Published Tuesday, May 17, 2005, The Janesville GazetteBy Ken VeloskeyGazette Staff
A field of weeds is blossoming into a field of dreams come true on Janesville's east side.Phil McQuade Field, named in memory of a former Craig High School athlete who loved baseball, is located in the Janesville Sports Complex on Wuthering Hills Drive. It will officially open when the Blue Jays face the Brewers in a Babe Ruth League game at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.There will be little pomp and circumstance before an umpire hollers "batter up,'' but Janesville Youth Baseball president Dave Ellis, his brother Steve, and Steve's son, Andy, will be thinking about the project's ups and downs and the rewards of a job well done but still unfinished.
From left, Dave Ellis, Andy Ellis and Steve Ellis, have put in hours of work to turn a lot into Phil McQuade Field, which will be used for the first time Wednesday.
Al Hoch/Gazette Staff
Dave Ellis, in his second year as Youth Baseball president, has coached in the organization for more than 12 years.Steve Ellis has been involved with youth baseball since the 1970s and was the organization's president for 12 years. Andy, 25, a 1998 Parker High graduate, has worked summers for the baseball organization since he was 15.It took more than three years of fund raising, planning and building to make McQuade Field a reality.The work culminated a project that was a dream of McQuade's longtime friend, Mark Groshan.Dave Ellis said working on the project and turning a wild field into a baseball diamond was a one-of-kind experience."What better experience is there than to dig in the dirt and build a baseball field from the ground up?'' Dave asked. "I wish we could have had aerial pictures to show how the field was changed as the work progressed.''Steve said he thought, at times, they had taken on more they could handle. But the project has been rewarding."I enjoyed it a lot,'' Steve said. "There is a lot of satisfaction in working so kids can get to play baseball.''The Ellis family dug the infield, dug fence-post holes and installed the fence, among other tasks. The work went a day at time for more than a year."We rented a Bobcat with a post-hole digger and popped 200 holes in a day, 4-feet deep and 10-inches around,'' Dave said. "It took eight hours.''After the poles were set in concrete, it was time to stretch the fence.The week of this past Christmas, Dave, Andy and Steve were stretching fence properly, thanks to Jim Betz."Jim works at Farm & Fleet and put up fencing for years,'' Dave said. "He lives on Hearthridge (near the complex), and was driving by and stopped and talked and spent the first day showing us how to do it.''There also was the making of the backstop, sighting and measuring the baselines and building the pitcher's mound.When play begins Wednesday, Andy will pay close attention to the mound."I'm going to look at the mound,'' he said. "They put me in charge of the mound, and I got to draw the circle. I can't believe that it was just a field of grass.''Andy, a teacher at Oaklawn Academy near Edgerton, is looking to the future when Janesville's boys and girls can enjoy the fruits of all the volunteers' labors."It is something for Dave and my dad to maybe see their grandkids play on the field,'' Andy said. "I know I'll never forget going out there for the first time and seeing a field of weeds.''As for that infield, Andy searched the Internet for a good recipe, and G.R. Lyons of Lycon Inc. delivered enough clay, sand and dirt to do the job. The infield is a mixture of 40 percent clay, 40 percent sand and 20 percent dirt.McQuade Field isn't finished, however. Bleachers, a scoreboard and benches for the dugouts are on order. Next month, when all hardware is in place, there will be an official dedication ceremony.Then there are the lights. They are not cheap."We have to wait until we pay the bills,'' Steve said. "We raised in the neighborhood of $75,000, and the majority of it was used to build the field. Lights cost more than $100,000 for one diamond.''While the Ellis clan has done the yeoman's share of the planning and labor, Steve was quick to note that volunteers would drop by without an invitation."We were fortunate to have a lot of people help,'' Steve said. "People would drive by, stop and then go home and change clothes and come back and ask, 'What can I do?'"Besides the Ellis family, help came from Janesville Brick and Tile, McGrath Electrical, Prairie Craftsmen, CB&K Supply, J.P. Cullen & Sons, Bill Hughes and Janesville Plumbing.They all pitched in to help build a dream in the name of a young man who left us too soon.
Ken Veloskey is a sports writer for The Janesville Gazette.
Copyright 2005 Bliss Communications Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
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