A field of possibilities

Amara Aguilar

The “Field of Dreams” at UC Irvine isn’t surrounded by corn fields.

It won’t feature players from our past. And it isn’t in the middle of

nowhere.

It doesn’t even have seats. At least not yet.

At UCI, the Field of Dreams is still under construction. The new

baseball stadium, which will cost $9 million, is being built in

preparation for the Anteaters’ upcoming baseball season.

The team will make its debut against the University of San Diego in a

nonconference game on Jan. 25. It will be the first Anteater baseball

game since the program was cut in 1992.

The school eliminated the sport because of budget cuts, but a student

referendum passed in the spring of 1999 breathed new life into the dead

program.

Although the old ballpark had been transformed into a soccer field,

it’s hard to tell what once occupied the place that is taking the shape

of the stadium.

“Evidently what they did was, they tore everything out, cleaned it all

up and started all over again,” UCI stadium field manager Ralph Cripe

said.

The first phase of stadium construction is now underway. Take away the

piles of dirt and construction workers surrounding the field, and a

glimpse of what is to come shines through. The field has the look and

feel of many in the big leagues. The grass is short and green, trimmed

meticulously with clean edges where it meets the outfield warning track

and infield dirt.

It is Cripe’s obsession. He has been working on baseball fields since

the early 1980s. He is so good at what he does that when UCI baseball

coach John Savage saw a field Cripe had worked on, he recruited him to

work on the Anteaters’ new project.

Cripe, who lives in Carlsbad, commutes about 45 minutes each way to

get to UC Irvine during the week. There’s no question that he is

dedicated to his work.

He even has this little test he does to see if the field meets his

high standards. He takes a golf ball, sets it on the grass and hits it

with his old putter, just to see how smooth the ball glides.

“I’m pretty fanatical about the grass,” said Cripe, who is quick to

point out that this particular grass is a hybrid Bermuda -- developed by

Greg Norman -- that is known to keep its color even in its dormant stage.

“This thing is just like life and like an investment. You can only draw

out of the account what you put into it.”

Cripe is investing a lot of quality time into UCI’s new field, which

is just one component of the new stadium.

In the next six to eight weeks, the ballpark should have major league

dugouts and batting cages. After that, the finishing touches will be put

on, including scoreboards and seats. Also included in the first phase

will be the bullpens and lighting.

Meanwhile, the second phase of construction will include the

clubhouses and additional seating.

“It’s going to be one of the nicest facilities on the West Coast,”

Savage said. “We think it certainly can attract some big-time players to

a great institution and state-of-the-art facility.”

For UCI Athletic Director Dan Guerrero, having baseball back and

building a brand-new ballpark has special meaning. It is something he has

dreamed of since becoming UCI’s athletic director in 1992.

Guerrero played baseball at UCLA and was inducted into the school’s

baseball hall of fame in 1996.

“I go out every morning, at least once or twice a day, and sometimes

in the evening,” Guerrero said. “It’s exhilarating. . . . I’ve been

picturing it for the last two years. I know exactly what it’s going to

look like.”

He also knows exactly how much it is going to cost. The first phase of

construction, which began in August and will be completed next month,

will cost about $3 million. The second and final phase will bring the

total cost of the stadium to $9 million.

Part of the cost for the stadium is being covered by student fees,

which increased by $33 a quarter. One benefit to students is that

admission to all home athletic events are free.

In addition, three new women’s sports -- golf, water polo and indoor

track -- were created to keep the school in compliance with Title IX, a

federal regulation that requires gender equity in athletics.

The increase in student fees will only pay for the first construction

phase. Guerrero said the school will look to the private sector to

provide the rest of the funding.

In the long run, the payoff, not so much monetarily, will be of

big-league proportions.

“If this facility allows [players] to exploit their talents and to

showcase themselves, and at the same time produce a winning program for

the coaches, then I think we’ve at least accomplished one set of goals,”

Cripe said.

Some are hoping that with the building of a new stadium, major league

talent, popularity and excitement surrounding the school’s new baseball

program will come. For others on campus, those components are already

there.

* Amara Aguilar is a sports reporter. She can be reached by at (949)

574-4222 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .