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For the first summer in about 30 years, Hinsdale little leaguers won’t be practicing on Duncan Field.
Instead, the field, located within the Hinsdale village limits but owned by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, will be used by Western Springs Little League and the West Suburban Wildcats, a local travel baseball team.
“They took it from us, basically,” said Rich Simon, president of Hinsdale Little League. “They went and did it without our knowledge.”
As they said has been done every year since 1983, Hinsdale officials requested paperwork this spring so Hinsdale Little League could use the land’s single baseball field for practices for its 50-something teams. But this year, when they sought the permit, they were turned down.
“(Western Springs Little League) never even contacted us to let us know,” Simon said.
Western Springs had already obtained use of the field, situated on a 35-acre parcel north of Ogden Avenue along the Tri-State Tollway, legally on the forest preserve district's first-come, first-serve policy. Nonetheless, it still came as a surprise to the Hinsdale Little League and Hinsdale Parks and Recreation officials.
“No one ever wanted it (in past years),” said Gina Hassett, director of Hinsdale Parks and Recreation.
Simon said roughly 80 percent of Hinsdale Little League practices were held at Duncan Field in past years, on weekdays and weekends. About 700 6- to 12-year-olds are enrolled in Hinsdale Little League, Simon said.
“Basically, now the coaches don’t have practice space,” he added. “All the other fields are being used for games.”
Without Duncan Field, many coaches will be forced to squeeze in practices in between games at game fields, Simon said. Others will hold practices earlier in the day on gamedays, which could clash with field preparation, he said.
Hinsdale Little League utilizes four other fields — Pierce Park, Veeck Park, Brook Park and Robbins Park. However, the ball fields at Veeck and Brook parks are too large for little league games, according to Simon.
“We have limited baseball fields for games and practices,” Simon said. “That's why we utilized Duncan.”
Glenn Yaeger, who coaches a team of 7-year-olds and another team of 12-year-olds for Hinsdale Little League, said he’s able to squeeze in practices before his 5:30 p.m. weekday games because unlike other coaches, he doesn’t work full-time.
“It’s really not an option for a lot of coaches,” he said.
For the first summer in about 30 years, Hinsdale little leaguers won’t be practicing on Duncan Field.
Instead, the field, located within the Hinsdale village limits but owned by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, will be used by Western Springs Little League and the West Suburban Wildcats, a local travel baseball team.
“They took it from us, basically,” said Rich Simon, president of Hinsdale Little League. “They went and did it without our knowledge.”
As they said has been done every year since 1983, Hinsdale officials requested paperwork this spring so Hinsdale Little League could use the land’s single baseball field for practices for its 50-something teams. But this year, when they sought the permit, they were turned down.
“(Western Springs Little League) never even contacted us to let us know,” Simon said.
Western Springs had already obtained use of the field, situated on a 35-acre parcel north of Ogden Avenue along the Tri-State Tollway, legally on the forest preserve district's first-come, first-serve policy. Nonetheless, it still came as a surprise to the Hinsdale Little League and Hinsdale Parks and Recreation officials.
“No one ever wanted it (in past years),” said Gina Hassett, director of Hinsdale Parks and Recreation.
Simon said roughly 80 percent of Hinsdale Little League practices were held at Duncan Field in past years, on weekdays and weekends. About 700 6- to 12-year-olds are enrolled in Hinsdale Little League, Simon said.
“Basically, now the coaches don’t have practice space,” he added. “All the other fields are being used for games.”
Without Duncan Field, many coaches will be forced to squeeze in practices in between games at game fields, Simon said. Others will hold practices earlier in the day on gamedays, which could clash with field preparation, he said.
Hinsdale Little League utilizes four other fields — Pierce Park, Veeck Park, Brook Park and Robbins Park. However, the ball fields at Veeck and Brook parks are too large for little league games, according to Simon.
“We have limited baseball fields for games and practices,” Simon said. “That's why we utilized Duncan.”
Glenn Yaeger, who coaches a team of 7-year-olds and another team of 12-year-olds for Hinsdale Little League, said he’s able to squeeze in practices before his 5:30 p.m. weekday games because unlike other coaches, he doesn’t work full-time.
“It’s really not an option for a lot of coaches,” he said.
Other coaches are practicing on fields without diamonds, while some are simply not practicing much at all, according to Yeager.
“There’s just nowhere to go,” he added.
Without practice, Yeager said development of Little League players can be hindered.
“You can’t tell them what they’re doing wrong (at games),” he said.
This summer, Western Springs Little League will have access to the field for two weekdays, while West Suburban Wildcats will have it for another two weekdays, according Ray Walton, a board member of the Western Springs Little League.
Although Hinsdale Little League would've been allowed to use the field on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, the board of the league decided against it.
“Why should we maintain the field if we only get it two days a week?” Simon questioned. “It just wasn't fair.”
Since Hinsdale first used the field in 1983, the village has invested a great deal in the land by maintaining the property, according to Hassett.
Annually, the Hinsdale Little League, a non-profit that operates on registration fees, sponsorships and fundraising, spent about $7,500 to $10,000 on Duncan Field with about $5,000 to $6,000 of that amount used to get the field ready for the season.
Walton said he never knew that Hinsdale Little League was using Duncan Field and that the Western Springs Little League decided to use it for its rapidly growing girls’ softball program.
“It’s not (Hinsdale Little League’s) field and it’s not our field,” Walton said. “It’s a public Cook County field for all Cook County residents.”
Not being able to use the field may mark the end of the village of Hinsdale's proposals to obtain the field for long-term use.
In 2009, the Village of Hinsdale proposed a plan that would make $1.9 million in improvements to the entire plot of land on the condition that the village would obtain a long-term lease from the forest preserve district. However, the forest preserve district didn’t approve the plan, which included clearing brush, adding soccer fields and other amenities in addition to improvements to the existing baseball field.
After reducing the scope of the plan, it was still met with resistance not only by the forest preserve but by the Friends of the Forest Preserve organization, according Liz Goodman, Cook County board member.
Benjamin Cox, a member of the Friends of the Forest Preserve, said in a July 2010 interview with Suburban Life that the plan, if approved, would have set a dangerous precedent.
“Active, programmed recreation like baseball and soccer just isn’t consistent with the mission of the forest preserve, whose lands are to be used for more passive recreation like fishing, bird watching and hiking,” he said last year.
Hinsdale Little League officials have yet to decide if they will attempt to obtain the field next summer, according to Simon, but they should have a decision by October.
“I would hope that (Duncan Field) would become available to us,” Yeager added.
