Weird winter leaves mark on Hermon Brothers

PALMER - In late 2004, Hermon Brothers Field was named the top high school baseball facility in the United States by the American Baseball Coaches Association.

Now after a unpredictable winter, the Mat-Su Miners - led by Mat-Su general manager Pete Christopher - are working hard to return the field to its award-winning form.

Under normal conditions, fans can look onto the field of the picturesque ballpark tucked inside the Alaska State Fairgrounds in Palmer, and see only the rich brown soil of the infield and the lush green grass of the outfield.

But this year, the color yellow has snuck into the view. Like the fudge that is swirled through a marble cake, patches of yellow and brown grass flow through what was once a sea of green.

A park that should be on a postcard is now showing flaws. But like fake greens on a golf course. The brown and yellow on Hermon Brothers Field is only temporary.

Christopher, a man who cares for Hermon Brothers as if the field was one of his children, is admittedly disgusted when he catches even a glimpse of the grass. But he's also optimistic, with a little work, Hermon Brothers can be returned to its true form.

Christopher blames unseasonably warm temperatures in December for the problems he is facing. As temperatures reached the mid-40s, much of the snow on the field melted. With the ground still frozen, there was no place for that collected water to go.

So it sat.

And when the temperatures dropped again, the little lakes on the field turned into miniature skating rinks.

&#8220That killed the grass,” Christopher said.

Being in Alaska, the effects of the winter months on the condition of the field is just something Christopher has to deal with every spring. He faces the same things any groundskeeper of a local golf course would face. But this year it has been worse.

Compounding the problems was the fact the pipe that carries the water from another part of the fairgrounds into Hermon Brothers Field was frozen until Friday. In a normal year, Christopher would begin watering the field in late April.

On Friday, he had his first chance to drag the water hoses out onto the field. Now, this weekend, Christopher will be watering almost non stop.

With no water, Christopher had to delay the fertilization of the field. He finally was able to do that late this week. He also scored help from the city of Palmer's Mark Troutman, a man with many years of experience maintaining local golf courses and baseball fields. Troutman aerated the field for the Miners, Christopher said. Aeration is a process that removes small cores of soil from the ground, and allows for air, moisture and fertilizer to penetrate.

The condition of the field delayed its use by the local high school baseball squads by about 10 days. Last year, the Colony and Palmer squads were able to take the field at Hermon Brothers in the first week of May. This year, the first game at the park was on May 15.

Most general managers focus on the baseball side of the sport. Duties such as recruiting are the priority. But for Christopher, who believes he is one of the only general managers around who double as a head groundskeeper, maintaining the field is a top priority - at least in the spring. With the Miners' roster basically in- tact, Christopher estimates he spends about 40 percent of his time on his projects down at the field.

Before he was named the Mat-Su general manager, he boasted a vast background in baseball. But beyond the garden in his backyard, he didn't have much experience with field maintenance. Now he probably knows more about lawn care than he ever thought he would.

&#8220You pick up little things as you go,” he said.

The Miners celebrate opening day on June 10, and Christopher hopes by July 1 the grass of Hermon Brothers Field will be back to its normal green color.

When Hermon Brothers Field was recognized as the top prep baseball facility in the country in 2004, it was chosen over hundreds of facilities across the nation. Most of the ballparks in consideration were found in warm weather states such California, Florida and Texas. But what set Hermon Brothers apart was the condition of the field, despite the effects of average winter weather in Alaska.

Hermon Brothers also was featured on an HBO special in recent years. In 2003, &#8220On the Record with Bob Costas,” a program that aired weekly on the cable station produced an essay piece about the Alaska Baseball League and the Cape Cod League. Hermon Brothers was the focus of the portion of the program about the ABL.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.