Columnists
Email
Print
MAKEOVER: Wellman, the athletics director at WFU, has some big plans for Ernie Shore Field
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: May 26, 2008
Winston-Salem, as anybody paying attention knows by now, will soon have a new baseball stadium.
But in a sense, we'll have two.
And both should be grand green cathedrals of the game.
The one generating all the buzz is the brand-spanking modern park being built hard by Business 40 on the western edge of downtown. It's expected to be as spectacular as most new parks, and open for business by the time that the Winston-Salem Warthogs start their 2009 Carolina League season in April.
The stadium they're leaving, Ernie Shore Field, will then become the home park of the Wake Forest baseball program. And if Athletics Director Ron Wellman has his way -- as he usually does in matters pertaining to Deacons sports -- then expect to experience new sights and sounds in a familiar setting.
The sounds will include that of a horsehide ball pinking against a metal bat, a consequence of the college rules that Wellman, unfortunately, can do little about. But the sights should be far more pleasing to the senses.
The plans, Wellman acknowledged, are still in flux and thus far from approved. But in general Wellman knows what he wants to do, and has even come up with his own verb -- an action word, mind you -- for his plan of action.
"We want to Wake Forestize the stadium," Wellman explained. "The bones of the stadium we believe are pretty good.
"We just need to give it the Wake Forest look and feel."
As a former head baseball coach at Northwestern, Wellman knows that the first concern is the condition of the playing field. In general it's fine, or else Winston-Salem's professional teams couldn't have survived playing there for 53 seasons.
But a survey conducted did uncover some surprising flaws hidden pretty well on the old lady's face.
"We're going to start with the playing field and make sure that's a top-notch playing field, and then move to the structural part of the stadium after that," Wellman said. "All the tests we have done thus far have suggested that structurally it's in fine shape. But the field….
"The survey that we did showed that right field is four feet higher than left field. When we play our games, we get a lot of rain sometimes in the spring, and our left fielder is going to be under water.
"We're going to rectify that issue and put a new wall up. Those are the areas we're going to concentrate on first. Then we need indoor hitting cages over there."
Wellman said he's not ready to reveal what the new outfield wall will look like, though he said it probably won't be covered with the cacophony of colors from the advertising signs so familiar to fans throughout minor-league baseball.
One suggestion he received was to build a brick wall and plant ivy, a la Wrigley Field.
"I'd love to do that," Wellman said. "But I'm afraid we'd lose a few outfielders."
He's also considering a covering for the bleachers that would reduce the normal seating of 6,000 by about half. That way a crowd of two thousand that shows up for a key ACC game would provide far more of a home-field advantage.
"We're talking about that, and again we haven't decided anything at this point," Wellman said. "We probably don't need (6,000) right now.
"We could cover some seats initially and make it a bit more intimate, and then if we host a regional we could always uncover the seats."
One part of the plan is set in stone, or will at least receive prominent display when Wake Forest takes over the park.
The Deacons' current park, Hooks Stadium, honors Gene Hooks, a former baseball player at Wake Forest who was the school's director of athletics from 1964 until May, 1992.
The program's new home will honor Hooks as well.
Wellman said that Ernie Shore, the former major-league pitcher who was Forsyth County's sheriff from 1934 until 1970, should continue to be recognized in some way. But if it gets down to either/or, clearly Hooks will win out over Shore.
"We want to have Gene Hooks associated with the new facility," Wellman said. "We don't know if it's going to be Gene Hooks Field, Gene Hooks Stadium, or what.
"For right now we want Ernie Shore. We don't know what the future holds."
Trivia: Around the Horn
Single -- What Angels third baseman was the MVP of the 2002 World Series?
Double -- What Orioles shortstop was the MVP of the 2005 All-Star game?
Triple -- What NL second baseman hit 43 homers in 1973?
Homer -- What first baseman led the AL in hitting at .326 in 1962?
Around and about
Right-hander Chris Mason was born in Winston-Salem and played high-school baseball for Bessemer City High School, American Legion baseball for Cherryville and college baseball for UNC Greensboro. Now he's a step away from the major leagues. Mason, a second-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2005, is starting for the Durham Bulls of the Class AAA International League. He's struggling a bit at 2-5 with a 4.91 ERA, but he has struck out 47 batters in 492/3 innings. A year ago he tore through the Class AA Southern League, going 15-4 with a 2.57 ERA for Montgomery.… If you haven't heard about Andrew Brackman lately, there's a good reason. Brackman, the former basketball starter at N.C. State, is rehabilitating his right pitching elbow after surgery performed last summer. The Yankees knew that Brackman would need surgery, but that didn't stop them from drafting him in the first round, signing him for $4.5 million and guaranteeing him a spot on this year's 40-man roster. Shows what breaks there are in life for 6-10 pitchers who have thrown baseballs 97 miles per hour. He'll spend this summer building his arm strength back and launch his comeback in 2009.… Cole McCurry, a left-hander who pitched at Surry Community College, may show up in the Carolina League by the end of this summer. McCurry, drafted in the 43rd round last June by Baltimore, is pitching for Delmarva of the Class A South Atlantic League, which routinely promotes players to the Frederick Keys of the CL. McCurry, yet to get on track, is 2-4 with a 5.32 ERA through 452/3 innings, but has struck out 45 batters and walked just 10.
Trivia answers
Single -- Troy Glaus.
Double -- Miguel Tejada.
Triple -- Davey Johnson.
Homer -- Pete Runnels.
■ Dan Collins can be reached at 727-7323 or at dcollins@wsjournal.com.
Email
Print
ADVERTISEMENT
N.C. Politics
Federal Politics
See community events or add your own! Click here!
Advertisement
