maintained. Just my opinion
Sarah	posted 7/23/08 10:52 PM     I agree with Blake I don't like the Verona diamond either but mostly due to the high mosquito population .lol. Most games there have to be played late because the little league games are played there till into august. There is a diamond in Sydenham but I'm not sure if we would be able to get it.And I'm pretty sure it's a good field to play on. I do like brewer mills but like Jeff said the drive can be an issue espically if you get there and your game ends up being cancelled due to a lack of players or a bad turn in the weather. I can't think of any other diamond that is close to town. I would LOVE to play at Cloverdale but I'm sure that is a pipe dream! LOL
KDCSL Convenor	posted 7/24/08 2:46 AM     It was possible to get Verona for a late slot the last couple of years, but we passed when even the Verona team didn't want it! Cloverdale and Sydenham are always busy. I believe Amherstview is as well, although I haven't asked about it specifically (it's run by Loyalist Township rather than the city.) They mentioned something about a new diamond in Bath, but again that's getting into quite a drive. Battersea might be a possibility in the future - I don't know who runs it but can probably find out. Last year there was talk about possibly building new diamonds on the new Multiplex property on Gardiner's Rd., like a new Cloverdale - That would be awesome!

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