New roof on ballpark passes first test from the weather

I plead guilty to using the words of Yankee Hall of Famer Yogi Berra too many times … especially since this marks the second time in a week I’ve relied on one of his quotes.
Yet at the debut of the newly renovated Veterans Field and Keeter Stadium on the Shelby High campus, one of his infamous expressions got stuck in my mind: “It’s déjà vu all over again!”

The unexpected heavy rains that hit the ball park in the second inning of the Post 82 game with Cherryville was a reminder of the 2002 Southeast Regionals at that location. On that occasion, while in the midst of a record drought, the first night of the tournament brought the kind of rain that hadn’t been seen in months.

Some may think that’s just bad luck but, actually, the storm Thursday night allowed the fans in attendance to marvel over one feature of the park’s additions. Several hundred baseball enthusiasts were able to crowd under the new roof that adorns the seating areas behind homeplate and be spared the effects of the weather.

Even though the elements put a damper on
Post 82’s first opportunity to play on its home field in 2008, the evening was really a win-win situation for all those involved in the legion program and the upcoming tournaments in August. Consider:
The crew working in the new Jim Horn Concession Center was pumping out burgers and hot dogs as fast as it could go before the rains hit.

Joseph Tallent’s catalog of music blared out over the new speaker system, which is still not completely hooked up.

One of the large new fans attached to the stadium canopy generated a good breeze even before nature provided its own.

More ballpark features are still to be finished in the coming days. Post 82 has home games each of the next three days and if you haven’t had a chance to go see the park yet, now you do. The facility is taking the shape of something this community can be proud of for a long time to come.
Oh by the way, there’s some pretty good baseball to watch as well.

Contact Sports Editor Alan Ford online at alanford@shelbystar.com.