Can parking be controlled by new softball facility?

The authorities allowed parking to become a spectacle at the softball complex last spring. The biggest madhouse was for the first-ever game, the dedication game. None of this surprised yours truly. 

Now, belatedly, the authorities are trying to do something about the parking. I was taking a walk last week along Prairie Lane which has long been part of my favored walking route. In the old days I would have said "running" and not "walking." I make concessions to age. Could I run again? Like Kevin Wohlers does? Doubtful. My experiments go nowhere. 

But let's get back to the story of last week. I was just out walking for the usual reason. Then I stumbled on sort of a news scoop: There are now signs along the north shoulder of Prairie Lane. Do not park on that shoulder, we are told. I wonder what regulatory agency is responsible. The city? The University? 

Certainly I applaud this effort to try to protect safety. A year ago we learned of the estimable Mark Ekren advising the community about safety issues with parking at the softball complex. Once the advisory was issued, the proper authorities were on notice that maybe something should be done. My view is that the present actions would have been advisable at the start, the very start. 

People piled into the place for the first-ever game. Parking had to be described as an adventure. Perhaps

Keep an eye on development, please

"Ek" was mainly talking about parking in the grassy area to the west of the varsity field. People improvised to find parking spaces there. There was no real layout. Maybe people should have been assigned to guide vehicles into suggested parking spots. But it all struck me as haphazard and I could have seen it coming. 

I got around the congestion issues that day by riding bike! Allen Anderson arrived on his riding lawn mower. It was noisy while people were speaking. I recall the P.A. system being lousy. Poor Allen - he was not going to be alive much longer. He passed in summer. 

At present we see the "no parking this side" signs along the north shoulder of Prairie Lane. I compliment the entity that has taken action with that. The next question becomes: will the fans/public respect these signs? High school sports fans are respectful and orderly people, aren't they? Well, a measured response to that question. 

On Friday night I departed from my house for my favored supper at Stone's Throw. I swung out to the softball complex first. I knew the Tigers were playing a 5 p.m. game. Sure enough, there was the expected activity there. And what about the parking there? Well my goodness, it was no change from last spring. Did people not see the multiple signs? Did they see the signs but think to themselves "the hell with it?" I'm thinking maybe the latter. 

Will any new steps be taken? Will there be an "information campaign" to get people to respect the good-faith restriction? Will people be positioned out there to advise motorists? And if all else fails, will we start seeing vehicles ticketed? A whole lot of vehicles? If it's a city rule, then we might expect a whole lot of people to maybe show up at a council meeting? They'll express dismay. High school sports fans always expect to be catered to. They are such emotional people. 

If the signs are there but there's no discernible enforcement, then what? Would a certain entity be liable for lawsuit if someone gets hurt? You see, vehicles normally travel along Prairie Lane at a speed higher than in town. Kids or other people could dart out from in between parked vehicles. This is not a marginal danger. If someone gets hurt, I will not be considered a pest with my observations. But none of us wants to see anyone get hurt. 

 

Other activity

There is new work going on at the softball complex, where I've been a skeptic for a long time. The former UMM field has now been torn up, with the brick dugouts having been removed. Is it so essential to have the diamond moved way to the other side? The old UMM field was a wonderful facility as home for the Cougars. I passed by on several occasions when games were being played there. Everyone had such great fun. Fences were short enough for most people to see over. This isn't true with the new varsity field. 

I recently observed a game at Holmberg Field where not a single fan was even trying to view from the third base side. That would be a natural vantage point. I saw some fans sitting out by the outfield fence. Is that where they would really choose to sit? I don't think so. It's too hard to watch from the third base side. You're too far down the foul line and it's hard looking through the fence at that angle. The ground is susceptible to getting muddy and it's uneven. 

The aluminum bleachers behind home plate are only good for about 1/3 of the space. So I saw fans standing behind the bleachers trying to get a good view. This is not desirable at all. Fans who come here from other towns are going to be upset. The person charging admission for post-season games must have a terrible time trying to collect money from people who sprinkle in from all directions. The fans don't get "funneled in" at all. 

I will repeat my opinion that the MACA and UMM softball teams should play all of their games at Big Cat Stadium. Big Cat is absolutely fantastic for the fans. It has to be exciting for the players too. I think the Tigers would love it there. But this community has already made the commitment on the softball complex which is on low ground. That can be bad news in the spring. 

What does the future hold? Well, maybe the organizers can twist arms at the state level and finally get the state to move in here with its resources, construct a parking lot and other stuff. In the meantime they have tried to wring all the private money they can out of people. Maybe that's a template or strategy now: plead for private money for as long as you can, then get the state to take over. 

Of course the state could have done it from the get-go. Fred Switzer didn't have to open his checkbook. I would have opened mine if I had been approached at the start. I was not. I kept a rubber band around my checkbook. All right, I have more than one checkbook.

 

Tigers 9, Melrose 1

Now, on to my favorite kind of blogging re. softball: coverage of the Tigers. The May 5 action was in Melrose. The Tigers were in top form with a 9-1 triumph over the Dutchmen. We jumped out to a 4-0 advantage in the first inning. 

Our pitcher Yasmine Westerman made sure Melrose put up a string of zeroes. The lone Melrose run came home in the sixth. The Tigers' line score was nine runs, six hits and two errors. The Melrose line was 1-3-3. Following our big four-run first, we proceeded to score one run in the second inning, four in the fourth. 

At bat, Westerman had a hit, a walk received and two runs scored. Brienna Dybdahl was a force with her two base raps, two runs and two RBIs. Then we see Cate Kehoe wielding her bat for two hits, a run scored and an RBI. Sydney Dietz entered the mix with a hit, a run and two RBIs. Bailey Hottovy walked and scored a run, and Briauna Backman earned a base on balls. 

The three Melrose hits were off the bats of Brooke Meyer, Kaydence Bertram and Jasmine Fleischhacker. 

Westerman as pitcher was overpowering much of the time: 12 strikeouts. She was also a bit wild with seven walks. So while Melrose got on base a fair amount, Westerman shut the door. She allowed three hits and one run which was earned. 

Melrose pitching was done by two: Marnie Grieve (the pitcher of record) and Ellie Grieve. Marnie pitched five innings, Ellie two. Marnie allowed nine runs but only one was earned. She struck out three batters and walked three. Ellie allowed no runs and one hit, while walking one batter and fanning one.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com