'Dummies doing donuts' damage Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame field
The mayor of St. Marys, Ont. is hopeful reparations will be collected from those who destroyed a diamond at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame (CBHOF).
The brazen act of vandalism occurred sometime Friday night or early Saturday morning states Scott Crawford, CBHOF director of operations.
In an interview with CTV News London, Crawford says the damage was caused by a vehicle doing donuts at King Field, one of four premier diamonds at the attraction, which includes an on-site museum to Canada’s baseball greats.
“They just didn’t do one donut, they did 10, 20, 25 donuts, late Friday night or early Saturday morning,” Crawford said. "Dummies...they're doing donuts."
The damage is still being assessed but is expected to be extensive.
“They basically did half the outfield with their donuts from centre field to left field. And, it’s going to be a few thousand dollars to repair and the worst thing is, it is going to wreck the field for the whole summer.”
The biggest heartache is King Field is primarily used for young players just developing a love for the game.
Now it’s covered with deep ruts.
Even with repairs, Crawford says it will not be the same for at least a season or two.
The incident comes at a challenging time for the Hall of Fame.
Like most other museums and sports fields, it has been hit hard during the pandemic.
The CBHOF diamonds are owned and operated by the attraction, not the municipality, but Mayor Al Strathdee says it’s a knock against the community.
“They’ve been trying to upkeep them to be the premier diamonds in Canada. This diamond, in particular, is used for youth and the money’s got to come from somewhere. And they’re struggling for attendance already given the pandemic.”
Crawford is filing a report with Stratford Police Service (which has jurisdiction in St. Marys) in the hope the culprits will be caught. He’s already canvassing neighbours.
In the interim, Strathdee is calling on those who did it to come forward.
“It’s ridiculous. You wonder if people actually recognize the hurt and the damage they’ve actually done.”
Meanwhile, a fund to repair the fields has already been started as Stratford police commenced an investigation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.