A Tribute: Secondini Feild at Club Stadium

So, for those of you who are unfamiliar with these hallowed grounds, we are essentially talking about the Yankee Stadium of backyard sporting venues. Founded in the Summer of 1997 by two brothers with a lot of time on their hands, this little piece of heaven saw some of the greatest battles of backyard sports that any field will know.

The field originally started on the "upper grounds" as the came to be known. In its original design, home plate faced a small patch of woods and a bit of a cliff face in right center during the pre-stadium days. However, with the desire of a fence in mind, the direction of the field was pivoted to give a real stadium feel to the atmosphere. A few upgrades to the fence included an extension over the left field wall to account for the short porch. However, the field direction was again reversed due to cranky neighbors. It was at this time that the field began to flourish with advertisements and banners creating a custom outfield wall. In this design, the right field wall was bolstered due to a short porch and sloping yard. Overhanging tree branches also added to difficulty. Here the field stayed for several years before it was moved to its final resting place in the lower grounds.

With the upper grounds being re-leveled and the fields owner (my mom) not wanting any more dirt patches on her lawn, a section of woods were cleared out to allow a new field to flourish. The custom wall was re-created in a unique manner. The right field wall was the largest of any of the prior version due to the extreme short porch. Center feild went out over 120ft from home where a Monument Park sat. Left field was unique in the sense that some of the upper grounds were in play, tying old and new generations together. For the first time, artificial turf covered the stretch between home plate (donated by Paul McCarthy of Stoneham Little League) and the custom made pitching mound. In its final years, the field even had a custom made clubhouse equiped with couches and Sega Genesis.

The field saw many a wiffleball tournament. Weather it be the money games in its later days, the defunct Wiffleball League (lasting only a few games before stopping mid season), or the classic imaginary league created entirely by the field's founders, dating pre-stadium and running all the way until its final season. The playing grounds didn't only serve host wiffleball games. perhaps its most well-known games were the epic Mud-Bowls where 2 on 2 football was redefined.

I leave you now with the final image of the field, as greedy land owners ravage the area with new house that will forever live in question. While the field may be gone the memories live forever. For those of you who stepped on to these hallowed grounds the field's legacy lives on in your hearts as you pass on these memories to younger generations, that they may create their own slice of heaven on earth.

**if anyone knows how to rotate this please do so.........
***you're welcome - eguarino