After chasing several Public League baseball and softball teams off fields late last week, the Chicago Park District did an abrupt about-face this week to allow the teams to retake the diamonds.
The park district had declared the fields off limits due to “the harsh winter” until April 15 — two weeks later than usual — because “just the surface of the ground has thawed,” according to Chicago Park District deputy director of communications Michele Jones.
That unexpected and apparently largely uncommunicated message left shocked coaches and players without a place to practice or play games. If the ban had stayed in effect, it could have threatened approximately half of the season. Public League outdoor sports rely on park district facilities, and in the past baseball teams have taken the fields April 1, and often earlier because the rule was loosely enforced.
“If you’re keeping us off our fields until April 15, you might as well cancel our seasons,” said Marshall head coach Mark Whetstone. “We can’t compete. That’s almost half my regular season. It would give us only one month to prepare for the state tournament.”
Whetstone, who’s rebuilt the Marshall program and expects to have a junior varsity team next season, was relieved that the April 15 order had been rescinded.
“That’s good to hear,” he said. “I feel like the right thing is being done. I never believed it would stick because it was so wrong.”
Chicago Public Schools director of sports administration and facilities Calvin Davis said the change came about through discussions that began Friday.
Jones asked that teams avoid parts of the field that are wet and to work with individual park supervisors.
“What we certainly don’t want is the fields to be used and damaged,” she said. “Use your discretion.”
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dsurico@tribune.com
