PHOENIX - One of the oldest Little League organizations in Arizona is reaching out to the community for help rebuilding a facility that was hit by vandals over the summer.

Michael Martinez Sr. told ABC15 that vandals took fencing from the T-ball and Minor Division fields, back stops, the outfield, dugouts and four complete sets of aluminum bleachers from the park located near 7th Street and Southern Avenue in Phoenix.

Martinez said the main field is operable but even that field needs new grass, an updated lighting electrical system, repairs to the scoreboard and to have the snack bar demolished and replaced.

Martinez said they hope to patch the field up enough to get through the season and go from there to make the rest of the repairs.

He said he has reached out to a sod company to at least get the main field back in shape, the only one that will be available this season.

Their ultimate goal is to start from the ground up and provide a baseball park to rival any in the Valley.

The South Mountain Little League first established its charter in 1953. It sent a team to the Little League World Series in 1965.

Martinez said on Saturday, January 18 a group from the Little League organization will be at Big 5 Sporting Goods at 35th Avenue and Baseline Road signing kids up for this summers season.

Martinez says if you want to help, call him at 480-228-5784 or send an email to smll85040@gmail.com .

There is also an account at Wells Fargo for tax-deductible donations, account number 5495534942.

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Help needed for PHX Little League park

Posted January 06, 2014

Sammie Coates (18) is key to Auburn establishing some semblance of a passing game. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Its finally here. No. 1 Florida State is set to clash with No. 2 Auburn in Mondays BCS championship game, a matchup that pits a dominating Seminoles squad against a Tigers team that has mounted an improbable one-year turnaround from SEC doormat to conference champions.

The Xs and Os have been dissected for a month now, but what are the under-the-radar keys for each team? Martin Rickman and Zac Ellis provide five X-factors for Florida State and Auburn heading into the game in Pasadena.

1. Jeremy Pruitt and the Florida State defense: Entering the season, it wouldve been crazy to suggest that the Seminoles defense would somehow be better than last years unit. Seven defensive starters were selected in the 2013 NFL draft, and Florida State brought in a new defensive coordinator in Pruitt. The groups success this year is a testament to Pruitts philosophy, which helped the Noles become the nations best defense (according to Football Outsiders S&P+ ratings). The brilliance of Pruitts schemes are in their simplicity. As defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. told SI.com before the the Seminoles 41-14 win over Miami on Nov. 2, He just lets us go and be ball players.

THAMEL: Auburns Lashlees path from running magazine to Tigers offense

2. Nick OLeary: Lets get it out of the way now. Yes, OLeary is Jack Nicklaus grandson, and you should probably already know this if youve watched or read anything about college football this year. Youll certainly hear about it at least once during the broadcast. And yes, OLeary survived a crazy motorcycle wreck, of which Tomahawk Nation has the video. Whats more important to the game on Monday night, however, is OLearys role in Florida States offense. The tight end has been a safety valve for quarterback Jameis Winston all season, and with defenses keying in on the rest of the Seminoles stars, OLeary (33 catches, 557 yards, seven touchdowns) has had his chances to make plays like this:

STAPLES: Florida States receiving corps pose matchup nightmare

3. Sod Cemetery: If the Seminoles beat Auburn, theyll earn the BCS trophy and crystal makes for a nice centerpiece. But Florida State will also be able to bury another incredibly important piece of turf in its Sod Cemetery. For more than 50 years (since 1962, to be exact), the Seminoles have been bringing back some sod from big road victories. This includes turf from games in which they were underdogs, as well as from conference championship games and bowl games. Grass is grass is grass, but sod from Pasadena would be pretty special.

4. Florida State Twitter: The backbone of any successful program lies in its fan base, and its hard to find a more lively and productive group than the Seminoles supporters on everyones favorite 140-character soapbox. Florida State Twitter is a living, breathing entity drunk on recruiting stars and advanced metrics. No other bunch has taken as fervently to the #goacc hashtag that I sired (and continue to love like my own child). Although the hive mentality can get nasty at times, there are some truly great people out there. This has to be good for a point or two in the spread, right?

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BCS title: X-factors for each team

Posted January 06, 2014

Sammie Coates (18) is key to Auburn establishing some semblance of a passing game. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Its finally here. No. 1 Florida State is set to clash with No. 2 Auburn in Mondays BCS championship game, a matchup that pits a dominating Seminoles squad against a Tigers team that has mounted an improbable one-year turnaround from SEC doormat to conference champions.

The Xs and Os have been dissected for a month now, but what are the under-the-radar keys for each team? Martin Rickman and Zac Ellis provide five X-factors for Florida State and Auburn heading into the game in Pasadena.

1. Jeremy Pruitt and the Florida State defense: Entering the season, it wouldve been crazy to suggest that the Seminoles defense would somehow be better than last years unit. Seven defensive starters were selected in the 2013 NFL draft, and Florida State brought in a new defensive coordinator in Pruitt. The groups success this year is a testament to Pruitts philosophy, which helped the Noles become the nations best defense (according to Football Outsiders S&P+ ratings). The brilliance of Pruitts schemes are in their simplicity. As defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. told SI.com before the the Seminoles 41-14 win over Miami on Nov. 2, He just lets us go and be ball players.

THAMEL: Auburns Lashlees path from running magazine to Tigers offense

2. Nick OLeary: Lets get it out of the way now. Yes, OLeary is Jack Nicklaus grandson, and you should probably already know this if youve watched or read anything about college football this year. Youll certainly hear about it at least once during the broadcast. And yes, OLeary survived a crazy motorcycle wreck, of which Tomahawk Nation has the video. Whats more important to the game on Monday night, however, is OLearys role in Florida States offense. The tight end has been a safety valve for quarterback Jameis Winston all season, and with defenses keying in on the rest of the Seminoles stars, OLeary (33 catches, 557 yards, seven touchdowns) has had his chances to make plays like this:

STAPLES: Florida States receiving corps pose matchup nightmare

3. Sod Cemetery: If the Seminoles beat Auburn, theyll earn the BCS trophy and crystal makes for a nice centerpiece. But Florida State will also be able to bury another incredibly important piece of turf in its Sod Cemetery. For more than 50 years (since 1962, to be exact), the Seminoles have been bringing back some sod from big road victories. This includes turf from games in which they were underdogs, as well as from conference championship games and bowl games. Grass is grass is grass, but sod from Pasadena would be pretty special.

4. Florida State Twitter: The backbone of any successful program lies in its fan base, and its hard to find a more lively and productive group than the Seminoles supporters on everyones favorite 140-character soapbox. Florida State Twitter is a living, breathing entity drunk on recruiting stars and advanced metrics. No other bunch has taken as fervently to the #goacc hashtag that I sired (and continue to love like my own child). Although the hive mentality can get nasty at times, there are some truly great people out there. This has to be good for a point or two in the spread, right?

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BCS National Championship Game: X-factors for Florida State and Auburn

FRISCO, Texas Towson trailed North Dakota State, 21-7, at halftime of Saturdays Football Championship Subdivision title game, but nothing took more of a beating than the turf at Toyota Stadium.

The Bermuda-grass field at the 20,500-seat facility was constantly getting dug up by players, and as many as 40 staffers from the stadium and the NCAA flooded the field in between changes of possessions to stamp down the turf.

Towson running backs Terrance West and Darius Victor each tripped on separate running plays in the second and third quarter, and Bison senior quarterback Brock Jensen had to jump on one loose chunk of grass before lining up under center in the third period.

Nick Shafer, the stadium's vice president of operations blamed the weather for the poor field conditions, saying in a written statement distributed at halftime, "The facility replaced the turf on the field between the hash marks on Nov. 18. Shortly thereafter, an ice storm came through Frisco and ice sat on the field for a week. This prevented the grass from taking root underneath the turf. We haven't changed any field preparation from years' past. The only difference this year is that weather did not cooperate with us."

Tigers coach Rob Ambrose dismissed any notion that the turf affected the play. "In the end, we played in snow, red turf, busted turf, you name it," he said, referring to a snowstorm that blanketed the team's win against Eastern Illinois and the red-colored field at Eastern Washington. "It doesn't matter."

Fans and viewers of the game took to Twitter to point out the hazardous conditions, and the Wikipedia entry on Toyota Stadium was swiftly updated to reflect the poor nature of the field.

edward.lee@baltsun.com

Excerpt from:
Toyota Stadium official talks poor field conditions for FCS title game

The Salvation Army is expanding its services, planning to create a Sarasota park called Club Hope for the homeless at 911 Central Ave.

SARASOTA - It seemed simple enough. Redo the aging basketball and volleyball courts across from the Salvation Army. Lay sod on the scraggly grass and gravel, add benches, little gardens and a gazebo where the homeless could relax.

Create a place where everybody will be able to spread out a bit more; get their exercise, said David Clements, a Salvation Army resident.

On the weekends, Clements said it would provide a safe place to avoid the synthetic marijuana that permeates the streets. Or escape the Salvation Army patio, where another resident, Michael McMullen, said, You hear so much negativity that it starts invading you.

But confusion over the permitting process has slowed the effort to improve 911 Central Ave. though the Salvation Army is determined to continue with the changes, starting with an ice cream social at 1 p.m. Sunday on the property, where they will debut and discuss plans for what they call Club Hope.

Initially, members of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Sarasota class, who do an annual community service project, decided to help with the effort. They gathered in-kind donations and planned to use $5,000 from the Chamber of Commerce to complete it by their May 31 deadline.

But after meeting with Sarasota officials Thursday, leadership class member Tim Self said turning the lot into Club Hope is not the rubber stamp process they anticipated.

Instead, the Salvation Army, which owns the site, has to request a major conditional use approval. It could take four to six months to go through the process, which includes a neighborhood workshop, planning board and City Commission approval, said Tim Litchet, Sarasota's director of Neighborhood and Development Services.

That timeline would not work for the leadership class, which has to pick a new project.

Moving forward

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Effort to improve site near Salvation Army grows complicated

What you probably didn't know about Monday's Bowl Championship Series championship is that it will be played on an entirely fresh field, placed directly atop the one you saw Wednesday at the Rose Bowl. Like a blanket over another blanket.

Senseless, right?

By all accounts, that Rose Bowl field was still nearly flawless after Wednesday's game, but that didn't stop groundskeepers. Foolish perfectionism is a Pasadena birthright and one I don't condone. Yet that's exactly what is behind this all-new grass, which requires a Herculean effort on a frazzled five-day time frame.

Sure, they have modified forklifts that unspool the sod in giant swatches. But in the end, laying a new field requires nearly 75 groundskeepers to push the puzzle together, starting work as soon as the Rose Bowl ends, blowing away the confetti, marking the sprinkler heads, then as midnight approaches then passes, then sunup comes laying down this magic carpet, by many estimates the finest playing field in the country.

Add six pockets and you've got yourself a very nice pool table.

As is my nature, I pitched in on this transformation. It really began a month ago. Soon as the last UCLA game ended Nov. 23, I joined Rose Bowl groundskeepers as they scraped out the old field and began to put in a new one.

I was there from the beginning, digging out clumps of old sod, thick and stubborn, like thatches of Einstein's hair. Wouldn't budge, most of it, till you got your mitts into it good clawing, pulling and twisting.

When that didn't work, I'd attack the stubborn turf with a shovel, chased with a couple of Tylenol.

A shovel, by the way, is this giant spoon you use to move dirt and sand. Many of you have never touched one. More of you prefer not to.

But I did. Just to take you inside the ultimate L.A. makeover. A blanket over another blanket. A Rembrandt over a Vermeer.

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Rose Bowl's grass act: A new field in time for BCS title game

Dear Neil: We have an aerobic septic system, and we've had trouble with roots growing into it. There were three yaupon hollies about 5 feet from it, and I had them removed. I also have two mountain laurels on the other side, about 3 feet from it. Do you think their roots will cause a problem, and if so, can I move them to another location? I've had them about 10 years.

A. You might want to discuss this with the company that did the original installation or the person who services the system each year. There should be a way to install a root barrier between plants and the system. Better yet, there may be a way to open the tank enough to remove any roots that have penetrated it. Your problem is unusual. There may be a problem within the system itself or the connecting pipes that is allowing this to happen. You need the help of a professional in that field. Hopefully you can find a way to solve the problem without having to move large mountain laurels. That would be a laborious task.

Dear Neil: My 419 bermuda lawn has suffered serious trampling from the neighborhood kids. They now play in a park nearby, and I want to replace my lawn with new turf and build up the thin underlying soil while I'm at it. When should I do it, and what type of soil should I spread? Do I have to remove the old grass first?

A. This is a big task that is best accomplished in April or May. You do need to remove the old grass first. The easiest way would be to spray with Round Up or one of the other glyphosate herbicides. They will kill the old bermuda without contaminating the soil. After two weeks you can rototill and rake out the old debris, then bring in your new loam topsoil. Your local nurseryman can suggest the best source, or you can work with a landscape contractor to do the entire job for you. They will know sources of "safe" soil, that is, soil that is free of nutsedge and other potential problems. After you get the new soil in place, tilled and raked smooth, you can plant your new sod. Let your local sod yard work with you on selecting the best type for your needs. In fact, it's probably a good idea to involve them in this entire process from the outset. If you decide to choose another type of bermuda, you must be completely sure that the remnants of the 419 have all been eliminated.

Dear Neil: How can I kill ajuga that has jumped from my beds into my St. Augustine without hurting the grass?

A. Apply a broadleafed weedkiller spray containing 2,4-d with a pump sprayer directly to the ajuga at a time when it is growing very actively. April or May would be ideal. Keep the spray away from groundcovers, low shrubs, flowers and other non-grassy (broadleafed) plants.

Dear Neil: I have a non-bearing grapevine. I grow it for its leaves, which I use in cooking. Most years I don't prune it, but now it's grown too tall and wild. When should it be pruned?

A. Grape pruning, whether to tidy your plant or to keep a fruiting type in peak production, is done in late January or early February. You may be surprised by the improved quality of the foliage you get after the pruning.

Dear Neil: We have a young pecan (I don't remember the variety name) with very good pecans. Could we graft a Burkett onto one side?

A. You probably could, but you shouldn't. Burkett is a very old variety (100 years old), and it is not nearly as dependable a pecan variety as many of the newer hybrids. What you have is probably better. Plus, you'd have a mismatch of the two halves of your tree. That could lead to problems.

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Best to keep track of roots in septic system

Borough officials are moving forward with a plan to install artificial turf on a local athletic field using open space funds and grant money.

Resolution 2013-335, passed unanimously by the council during its Dec. 17 meeting, authorizes Borough Clerk Kelley Rohde and Borough Manager Scott Heck to apply for funds from the 2014 Passaic County Open Space Farmland Preservation Trust Grant program in order to cover the cost of bringing turf to the borough.

Both Heck and Rohde expressed the importance of passing the resolution before 2014 to meet the grant application deadline.

"We have to hold public hearings to start this process," said Heck.

"It's a short timeline," Rohde said. "The entire thing has to be submitted before March 14."

In order to meet the March 14 deadline, she said, it would be necessary to schedule a public hearing on the turf project at the scheduled Jan. 21 council meeting. That would leave just enough time to approve minutes from that session at a February council meeting, notify nearby property owners of the borough's intention to build a turf field, and obtain letters of support for the project from various borough entities, including the Open Space Advisory Committee and the Recreation Commission.

Once all those steps are completed, Rohde said, "The council will have to pass another resolution in February," authorizing the submission of the final application to Passaic County.

Heck said he has already let county officials know of the borough's intention to apply for grant money to fund the venture, which is being called the Redevelopment and Rehabilitation for Ringwood Turf Field Project.

The public hearing is scheduled for the Borough Council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 8 p.m.

"Kelley (Rohde) and I will be really busy in January to get this ready," Heck said, "but we're going to do everything we can."

Continued here:
Ringwood moving ahead with plan to install faux turf using grant money

The Underwood Pool garnered the lions share of Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding in a recommendation made recently by the Community Preservation Committee (CPC). In all, over $2.73 million in CPA monies were allocated over seven projects. Two million of that was designated for helping to rebuild the pool.

"Three years ago when citizens worked to encourage the voters to adopt the [CPA], one of the projects that was an example of the use of the CPA funds was the Underwood Pool," said Underwood Pool Building Committee Chairman Anne Paulsen. She added that the total cost of the pool rebuild is estimated at $4.5 million, so that the $2 million in CPA funding will greatly reduce the amount of debt exclusion that Town Meeting will have to approve next spring.

The six other approved projects are:

According to CPC chairman Paul Solomon, the "seven projects approved by the CPC and recommended to the May Town Meeting met the criteria for funding listed in at least one of the areas designated by the CPA: Historic Preservation, Community Housing, Open Space and Recreation."

JV field irrigation project

Money to provide better irrigation to the JV field was requested by Belmont Soccer Association (BSA) so that the field may be converted from grass to sod. This is needed because the field, which is currently grass, is used by more than four times as many children as when it was first built and "it is no longer possible to plant grass and hope for it to grow fast enough," according to Jim Fitzgerald of BSA. The JV field is used by the high school track, lacrosse, and soccer programs as well as by community sports programs. If town meeting approves the $8,700, the project will be done in June 2014.

Belmont Housing electrical upgrade

Belmont Village, the low income housing maintained by the Belmont Housing Authority (BHA), was built in 1949. The apartments electrical service has not been updated since. The $165,000 requested would be used to replace the electrical panel and wiring in each of the Belmont Village apartments. The current wiring is a fire hazard, according to the CPA application, and the upgrade will also better meet the electrical demands of a modern household.

Butler School playground phase II

The money for the Butler School Playground would be used to finish upgrades to the recently completed new playground at the school. The $66,000 requested would be used to pay for more lighting and signage, more trash receptacles, stump edging around the perimeter, repainting of the basketball courts and hardtop, an outdoor classroom, and improvements to the back field.

Continued here:
Applications approved for seven projects at $2.73 million

Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick says Notre Dame will decide in the next two months whether it will go with Field Turf at Notre Dame Stadium or stick with natural grass.

No matter the decision, Notre Dame Stadium will either feature Field Turf or a completely new natural grass surface for the start of the 2014 season, Swarbrick says.

Swarbrick says if the Irish stick with natural grass, they will completely overhaul the system not just replace the first six inches of sod as they have done recently. The Irish AD says staying with natural grass would result in Notre Dame uprooting the entire surface and starting over from the drainage system up.

"One of the reasons it's been so bad, we take off one layer of sod and put down another layer of sod," Swarbrick said. "We haven't addressed the real issues we have to address."

He says the cost for a hybrid system like the Packers have is too much to explore but the costs of going with field turf or overhauling the natural grass will be about the same.

The big issue remains time as the project for overhauling for natural grass will take considerable work. Complicating matters is that Notre Dame plans to hold Commencement in the Stadium in May.

Swarbrick says the surface debate is a separate one from the Notre Dame Stadium renovations plans, which are calling for a complete redesign to make the Stadium the central hub of the university.

Swarbrick said he was very pleased with the progress that's being made and if they receive the go ahead for the Stadium renovations, construction would begin after the 2014 season and take two additional years to complete.

"You don't get a lot of opportunities to do something like this at a university where you have a project that touches almost every element of it," Swarbrick explained. "So you've got the academic units who will be in the building, very engaged, the academy who is playing a big role, student affairs, rec sports, digital media, athletics, the administration. All of these functions will be incorporated in these buildings as currently conceived. This has been really fun and exhilarating for everybody involved."

The possibility of a jumbotron being added are a part of the stadium renovations discussion.

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Field Turf or natural grass at Notre Dame Stadium? Decision Soon