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Although you are not real happy with me right now I can understand where you are coming from.

When I was head coach in Kentucky my school did not have a field on campus and had to use a community field. In the summer it was used by the Babe Ruth league but my team had complete use of it starting with our preseason until our season was over - whenever we got beat in the playoffs.

We took it over in mid Feb and the weather was so bad we usually couldn't get on it right away but once we did we worked our rear ends off to get it ready for the season and sometimes it wasn't ready until after spring break (that was the second week of our season). Then we would continue to work the field during the season to maintain what it looked like.

When our season ended the field was usually in great condition when the Babe Ruth took over. Withing a month of them taking it over it looked like we had never stepped foot on it. Grass growing everywhere, never raked, ridges on the IF grass, going into the bases were small valleys, the pitching rubber was almost out of the ground and other things. It was sad to see really.

One time I asked if they would bring in some dirt for the IF to replace what had eroded off. They brought in dirt filled with gravel. We spent the next two years having practice that would include my guys lined up walking the IF with buckets. Still never got them all picked up. It got so bad I had to almost stop having home games. We spent a lot of time on the road because of it.

I finally said I wanted to redo the IF if they would give me the supplies and equipment. I would do all the work if they would give me the stuff. They said no it was their field and they would do the work. They started on it in early Oct. and got halfway done and stopped working by mid November. Needless to say it wasn't ready by spring time.

Like you said - do your homework and find a place that lives up to their hype. I know I won't be a head coach anymore at a school that doesn't have their own facilities.