Between the Lines

Meet Gene Long, the Man Behind the Coleman Park Baseball Fields

The Frederick D. “Fritz” Miller Memorial Baseball Field at Coleman Memorial Park in Lebanon, PA is an acknowledged local treasure. Built in 1958, Miller Field is the home field of the Lebanon High baseball team and also hosts the annual Coleman Park Hitting Contest each August. It received the Keystone Athletic Field Managers Organization’s Field of Distinction honor in 2016. A conversation with longtime caretaker Gene Long gives us some insight into why the fields at Coleman Park are so outstanding.

Gene Long

A Labor of Love

Long has been nurturing the fields at Coleman Park since the early 90s, when Karl “Skip” Wolfe, a league official, PIAA umpire, and one of the Coleman Park Trustees saw the impressive quality of Gene’s home field at Jonestown and recruited him. His involvement with baseball field management grew out of his passion for the game. “I am one of thousands who have learned to love the game of baseball. It has always provided joy in my life. I played the game as a youngster and young adult. I encouraged my son and his son to play the game. I coached a local team,” he says. “And I now find fulfillment by offering my local community a beautiful, safe place to play the game.”

Coleman Park has four fields and a limited budget — a big challenge for one volunteer. “Since I am now retired, I am fortunate enough to be able to donate labor hours,” Gene Long says. He does not have a paid staff but receives handson support from the local baseball community. “Little league coaches, their teams, and parents come to spring field days and the youngsters help in the process, which I feel encourages them to adopt this field as their own,” he says.

Maintenance Routines

Player skill levels and frequency of use are Long’s guide for prioritizing maintenance. The two little league fields are mowed throughout the entire growing season and fertilization, weed control, and over-seeding is done as needed. The multi-use utility field has a skinned infield and a portable

pitching mound which allows play for 60-, 70-, or 90-foot base lengths and can be removed for softball. This field is in use from April through October. The park’s premier ball field has major league dimensions and is in high demand for high school, local league, local and travel tournaments, as well as special holiday events.

Long starts his maintenance year by placing gear out onto the fields and using a light roller to level out frost heave. To test that things are level, he stretches a taut string along the entire grass line to determine if high or low spots are developing, then adjusts if necessary. The two large fields receive applications for weed grass and white grub prevention and two applications of fertilizer, one in early May and one in late September. The infield grass on the premium field demands the most attention. The turf is reel cut at a height of one inch and a quarter — not pro standard, but low enough to present special problems, says Long. Broadleaf invaders like white clover receive spot treatments and annual bluegrass always seems poised to move in.

Help from KAFMO

That is where Gene’s working relationship with KAFMO comes into play. He realized soon after embarking on his field improvement tasks that some education would be necessary. In pursuing a pesticide license at the local extension office, he learned of KAFMO and began to participate in workshops. “The people of KAFMO have been directly helpful to me,” he says. “Jim Welshans came to the park at my request with a top-dressing machine and helped me top-dress my infield. Penn State’s Dr. Peter Landschoot has been at the park to diagnose turf problems. He worked with me to renovate infield grass and eliminate my dreaded enemy, poa annua. This action was 98% effective and resulted in a dense ryegrass cover.”

He recalls that last year was exasperating due to turf loss as a result of disease. He spent the winter reviewing tech articles and plans to keep a record of field temperatures and humidity and watch for disease indicators this year. He has an action plan in mind but is glad that he can call on the expertise of people at KAFMO when necessary.

Sources of Pride

Gene Long has a lot to be proud of. He has been a Coleman Park trustee since 2001 and has seen many field improvements in that time. Community organizations, private citizens, and support groups like Friends of Coleman Park and the Lebanon Baseball Association have made possible a new backstop, a hitting cage, several soft toss stations, bullpen mounds, a storage shed, foul poles, large dugouts, and center field trees, which serve as a beautiful batters’ eye. A combination of local funds and MLB’s Baseball Tomorrow Fund provided for the installation of a 16-foot-high outfield fence. “We have our own left field Monster Wall,” he points out. An infield irrigation system to replace surface hoses and traveling sprinklers is his next goal.

But physical improvements are not Gene’s primary source of pride. “I receive payment for time spent in the park every time I hear positive comments about Coleman Park ball fields,” he says. “I recently had a high school player tell me, ‘I’m excited to be back playing baseball here on this field. I’ve missed it since last year.’ I love to hear the comments from out-of-state tournament visitors and several local coaches who have been here ever since I arrived also comment how thankful they are to be coaching in the park.” Gene Long believes it is all part of contributing to the sport of baseball. “Walking away from a game-prepared field, when I look back and see young players enjoying the game — that is when I am proud.”

Miller Field

Keystone Athletic Field Managers Organization 1451 Peter’s Mountain Road Dauphin, PA 17018-9504 www.KAFMO.org Email: KAFMO@aol.com

Contact:LindaKulp, Executive Secretary Phone: 717-497-4154 kulp1451@gmail.com

Contact: Dan Douglas, President Phone: 610-375-8469 x 212 KAFMO@aol.com