The Chico Bigham Memorial Field of Dreams

The field where the Tucson Old Timers baseball club plays is being modified to allow for two different-sized diamonds.

A look at each photo--first down the third-base line, and then down toward first base, shows that the running path is much wider than in the past.

The pitcher's mound will serve both age groups, but there will be two possible placements for each base. The result is a noticably reduced infield grassed area.

What is obvious is that there will have to be much more maintenance on the dirt area where the smaller diamond will produce unevenness from focused use, especially where the "inner" batter's boxes will be dug up.

In the meantime, instead of playing at Udall Park, the Old Timers will play at Jesse Owens Park, farther east and south, where center field is deep enough to serve as a landing strip for airplanes that cannot make it all the way to Davis Monthan AFB or the Tucson Airport. The construction work will probably last about a week, after which the Old Timers will probably consider replacing Chico, who now drags the infield, with a garden tractor, if they can find a tractor that can field and throw, too.

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