No more hardball at TeWinkle

Greg Risling

COSTA MESA -- Most baseball players who have fielded a ground ball or

shagged a fly at TeWinkle Park say it is a rundown, poorly maintained

ballpark not worthy to even spit sunflower seeds on.

Yet some would call the park a local version of Boston’s beloved Fenway

Park or Chicago’s ivy-laced Wrigley Field. Tear up TeWinkle and lose a

part of the city’s history.

Supporters of youth baseball will try to block a proposal to banish

hardball from the TeWinkle lots in favor of softball at tonight’s City

Council meeting.

Council members will review a report and vote on whether staffers should

complete the design portion of the project. The proposal calls for the

extinction of youth baseball and Pop Warner football at TeWinkle and

replace the fields with a softball complex. The cost may range between $2

to $3 million.

The city will face opposition from those representing youth baseball who

believe the proposal may decimate their sport.

“We have nothing against softball, but we don’t want to see the kids fall

by the wayside,” said Kirk Bauermeister, athletic director and baseball

coach at Costa Mesa High School. “We hate to see an issue where dollars

and cents come before children.”

The lone baseball field at TeWinkle Park has been underutilized during

the past several years. What once was considered the crown jewel among

Orange County facilities has deteriorated into a bush league park. Only a

handful of out-of-town teams use TeWinkle these days and Costa Mesa High

has played there sparingly.

“There’s some nostalgia to be lost here,” said Mayor Gary Monahan. “We’re

losing what, at one time, was one of the better baseball fields in the

area. But it’s just not that anymore.”

But some of the youth baseball supporters claim there is a conspiracy

hovering around the project. They claim the city has purposely ignored

maintaining the fields so they can pave the way for a lucrative,

revenue-generating renovation. Compared to youth baseball, softball is

the Mark McGwire of recreational sports, giving the city thousands of

dollars from use fees it charges teams.

“It seems this has been all by design so far,” said Pat McGuire,

president of the Costa Mesa American Little League. “They have thought

about putting in softball fields for a long time. We understand they want

a softball complex, but not at the expense of our children.”

There are some alternatives that have been discussed. If TeWinkle was

converted into a softball-only facility, Costa Mesa High could have

lights added to accommodate night games. Also the league that has

suffered the most from the few, remaining youth baseball fields may have

Davis Field to itself. The Pony League for 13- to 14-year-olds has had

problems in the past finding a home because the base paths have to be

altered, McGuire added.

Still, many of the youth baseball proponents are clamoring to save

TeWinkle.

“We like to see TeWinkle continue to have baseball,” Bauermeister said.

“It sounds like it’s not going to happen. But if we ask for lights at

Costa Mesa High and the renovation of David, I don’t think we would be

out of line.”

*Staff reporter Alex Coolman contributed to this story.