Big league help for little league groundskeepers

Representatives of several Little League and Cal Ripken baseball organizations from Westchester and New Jersey gathered at Shea Stadium for question and answer sessions with the New York Mets grounds keeping crew.
The symposium was organized by the Mets and the Baseball Tomorrow Fund, an organization funded by Major League Baseball and the Players Association, which has been giving grants to baseball non-profits for eight years. The goal of these gatherings is to help the adults provide the best and safest conditions for the players.
Four specialized instruction sessions were provided on Saturday, March 24 for the needs of different areas: around home plate, the pitcher’s mound, infield and outfield. Head grounds keeper Bill Deacon and the Mets crew gave tips on how often they cut the grass (every day when the team is in town), how to manicure the mound (do not tamp too close to the pitcher’s rubber because it will tilt), and various soil mixtures for each area of interest.
“They hit this one over the fence,” said Bob Reid, commissioner of the Bayside Little League. “We said it would be nice to have a session like this at a meeting last fall and they [Mets General Manager Omar Minaya and Baseball Tomorrow] made it happen. Omar played Little League ball in Corona along with our Dave Valle - they are still pals. Omar never forgot his roots,” he added.
John Ryan of Clark, New Jersey, brought along his son named Nolan. The younger Ryan hobbled around the field on crutches. When asked about his injury, he said that he had sprained his knee playing football, whereupon his father, this reporter and a couple of bystanders at once suggested, “That’s why you should stick with baseball.”
Attendees met the pros of their avocation, including the Mets legendary former head grounds keeper Pete Flynn, who has been tending the field for the Mets since they were formed in 1962.
Flynn, a 30-year resident of Queens Village confided, “This place feels more like home to me, because I spend more time here.” He stepped down about six years ago, saying, “I’m just a worker now - which means less headaches.”
Long considered a miracle worker for his ability to restore the Mets playing field after championship seasons and after concerts, Flynn became one of the world’s most widely seen anonymous persons, when he drove the Beatles from the stage to a waiting Loomis armored car after their historic concerts at Shea Stadium on August 15, 1965 and August 23, 1966.
Despite the concert equipment and large barricade erected to protect the singers from adoring fans, the Mets were able to play the next day.