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SAL President Disappointed with Golden Park Field Conditions

August 12, 2006 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Columbus Catfish News Release


Columbus, GA - The Columbus Catfish did not play Friday night because of unplayable field conditions. Rain throughout the afternoon, coupled with the stadium's poor drainage system, canceled the game. One of the many disappointed fans who showed up Friday night expecting to see a game was South Atlantic League President John H. Moss.

"I drove six hours to see a game and when I arrived at Golden Park I found a beautiful night yet we were unable to play ball. The stadium's drainage system is unacceptable," Moss said. "Not only do the fans miss an opportunity for a weekend home game, it affects the players as well." Moss added that in this case, both teams were in wait-and-see mode, unable to work out on the field and then lost valuable game experience. This postponement also financially hinders the Columbus franchise. The considerable revenue that would have been earned from the expectedly large crowd is lost because the game will now be made up as part of a doubleheader.

With a ballpark as historic as Golden Park, Moss called on the City of Columbus, who owns the facility, to make it a "high priority" to correct the drainage issue. "As the park's owner, the City of Columbus has a responsibility to the team and the community to fix the drainage problem and to make sure the field is up to Minor League Baseball's standards," he said. "The field drainage has been poor since Olympics softball was played at Golden Park in 1996. Ten years is an awful long time to ignore a problem." Moss indicated he would be contacting Columbus City Manager Isaiah Hugley in the near future to voice his concerns about the field.

This is not the first time the stadium's drainage conditions have prohibited Golden Park occupants from playing ball. "The RedStixx repeatedly lost games because of the drainage system and cited the problem as one of the reasons for leaving Columbus and moving to Ohio. More recently, the Catfish Major League affiliate, the Los Angeles Dodgers, complained in writing to the City of Columbus about the poor drainage and urged the city to fix the problem," Moss said.

"Columbus lost Minor League Baseball once because of this problem and if they don't fix the problem soon they stand likely to lose it again. I will not allow any club in the South Atlantic League to continue to lose income and Major League prospects to lose valuable playing time because the city cannot maintain the field properly. After ten years of talk about this problem it is time for action," Moss concluded.

Catfish General Manager Ken Clary added, "This is the second time this season we have had to cancel a game despite having ideal weather at game time. We have arguably the best groundskeeper in the South Atlantic League in Brock Van Faussien and Brock does a fantastic job keeping the playing surface in pristine condition. However, unless the city resolves the drainage issue, having the best groundskeeper will not stop these postponements from occurring."

The cancellation will be made up as part of a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 6:00pm. The four-game series will conclude with game four Sunday at 6:00pm. Columbus will take a day off Monday, then start a four-game series with the Kannapolis Intimidators at 7:00pm Tuesday. For tickets or more information call (706) 571-8866 or visit ColumbusCatfish.com.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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