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Lutz Little League Seeks Help

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By B.C. MANION bmanion@tampatrib.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 12, 2008

LUTZ - Like the Tampa Bay Rays, the Lutz Little League wants its players to have solid fundamental skills and to work together.

It needs good facilities to help players achieve those goals, said Tracy Monsour, a member of the league's board of directors.
League officials realize county officials are under tight budget constraints, so they are turning to the community for help, she said.

It won't be the first time that Lutz residents stepped up to the plate.

Before there was an Oscar Cooler Sports Complex there was Oscar Cooler, a Lutz resident who persistently lobbied the Hillsborough County Commission to buy an orange grove where the future park would be built.

When county officials told him it would be a few years before the county could afford to build the park, Cooler turned to Little League parents and others to get the job done.

The county is planning a major expansion of the park - but the Little League needs help to address smaller needs.

Working on the theory that people respond best when they know exactly what is needed, Lutz Little League officials have compiled a list of things they need, said Lee Jones, the league's vice president of operations.

Here is a brief rundown of what's needed and why:

•Concrete pads and an 8-foot fence around all the batting cages. The existing pads are too short and fences are required for safety.

•A 15-foot section of fence for one bullpen. A previous fence section was removed during a recent park improvement and was not replaced.

•. Movable frames for batting cage nets. The league has grown from about 250 players about five years ago to about 600 players now. It needs more batting cages to accommodate the players. It has nets, but not frames.

•Bat and hat racks for dugouts.

•A plastic cover to slip over the top of the chain-link fences. The cover will protect players who reach over the fence to catch balls. They also will give the park a cleaner look.

•Boxes with lids for the park's trash barrels. As it stands now, birds fly into the park's trash barrels and scatter trash all over the park, requiring volunteers to pick it up and hope it is collected before the birds strike again.

•Two new hoses of 1 1/4-inch diameter to wet down hard clay areas at the park's large baseball fields, and two 400-foot hoses to dampen clay areas at the smaller fields.

•A "walk behind" tiller to remove weeds and grass that creep into the base paths and other clay areas on the fields. The weeds now are pulled by hand, which can take hours.

When the county heard the Little League had put together a wish list, it stepped forward to make some improvements, Monsour said.

"The county graciously agreed to paint all of the facilities," she said.

It also replaced an aluminum roof over the concession stand, repaired picnic tables and upgraded the restrooms, she said.

One former player, whose father helped years ago to build the park, stepped forward to chip in $300, Jones said.
League officials want people to help whatever way they can, Monsour said.

"That old adage of time, talent or treasure - we'll take any or all," she said.

Volunteers are needed to help complete maintenance projects, to keep score at games, sell concessions and help keep the park neat, she said.

If you'd like to help out, or want more information, call Jones at (813) 210-6900 or e-mail him at lemondbaseball2@yahoo.com or call Monsour at (813) 784-4267 or e-mail tracy.monsour@gmail.com .

REGISTRATION

Spring 2009 Registration Dates:

•6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Dec. 4

•9 a.m. to noon, Dec. 13

•9 a.m. to noon, Jan. 10

For more information, go to www.lutzlittleleague.com

Reporter B.C. Manion can be reached at (813) 865-1507.

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